Beer-flavored beverage having reduced purine body concentration, and method for producing the same

Abstract

To provide a novel beer-flavored beverage which has a reduced purine body concentration but has good depth of flavor in the latter half, good richness and good balance.SOLUTION: According to the present invention, provided is a beer-flavored beverage which has a purine body concentration of 12 mg / 100 mL or less and which contains 0.5 ppb or more of 2-methylpyrazine and / or 0.5 ppb or more of 2,6-dimethylpyrazine. Preferably, the total content of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine is 1 ppb or more.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beer-taste beverage with a reduced purine concentration and a method for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] It is known that beer, a fermented malt beverage, contains purine compounds derived from barley raw materials, etc. When ingested as food, purine compounds are decomposed into uric acid. In the dietary restriction for hyperuricemia, the intake of purine compounds may be restricted, and in addition to the restriction of foods with higher purine content such as meat, eggs, and liver, fermented malt beverages such as beer may also be subject to dietary restrictions. For this reason, there is a demand for products with reduced purine compounds in fermented malt beverages such as beer.

[0003] As examples of beer-flavored beverages that have a reduced purine concentration while still maintaining a beer-like flavor and full-bodied taste, and methods for producing such beverages, the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-196336 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-097414 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a novel beer-taste beverage that has a reduced purine concentration yet has a good mid-to-late thickness, full-bodied taste and balance, and a method for producing the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present inventors have found that by incorporating a prescribed amount of pyrazines in a beer-taste beverage with a reduced purine concentration, it is possible to provide a beer-taste beverage that has a reduced purine concentration but is also thick in the mid-to-late flavor, has a full-bodied taste, and is well-balanced.The present invention is based on this finding.

[0007] According to the present invention, the following inventions are provided. [1] A beer-flavored beverage with a purine concentration of 12 mg / 100 mL or less and containing 0.5 ppb or more of 2-methylpyrazine and / or 0.5 ppb or more of 2,6-dimethylpyrazine. [2] The beer-taste beverage according to [1] above, having a combined content of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine of 1 ppb or more. [3] A beer-flavored beverage as described in [1] or [2] above, having a purine concentration of 3.0 mg / 100 mL or less. [4] A beer-flavored beverage as described in [1] or [2] above, which is a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage. [5] The beer-flavored beverage described in [4] above, having an alcohol concentration of 10.0 v / v% or less. [6] A method for producing a beer-taste beverage having a purine concentration of 12 mg / 100 mL or less, the method comprising the step of incorporating 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine so that the produced beverage has a 2-methylpyrazine concentration of 0.5 ppb or more and / or a 2,6-dimethylpyrazine concentration of 0.5 ppb or more. [7] A method for improving the flavor of a beer-taste beverage having a purine concentration of 12 mg / 100 mL or less, the method comprising the step of adding 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine so that the 2-methylpyrazine concentration of the produced beverage is 0.5 ppb or more and / or the 2,6-dimethylpyrazine concentration of the produced beverage is 0.5 ppb or more.

[0008] According to the present invention, by incorporating a predetermined amount of pyrazines in a beer-taste beverage with a reduced purine concentration, it is possible to provide a beer-taste beverage that has a good balance, a full-bodied taste, and a rich flavor in the middle and latter stages, while still reducing the purine concentration. Therefore, the present invention is advantageous in that it can meet a variety of needs, such as the health consciousness of consumers.

[0009] In the present invention, the "beer taste" refers to the taste and aroma unique to beer that can be obtained when beer is produced in the usual manner, i.e., when beer is produced based on fermentation by yeast or the like.

[0010] In the present invention, "fermented alcoholic beverage with a beer taste" refers to a beverage fermented by yeast using a carbon source, a nitrogen source, water, etc. as ingredients, and includes beer, happoshu, and beverages obtained by adding alcohol to beer or happoshu that use malt as an ingredient (for example, a new genre of liqueur beverage classified as "Liqueur (sparkling) (2)" under the Liquor Tax Act). A preferred embodiment of a fermented alcoholic beverage with a beer taste is a fermented alcoholic beverage with a beer taste that uses malt and / or ungerminated wheat and barley as at least a part of the ingredient, and a more preferred embodiment is a fermented alcoholic beverage with a beer taste that uses malt as at least a part of the ingredient.

