Citrus flavor beverage and method of manufacturing citrus flavor beverage

Abstract

To provide a technology that can suppress deterioration of a citrus flavor beverage and improve balance between good aftertaste and sweetness remaining in the aftertaste.SOLUTION: A citrus flavor beverage contains citrus fruit juice and camphene, and the camphene content is 35 ppb to 700 ppb.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a citrus flavored beverage and a method for producing a citrus flavored beverage. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, methods for suppressing the deterioration of citrus-flavored beverages have been investigated and developed from various perspectives. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for controlling the total content of citral, limonene, γ-terpinene, and α-terpinolene in a beverage in order to suppress deterioration of the flavor of a beverage containing citral, since lemon-flavored beverages often contain citral as an aroma component.

[0003] Incidentally, Patent Document 2 discloses that an oil-in-water emulsion composition using camphene as a terpene hydrocarbon flavor compound is used in a beverage in order to maintain the stability of the emulsion flavor and obtain transparency. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-123008 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-123288 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present inventors have carried out research from a new perspective to prevent deterioration of citrus-flavored beverages, and have found that using camphene in beverages containing citrus juice is effective. In addition, they have unexpectedly found that even when the beverages are stored at a high temperature, the balance between the good aftertaste and the good sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste can be improved by controlling the camphene content, and thus completed the present invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] That is, the present invention can improve the balance between a good aftertaste and a good sweetness that lingers in an aftertaste while suppressing deterioration of the citrus-flavored beverage. Specifically, the present invention provides the following citrus-flavored beverage and related techniques.

[0007] [1] Contains citrus juice and camphene, The citrus-flavored beverage has a camphene content of 35 ppb to 700 ppb. [2] The citrus-flavored beverage according to [1], having a fruit juice ratio (calculated as straight fruit juice) of 0.1% by mass to 30% by mass. [3] The citrus-flavored beverage described in [1] or [2], wherein the citrus juice contains lemon juice. [4] A citrus-flavored beverage described in any one of [1] to [3], which is intended for sale heated. [5] A citrus-flavored beverage described in any one of [1] to [4], having a Brix value of 5 to 15. [6] A citrus-flavored beverage described in any one of [1] to [5], which is a non-alcoholic beverage. [7] A containerized citrus-flavored beverage described in any one of [1] to [6]. [8] A method for producing a citrus-flavored beverage comprising citrus juice and camphene, A method for producing a citrus-flavored beverage, comprising: preparing a beverage so that the camphene content is 35 ppb to 700 ppb. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, a technology can be provided that can improve the balance between a good aftertaste and a pleasant sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste while suppressing deterioration of a citrus-flavored beverage. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. In this specification, the expression "a to b" in the description of a numerical range means a or more and b or less, unless otherwise specified.

[0010] <Citrus flavored drinks> The citrus-flavored beverage of this embodiment contains citrus juice and camphene, The camphene content is 35 ppb to 700 ppb. This suppresses the deterioration of the flavor of the citrus-flavored beverage, while improving the balance between the good aftertaste and the good sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste, even when the beverage is stored at a temperature. In other words, it is possible to suppress the reduction and deterioration of the flavor obtained from the citrus juice, such as freshness, the balance of sourness and sweetness, and the juiciness, due to the deterioration of the citrus juice. Furthermore, it is possible to achieve both the good aftertaste and the good sweetness felt after drinking the beverage, and improve the deliciousness. Although the details of how such an effect is obtained are not clear, it is thought to be as follows. Camphene is one of the aroma components that can generally be contained in flavors, but since the aroma of camphene itself is not distinctive or strong, it is speculated that by using camphene at a higher concentration than before, it is possible to mask the aroma caused by the deterioration of citrus juice while preserving the citrus flavor. Furthermore, it is thought that the combination of the aftertaste aroma and the camphene aroma after finishing drinking the beverage can improve the balance between the good aftertaste and the good sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste.

