Coffee food and method for retaining flavor of coffee food

Abstract

To provide coffee food that is capable of improving aroma retention and enables users to enjoy various aromas, and a method for retaining flavor of coffee food.SOLUTION: Coffee food 2, which is solidified after kneading a finely crushed coffee-derived powder containing aromatic components from roasted coffee beans with vegetable oil, is packaged in a packaging material 3. The packaging material 3 has at least a sealant layer and a gas barrier layer, with an oxygen permeability of the packaging material 3 of less than 1 cc / m2 / day / atm and a water vapor permeability of the packaging material 3 of less than 1 g / m2 / day. The gas barrier layer is preferably made of a transparent vapor-deposited polyethylene terephthalate film 7, while the sealant layer is preferably made of a non-stretched polypropylene film 4. Additionally, it is preferable that the packaging material 3 contains an oxygen absorber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to coffee-based foods that allow the user to easily enjoy the aroma and taste of coffee. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, coffee is consumed as a beverage by many users. For example, in the case of drip coffee, hot water is added to ground coffee beans obtained by roasting and grinding green coffee beans, and the coffee is extracted. Therefore, in order to enjoy coffee, it is usually necessary to have equipment for extracting coffee and it takes time to extract the coffee. However, there is a high demand from consumers for the ability to easily enjoy the taste and aroma of coffee at any time. Furthermore, even if a food product that allows casual enjoyment of coffee is produced, there is a problem in that the extract of a coffee drink quickly loses its aroma components and the taste easily deteriorates.

[0003] Therefore, the present inventors have already proposed a coffee food in which finely ground coffee-derived material containing aroma components after roasting coffee beans, coffee oil extracted from coffee beans, and hardened oil are kneaded and solidified, and the content of the coffee oil extracted from coffee beans in the entire food is 1% by weight or more and 5% by weight or less (see Patent Document 1). According to this, by coating the finely ground material and coffee oil with hardened oil, the aroma components of the coffee can be trapped within the material, improving the preservation of the coffee aroma and the mouthfeel.

[0004] In addition, there is a demand for technology to improve the aroma of coffee, such as the aroma and coffee feel, in coffee foods. In particular, there is a problem with coffee foods in that the flavor is easily deteriorated due to moisture and oxygen if the type of packaging material or method used is not suitable for coffee foods. There is also a need to realize coffee foods with diverse aromas by changing the balance of aromas by changing the amount of specific aroma components among the aroma components contained in the coffee food. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6849552 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a coffee food and a method for retaining the aroma of a coffee food, which can improve the preservation of aroma and enable the enjoyment of a variety of aromas. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the coffee food of the present invention is a coffee food that is produced by kneading and solidifying a finely ground coffee-derived material containing aroma components obtained after roasting coffee beans with vegetable oil and fat, and is packaged in a packaging material, the packaging material having at least a sealant layer and a gas barrier layer, and the oxygen permeability of the packaging material is 1 cc / m 2 / day / atm and the water vapor permeability of the packaging material is less than 1g / m 2 / day. The oxygen permeability of the gas barrier layer is 1cc / m 2 / day / atm, the aroma of coffee products can be preserved for a longer period. The oxygen permeability of the gas barrier layer of the packaging material is 0.5cc / m 2 / day / atm. The water vapor permeability of the gas barrier layer is preferably less than 1 g / m 2 By keeping the moisture content below 0.5 g / m / day, it is possible to prevent the flavor of coffee products from deteriorating due to moisture. The water vapor permeability of the gas barrier layer is 0.5 g / m 2 It is preferable that the dose is less than 1 / day. The term "aroma of coffee products" refers to a wide range of elements that make up the aroma of coffee, such as a fruity aroma or a fragrant aroma. 2The measurement conditions for water vapor permeability (g / m 2 / day) was measured under the JIS Z 0208 method at 40°C and 90% RH. In addition to the sealant layer and the gas barrier layer, the packaging material may also have a layer made of a paper material or the like formed thereon.