[0011] The beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage produced by the present invention uses malt as at least a part of the raw material, and preferably, for example, either barley malt or wheat malt or both as the malt. When the beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage produced by the present invention uses malt as at least a part of the raw material, the malt usage ratio can be, for example, 20% or less, 20% or more, less than 25%, 25% or more, 30% or less, 30% or more, 40% or less, 40% or more, less than 50%, 50% or more, 55% or less, 55% or more, 60% or less, 60% or more, 65% or less, 65% or more, 70% or less, 70% or more, 75% or more, 80% or less, 80% or more, 85% or less, 85% or more, 90% or less, 90% or more, 95% or more, or 100%, and these upper and lower limits can be arbitrarily combined. In this specification, the "malt usage ratio" refers to the ratio of the mass of malt to the mass of all ingredients excluding hops and brewing water. In this invention, beer is a product obtained by fermenting malt, hops, water and other certain auxiliary ingredients, or by adding hops or certain auxiliary ingredients to this and fermenting it, and satisfies the following two conditions (limited to those with an alcohol content of less than 20%): Malt ratio must be 50 / 100 or more The weight of the fruits (including dried, boiled or concentrated fruit juice) and certain flavorings used does not exceed 5 / 100 of the weight of the malt (including those not used). (See the Liquor Tax Act (Act No. 6 of 1953), which was amended by the "Act for Partial Amendment of the Income Tax Act, etc." (Act No. 4 of 2017) and came into effect on April 1, 2018.)

[0012] The alcohol concentration of the fermented alcoholic beverage with a beer taste of the present invention can be set arbitrarily, but the lower limit of the alcohol concentration (above or above) can be, for example, 1.0 v / v%, 1.5 v / v%, 2.0 v / v%, 2.5 v / v% or 3.0 v / v%, and the upper limit (below or below) can be, for example, 11.0 v / v%, 10.5 v / v%, 10.0 v / v%, 9.5 v / v%, 9.0 v / v%, 8.5 v / v%, 8.0 v / v%, 7.5 v / v%, 7.0 v / v%, 6.5 v / v% or 6.0 v / v%. These lower and upper limits can be arbitrarily combined, and the alcohol concentration of the fermented alcoholic beverage with a beer taste of the present invention can be, for example, 1.0 to 10.0 v / v%, preferably 3.0 to 6.0 v / v%.

[0013] Methods for measuring the alcohol concentration (ethanol concentration) in a beverage are widely known to those skilled in the art, and can be measured, for example, by the method described in the "National Tax Agency Specified Analytical Methods."

[0014] The beer-taste beverage of the present invention includes a non-alcoholic beer-taste beverage. Here, the term "non-alcoholic beer-taste beverage" refers to a beer-taste beverage with an alcohol (ethanol) concentration of less than 1 v / v%, and is preferably a zero-alcohol beer-taste beverage (for example, a beer-taste beverage with an alcohol concentration of 0.00 v / v%). Such zero-alcohol beer-taste beverages are preferably non-fermented beer-taste beverages, that is, beer-taste beverages produced without a fermentation process. Here, the "fermentation process" refers to a process in which microorganisms such as yeast break down organic matter to produce metabolic products such as alcohol. In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the non-alcoholic beer-taste beverage of the present invention is a zero-alcohol beer-taste beverage that uses malt as a raw material.

[0015] According to the present invention, a "beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverage" may be a beer-flavored beverage containing alcohol at a concentration of less than 1 v / v%, and such beer-flavored beverages include beer-flavored beverages produced by subjecting a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage such as beer to a dealcoholization process, and beer-flavored beverages produced through limited ethanol fermentation.