[0011] [Citrus flavor] The beverage of the present embodiment has a citrus juice flavor when consumed. The citrus flavor can be obtained by using citrus juice or a citrus flavor described below.

[0012] Citrus fruits refer to the fruits of plants belonging to the Rutaceae family, subfamily Rutaceae. Specific examples include oranges such as navel oranges, Valencia oranges, and blood oranges; mandarin oranges such as Unshu mandarins, mandarin oranges, ponkan oranges, Kishu mandarins, Encore, Dandelion, koji, shekwasha, Tachibana, and Shiranui; miscellaneous citrus fruits such as Natsudaidai, Hassaku, Hyuganatsu, Sanboukan, Kawachibankan, Kinukawa, and Naruto; tangor and tanzero fruits such as Tankan, Iyokan, Murcott, Kiyomi, Orlando, Mineola, and Seminole; limes such as Mexican lime and Tahiti lime; lemons such as Lisbon lemon, Eureka lemon, Diamante, and Etlogue; pomelo fruits such as Banpeiyu and Tosa Buntan; grapefruits such as Duncan, Marsh, Thompson, and Ruby Red; yuzu fruits such as yuzu, kabosu, sudachi, hanayu, and Kizu; kumquats and trifoliate oranges.

[0013] In particular, the beverage of the present embodiment is suitable as a beverage that has a lemon flavor.

[0014] The components contained in the beverage of this embodiment will be described below.

[0015] [Citrus juice] The beverage of the present embodiment preferably contains citrus juice. The citrus juice content (converted to straight juice) is preferably 30% by mass or less, more preferably 25% by mass or less, even more preferably 20% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 10% by mass or less, relative to the total amount of the beverage. This allows for a good citrus flavor to be maintained while still achieving a deterioration suppression effect, and allows for both a good aftertaste and a good sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste. The citrus juice content (converted to straight juice) is preferably 0.1% by mass or more, more preferably 1.0% by mass or more, even more preferably 1.5% by mass or more, and particularly preferably 2.0% by mass or more, based on the total amount of the beverage. This enhances the deterioration suppression effect, improves the citrus flavor, and achieves both a good aftertaste and a good sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste.

[0016] Among them, the citrus juice preferably contains lemon juice, more preferably contains only lemon juice. The ratio of lemon juice contained in the juice is preferably 80% by mass or more, more preferably 90% by mass or more, even more preferably 98% by mass or more, and from the viewpoint of improving the deterioration suppression effect, it is particularly preferably 100% by mass.

[0017] The juice percentage is the relative concentration when the Brix value or acidity of the juice obtained by squeezing the juice from fruit and not processing it such as concentration (straight juice) is taken as 100%. Whether the juice content is calculated based on the Brix value or acidity is determined for each type of fruit juice according to the JAS standard. In addition, when converting the juice content based on the Brix value of the JAS standard, the Brix value of sugars, honey, etc. added to the juice is excluded from the calculation.

[0018] Fruit juice refers to a liquid component obtained by crushing and squeezing fruit or straining it, etc. Citrus fruit juice may also include concentrated liquid components or dilution products thereof, and may contain pulp or may have the pulp removed by processing such as filtration or centrifugation. As the fruit juice, straight fruit juice, concentrated fruit juice, reconstituted fruit juice, etc. may be used.

[0019] The citrus fruits that can be used to prepare the fruit juice according to this embodiment are not particularly limited in terms of variety, place of origin, ripeness, size, etc., and can be appropriately selected.

[0020] The beverage of this embodiment may be prepared using commercially available juice, concentrated juice, paste, etc. as the fruit juice. Specifically, juice and concentrated juice specified by the JAS standard (Japanese Agricultural Standard for Fruit Drinks) may be mentioned, and for example, one or more of these may be used to prepare the beverage of this embodiment.

[0021] In addition, in order to obtain a clear beverage, the fruit juice preferably does not contain insoluble solids, and is more preferably clear, straight fruit juice.