[0008] The "finely ground product derived from coffee" is preferably finely ground beans obtained by grinding roasted coffee beans (hereinafter also simply referred to as "finely ground beans"), but fine powder obtained by freeze-drying a coffee extract extracted from roasted coffee beans may also be used. The variety of coffee beans used here is preferably Arabica, but canephora or liberica may also be used. There is no particular limitation on the place of origin. The degree of roasting may be any of light, medium, and dark roasting, and the roasting temperature and time may be set within the range of commonly used conditions. The finely ground beans are preferably obtained by grinding roasted coffee beans from which no coffee oil or coffee liquid has been extracted, but beans from which coffee oil or coffee liquid has been extracted may also be used. The grinding method is not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of achieving both a good texture on the tongue and a strong bean presence, the particle size of the finely ground beans is preferably a volume average particle size in the range of 10 to 100 micrometers.

[0009] As the "vegetable oils and fats", a wide variety of known vegetable oils can be used, such as coffee oil, cacao butter, olive oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, palm oil, peanut oil, rice oil, rapeseed oil (lower sic), sesame oil, corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, etc. These vegetable oils may be used as they are, or may contain antioxidants and other additives. A part or all of the vegetable oils and fats are hydrogenated and used as hardened oils. Generally, coffee oil is contained in finely ground beans at about 14.5 to 20%, but the "vegetable fats and oils" herein does not include the coffee oil contained in the finely ground beans. In other words, when coffee oil is contained as "vegetable fats and oils", it refers to the case where "coffee oil extracted from coffee beans" is added (hereinafter, also referred to as "added coffee oil"). The added coffee oil is preferably coffee oil pressed from coffee beans using a known pressing method, but may also be coffee oil extracted using, for example, carbon dioxide or nitrogen in a fluid state as a supercritical fluid.

[0010] In the coffee food of the present invention, it is preferable that the sealant layer is made of a non-oriented polypropylene film and the gas barrier layer is made of a transparent vapor-deposited polyethylene terephthalate film. With such a configuration, the aroma preservation of the coffee food can be effectively improved.

[0011] The coffee food of the present invention preferably has an oxygen scavenger contained in the packaging material. By containing an oxygen scavenger, not only can deterioration of the coffee food be prevented, but the balance of aroma can be changed by varying the amount of specific aroma components, and a coffee food can be produced from which a different aroma can be enjoyed. As the oxygen scavenger, a wide range of known oxygen scavengers and freshness-preserving agents can be used. Furthermore, the oxygen scavenger is preferably an iron-based self-reacting oxygen scavenger.

[0012] In the coffee food of the present invention, the oxygen scavenger is preferably applied to food having a water activity value of 0.65 Aw or less. The use of such an oxygen scavenger can prevent deterioration of the coffee food and change the balance of aroma, resulting in a coffee food that allows the enjoyment of a different aroma.

[0013] The method for preserving the aroma of a coffee food of the present invention is a method for preserving the aroma components by packaging a coffee food, which is made by kneading and solidifying a finely ground coffee-derived material containing aroma components obtained after roasting coffee beans with vegetable oil, in a packaging material, and preserving the aroma components. The packaging material has at least a sealant layer and a gas barrier layer, and the oxygen permeability of the packaging material is 1cc / m 2 / day / atm and the water vapor permeability of the packaging material is less than 1g / m 2 / day.

[0014] In the method for preserving the aroma of coffee food of the present invention, it is preferable that an oxygen scavenger is contained in the packaging material, and the reduction of aroma components such as acetaldehyde, propanal, or 3-methylbutanal is accelerated. By containing an oxygen scavenger in the packaging material, not only can deterioration of the coffee food be prevented, but the balance of the aroma can be changed by varying the amount of a specific aroma component, and different aromas can be enjoyed. As the oxygen scavenger, a wide range of known oxygen scavengers and freshness preserving agents can be used, but iron-based self-reacting oxygen scavengers or freshness preserving agents are preferably used.