[0016] The beer-taste beverage of the present invention has a reduced purine concentration. Specifically, the upper limit of the purine concentration of the beer-taste beverage of the present invention (not more than or less than) is 12 mg / 100 mL, and the lower limit is 11 mg / 100 mL, 10 mg / 100 mL, 9.0 mg / 100 mL, 8.0 mg / 100 mL, 7.0 mg / 100 mL, 6.0 mg / 100 mL, 5.0 mg / 100 mL, 4.0 mg / 100 mL, 3.5 mg / 100 mL, 3.4 mg / 100 mL, 3.3 mg / 100 mL, 3.2 mg / 100 mL, 3.1 mg / 100 mL, 3.0 mg / 100 mL, 2.9 mg / 100 mL, 2.8 mg / 100 mL, 2.7 mg / 100 mL, 2.6 mg / 100 mL, 2.5 mg / 100 mL, 2. It can also be 4mg / 100mL, 2.3mg / 100mL, 2.2mg / 100mL, 2.1mg / 100mL, 2.0mg / 100mL, 1.9mg / 100mL, 1.8mg / 100mL, 1.7mg / 100mL, 1.6mg / 100mL, 1.5mg / 100mL, 1.4mg / 100mL, 1.3mg / 100mL, 1.2mg / 100mL, 1.1mg / 100mL, 1.0mg / 100mL, 0.9mg / 100mL, 0.8mg / 100mL, 0.7mg / 100mL, 0.6mg / 100mL, 0.5mg / 100mL, 0.4mg / 100mL, 0.3mg / 100mL or 0.2mg / 100mL. Beverages with a purine concentration of less than 0.5 mg / 100 mL qualify as "zero purine beverages."

[0017] Purines can be measured by known methods, for example, by a method of hydrolysis with perchloric acid followed by detection using LC-MS / MS (liquid chromatography mass spectrometry) (see Food Hygiene Journal 55(2):110-116(2014)). In this specification, the term "purine concentration" refers to the total amount of four purine bases, adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine.

[0018] The beer-taste beverage of the present invention may have a reduced carbohydrate concentration. Specifically, the upper limit of the carbohydrate concentration of the beer-taste beverage of the present invention (not more than or less than) is 2.5 g / 100 mL, 2.4 g / 100 mL, 2.3 g / 100 mL, 2.2 g / 100 mL, 2.1 g / 100 mL, 2.0 g / 100 mL, 1.9 g / 100 mL, 1.8 g / 100 mL, 1.7 g / 100 mL, 1.6 g / 100 mL, 1.5 g / 100 mL, 1.7 g / 100 mL, 1.8 g / 100 mL, 1.9 ... The sugar concentration can be 0mL, 1.4g / 100mL, 1.3g / 100mL, 1.2g / 100mL, 1.1g / 100mL, 1.0g / 100mL, 0.9g / 100mL, 0.8g / 100mL, 0.7g / 100mL, 0.6g / 100mL, 0.5g / 100mL, 0.4g / 100mL, 0.3g / 100mL or 0.2g / 100mL. Beverages with a sugar concentration of less than 0.5g / 100mL qualify as "zero sugar beverages."

[0019] The carbohydrate concentration can be measured by known methods, and can be calculated by subtracting the amounts of water, protein, lipids, ash and dietary fiber from the mass of the sample to be measured (see the Nutrition Labeling Standards (Partially revised, Consumer Affairs Agency Notification No. 9, December 16, 2009)).

[0020] The beer-taste beverage of the present invention is characterized in that it has a 2-methylpyrazine concentration of a predetermined value. Specifically, the lower limit of the 2-methylpyrazine concentration of the beer-taste beverage of the present invention (not less than or exceeding) is 0.5 ppb, and can also be 0.6 ppb, 0.7 ppb, 0.8 ppb, 0.9 ppb, 1.0 ppb, 2.0 ppb, 3.0 ppb, 4.0 ppb, 5.0 ppb, 10 ppb, 15 ppb, 20 ppb, 25 ppb, or 30 ppb. Furthermore, in the beer-taste beverage of the present invention, the upper limit of the 2-methylpyrazine concentration (or less than or below) can be set as appropriate, and can be, for example, 1200 ppb, 1100 ppb, 1000 ppb, 900 ppb, 800 ppb, 700 ppb, 600 ppb, 500 ppb, 400 ppb, 300 ppb, 200 ppb, 150 ppb, 140 ppb, 130 ppb, 120 ppb, 110 ppb, 100 ppb, 90 ppb or 80 ppb. These lower and upper limits can be combined in any desired manner, and the 2-methylpyrazine concentration in the beer-taste beverage of the present invention can be, for example, from 0.5 ppb to 1200 ppb, from 0.6 ppb to 1200 ppb, from 0.6 ppb to 1000 ppb, from 0.6 ppb to 500 ppb, or from 0.6 ppb to 100 ppb.