[0022] [Camphene] Camphene is a terpene hydrocarbon with CAS: 79-92-5. The camphene content in the beverage is 35 ppb or more, preferably 40 ppb or more, and more preferably 45 ppb or more. The camphene content in the beverage is 700 ppb or less, preferably 500 ppb or less, more preferably 350 ppb or less, even more preferably 200 ppb or less, and particularly preferably 100 ppb or less. By setting the camphene content within the above numerical range, it is possible to obtain a deterioration suppression effect and maintain the deliciousness while obtaining a good balance between a good aftertaste and a pleasant sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste.

[0023] The predetermined amount of camphene in the beverage of this embodiment can be achieved by adding camphene alone or a mixture of camphene-containing flavors, etc.

[0024] [Other ingredients] The beverage of this embodiment may contain various ingredients other than those mentioned above, so long as the effects of the present invention can be obtained. For example, it may contain sweeteners, acidulants, flavorings, pH adjusters, fruit juices other than those mentioned above, various nutritional ingredients, colorants, diluents, antioxidants, thickening stabilizers, etc. However, in order to obtain a smooth texture and ease of drinking, it is preferable not to contain a thickening stabilizer.

[0025] As the sweetener, known sweeteners can be used, for example, sugars such as sucrose (sugar), glucose, granulated sugar, fructose, lactose, maltose, fructose glucose liquid sugar, sugar alcohols, and high-intensity sweeteners such as thaumatin, stevia extract, disodium glycyrrhizinate, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, aspartame, saccharin, neotame, sodium saccharin, and stevia. Only one type of sweetener may be used, or two or more types may be used in combination.

[0026] Examples of the acidulant include citric acid, adipic acid, gluconic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, phytic acid, ascorbic acid, phosphoric acid, and salts thereof. Among them, anhydrous citric acid and its salts are preferred from the viewpoint of making the most of the flavor of citrus juice.

[0027] The flavoring may be a natural flavoring or a synthetic flavoring. Among them, in order to effectively obtain a citrus flavor, a citrus flavor or a lemon flavor may be used.

[0028] Examples of fruit juices other than the above citrus juices include tropical fruit juices, grape juice, apple juice, peach juice, strawberry juice, etc. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0029] [pH] The pH of the beverage of this embodiment at 20° C. is 3.6 or less, and preferably less than 3.3. On the other hand, the lower limit of the pH is preferably 3.0 or more. By setting the pH within the above range, deterioration of the beverage can be suppressed and a good aftertaste can be easily maintained.

[0030] The pH can be measured using a commercially available pH meter, etc. The pH can be adjusted, for example, by changing the amount of a specific acid or by using a pH adjuster such as trisodium citrate.

[0031] [acidity] The beverage of this embodiment preferably has an acidity (citric acid acidity) of 0.30 g / 100 ml to 0.60 g / 100 ml or less, more preferably 0.31 g / 100 ml to 0.50 g / 100 ml or less, and even more preferably 0.32 g / 100 ml to 0.40 g / 100 ml or less. By setting the acidity to be equal to or higher than the above lower limit, deterioration of the beverage can be easily suppressed. On the other hand, by setting the acidity to be equal to or lower than the upper limit, deterioration of the beverage can be suppressed while preventing the acidity from becoming too strong, resulting in a good flavor and aroma of the beverage.

[0032] Acidity can be expressed as the amount of acid in 100 ml converted to citric acid in grams (anhydrous citric acid g / 100 ml), and is also written as "Ac." Acidity can also be measured by the method specified in the JAS standard for measuring acidity, specifically, the neutralization titration method (quantitative method) using 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide standard solution as the alkaline solution. The acidity of citric acid can be adjusted, for example, by adjusting the amounts of the above-mentioned acidulants, fruit juice, and various other ingredients.

[0033] [Brix value] The Brix value (Bx) of the beverage of this embodiment is preferably 5 or more and 15 or less, more preferably 7 or more and 13 or less, and even more preferably 8 or more and 12 or less. By setting the Brix value within the above range, deterioration of the beverage can be suppressed while making it easier to obtain a good sweetness and aftertaste.