[0015] In the method for retaining the aroma of a coffee food product of the present invention, when an oxygen scavenger is not contained in the packaging material, it is preferable that the effect of retaining the aroma components of methyl formate, 2-vinylfuran, 3,4-hexanedione or 2-vinyl-5-methylfuran is improved.

[0016] It is preferable that the method for retaining the aroma of a coffee food product of the present invention improves the effect of retaining the aroma components of ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol or hexanal, regardless of whether or not an oxygen scavenger is contained in the packaging material. Effect of the Invention

[0017] The coffee food and the method for retaining the aroma of a coffee food of the present invention have the effect of improving the preservation of aroma and enabling a variety of aromas to be enjoyed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] Appearance of coffee food [Diagram 2] Appearance of the prepackaged coffee food of Examples A and B [Diagram 3] Appearance of the prepackaged coffee food of Examples C and D [Figure 4] Packaging material diagram [Diagram 5] Top view of oxygen absorber [Figure 6] Graph showing oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability of packaging materials [Figure 7] Graph showing peak area values ​​of aroma components (1) [Figure 8] Graph showing peak area values ​​of aroma components (2) [Figure 9] Graph showing peak area values ​​of aroma components (3) [Figure 10] Graph showing peak area values ​​of aroma components (4) [Figure 11] Graph showing peak area values ​​of aroma components (5) [Figure 12] Graph showing peak area values ​​of aroma components (6) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following examples and illustrated examples, and many modifications and variations are possible. EXAMPLES

[0020] (Summary of preservation tests for coffee foods) A storage test of coffee foods was conducted to confirm the difference in aroma components due to the difference in packaging materials. In the storage test of Example 1, a total of eight types of samples were produced using two types of coffee foods and two types of packaging materials, with or without oxygen absorbers. The samples were stored in a constant temperature storage cabinet at 25°C for a storage period of 130 days. Regarding the analytical method, after the storage period, the coffee food was removed from each packaged sample and the aroma components of the food were measured using GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry).

[0021] (About coffee foods) Figure 1 shows the appearance of the coffee food, with (1) being a plan view and (2) being a front view. The coffee food 2 is made by kneading finely ground coffee beans with vegetable oil and fats, etc., and solidifying it. Its appearance is a diameter φ of 48 mm, a thickness T of 5 mm, and a weight of 8.5 g. Table 1 below shows the raw material blend ratios of the two types of coffee foods used in the storage test of the coffee food of Example 1. As shown in Table 1 below, of the eight types of samples, the coffee foods of Examples A and C and the coffee foods of Comparative Examples 1 and 3 are coffee foods containing 15% by weight of finely ground coffee beans (hereinafter also referred to as "products containing 15% coffee powder"). Additionally, the coffee foods of Examples B and D and the coffee foods of Comparative Examples 2 and 4 are coffee foods containing 40% by weight of finely ground coffee beans (hereinafter also referred to as "products containing 40% coffee powder").

[0022] [Table 1]

[0023] (About packaging materials) Packaging material a or packaging material b was used as the packaging material. Packaging material a is made of a barrier film (GL BARRIER (registered trademark)) manufactured by Toppan Printing Co., Ltd., and both ends of a sheet are joined by heat sealing to form a bag. Packaging material b is made of a nylon film, and both ends of a sheet are joined by heat sealing to form a bag. FIG. 6 shows a graph showing the oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability of packaging materials. The vertical axis shows the water vapor permeability (g / m 2 / day, and the horizontal axis is oxygen permeability (cc / m 2 The conditions for measuring the water vapor permeability are JIS Z 0208 method, 40°C, 90% RH, and the conditions for measuring the oxygen permeability are JIS K7126-2 method, 23°C, 65% RH. As shown in Figure 6, packaging material a has an oxygen permeability of 0.1 cc / m 2 / day / atm or less, water vapor permeability is 0.081g / m 2 / day, which is extremely low, and shows that it has the same performance as aluminum foil. Also, packaging material b made of nylon film has an oxygen permeability of 5.6cc / m 2 / day / atm, and water vapor permeability of 6.3g / m 2 / day.