[0021] The beer-taste beverage of the present invention is characterized in that it has a 2,6-dimethylpyrazine concentration of a predetermined value. Specifically, the lower limit of the 2,6-dimethylpyrazine concentration of the beer-taste beverage of the present invention (not less than or exceeding) is 0.5 ppb, and can also be 0.6 ppb, 0.7 ppb, 0.8 ppb, 0.9 ppb, 1.0 ppb, 2.0 ppb, 3.0 ppb, 4.0 ppb, 5.0 ppb, 10 ppb, 15 ppb, 20 ppb, 25 ppb, or 30 ppb. Furthermore, in the beer-taste beverage of the present invention, the upper limit of the 2,6-dimethylpyrazine concentration (or less than or equal to) can be set as appropriate, for example, to 500 ppb, 450 ppb, 400 ppb, 350 ppb, 300 ppb, 250 ppb, 200 ppb, 150 ppb, 140 ppb, 130 ppb, 120 ppb, 110 ppb, 100 ppb, 90 ppb, or 80 ppb. These lower and upper limits can be combined in any manner, and the 2,6-dimethylpyrazine concentration of the beer-taste beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 0.5 ppb to 500 ppb, 0.5 ppb to 120 ppb, 0.5 ppb to 80 ppb, 2.0 ppb to 500 ppb, 2.0 ppb to 120 ppb, or 2.0 ppb to 80 ppb.

[0022] The beer-taste beverage of the present invention can have a predetermined total concentration of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine. The lower limit of the total concentration of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine in the beer-taste beverage of the present invention (not less than or exceeding) can be, for example, 1 ppb, 1.1 ppb, 1.2 ppb, 1.4 ppb, 1.6 ppb, 1.8 ppb, 2.0 ppb, 3.0 ppb, 4.0 ppb, 5.0 ppb, 6.0 ppb, 7.0 ppb, 8.0 ppb, 9.0 ppb, 10 ppb, 20 ppb, 30 ppb, 35 ppb, 40 ppb, 50 ppb, or 60 ppb. The upper limit (or less than or below) of the combined concentration of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine in the beer-taste beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 1700 ppb, 1600 ppb, 1500 ppb, 1400 ppb, 1300 ppb, 1200 ppb, 1100 ppb, 1000 ppb, 900 ppb, 800 ppb, 700 ppb, 600 ppb, 500 ppb, 400 ppb, 300 ppb, 280 ppb, 260 ppb, 240 ppb, 220 ppb, 200 ppb, 180 ppb, 160 ppb, 140 ppb, 120 ppb or 100 ppb. These lower and upper limits can be combined in any desired manner, and the total concentration of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine in the beer-taste beverage of the present invention can be, for example, from 1 ppb to 1700 ppb, from 1.1 ppb to 1400 ppb, from 1.1 ppb to 1100 ppb, from 35 ppb to 1100 ppb, or from 35 ppb to 200 ppb. The total concentration of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine is calculated by adding together the respective concentrations.

[0023] In the beer-taste beverage of the present invention, it is sufficient that the content of at least one of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine is 0.5 ppb or more, in which case it is preferable that the combined concentration of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine is 1 ppb or more. In the beer-taste beverage of the present invention, it is also preferable that the content of 2-methylpyrazine is 0.5 ppb or more and the content of 2,6-dimethylpyrazine is 0.5 ppb or more, in which case it is more preferable that the combined concentration of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine is 2 ppb or more.

[0024] When either or both of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine are added in the production of the beer-taste beverage of the present invention, they may be in any form suitable for food production, and may be in any form that is easily soluble in an aqueous solvent, and may be either a refined product or a crudely refined product. 2-Methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine are approved for addition to foods as food additives (flavorings), and any available flavorings may be used in the present invention. In the present invention, a food material containing 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine may be used in the production of the beer-taste beverage of the present invention, and a step of generating 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine may be carried out in the production process, as described below.

[0025] In the beer-taste beverage of the present invention, the concentrations of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine can be measured by, for example, GC / MS analysis.

[0026] The beer-taste beverage of the present invention is characterized by its good thickness, full-bodied taste, and balance in the middle and latter part of the flavor, despite its reduced purine concentration. Low-purine beer-taste beverages (particularly low-purine beer and happoshu) have a problem of insufficient thickness and full-bodied taste in the middle and latter part of the flavor, due to the special method of adjusting the content to low purine. The beer-taste beverage of the present invention has a good thickness and full-bodied taste in the middle and latter part of the flavor, and is also well-balanced, so that it can solve the above problem of low-purine beer-taste beverages. Here, "thickness in the middle and latter part of the flavor" refers to the flavor that is felt just before swallowing after tasting. Furthermore, "full-bodied taste" refers to a spread of flavor that enhances the overall aroma and flavor of the beer. Furthermore, "balance" refers to a harmonious taste that is characteristic of beer.

