A method for preparing a vacuum low-temperature slow-cooked tomato green tea beverage and the beverage itself.

Abstract

This invention relates to a method for preparing a vacuum low-temperature slow-cooked tomato green tea beverage, comprising the following steps: S1, crushing tomatoes to break their skins and release juice; mixing the crushed tomatoes with green tea leaves (preferably Biluochun), flavoring agents (preferably lemon peel), and water, and then placing the mixture into a vacuum-sealed device; S2, evacuating the sealing device to -60 kPa to -80 kPa, and then placing it in a water bath at 60℃ to 70℃ for 1 h to 2 h; S3, after cooling, performing solid-liquid separation, and collecting the filtrate as the tomato green tea beverage. Through the synergistic effect of specific temperature, time, and vacuum, this invention efficiently extracts flavor substances while maximally preserving the floral and fruity aroma of Biluochun and the fruity aroma of tomatoes, avoiding the development of a simmered taste, and resulting in a beverage with a delicate and harmonious taste, free of bitterness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of beverage processing technology, and in particular to a method for preparing a vacuum low-temperature slow-cooked tomato green tea beverage and the beverage itself. Background Technology

[0002] In the beverage processing field, existing related technical solutions mainly fall into two categories:

[0003] Category 1: Traditional high-temperature extraction process. This is a common method in tea beverage production. For example, patent application CN2024102170212 discloses a method for preparing green tea beverages, using hot water above 85℃ for extraction. This process is highly efficient, but the high temperature severely damages the heat-sensitive floral and fruity aroma substances in green tea (especially tender green teas such as Biluochun), and easily produces a "simmered" taste similar to that of steamed vegetables, failing to meet the requirements for preserving high-end flavors.

[0004] Category Two: Emerging Low-Temperature Extraction Processes. To reduce heat damage, low-temperature technology is being explored for application in plant extraction. For example, patent application CN2025100706338 discloses a method for vacuum low-temperature extraction of medicinal materials, with the temperature controlled at 40-60℃. However, this process mainly targets the extraction of active ingredients from medicinal materials, without addressing the construction of beverage flavor systems, and its extraction cycle can last for several hours or even tens of hours, making it difficult to meet the efficiency requirements of the beverage industry. More importantly, existing low-temperature technologies have not optimized parameters for the specific complex flavor system of "tomato-green tea," and cannot solve the problem of the synergistic release of tomato fruit aroma and green tea floral aroma under low-temperature conditions.

[0005] In summary, existing technologies suffer from flavor degradation due to high-temperature processing, while general low-temperature processes are inefficient and not optimized for the tomato-green tea complex system. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a preparation method specifically for tomato-green tea complex beverages that balances processing efficiency and flavor quality. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a method for preparing a vacuum low-temperature slow-cooked tomato green tea beverage and the beverage itself. Through the synergistic effect of specific temperature, time, and vacuum, flavor substances are extracted efficiently while preserving the floral and fruity aroma of Biluochun tea and the fruity aroma of tomatoes to the greatest extent, avoiding the development of a simmered flavor.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve its technical problem is: a method for preparing a vacuum low-temperature slow-cooked tomato green tea beverage, comprising the following steps:

[0008] S1. Crush the tomatoes to break their skins and release juice; mix the crushed tomatoes with green tea leaves (preferably Biluochun), flavoring agents (preferably lemon peel), and water, and pack them into a vacuum-sealed device; evacuate the sealing device to -60 kPa to -80 kPa, and then place it in a water bath at 60℃ to 70℃ for 1 h to 2 h.

[0009] S2. After cooling, solid-liquid separation is performed, and the collected filtrate is the tomato green tea beverage.

[0010] In step S1, the mass ratio of tomatoes, green tea leaves, flavoring agents, and water is (15~30): (0.5~2.0): (0.1~0.25): 50.

[0011] Furthermore, the flavor enhancer is lemon peel, with the white pith removed and only the yellow outer layer used.

[0012] Furthermore, in step S1, the vacuum level is -70 kPa, the temperature is 65℃, and the holding time is 1.5 h.

[0013] A tomato green tea beverage prepared by the above-described preparation method.

[0014] Advantages of the present invention: The present invention provides a method for preparing a vacuum low-temperature slow-cooked tomato green tea beverage and the beverage itself. Through the synergistic effect of specific temperature, time and vacuum degree, flavor substances are extracted efficiently while the floral and fruity aroma of Biluochun tea and the fruity aroma of tomatoes are preserved to the greatest extent, avoiding the generation of a simmered flavor. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 The image shows a comparison of the total ion current of the tomato green tea beverage prepared in Example 1 and the tomato green tea beverage prepared in the comparative example by GC-MS.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a comparison chart showing the relative content of key aroma compounds in the tomato green tea beverage prepared in Example 1 and the tomato green tea beverage prepared in the comparative example.

