Process for stabilizing flavor of cold-extracted tea through continuous circulating cooling

Abstract

The invention discloses a continuous circulating cooling flavor stabilizing process for cold extraction tea, and relates to the technical field of tea water cold extraction, and the process comprises the following steps: preparing tea leaves for cold extraction and cold extraction water, carrying out pretreatment on the tea leaves before cold extraction, determining the ratio of the tea leaves to the water, mixing the tea leaves and the water in a cup body, soaking for 5-6 hours, controlling the external environment temperature to be 1-3 DEG C and the external environment temperature to be 1-3 DEG C; the weight ratio of the tea leaves to the water is 1: 10, sealing the container, connecting a circulating pump with the inlet end and the outlet end of the container for circulating cold extraction, obtaining cold-extracted tea water after cold extraction is completed, filtering the cold-extracted tea water, adding a bacteriostatic liquid and a flavoring agent, centrifuging, taking supernate, performing secondary sterilization on the supernate, and performing low-temperature sealed storage. Compared with the prior art, the continuous circulating cooling flavor stabilizing process for the cold extracted tea has the advantages that popularization and application are easy, microorganism breeding can be reduced, and flavor stability is guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of tea cold extraction, and in particular to a process for continuous circulation cooling and flavor stabilization of cold-extracted tea. Background Art

[0002] Tea is one of the three major beverages in the world, and it has the effects of anti-aging, antibacterial, lowering blood lipids, and weight loss. At present, the main way to brew tea is to soak it in hot water. This method can quickly dissolve the beneficial ingredients in the tea, but the disadvantage is that it cannot be drunk immediately, especially in the hot summer. At the same time, hot tea makes it easy for bitter substances in the tea to precipitate at high temperatures, resulting in a generally richer taste with a certain bitter taste.

[0003] A new way of brewing tea has emerged in the tea market, namely cold brewed tea. Cold brewed tea refers to tea that can be brewed quickly with cold water or even ice water. It is convenient, healthy, and sweet in taste, and is loved by consumers. However, the long extraction method can easily lead to the growth of various microorganisms, affecting the flavor of the tea and posing a threat to food safety. Summary of the invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the above technical defects and provide a cold-brewed tea continuous circulation cooling flavor stabilization process that is easy to promote and apply, can reduce the growth of microorganisms, and ensure the stability of the flavor.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the technical solution provided by the present invention is: a continuous circulation cooling flavor stabilization process for cold-brewed tea, comprising the following steps: preparing tea leaves and cold-brewed water for cold-brewed tea, pre-treating the tea leaves before cold-brewed tea, determining the ratio of tea leaves to water, mixing the tea leaves and water into a cup body and soaking them for 5 to 6 hours, the external environment temperature is 1 to 3°C, the weight ratio of tea leaves to water is 1:10, and after sealing the container, a circulating pump is connected to the inlet and outlet ends of the container for cyclic cold extraction, and cold-brewed tea water is obtained after cold extraction, antibacterial liquid and flavoring agent are added to the cold-brewed tea water after filtering, supernatant is obtained after centrifugation, and the supernatant is sterilized for a second time and then sealed and stored at low temperature.

[0006] Preferably, the pretreatment of the tea leaves includes rinsing with clean water to remove dust and impurities on the surface, the rinsing time is 0.5 to 1 minute, placing the rinsed tea leaves to wake up, and screening the awakened tea leaves to remove tea fragments, stems, and foreign matter.

[0007] Preferably, the screening of tea leaves includes screen screening and manual selection, and the tea leaves are any one of green tea, oolong tea or white tea.

[0008] Preferably, the cold-brewed water is low-temperature pure water free of impurities.

[0009] Preferably, the secondary sterilization includes the use of strong ultraviolet irradiation.

[0010] Preferably, a tray for filtering water is separately provided in the container, tea leaves are placed in the tray, and the tea water is circulated by a circulation pump.

[0011] Preferably, the method also includes conducting a quality assessment on the cold-brewed tea, and conducting physical and chemical index testing and microbial testing on the cold-brewed tea.