[0024] Fig. 2 is an external view of the packaged coffee food of Examples A and B, where (1) is a plan view and (2) is a bottom view. As shown in Fig. 2 (1) or (2), packaged coffee food 1 comprises coffee food 2 packaged in packaging material 3. In the case of Example A, coffee food 2 is a coffee food containing 15% by weight of finely ground coffee beans, and in the case of Example B, coffee food 2 is a coffee food containing 40% by weight of finely ground coffee beans. Furthermore, packaging material 3 corresponds to packaging material a, and packaging material b is also processed into a similar shape.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 2 (1) or (2), in the packaged coffee food 1 of Examples A and B, a coffee food 2 is packaged in a packaging material 3. The packaging material 3 has its top and bottom ends folded back, and the ends melt-bonded by heat sealing to form a sealed portion 3a. The left and right ends are also melt-bonded by heat sealing to form sealed portions (3b, 3c), and the product is processed into a bag shape. The length and width (L1, L2) after processing are length (L1) 58 mm and width (L2) 90 mm. The width W1 of the sealed portion 3a is 15 mm, and the width W2 of the sealed portions (3b, 3c) are each 10 mm. An oxygen absorber 8 is contained inside the packaging material 3. Figure 3 is an external view of the packaged coffee food of Examples C and D, where (1) is a plan view and (2) is a bottom view. As shown in Figure 3 (1) or (2), in the packaged coffee food 1a of Examples C and D, no oxygen absorber 8 is contained inside the packaging material 3. Other than the presence or absence of the oxygen absorber 8, the configuration is the same as that of the packaged coffee food 1.

[0026] Here, the structure of the packaging material a will be described. Fig. 4 shows an explanatory diagram of the packaging material. As shown in Fig. 4, the packaging material 3 is formed by laminating, from the inside, an unstretched polypropylene film 4, an adhesive layer 5, an ink layer 6, and a transparent vapor-deposited polyethylene terephthalate film 7 in this order. The ink layer 6 is formed on the transparent vapor-deposited polyethylene terephthalate film 7, and is adhered to the unstretched polypropylene film 4 by the adhesive layer 5. The transparent vapor-deposited polyethylene terephthalate film 7 constitutes a gas barrier layer, and the unstretched polypropylene film constitutes a sealant layer. The coffee food 2 is contained inside the unstretched polypropylene film 4.

[0027] (About oxygen scavengers) FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the oxygen absorber. As shown in FIG. 5, the oxygen absorber 8 can preferably be, for example, an iron-based self-reacting oxygen absorber "AGELESS" (registered trademark) manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Ltd. The oxygen absorber 8 has a sealed portion 8b formed by melting and bonding the upper, lower, and left ends of the oxygen absorber body 8a by heat sealing. The width W2 of each of the sealed portions (3b, 3c) is 10 mm. The length (L3) and width (L4) of the oxygen absorber 8 are 40 mm (L3) and 30 mm (L4). The oxygen absorber used in this test is applicable to foods with a water activity value of 0.65 Aw or less. In this test, Examples A and B or Comparative Examples 1 and 2 were tested with an oxygen scavenger, while Examples C and D or Comparative Examples 3 and 4 were tested without an oxygen scavenger (air was included).

[0028] (Comparison of each sample) Regarding the packaged coffee foods of Examples A to D and Comparative Examples 1 to 4, the differences between the samples are shown in Table 2 below.

