Beverage base containing bitter substance

Abstract

To improve the lingering aftertaste of preservatives that may occur after the drinking of a beverage derived from a low-sweetness beverage base.SOLUTION: The present invention uses a bitter substance.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a low-sweetness beverage base containing a preservative and a bitter substance. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, beverage bases, which are products that are intended to be diluted before consumption, have become increasingly popular. This is likely due to the fact that beverage bases are convenient in terms of carrying and storing at home due to their small size and weight. Another advantage of beverage bases is that, unlike tea bags and the like, beverages can be easily prepared by the simple task of dilution.

[0003] Technologies relating to beverage bases include, for example, alcoholic beverage bases (Patent Document 1) and low-alcohol beverage bases (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-135841 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2016-027831 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Since the beverage base contains nutritional components at a relatively high concentration, there is a high risk of microbial growth in the beverage base. To address this issue, the present inventors have considered using a preservative. However, preservatives have a unique taste problem, that is, the taste of the preservative felt when drinking the beverage lingers after drinking, in other words, the poor aftertaste of the preservative is noticeable. Since the taste of the preservative is not necessarily pleasant, the poor aftertaste may adversely affect the flavor of the beverage.

[0006] In this regard, typical beverage bases have a high sugar concentration, which reduces the risk of microbial growth, and therefore beverages obtained from such beverage bases often contain a certain level of sugar, resulting in a sweet taste that makes the taste of the preservative less noticeable.

[0007] However, due to recent changes in consumer preferences, the demand for low-sweetness beverages is increasing, and in order to meet such demand, it is necessary to adopt low-sweetness beverages.

[0008] It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve the aftertaste of preservatives that may occur after consumption of a beverage obtained from a beverage base with low sweetness. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] As a result of extensive research, the present inventors have found that bitter substances are useful for improving the aftertaste of preservatives.

[0010] That is, the present invention relates to, but is not limited to, the following: 1. A beverage base having a sweetness level of 50 or less, comprising at least one preservative and at least one bitter substance, wherein the weight ratio of the total content of said bitter substances to the total content of said preservatives is 0.0001 or more. 2. The beverage base according to 1, wherein the bitter substance is selected from the group consisting of quasin, naringin, quinine and salts of quinine. 3. The beverage base according to 1 or 2, wherein the preservative is selected from the group consisting of benzoic acids and sorbic acids. 4. A beverage base described in any one of 1 to 3, having an alcohol content of less than 1 v / v%. 5. A beverage base as described in 4 for preparing an alcoholic-tasting beverage. 6. A beverage base described in any one of 1 to 5, wherein the total content of the preservatives is 1000 ppm or less. 7. A beverage base described in any one of 1 to 6, having an alcohol content of 0.00 v / v%. Effect of the Invention

[0011] The present invention can improve the aftertaste of preservatives in beverages derived from the beverage base.

[0012] In addition, in one aspect, the present invention can improve or not impair the refreshing feeling in a beverage obtained from a beverage base. In this specification, "refreshing feeling" means that the bitterness derived from bitter substances does not accumulate in the mouth while drinking the beverage, and a refreshing feeling is felt. When designing a beverage, it is important that additives do not impair the flavor of the beverage, so the effect of the present invention on the refreshing feeling is of great significance. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The present invention will be described below. Unless otherwise specified, "ppm" used in this specification means ppm of weight / volume (w / v), which is synonymous with "mg / L".

[0014] Additionally, in this specification, the term "alcohol" means ethyl alcohol, unless otherwise specified.

[0015] (Beverage base) The present invention relates to a beverage base for dilution and consumption, and so-called "concentrated type" beverages are also included in the beverage base of the present invention.

[0016] The beverage base of the present invention can be diluted to prepare a beverage. There is no limit to the dilution ratio, but typically the dilution ratio is 2 or 3 times or more by weight, with the upper limit being up to about 20 times. The dilution ratio may be indicated on the product. Examples of diluting liquids include water, carbonated water, tea, and other liquids.

[0017] (preservative) The beverage base of the present invention contains at least one preservative. For the sake of clarity, the beverage base of the present invention may contain only one type of preservative, or may contain two or more types of preservatives. The preservative used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, benzoic acid or sorbic acid.