[0012] Preferably, the flavoring agent includes fruit juice extract and natural edible flavor.

[0013] The advantages of the present invention compared with the prior art are as follows: in the present invention, the tea leaves are pre-treated before cold extraction to reduce residual impurities, thereby ensuring the taste of the tea during cold extraction; at the same time, a circulating water flow extraction method is used to ensure the extraction effect; multiple sterilization and filtration are performed to further reduce the residual impurities in the tea after cold extraction, thereby extending the shelf life of the tea; and quality evaluation is performed to judge the quality of the cold-extracted tea; and additionally added flavoring agents can produce tea with different tastes for drinking and sale as needed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] References to embodiments of the present invention will now be provided in detail, one or more examples of which are described below. Each example is provided as an explanation rather than a limitation of the present invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. For example, a feature illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used in another embodiment to produce a further embodiment.

[0015] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0016] Except as shown in the operating examples or otherwise indicated, all numbers used in the specification and claims to indicate the amount of ingredients, physicochemical properties, etc. are understood to be adjusted by the term "about" in all cases. For example, therefore, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical parameters listed in the above specification and the attached claims are approximate values, and those skilled in the art can use the teachings disclosed herein to seek to obtain the desired properties and appropriately change these approximate values. The use of numerical ranges expressed as endpoints includes all numbers within the range and any range within the range, for example, 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4 and 5, etc.

[0017] As shown in the figure, a continuous circulation cooling and flavor stabilization process for cold-brewed tea comprises the following steps: preparing tea leaves and cold-brewed water for cold-brewed tea, pretreating the tea leaves before cold-brewed tea, determining the ratio of tea leaves to water, mixing the tea leaves and water into a cup and soaking them for 5 to 6 hours, with an external ambient temperature of 1 to 3°C, and a weight ratio of tea leaves to water of 1:10, sealing the container and connecting a circulating pump to the inlet and outlet of the container for circulating cold-brewed tea, filtering the cold-brewed tea, adding antibacterial liquid and flavoring agent, centrifuging and obtaining the supernatant, sterilizing the supernatant for a second time and storing it in a sealed container at a low temperature.

[0018] In one embodiment:

[0019] The pretreatment of tea leaves includes rinsing with clean water to remove dust and impurities on the surface. The rinsing time is 0.5 to 1 minute. The rinsed tea leaves are placed to wake up. The awakened tea leaves are screened to remove tea fragments, stems, and foreign matter.

[0020] In specific use, the screening of tea leaves includes screen screening and manual selection, the tea leaves are any one of green tea, oolong tea or white tea, and the cold brew water is low-temperature pure water without impurities.

[0021] In order to extend the shelf life and reduce flavor changes, secondary sterilization includes the use of strong ultraviolet light. A separate tray for filtering water is provided in the container, the tea leaves are placed in the tray, and the tea is circulated using a circulating pump.

[0022] For the purpose of quality inspection, the quality of cold-brewed tea is also evaluated, and the physical and chemical indexes and microbiological tests of cold-brewed tea are carried out to protect the cold-brewed tea.

[0023] In one embodiment, the flavoring agent includes fruit juice extract and natural flavoring.

[0024] In the specific implementation of the present invention, the tea leaves are selected to be fresh, impurity-free, and high-quality tea leaves with strong aroma, including one of green tea, oolong tea or white tea. Filtered pure water or mineral water is used to remove impurities and peculiar smell in the water to ensure the purity and taste of the cold-brewed tea. The water temperature is controlled to be close to the freezing point, about 0°C, so as to maximize the extraction of flavor components in the tea leaves without destroying their structure.

[0025] During processing, the surface of the tea leaves is gently rinsed with low-temperature purified water to remove surface dust and residual pesticides. The rinsing time is 0.5 to 1 minute to prevent damage to the tea structure. The rinsed tea leaves are placed to wake up, and the awakened tea leaves are screened to remove tea fragments, stems, and foreign matter.