[0029] [Table 2]

[0030] (Comparison of aroma components) After storage had ended, the coffee foods of Examples A to D or Comparative Examples 1 to 4 were removed from their respective packaging samples and the aroma components of the foods were measured by GC-MS (gas chromatography mass spectrometry), resulting in the identification of 75 aroma components. Differences in the aroma components contained in the coffee foods were evaluated based on the peak area values ​​of the identified compounds. Table 3 below shows the peak area values ​​of the compounds. Table 4 below shows the peak area values ​​of aroma components contained in coffee foods after storage for each packaging material for Example A and Comparative Example 1, Example B and Comparative Example 2, Example C and Comparative Example 3, or Example D and Comparative Example 4. Compounds with a change in peak area of ​​20% or more are listed in the table. "Packaging material a>packaging material b" indicates that the peak area value of the aroma components was larger in the example using packaging material a than in the comparative example using packaging material b. Similarly, "packaging material a<packaging material b" indicates that the peak area value of the aroma components was larger in the comparative example using packaging material b than in the example using packaging material a. For example, in the case of acetaldehyde (number 1), as shown in Table 3, the area value is 4721 in Example A using packaging material a, and the area value is 6433 in Comparative Example 1 using packaging material b, so the peak area value of the aroma components is larger in the comparative example using packaging material b than in the example using packaging material a, and there is a change of 20% or more, so in Table 4, it is shown as "packaging material a<packaging material b". Of the 75 aroma components shown in Table 3, compounds that did not show any change in any of the comparisons (numbers 69 to 75) are not shown in Table 4. Note that the "numbers" in Tables 3 and 4 are given for the convenience of explanation.

[0031] [Table 3]

[0032] [Table 4]

[0033] As shown in Table 4 above, the peak area values ​​of aroma components were larger in the coffee foods of Examples A to D packaged in packaging material a than in the coffee foods of Comparative Examples 1 to 4 packaged in packaging material b, because there were many volatile compounds with relatively short retention times. Therefore, particular attention was paid to the 23 aroma compounds (numbers 1 to 23) with short retention times.

[0034] 7 to 12 are graphs showing the peak area values ​​of aroma components. Fig. 7(1) shows the peak area values ​​of ethyl acetate, Fig. 7(2) shows the peak area values ​​of methanol, Fig. 8(1) shows the peak area values ​​of ethanol, and Fig. 8(2) shows the peak area values ​​of hexanal. As shown by the dashed lines, the peak area values ​​of the compounds shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 were larger in the coffee foods of Examples A to D using packaging material a than in Comparative Examples 1 to 4 using packaging material b. In particular, ethyl acetate shown in Fig. 7(1) is a compound characterized by a fruity aroma, and the peak area values ​​were extremely large in Examples A to D compared to Comparative Examples 1 to 4. Therefore, it is considered that the use of packaging material a can retain more of the fruity aroma.

[0035] Regarding the aroma compounds shown in Figures 9 to 12, in Examples A to D using packaging material a, the balance of aroma components was different when an oxygen scavenger was present (Examples A and B) compared to when no oxygen scavenger was present (Examples C and D). FIG. 9(1) shows the peak area values ​​of methyl formate, FIG. 9(2) shows the peak area values ​​of 2-vinylfuran, FIG. 10(1) shows the peak area values ​​of 3,4-hexanedione, and FIG. 10(2) shows the peak area values ​​of 2-vinyl-5-methylfuran. As shown in FIG. 9 or 10, for methyl formate, 2-vinylfuran, 3,4-hexanedione, and 2-vinyl-5-methylfuran, among Examples A to D using packaging material a, when an oxygen scavenger was present (Examples A and B), no change in aroma components was observed compared to when packaging material b and an oxygen scavenger were present (Comparative Examples 1 and 2). However, as shown by the dashed line, when no oxygen scavenger was present (Examples C and D), the peak area value of the aroma components was larger than when packaging material b and no oxygen scavenger was present (Comparative Examples 3 and 4).