[0017] Figure 3 Sensory evaluation radar comparison charts of the tomato green tea beverage prepared in Example 1 and the tomato green tea beverage prepared in the comparative example (a. aroma profile; b. flavor profile; c. overall style). Detailed Implementation

[0018] To enhance understanding of the present invention, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. These embodiments are only used to explain the invention and do not limit the scope of protection of the invention.

[0019] Unless otherwise specified, the raw materials used in the following examples and comparative examples are from the same source: green cherry tomatoes (variety: Green Shell) were purchased from a local supermarket; Biluochun tea leaves were first-grade 2026 pre-Qingming tea from Suzhou; lemon peels were taken from the yellow peel of fresh yellow lemons, with the white pith removed; purified water was commercially available Tiger Hill brand purified water (resistivity ≥18.2 MΩ·cm). Equipment: vacuum sealing machine (FoodSaver V4400), constant temperature water bath (PolyScience 730 series, accuracy ±0.1℃), electronic balance (accuracy 0.01 g).

[0020] Example 1

[0021] Crush 20 g of tomatoes to break the skin and release the juice. Mix the crushed tomatoes with 1.5 g of tea leaves, 0.2 g of lemon peel, and 50 mL of water in a vacuum bag. Vacuum the bag to -70 kPa and heat it in a 65°C constant temperature water bath for 1.5 h. After cooling, filter to obtain 41.5 mL of filtrate, which is the tomato green tea beverage.

[0022] The filtrate was analyzed by HS-SPME-GC-MS, and the relative contents of representative aroma compounds were found to be: D-limonene 38.2%, geraniol acetate 2.1%, and decanal 0.3%.

[0023] Ten trained sensory evaluators were hired to score the product using a 10-point scale (1 being the lowest and 10 the highest). The sensory scores for this embodiment were: floral aroma intensity 8.6, fruity aroma intensity 8.5, refreshing sensation 9.5, citrus aroma intensity 8.4, bitterness intensity 1.2, astringency intensity 1.1, and simmering flavor intensity 1.0. This embodiment performed optimally in the floral, fruity, and citrus aroma dimensions, with extremely low levels of bitterness, astringency, and simmering flavor. The product is elegant and harmonious, with a good blend of tomato and Biluochun floral and fruity aromas, and a pronounced aftertaste, making it the best embodiment of this invention.

[0024] Example 2

[0025] Crush 25 g of tomatoes to break the skin and release the juice. Mix the crushed tomatoes with 1.0 g of tea leaves, 0.15 g of lemon peel, and 50 mL of water in a vacuum bag. Vacuum the bag to -70 kPa and heat it in a 60℃ constant temperature water bath for 2.0 h. After cooling, filter to obtain 42.5 mL of filtrate, which is the tomato green tea beverage.

[0026] The filtrate was analyzed by HS-SPME-GC-MS, and the relative contents of representative aroma compounds were determined to be: D-limonene 30.2%, geraniol acetate 1.5%, and decanal 0.4%. Compared with Example 1, the content of geraniol acetate was significantly reduced due to the decrease in tea leaves; the content of decanal was increased due to the increase in tomato dosage; and the content of limonene was slightly decreased.

[0027] The sensory scores for this embodiment are as follows: floral aroma intensity 6.0, fruity aroma intensity 9.0, refreshing aroma intensity 8.0, citrus aroma intensity 5.0, bitterness intensity 1.5, astringency intensity 1.5, and brewed flavor intensity 1.2. This embodiment emphasizes the fruity aroma dimension, but the floral and citrus aromas are weaker than in Example 1, the tea flavor is milder, and the overall harmony is slightly inferior to Example 1. However, it remains pure and free of unpleasant off-flavors, indicating that the preparation method of this invention can effectively preserve the tomato fruit aroma even with a lower tea quantity.

[0028] Example 3

[0029] Crush 15 g of tomatoes to break the skin and release the juice. Mix the crushed tomatoes with 2.0 g of tea leaves, 0.25 g of lemon peel, and 50 mL of water in a vacuum bag. Vacuum the bag to -80 kPa and heat it in a 70℃ constant temperature water bath for 1.0 h. After cooling, filter to obtain 43.0 mL of filtrate, which is the tomato green tea beverage.

[0030] The filtrate was analyzed by HS-SPME-GC-MS, and the relative contents of representative aroma compounds were found to be: D-limonene 42.3%, geraniol acetate 3.0%, and decanal 0.2%. Compared with Example 1, the increased amount of tea significantly increased the geraniol acetate content; the decreased amount of tomato reduced the decanal content; and the limonene content also increased.