[0026] According to the weight ratio of tea to water of 1:10, accurately weigh the tea and water to ensure the flavor consistency of each batch. Place the mixed tea and water in a container with good thermal insulation performance. The external ambient temperature is strictly controlled at 1-3°C to reduce the impact of temperature fluctuations on the cold extraction process. The time is 5-6 hours, and a circulation pump is used for slow circulation cold extraction.

[0027] Use a multi-layer filter screen or fine filter paper to remove tea fragments and impurities in the cold-brewed tea to ensure the clarity and transparency of the tea. After obtaining the cold-brewed tea, add natural antibacterial liquid (such as tea tree essential oil) and flavoring agents (such as fruit extracts, flower essences) to improve the taste and shelf life of the tea. Use a centrifuge to centrifuge the mixture to further remove tiny particles and precipitation, retaining the clarity and flavor of the supernatant. At this time, ultraviolet sterilization is used and the supernatant is treated for a second time to ensure the microbial safety of the product. The treated cold-brewed tea is placed in a sealed container and stored in a refrigerated environment at -5°C to 0°C to slow down flavor loss and microbial growth, and maintain the best flavor and freshness of the tea.

[0028] Each batch of cold brew tea is subjected to sensory evaluation, physical and chemical index testing, and microbiological testing to ensure that the product quality meets the standards.

[0029] The contents not described in detail in this specification belong to the prior art known to professional and technical personnel in this field.

[0030] The basic principles and main features of the present invention and the advantages of the present invention are shown and described above.

[0031] Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. The above-mentioned embodiments and descriptions are only for explaining the principles of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the present invention may be subject to various changes and improvements, and these changes and improvements shall all fall within the scope of the present invention claimed for protection.

[0032] The protection scope of the present invention is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents. Therefore, based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative work are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0033] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0034] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0035] The present invention and its implementation methods are described above, and such description is not restrictive. In short, if ordinary technicians in the field are inspired by it, without departing from the purpose of the invention, they can design structures and embodiments similar to the technical solution without creativity, which should all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A process for stabilizing the flavor of cold-brewed tea by continuous cycle cooling, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Prepare tea leaves and cold brew water for cold brewing, pre-treat the tea leaves before cold brewing, determine the ratio of tea leaves to water, mix the tea leaves and water in a cup and soak for 5 to 6 hours, the external environment temperature is 1 to 3°C, the weight ratio of tea leaves to water is 1:10, seal the container and connect the inlet and outlet of the container with a circulating pump for circulating cold brewing, obtain cold brewed tea after cold brewing, filter the cold brewed tea, add antibacterial liquid and flavoring agent, centrifuge and take the supernatant, sterilize the supernatant twice and store it in a sealed state at low temperature.

2. The process for stabilizing the flavor of cold-brewed tea by continuous circulation cooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pretreatment of the tea leaves includes rinsing with clean water to remove dust and impurities on the surface, the rinsing time is 0.5 to 1 minute, placing the rinsed tea leaves to wake up, screening the awakened tea leaves to remove tea fragments, stems and foreign matter.

3. The process for stabilizing the flavor of cold-brewed tea by continuous circulation cooling according to claim 2, characterized in that: The screening of the tea leaves includes screen screening and manual selection, and the tea leaves are any one of green tea, oolong tea or white tea.

4. The process for stabilizing the flavor of cold-brewed tea by continuous circulation cooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cold-brewed water is low-temperature pure water without impurities.

5. The process for stabilizing the flavor of cold-brewed tea by continuous circulation cooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The secondary sterilization includes the use of strong ultraviolet light irradiation.

6. The process for stabilizing the flavor of cold-brewed tea by continuous circulation cooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: A placing tray for filtering water is separately arranged in the container, tea leaves are placed in the filtering tray, and the tea water is circulated by a circulating pump.

7. The process for stabilizing the flavor of cold-brewed tea by continuous circulation cooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes quality assessment of cold-brewed tea, and testing of physical and chemical indicators and microorganisms on cold-brewed tea.

8. The process for stabilizing the flavor of cold-brewed tea by continuous circulation cooling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flavoring agent includes fruit juice extract and natural edible flavor.