[0027] There are no particular limitations on the production procedure for the beer-taste beverage of the present invention, so long as the purine concentration is reduced to within a specified range and either or both of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine are contained at specified concentrations.

[0028] A beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage can be produced, for example, according to a normal method for producing a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage, as described below. That is, a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage can be produced by adding fermentation yeast to wort prepared from brewing raw materials such as malt and brewing water, fermenting the wort, storing the resulting fermented liquid at low temperature, and then removing the yeast through a filtration process. The purine content in the beverage can be reduced according to a known method described below. 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine can be added to the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage thus obtained with a reduced purine concentration so that the concentrations of either or both of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine reach predetermined values, thereby producing the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention. The incorporation of 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine into a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage can be carried out by adding the fermentation liquid after fermentation, taking into consideration the concentrations of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine in the fermentation liquid. In this way, a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage can be produced that has a reduced purine concentration and contains a specified amount of 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine.

[0029] The purine content in the fermented beer-flavored alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be reduced by a known method. Non-limiting examples of methods for reducing the purine concentration in a fermented beer-flavored alcoholic beverage include a method for reducing the purine content in the beverage by contacting the pre-fermentation liquid or fermentation liquid with an adsorbent such as activated carbon or zeolite (see JP 2003-169658 A, JP 2004-290071 A, JP 2004-290072 A, JP 2015-112090 A, etc.), and a method for reducing the purine content in the beverage by using a raw material other than malt that carries less purine (e.g., soybean protein, corn grits) (see JP 2014-117204 A, JP 2014-117205 A, etc.).

[0030] A beer-tasting non-alcoholic beverage can be produced, for example, according to a typical method for producing a beer-tasting non-alcoholic beverage, as described below. That is, a brewing liquid is prepared from various production raw materials (e.g., malt, hops, auxiliary raw materials, additives) and water, and the brewing liquid is allowed to stand to remove solids, followed by filtration to produce a beer-tasting non-alcoholic beverage. Alternatively, in the present invention, a beer-tasting non-alcoholic beverage can be produced by blending or mixing various production raw materials and water, allowing to stand to remove solids, followed by filtration to produce a beer-tasting non-alcoholic beverage. The incorporation of 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine into a beer-tasting non-alcoholic beverage can be carried out by adding the 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine to the beverage after preparation, taking into consideration the concentrations of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine in the beverage. In this way, a beer-tasting non-alcoholic beverage with a reduced purine concentration and containing a predetermined amount of 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine can be produced. Methods for reducing the purine concentration in a beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverage to within a specified range include, for example, selecting raw materials with a low purine content and removing the purine by adsorption using activated carbon.

[0031] In the above-mentioned production procedure, the wort can be produced according to a conventional method. For example, a mixture of brewing raw materials and brewing water is saccharified, filtered to obtain wort, and hops are added to the wort, followed by boiling and cooling the boiled wort to prepare the wort. The wort can also be produced by adding a commercially available enzyme preparation during the saccharification process. For example, a protease preparation can be used for protein degradation, an α-amylase preparation, a glucoamylase preparation, a pullulanase preparation, etc. can be used for carbohydrate degradation, and a β-glucanase preparation, a cellulase decomposition enzyme preparation, etc. can be used for cellulosic degradation, or a mixture of these preparations can also be used. The brewing liquid prepared in the production of a beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverage can also be prepared according to the method for preparing the wort.

[0032] In the production of the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention, in addition to malt, other ingredients may be used, such as ungerminated wheat (e.g., ungerminated barley (including extracts), ungerminated wheat (including extracts)); rice, corn, koryan, potato, starch, sugars (e.g., liquid sugar), fruit (e.g., fruit juice, concentrated fruit juice), coriander or its seeds, spices or ingredients thereof (e.g., pepper, cinnamon, Japanese pepper), herbs (e.g., chamomile, sage, basil), The following brewing ingredients can be used: secondary ingredients such as vegetables (e.g., sweet potato, pumpkin), buckwheat or sesame, carbohydrate-containing substances (e.g., honey, brown sugar), salt, miso, flowers, tea, coffee, cocoa (including preparations of tea, coffee, and cocoa), and marine products (e.g., oysters, kelp, wakame, and bonito flakes); nitrogen sources such as protein hydrolysates and yeast extract; flavorings, coloring agents such as pigments, foaming and foam retention improvers, water quality regulators, fermentation aids, and other additives such as dietary fiber. The above-mentioned ingredients can also be used as production ingredients in the production of the beer-taste non-alcoholic beverage of the present invention.