[0034] The Brix value can be measured, for example, by using a digital refractometer Rx-5000α (manufactured by Atago Co., Ltd.) and measuring the sugar refractometer reading at 20°C. The Brix value can be adjusted, for example, by the amount of sweetener described below and the amounts of various other ingredients.

[0035] [For sale heated] "For hot sale" refers to beverages that are sold to consumers while being kept at a temperature of 40 to 80° C., preferably 45 to 70° C., and more preferably 50 to 60° C. Keeping the liquid temperature at 80° C. or below prevents burns, while keeping it at 40° C. or above makes it easier to feel the warmth of the beverage as it is warmer than body temperature. Beverages for sale heated tend to lose their flavor while being heated. In contrast, the beverage of the present embodiment uses citrus juice and a specific amount of camphene, which effectively prevents flavor deterioration even when the beverage is for sale heated, and improves the balance between a good aftertaste and a good sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste.

[0036] [Type of drink] The beverage of the present embodiment is preferably a beverage that is consumed as is without being diluted.

[0037] The beverage of the present embodiment is preferably a non-alcoholic beverage. A non-alcoholic beverage refers to a beverage that does not substantially contain alcohol, specifically, a beverage that contains less than 1.0 volume / volume% of alcohol such as ethanol.

[0038] The beverage of this embodiment may contain carbon dioxide gas or may not contain carbon dioxide gas. When carbon dioxide gas is contained, the carbon dioxide gas pressure of the beverage is preferably 1.5 to 3.5 gas volumes, more preferably 2.0 to 3.0 gas volumes. The method of adding carbon dioxide gas to the beverage is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately determined by a person skilled in the art.

[0039] [container] The beverage of the present embodiment may be a containerized beverage that has been heat sterilized and packed in a container. Examples of the container include sealed containers made of glass, paper, plastic (polyethylene terephthalate, etc.), aluminum, steel, etc., or composite or laminated materials thereof. The type of container is not particularly limited, but examples include PET bottles, aluminum cans, steel cans, paper packs, chilled cups, bottles, etc. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of observing the appearance of the beverage and checking the transparency, color, etc., the container is preferably transparent, specifically, a PET bottle or an uncolored bottle is preferable. Moreover, from the viewpoints of handling, distribution, portability, etc., the container is preferably a PET bottle.

[0040] <Manufacturing method of citrus-flavored beverage> The method for producing a citrus flavored beverage of the present embodiment is a method for producing a citrus flavored beverage containing citrus juice and camphene, and includes a step of preparing a beverage so that the camphene content is 35 ppb to 700 ppb. This effectively suppresses deterioration of flavor and improves the balance between a good aftertaste and a good sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste. The preparation method is not particularly limited and any known method can be used. The components and their contents in the beverage are the same as those in the above-mentioned beverage.

[0041] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples of the present invention, and various configurations other than those described above can also be adopted. EXAMPLES

[0042] EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to examples and comparative examples, but the present invention is not limited to these.

[0043] (1) Measurement The camphene concentration (ppb) in the beverage was measured by headspace (HS)-GC / MS under the following conditions: Equipment: GC: Agilent Technologies 7890B MS: Agilent Technologies 5977A HS sampler: Agilent Technologies 7697A Column: DB-WAX UI 0.25mm x 30m x 0.25μm Quantitative ion: camphene m / z=121 Internal standard: cyclohexanol m / z=57 Temperature conditions: 40℃ (2 min) → 15℃ / min → 230℃ (5 min) Carrier gas flow rate: He 1.0 ml / min Injection method: Split Ion source temperature: 230℃

[0044] pH: The pH at 20°C was measured using a pH meter (manufactured by DKK-Toa Corporation). Brix: The sugar refractometer reading at 20°C was measured using a digital refractometer Rx-5000α (manufactured by Atago Co., Ltd.).