[0018] In the present specification, "benzoic acids" refers to benzoic acid, benzoic acid esters, and salts thereof. Specific examples of benzoic acids are benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, propyl paraoxybenzoate, and butyl paraoxybenzoate. In particular, benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, and potassium benzoate are preferred, and sodium benzoate is more preferred.

[0019] In addition, the term "sorbic acids" as used herein means sorbic acid, sorbic acid esters, and salts thereof. Specific examples of sorbic acids include sorbic acid, sodium sorbate, potassium sorbate, and sorbic acid alkyl esters. In particular, sorbic acid, sodium sorbate, and potassium sorbate are preferred, and potassium sorbate is more preferred.

[0020] The total content of the preservatives in the beverage base of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is typically 1000 ppm or less, or 800 ppm or less. The lower limit is not limited as long as it is greater than 0, but is typically 1 ppm or more, or 10 ppm or more. Thus, examples of the range of the total content of the preservatives are 1 to 1000 ppm, 1 to 800 ppm, 10 to 1000 ppm, and 10 to 800 ppm.

[0021] The content of the preservative may be measured by any known method, for example, high performance liquid chromatography.

[0022] (bitter substance) The beverage base of the present invention contains at least one bitter tastant. According to the present invention, the bitter tastant is useful for improving the aftertaste of preservatives.

[0023] The bitter substance used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include quassin, naringin, quinine, quinine salts, hop-derived components such as iso-α-acid, caffeine, citrus extract, bitter melon extract, coffee extract, tea extract, and bitter gourd extract. Preferred bitter substances are quassin, naringin, quinine, and quinine salts. Examples of quinine salts are acid addition salts such as hydrochloride and sulfate.

[0024] The weight ratio of the total content of bitter substances to the total content of preservatives in the beverage base of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 0.0001 or more, 0.00017 or more, or 0.0005 or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but an example is 0.1. Therefore, typical examples of the range of the weight ratio are 0.0001 to 0.1, 0.00017 to 0.1, and 0.0005 to 0.1.

[0025] The content of bitter substances can be measured by any known method, for example, high performance liquid chromatography.

[0026] (Sweetness) The beverage base of the present invention has a low sweetness intensity, which is 50 or less, preferably 30 or less, more preferably 20 or less, more preferably 10 or less, more preferably 5 or less.

[0027] The present invention is particularly useful when the sweetness is low, since the taste problem of the preservative is likely to become evident.

[0028] The sweetness level used in this specification with respect to beverages is not the sweetness level of the sweetener itself, but an index of the sweetness of the beverage, with the sweetness level of a beverage containing 1 g of sucrose per 100 g of beverage being taken as "1". The sweetness level of a beverage is calculated by multiplying the content of each of the sweet components (including sweet components derived from fruit juice, extract, etc.) contained in the beverage by the relative ratio of the sweetness level of the sweet component to that of sucrose to obtain the sucrose equivalent amount, and then adding up the sucrose equivalent amounts of each of the sweet components obtained. The relative ratios of the sweetness of representative sweet components to the sweetness level of sucrose, 1, are shown in Table 1. For sweet components not listed in Table 1, the sweetness level provided by the manufacturer that produces or sells the sweet component can be used, or the sweetness level can be calculated by sensory evaluation.

[0029] [Table 1]

[0030] For example, if 100g of a beverage contains 1g of glucose and 1g of fructose, the total sucrose equivalent of these is (1g x 0.6 + 1g x 1.2) = 1.8g, which means that the sweetness of the beverage is 1.8.

[0031] (Alcohol content) The beverage base of the present invention may or may not contain alcohol, however, a non-alcoholic beverage base is one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, since preservatives are particularly needed when the alcohol content is low, which has a bactericidal effect.

[0032] The alcohol content on a non-alcoholic beverage basis is less than 1 v / v%, and examples of this include 0.9 v / v% or less, 0.8 v / v% or less, 0.7 v / v% or less, 0.6 v / v% or less, 0.5 v / v% or less, 0.4 v / v% or less, 0.3 v / v% or less, 0.2 v / v% or less, 0.1 v / v% or less, and 0.00 v / v%. To be clear, "0.00 v / v%" also includes values ​​that become 0.00 v / v% when rounded down to the third decimal place, such as 0.001 v / v% or 0.009 v / v%.