[0033] The raw materials used in the fermented alcoholic beverage with a beer taste of the present invention other than the brewing water can be at least malt and hops, and in some cases, can further include sugars, rice, corn, starch, etc. It goes without saying that among the fermented alcoholic beverages with a beer taste, all-malt beer can be produced from malt, hops, and water.

[0034] It is known that pyrazines are produced by the heat reaction (Maillard reaction) between sugars and amino acids. Therefore, the concentration of 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine contained in the beer-taste beverage can be adjusted to a predetermined value by employing a decoction method in the preparation of the brewing liquid such as wort or by extending the heat boiling time. Apart from these steps, the beer-taste beverage of the present invention can be produced according to the usual method for producing a beer-taste beverage while implementing the method for reducing the purine concentration in the beverage to within a predetermined range as described above.

[0035] The pH of the beer-taste beverage of the present invention can be adjusted to 2.0 or more and 7.0 or less, preferably 2.3 or more and 5.0 or less, more preferably 3.0 or more and 4.7 or less, and most preferably 3.5 or more and 4.5 or less. The pH of the beer-taste beverage of the present invention can be adjusted using a pH adjuster. The pH of the beer-taste beverage can be measured using a commercially available pH meter (e.g., HORIBA Scientific tabletop pH meter, Horiba Advanced Techno Co., Ltd.).

[0036] The beverage provided by the present invention can be provided as a bottled beverage after being subjected to a step of adding carbon dioxide gas as the case may be, and further subjected to steps such as a filling step and a sterilization step. Sterilization may be performed before or after filling into the container. In addition, when the pH of the beverage is adjusted to less than 4, it is also possible to directly perform the filling step without going through the sterilization step to produce a bottled beverage.

[0037] The container used for the beverage of the present invention may be any container that is normally used for filling beverages, such as metal cans, barrel containers, plastic bottles (e.g., PET bottles, cups), paper containers, bottles, pouch containers, etc., with metal cans, barrel containers, plastic bottles (e.g., PET bottles), and bottles being preferred.

[0038] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a beer-taste beverage having a purine concentration of 12 mg / 100 mL or less, the method comprising the step of incorporating 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine such that the 2-methylpyrazine concentration in the produced beverage is 0.5 ppb or more and / or the 2,6-dimethylpyrazine concentration in the produced beverage is 0.5 ppb or more. The production method of the present invention improves the flavor of the produced beer-taste beverage. Here, "improved flavor" or "improved flavor" of a beer-taste beverage means that, despite the reduced purine concentration, the beer-taste beverage has a good thickness, full-bodied taste and good balance in the mid-to-late flavors. The production method of the present invention can be carried out in accordance with the above and other descriptions relating to the beer-taste beverage of the present invention.

[0039] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for improving the flavor of a beer-taste beverage having a purine concentration of 12 mg / 100 mL or less, the method comprising the step of adding 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine so that the 2-methylpyrazine concentration of the produced beverage is 0.5 ppb or more and / or the 2,6-dimethylpyrazine concentration of the produced beverage is 0.5 ppb or more. According to the flavor improving method of the present invention, it is possible to improve the flavor of a beer-taste beverage with a reduced purine concentration. The flavor improving method of the present invention can be carried out in accordance with the above and with the description of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage and the production method thereof of the present invention. EXAMPLES

[0040] The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0041] Measurement of pyrazine concentration Pyrazines were measured as follows. First, the aroma components in the beverage were separated using a C18 solid-phase extraction column, and the resulting analytical sample was subjected to GC / MS. In addition, borneol was used as an internal standard substance, and was added to the sample so that the concentration in the analytical sample was 50 ppb. The GC / MS analysis conditions were as shown in Table 1 below.

[0042] [Table 1]

[0043] Measurement of purine concentration The purine concentration was measured as follows: after hydrolysis with perchloric acid, it was detected using LC-MS / MS (liquid chromatography mass spectrometry) (see Food and Hygiene Journal 55(2):110-116(2014)).