[0036] Fig. 11(1) shows the peak area values ​​of acetaldehyde, Fig. 11(2) shows the peak area values ​​of propanal, and Fig. 12 shows the peak area values ​​of 3-methylbutanal. As shown in Fig. 11 or 12, in the case of acetaldehyde, propanal, and 3-methylbutanal, among Examples A to D using packaging material a, the peak area values ​​were larger in the case without an oxygen scavenger (Examples C and D) as shown by the dashed line than in the case with packaging material b and without an oxygen scavenger (Comparative Examples 3 and 4), but in the case with an oxygen scavenger (Examples A and B), the peak area values ​​were smaller than in the case with packaging material b and with an oxygen scavenger (Comparative Examples 1 and 2) as shown by the dotted line. As described above, in the case of acetaldehyde, propanal, and 3-methylbutanal, even in Examples A to D using packaging material a, the cases with and without oxygen absorbers (Examples A and B) exhibited completely opposite behavior.

[0037] (Summary of test results) The peak area value of low boiling point (volatile) compounds was larger in packaging material A than in packaging material B. This characteristic was more prominent in the case without an oxygen scavenger than in the case with an oxygen scavenger. Therefore, as a packaging material for packaging coffee products, packaging material A is considered to be excellent in retaining volatile aroma components for a long period of time. It was found that the use of packaging material A allowed the fruity aroma represented by ethyl acetate to be retained to a greater extent. Furthermore, it was found that the inclusion of an oxygen absorber changed certain aroma components, such as acetaldehyde and 3-methyl butanal, resulting in a change in the balance of the aroma, allowing the enjoyment of a different aroma. [Industrial Applicability]

[0038] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful as a technology for packaging coffee foods, and in particular as a technology for individually packaging coffee foods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1,1a Prepackaged coffee products 2. Coffee Foods 3 Packaging material 3a~3c,8b Seal part 4. Non-oriented polypropylene film 5 Adhesive layer 6 Ink Layer 7 Transparent vapor-deposited polyethylene terephthalate film 8. Oxygen absorbers 8a Oxygen absorber body L1~L4 length T Thickness W1~W3 width φ diameter

Claims

1. The coffee food is made by kneading and solidifying finely ground coffee, which contains aroma components from roasted coffee beans, with vegetable oil and fat, and is packaged in a packaging material. The packaging material comprises at least a sealant layer and a gas barrier layer, The oxygen permeability of the packaging material is 1 cc / m 2 / day / atm, The water vapor permeability of the packaging material is 1 g / m 2 / day or less.

2. The sealant layer is made of a non-oriented polypropylene film, 2. The coffee product of claim 1, wherein the gas barrier layer comprises a transparent vapor deposited polyethylene terephthalate film.

3. The coffee food product according to claim 2 , wherein the packaging material contains an oxygen scavenger.

4. The coffee food according to claim 3 , wherein the oxygen scavenger is applied to a food having a water activity value of 0.65 Aw or less.

5. A method for retaining aroma components by packaging a coffee food product in a packaging material, the coffee food product being prepared by kneading and solidifying finely ground coffee-derived material containing aroma components obtained after roasting coffee beans with vegetable oil, the method comprising the steps of: The packaging material comprises at least a sealant layer and a gas barrier layer, The oxygen permeability of the packaging material is 1 cc / m 2 / day / atm, The water vapor permeability of the packaging material is 1 g / m 2 1. A method for preserving the aroma of coffee products, comprising the steps of:

6. 6. The method for retaining the aroma of coffee products according to claim 5, wherein the packaging material contains an oxygen scavenger, and the reduction of aroma components such as acetaldehyde, propanal, or 3-methylbutanal is promoted.

7. 6. The method for retaining the aroma of coffee foods according to claim 5, wherein the packaging material does not contain an oxygen scavenger, and the effect of retaining the aroma components of methyl formate, 2-vinylfuran, 3,4-hexanedione or 2-vinyl-5-methylfuran is improved.

8. 6. The method for retaining the aroma of coffee food according to claim 5, wherein the effect of retaining aroma components of ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol or hexanal is improved regardless of whether or not an oxygen scavenger is contained in the packaging material.

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