[0031] The sensory scores for this embodiment are as follows: floral aroma intensity 9.2, fruity aroma intensity 5.5, refreshing aroma intensity 7.5, citrus aroma intensity 7.0, bitterness intensity 2.0, astringency intensity 2.0, and overcooked flavor intensity 1.0. This embodiment shows a prominent floral aroma, but a weaker fruity aroma, and the bitterness and astringency intensity are slightly higher than in Embodiment 1. Some tasters commented that the tea flavor was too strong and slightly bitter. Nevertheless, the product still has no overcooked flavor, and its overall quality is superior to the comparative example.

[0032] Example 4

[0033] Crush 30 g of tomatoes to break the skin and release the juice. Mix the crushed tomatoes with 0.5 g of tea leaves, 0.1 g of lemon peel, and 50 mL of water in a vacuum bag. Vacuum the bag to -60 kPa and heat it in a 65°C constant temperature water bath for 1.5 h. After cooling, filter to obtain 44.0 mL of filtrate, which is the tomato green tea beverage.

[0034] The filtrate was analyzed by HS-SPME-GC-MS, and the relative contents of representative aroma compounds were found to be: D-limonene 18.2%, geraniol acetate 0.8%, and decanal 0.5%. Compared with Example 1, the extremely small amount of tea used led to a significant decrease in geraniol acetate; the extremely large amount of tomato used led to an increase in decanal content; and the limonene content also decreased significantly.

[0035] The sensory scores for this embodiment are as follows: floral aroma intensity 3.5, fruity aroma intensity 9.2, refreshing aroma intensity 6.5, citrus aroma intensity 2.5, bitterness intensity 1.0, astringency intensity 1.0, and simmering flavor intensity 1.0. This embodiment exhibits a prominent fruity aroma, but the floral and citrus aromas are very weak, the tea flavor is extremely faint, and the overall flavor is dominated by tomato. Although the balance is not as good as in Example 1, the product still has no bitterness, astringency, or simmering flavor, indicating that even at the boundary ratios, the preparation method of this invention can still avoid the generation of undesirable flavors.

[0036] Comparative Example

[0037] Crush 20 g of tomatoes to break the skin and release the juice. Mix the crushed tomatoes with 1.5 g of tea leaves, 0.2 g of lemon peel, and 50 mL of water in a vacuum bag without vacuuming. Heat and extract the mixture in an 85°C constant temperature water bath for 4 min. After cooling, filter to obtain 38.0 mL of filtrate, which is the tomato green tea beverage.

[0038] The filtrate was analyzed by HS-SPME-GC-MS, and the relative contents of representative aroma compounds were found to be: D-limonene 2.3%, geraniol acetate 0.3%, and decanal 0.1%. The contents of the three representative aroma compounds were significantly lower than those in the examples.

[0039] The sensory scores for this embodiment are as follows: floral aroma intensity 2.5, fruity aroma intensity 3.5, refreshing aroma intensity 2.5, citrus aroma intensity 1.5, bitterness intensity 6.5, astringency intensity 6.0, and overcooked flavor intensity 7.0. This comparative example is significantly lower than the other embodiments in the dimensions of floral, fruity, and citrus aromas, while exhibiting very high intensities of bitterness, astringency, and overcooked flavor. Reviewers generally reported a noticeable "overcooked" taste, poor integration of tea and fruit aromas, and a bitter and astringent mouthfeel.

[0040] To provide a more intuitive comparison, the main process parameters of Examples 1 to 4 and the comparative examples are shown in Table 1 below.

[0041] Table 1. Main process parameters of each embodiment and comparative example

[0042]

[0043] To provide a more intuitive comparison, the content of the main flavor compounds in Examples 1 to 4 and the comparative examples is shown in Table 2.

[0044] Table 2. Content of main flavor compounds in each example and comparative example

[0045]

[0046] To more intuitively demonstrate the sensory quality advantages of the product of the present invention compared with the prior art, the sensory scores of Example 1 and the comparative example are compared as shown in Table 3 below.

[0047] Table 3 Sensory ratings of Example 1 and the comparative example

[0048]

[0049] A comparison of the GC-MS total ion chromatograms of the tomato green tea beverage prepared in Example 1 and the tomato green tea beverage prepared in the comparative example. Figure 1 As shown.

[0050] The relative contents of key aroma compounds in the tomato green tea beverages prepared in Examples 1 to 4 and the tomato green tea beverages prepared in the comparative example are compared. Figure 2 As shown.

[0051] The sensory evaluation comparison between the tomato green tea beverage prepared in Example 1 and the tomato green tea beverage prepared in the comparative example is shown in the radar chart, as follows: Figure 3 As shown, a is the aroma profile; b is the flavor profile; and c is the overall style.