[0044] Measuring alcohol concentration The alcohol concentration (ethanol concentration) was measured according to the method described in the "National Tax Agency Specified Analytical Method."

[0045] Measurement of original extract concentration The original extract concentration (OE concentration) was measured according to the BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (Beer Brewers Association, 2013, 8.3.6, 8.4.3 and 8.5). The measurement was performed using an Alcolyzer (Anton Paar).

[0046] Example 1: Effect of pyrazines on the flavor of beer-flavored beverages (1) Overview In this example, pyrazines were added to beverage samples prepared by diluting a commercially available beer-taste beverage, and a sensory evaluation test was conducted on the flavor of each of the resulting samples.

[0047] (2) Preparation of tasting samples Commercially available happoshu (purine concentration: less than 0.5 mg / 100 mL, sugar content: less than 0.5 g / 100 mL, malt content: less than 25%, alcohol content: 5.5%) and commercial beer (malt content: 100%, alcohol content: 5%) were diluted with water, and brewing ethanol (95%) was added as necessary to prepare base beverages with the specified total purine content and alcohol content. Taking into account the concentration of pyrazines contained in the prepared base beverages, 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine were added to the beverage samples to the concentrations listed in Tables 3 to 5 below to prepare the tasting samples of test plots 1 to 20. It was confirmed that the sugar concentration of the tasting samples of test plots 1 to 20 was less than 0.5 g / 100 mL based on the degree of dilution.

[0048] (3) Sensory evaluation The sensory evaluation test was carried out by four trained panelists. The evaluation criteria for thickness of the middle and latter half, full-bodied taste, and balance are shown in Table 2. Each evaluation item was rated in increments of 0.1 within the range of 1.0 (minimum value) to 5.0 (maximum value), and the average score of the four panelists was calculated.

[0049] [Table 2]

[0050] In the sensory evaluation, the thickness of the middle and latter half of the tasting sample of test plot 1 was scored as 2.0, 2.0, and 3.0, respectively, and the panelists were unified in their evaluation criteria to evaluate the tasting samples of test plots 2 to 7. Similarly, the thickness of the middle and latter half of the tasting sample of test plot 8 was scored as 2.0, 2.0, and 3.0, respectively, and the panelists were unified in their evaluation criteria to evaluate the tasting samples of test plots 9 to 14. In addition, the thickness of the middle and latter half of the tasting sample of test plot 15 was scored as 2.0, 2.0, and 3.0, respectively, and the panelists were unified in their evaluation criteria to evaluate the tasting samples of test plots 16 to 20.

[0051] (4) Evaluation results and discussion The results are shown in Tables 3 to 5. [Table 3]

[0052] [Table 4]

[0053] [Table 5]

[0054] It was found that when pyrazines are added to a base beverage, the thickness of the middle and latter half of the drink, the full-bodied taste, and the balance all improve as the concentration increases. It was also found that the presence of at least 0.5 ppb of one type of pyrazine results in a score of 3.0 or higher for the thickness of the middle and latter half of the drink, the full-bodied taste, and the balance, resulting in a good flavor. It was also found that the presence of at least 1 ppb of two types of pyrazines in total results in an even better flavor.

Claims

1. A beer-flavored beverage having a purine concentration of 12 mg / 100 mL or less and containing 0.5 ppb or more of 2-methylpyrazine and / or 0.5 ppb or more of 2,6-dimethylpyrazine.

2. 2. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, wherein the combined content of 2-methylpyrazine and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine is 1 ppb or more.

3. 3. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the purine concentration is 3.0 mg / 100 mL or less.

4. 3. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which is a beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage.

5. 5. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 4, having an alcohol concentration of 10.0 v / v % or less.

6. A method for producing a beer-taste beverage having a purine concentration of 12 mg / 100 mL or less, the method comprising the step of incorporating 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine such that the produced beverage has a 2-methylpyrazine concentration of 0.5 ppb or more and / or a 2,6-dimethylpyrazine concentration of 0.5 ppb or more.

7. A method for improving the flavor of a beer-taste beverage having a purine concentration of 12 mg / 100 mL or less, the method comprising the step of incorporating 2-methylpyrazine and / or 2,6-dimethylpyrazine such that the 2-methylpyrazine concentration in the produced beverage is 0.5 ppb or more and / or the 2,6-dimethylpyrazine concentration in the produced beverage is 0.5 ppb or more.

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