[0045] (2) Sensory evaluation The bottled beverages were prepared by storing one at 4°C after production and another at 60°C for four days. After each beverage was cooled to room temperature (20-25°C), n technicians skilled in beverage development tasted them immediately after opening and rated them relative to a control beverage in terms of "taste," "aftertaste," "sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste," "strength of flavor," "richness," and "deterioration of flavor" according to the following 7-point scale (1-7 points). The averages were calculated. The control (initial product) was stored at 4°C and was given 7 points for "deterioration of flavor," and 4 points for "taste," "aftertaste," "sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste," "strength of flavor," and "richness."

[0046] Evaluation criteria <Delicious, good aftertaste, good sweetness that lingers in your mouth> Score 7: Quite good Rating 6: Good Rating 5: Fairly good Score 4: Equivalent to initial product Score 3: Not very good Score 2: Not good Score 1: Not very good

[0047] <Strength of flavor / richness> Rating 7: Quite strong Rating 6: Strong Rating 5: Somewhat strong Score 4: Equivalent to initial product Score 3: Somewhat weak Score 2: Weak Score 1: Quite weak

[0048] <Flavor deterioration> Score 7: Not acceptable at all Score 6: Slightly noticeable Score 5: Somewhat acceptable Score 4: Relatively acceptable Score 3: Quite acceptable Rating 2: Very acceptable Score 1: Highly acceptable

[0049] (3) Examples and Comparative Examples [Variation of camphene concentration] The raw materials (g / L) and camphene (ppb) were mixed in a conventional manner to obtain the concentrations shown in Table 1, and beverages were prepared to obtain packaged beverages. The physical properties of the beverages are shown in Table 1. The resulting bottled beverages were subjected to the sensory evaluation described in (2) above. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0050] [Table 1]

[0051] Comparing the control beverage and the beverage of Comparative Example 1 from Table 1, the beverage of Comparative Example 1 stored at 60°C for 4 days had a "flavor deterioration" score of 5.7, a "taste" score of 3.3, and an increase in "strength of flavor" and "richness," while the "cleaning aftertaste" and "sweetness of aftertaste" scores remained at 4.0. On the other hand, the beverage of Example 1 stored at 60°C for 4 days and further containing 35 ppb of camphene had a "flavor deterioration" score of only 6.3, an "aftertaste" score of 4.2, and an improvement in "sweetness of aftertaste" score of 4.5. In the beverage of Example 2, which had a higher camphene content than the beverage of Example 1, the "deterioration of flavor" score remained at 6.2, while the "good aftertaste" score was 4.0 and the "good aftertaste sweetness" score improved to 4.3. On the other hand, in the beverage of Comparative Example 2 in which the camphene content was increased to 1000 ppb compared to the beverage of Example 1, the "flavor deterioration" score was reduced to 5.5, and the "palatability" score was also reduced to 3.2.

[0052] [Fluctuation in juice content] The raw materials (g / L) and camphene (ppb) were mixed in a conventional manner to obtain the concentrations shown in Tables 2 and 3, and beverages were prepared to obtain packaged beverages. The physical properties of the beverages are shown in Tables 2 and 3. The resulting bottled beverages were subjected to the sensory evaluation described in (2) above. The results are shown in Tables 2 and 3.

[0053] [Table 2]

[0054] [Table 3]

Claims

1. Contains citrus juice and camphene, The citrus-flavored beverage has a camphene content of 35 ppb to 700 ppb.

2. The citrus flavored beverage according to claim 1, having a fruit juice ratio (calculated as straight fruit juice) of 0.1% by mass to 30% by mass.

3. The citrus-flavored beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the citrus juice comprises lemon juice.

4. The citrus-flavored beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which is for sale heated.

5. 3. The citrus-flavored beverage according to claim 1 or 2, having a Brix value of 5 to 15.

6. The citrus-flavored beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which is a non-alcoholic beverage.

7. The citrus-flavored beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which is packaged in a container.

8. A method for producing a citrus-flavored beverage comprising citrus juice and camphene, A method for producing a citrus-flavored beverage, comprising the step of preparing a beverage so that the camphene content is 35 ppb to 700 ppb.

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