[0052] From the above tests and analyses, it is clear that the tomato green tea beverage prepared by the method of the present invention is superior to the traditional high-temperature brewing method in preserving floral, fruity, and citrus aromas.

[0053] Compared with existing technologies, this invention achieves significant technological progress through a process path that combines vacuum and low-temperature slow cooking, specifically in the following three aspects:

[0054] I. Breakthroughs achieved in the preservation and regulation of flavor compounds

[0055] This invention utilizes a low-temperature range of 60℃~70℃ combined with a vacuum environment of -60 kPa to -80 kPa to precisely match the stability range of heat-sensitive aroma substances in Biluochun green tea. Simultaneously, the vacuum environment inhibits oxidative degradation pathways. Experimental data (see Example 1 and Table 2) show that the content of key characteristic flavor substances in the product obtained by this invention is significantly increased: In Example 1, the relative content of D-limonene is 38.5%, while in the comparative example it is only 2.3%, an increase of approximately 18 times; the relative content of geraniol acetate, representing the floral aroma of Biluochun, is 2.1% in Example 1, compared to 0.3% in the comparative example, an increase of approximately 7 times; the relative content of decanal, representing the fruity aroma of tomato, is 0.3% in Example 1, compared to 0.1% in the comparative example, an increase of approximately 3 times. These data indicate that the process of this invention can significantly retain the characteristic aroma components of lemon, Biluochun, and tomato, avoiding the loss of heat-sensitive substances caused by high temperatures. The advantages of retaining the above-mentioned chemical components are directly reflected in the sensory experience: as described in Example 1, the tomato green tea beverage prepared by the method of the present invention scores significantly higher than the comparative example in terms of positive sensory attributes such as "floral aroma", "fruity aroma" and "freshness" (6.1 points, 5.0 points, and 7.0 points higher respectively on a 10-point scale), while the intensity of "stewed flavor" is only 1.0 point (compared example is 7.0 points), and the tea soup presents a clear and pure quality.

[0056] II. Deep Integration of Tomato and Green Tea Flavor Systems

[0057] Slow cooking at low temperatures allows the fruity aroma compounds in tomatoes (such as decanal) to be released slowly and evenly. In a sealed, vacuum environment where they coexist with green tea extract, the two fully blend together, creating a rich and harmonious complex flavor. Sensory evaluation of Example 1 showed that the product scored 9.0 points in the "harmony" dimension, significantly better than the comparative example's 3.5 points, overcoming the technical difficulty of separating or masking the fruity and tea aromas in traditional processes.

[0058] III. Achieving an excellent balance between efficiency and adaptability

[0059] The entire extraction and fusion process of this invention only takes 1 to 2 hours, which is much shorter than the existing low-temperature extraction process (usually > 8 hours), successfully solving the bottleneck of industrialization efficiency. At the same time, the preparation method of this invention has good robustness to changes in raw material ratios: Examples 2 to 4 show that within the range of 0.5 to 2.0 g of tea and 15 to 30 g of tomatoes, the core flavor characteristics can still remain stable, and the content of key aroma substances in each example is significantly higher than that in the comparative example (see Table 2), providing a solid guarantee for flexible product formulation in industrial production.

[0060] The above embodiments should not limit the present invention in any way. All technical solutions obtained by equivalent substitution or equivalent conversion fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a vacuum low-temperature slow-cooked tomato green tea beverage, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Crush the tomatoes to break the skin and release the juice; mix the crushed tomatoes with green tea leaves, flavoring agents, and water, and put them into a vacuum-sealed device; evacuate the sealing device to -60 kPa to -80 kPa, and then place it in a water bath at 60℃ to 70℃ for 1 h to 2 h. S2. After cooling, solid-liquid separation is performed, and the collected filtrate is the tomato green tea beverage.

2. The method for preparing a vacuum low-temperature slow-cooked tomato green tea beverage according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S1, the mass ratio of tomatoes, green tea leaves, flavoring agents, and water is (15~30): (0.5~2.0): (0.1~0.25):

50.

3. The method for preparing a vacuum low-temperature slow-cooked tomato green tea beverage according to claim 2, characterized in that, The flavor enhancer is lemon peel, with the white pith removed and only the yellow outer layer used.

4. A method for preparing a vacuum low-temperature slow-cooked tomato green tea beverage according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, In step S1, the vacuum level is -70 kPa, the temperature is 65℃, and the holding time is 1.5 h.

5. A tomato green tea beverage, characterized in that, The beverage is prepared by a method for preparing a vacuum low-temperature slow-cooked tomato green tea beverage as described in any one of claims 1-4.

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