[0033] In one embodiment, the non-alcoholic beverage base of the present invention is for preparing an alcohol-tasting beverage. In this specification, "alcohol-tasting beverage" means a non-alcoholic beverage having a taste similar to that of an alcoholic beverage. The alcohol content of the non-alcoholic beverage is the same as that described above for the non-alcoholic beverage base. Examples of alcohol-tasting beverages include, but are not limited to, beer-tasting beverages, highball-tasting beverages, chuhai-tasting beverages, non-alcoholic cocktails, sour-tasting beverages, wine-tasting beverages, and sake-tasting beverages. To explain in more detail using highball-flavored beverages, chuhai-flavored beverages, non-alcoholic cocktails, and sour-flavored beverages as examples, these beverages refer to beverages that, while being non-alcoholic, have a taste similar to that of their model highball or chuhai (in the context of the present invention, this refers to an alcoholic carbonated beverage made by diluting distilled liquor such as whiskey or shochu with another beverage such as water, juice, or tea, which may contain fruit juice such as lemon), cocktail (in the context of the present invention, this refers to a beverage containing a base liquor such as spirits or liqueur, sour fruit juice such as citrus fruit, sweet ingredient, and optionally carbon dioxide), or sour (in the context of the present invention, this refers to a beverage containing spirits, sour fruit juice such as citrus fruit, sweet ingredient, and carbon dioxide).

[0034] In one embodiment, the beverage base of the present invention can be used to prepare non-alcoholic beverages that are not alcohol-tasting beverages. Examples of such non-alcoholic beverages are soft drinks, carbonated drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, functional drinks, and flavored waters.

[0035] In one embodiment, the beverage base of the present invention can be used to prepare an alcoholic beverage. In this specification, the term "alcoholic beverage" refers to a beverage having an alcohol content of 1 v / v% or more. Examples of the alcohol content in the alcoholic beverage of the present invention are 1 to 15 v / v%, 3 to 12 v / v%, and 4 to 9 v / v%. Examples of such alcoholic beverages are highballs, chuhai, cocktails, sours, wine, beer, and sake.

[0036] When the beverage base of the present invention contains alcohol, the alcohol may be added to the alcoholic beverage by any means, but typically, the beverage base of the present invention contains distilled alcohol, thereby containing alcohol. The distilled alcohol is not limited by its raw material or production method. Examples of the distilled alcohol include spirits (e.g., vodka, rum, tequila, gin, aquavit, korn), brewing alcohol, neutral spirits, liqueurs, whiskey, brandy, and shochu. In addition, fruits, vegetables, tea, spices, herbs, etc. may be infused in these distilled alcohols.

[0037] In this specification, the alcohol content of a beverage or beverage base can be measured by any known method, for example, by a vibration density meter. Specifically, a sample is prepared by removing carbon dioxide gas from the beverage or beverage base by filtration or ultrasonication as necessary, and the sample is steam distilled, the density of the obtained distillate is measured at 15°C, and the alcohol content can be calculated by conversion using "Table 2: Conversion table of alcohol content, density (15°C) and specific gravity (15 / 15°C)" which is an appendix to the National Tax Agency Specified Analysis Method (National Tax Agency Instruction No. 6 of 2007, revised June 22, 2007). GC-MS may also be used to measure the alcohol content.

[0038] (Other ingredients) The beverage base of the present invention may also contain additives that are typically added to beverages, such as flavorings, vitamins, colorants, antioxidants, seasonings, extracts, pH adjusters, and quality stabilizers, as long as the additives do not impair the effects of the present invention. (Based on packaged beverages) The beverage base of the present invention can be provided in a container-packed form. The container form includes, but is not limited to, metal containers such as cans, PET bottles, paper packs, bottles, pouches, etc. For example, a sterilized container-packed product can be produced by filling the beverage base of the present invention into a container and then carrying out heat sterilization such as retort sterilization, or by sterilizing the beverage base and filling it into a container. (Method and Application) In another aspect, the present invention is a method for producing a beverage base, the method comprising the steps of mixing ingredients such that the beverage base has a sweetness index of 50 or less, the beverage contains at least one preservative and at least one bitter substance, and the weight ratio of the total content of the bitter substances to the total content of the preservatives is 0.0001 or more. The ingredients include a preservative-containing ingredient, a bitter substance-containing ingredient, and, optionally, water. Other ingredients will be apparent from the above description of the beverage.

[0039] The types and amounts of the above ingredients, and the preferred ranges of sweetness are as described above for the beverage base. Furthermore, specific examples and amounts of additional ingredients and parameters are also as described above for the beverage base.

[0040] Another aspect of the present invention is an agent which contains a bitter substance and improves the aftertaste of preservatives that may occur after drinking a beverage.

[0041] (Numerical range) For clarity, the numerical ranges set forth herein include their endpoints, i.e. lower and upper limits. EXAMPLES

[0042] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0043] Test Example 1: Effects of bitter substances In this test example, the effect of bitter substances was confirmed.

[0044] First, water, sodium benzoate (a preservative), and bitter substances were mixed to prepare several beverage bases. The bitter substances used were iso-α-acid, quasin, naringin, and quinine. The amounts of each component used were as shown in the table below, and the weight ratio of the bitter substance to the preservative when a bitter substance was used was 0.03. In addition, as a control, a beverage base identical to the above beverage bases except that it did not contain a bitter substance was prepared. The alcohol content in all beverage bases and controls was 0.0 v / v%.

[0045] Next, each of the above beverage bases and controls was diluted 6-fold by weight with water to prepare a number of beverage samples.

[0046] A sensory evaluation was carried out by three trained expert panelists on the obtained beverage samples, evaluating the aftertaste of the preservatives and the refreshing feeling. The evaluation criteria are as shown below. The obtained scores were then averaged. In order to reduce individual differences in evaluation, the expert panelists established a common understanding in advance of the relationship between each evaluation score and taste by using standard samples corresponding to each evaluation score.

[0047] <Aftertaste of preservatives> 5: Very good aftertaste 4: Good cutting ability 3: The cutting edge is slightly better 2: The cut-off is a little poor 1: Poor cutting aftertaste <Refreshing feeling> 5: Very refreshing 4: Clean 3: A little refreshing 2: Not very clean 1: Not clean The results of these sensory evaluations are also shown in the table below. The above sensory evaluation method was also adopted in other test examples.

[0048] [Table 2]

[0049] All of the bitter substances used were able to improve the aftertaste of the preservative, and all of the bitter substances either did not impair the refreshing feeling of the beverage or were able to improve the refreshing feeling.

[0050] In addition, the preservative was replaced with potassium sorbate, and the same test was conducted. In this case, the alcohol content of all the beverage bases and controls was 0.0 v / v%. The results are shown in the table below.

[0051] [Table 3]

[0052] Even when the preservative was changed, the same tendency as above was observed.

[0053] Test Example 2 Weight ratio of bitter substance to preservative A test similar to Test Example 1 was carried out, except that the weight ratio of the bitter substance to the preservative was changed. The results are shown in the table below.

[0054] [Table 4]

[0055] The desired effect was observed even when the weight ratio of bitter substance to preservative was significantly reduced, and similar trends were observed when the type of bitter substance was changed, as shown in the table below.

[0056] [Table 5]

[0057] Test example 3: Confirmation of effects in a complex system A test similar to Test Example 1 was carried out, except that the alcohol content in the beverage base was increased to 40 v / v% and the sweetness was increased to 20. The alcohol content was increased by using neutral spirits. To increase the sweetness, high fructose corn syrup was used. In this test example, the weight ratio of the bitter substance to the preservative when a bitter substance was used was 0.03. The results are shown in the table below.

[0058] [Table 6]

[0059] [Table 7]

[0060] A similar tendency to that in Test Example 1 was observed even in a complex system containing sweet components and alcohol.

Claims

1. A beverage base having a sweetness level of 50 or less, containing at least one preservative and at least one bitter substance, wherein the weight ratio of the total content of the bitter substances to the total content of the preservatives is 0.0001 or more.

2. 2. The beverage base of claim 1, wherein the bitter substance is selected from the group consisting of quasin, naringin, quinine, and salts of quinine.

3. 3. The beverage base of claim 1, wherein the preservative is selected from the group consisting of benzoates and sorbates.

4. 3. A beverage base according to claim 1 or 2, having an alcohol content of less than 1% v / v.

5. A beverage base according to claim 4 for preparing an alcoholic-tasting beverage.

6. 3. A beverage base according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the total content of preservatives is 1000 ppm or less.

7. 3. A beverage base according to claim 1 or 2, having an alcohol content of 0.00% v / v.