Beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage and production method therefor

Abstract

To provide a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage having favorable flavor intensity, complexity, and a good balance between aroma and taste, and having a reduced purine body concentration.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage having a purine body concentration of at most 2.0 mg / 100 mL, wherein the butyric acid concentration is at least 0.35 mg / L. The malt usage ratio of the inventive beverage is, for example, 50-100% inclusive. The present invention is advantageous in that it can meet various needs such as consumers' health consciousness.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage and a method for producing the same, and more particularly to a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage with a reduced purine body concentration and a method for producing the same.

Background Art

[0002] It is said that about 4 to 10 mg / 100 mL of purine body compounds are present in beer, which is a fermented malt beverage. When the purine body compound is ingested as food, it is decomposed into uric acid. In the diet restriction for hyperuricemia, the intake of this purine body compound may be restricted. In addition to the restriction of foods with higher content such as meat, eggs, and liver, fermented malt beverages such as beer may also be subject to diet restriction. For this reason, products with reduced purine body compounds are desired for fermented malt beverages such as beer.

[0003] So far, as a technique for reducing purine body compounds in fermented malt beverages such as beer, a technique (Patent Document 1) is known in which nucleoside phosphorylase and / or nucleosidase is allowed to act on the wort of beer to decompose nucleosides in the wort and reduce the concentration of purine body compounds. Further, in the manufacturing process of a fermented malt beverage, a process of adsorbing and removing purine body compounds with an adsorbent that selectively adsorbs purine body compounds is carried out in a temperature range of 25°C or higher and lower than the temperature used in the saccharification process in a process after the saccharification process and before hop addition, thereby reducing the purine body compound concentration of the fermented malt beverage (Patent Document 2) is also known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a novel beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage in which the purine concentration is reduced while maintaining good flavor intensity, complexity, and balance between aroma and taste.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present inventors have found that in a beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage with a reduced purine concentration, by setting the butyric acid concentration to a predetermined concentration, the purine concentration can be reduced while maintaining good flavor intensity, complexity, and balance between aroma and taste. The present invention is based on this finding.

[0007] According to the present invention, the following inventions are provided. [1] A beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage having a purine concentration of 2.0 mg / 100 mL or less and a butyric acid concentration of 0.35 mg / L or more. [2] The beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage according to [1] above, wherein the malt usage ratio is 50% or more and 100% or less. [3] The beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage according to [1] or [2] above, wherein the butyric acid concentration is 0.35 mg / L or more and 2.00 mg / L or less. [4] The beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein the butyric acid concentration is 0.70 mg / L or more and 1.00 mg / L or less. [5] The beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage according to any one of [1] to [4] above, having an alcohol concentration of 10.0 v / v% or less. [6] The beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage according to any one of [1] to [5] above, wherein the ratio of the alcohol concentration (v / v%) to the butyric acid concentration (mg / L) in the beverage is 0.50 or more and less than 10.0. [7] The ratio of the purine body concentration (mg / 100 mL) to the butyric acid concentration (mg / L) in the beverage is less than 1.20, and the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage according to any one of the above [1] to [6]. [8] A method for producing a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage having a purine body concentration of 2.0 mg / 100 mL or less, the method including a step of containing butyric acid so that the butyric acid concentration of the produced beverage becomes 0.35 mg / L or more. [9] A method for improving the flavor of a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage having a purine body concentration of 2.0 mg / 100 mL or less, the method including a step of containing butyric acid so that the butyric acid concentration of the produced beverage becomes 0.35 mg / L or more.

[0008] According to the present invention, in a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage with a reduced purine body concentration, by setting the butyric acid concentration to a predetermined concentration, it is possible to provide a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage with a good balance of flavor intensity, complexity, and aroma and taste while reducing the purine body concentration. Therefore, the present invention is advantageous in that it can meet various needs such as consumers' health consciousness. Detailed description of the invention

[0009] In the present invention, the "beer-taste beverage" means a beverage having a beer-like flavor. In the present invention, the "beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage" means a beverage fermented by yeast using a carbon source, a nitrogen source, water, etc. as raw materials, and includes beer, sparkling sake, a beverage obtained by adding alcohol to beer or sparkling sake using malt as a raw material (for example, a beverage classified as "liqueur (sparkling) (2)" or "sparkling sake (2)" (after October 2026, "sparkling sake") under the Liquor Tax Law), and a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage not using malt (for example, a beverage classified as "other brewed liquor (sparkling) (2)" or "sparkling sake (2)" (after October 2026, "sparkling sake") under the Liquor Tax Law). Preferred embodiments of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage include a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage using malt and / or unsprouted cereals as at least a part of the raw materials, and more preferably a beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage using malt as at least a part of the raw materials.

[0010] When the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention uses malt as at least a part of the raw materials, the malt usage ratio can be, for example, 10% or less, 10% or more, 12.5% or less, 12.5% or more, 15% or less, 15% or more, 17.5% or less, 17.5% or more, 20% or less, 20% or more, 22.5% or less, 22.5% or more, 25% or less, 25% or more, 27.5% or less, 27.5% or more, 30% or less, 30% or more, 32.5% or less, 32.5% or more, 35% or less, 35% or more, 37.5% or less, 37.5% or more, 40% or less, 40% or more, 42.5% or less, 42.5% or more, 45% or less, 45% or more, 47.5% or less, 47.5% or more, 50% or less, 50% or more, 52.5% or less, 52.5% or more, 55% or less, 55% or more, 57.5% or less, 57.5% or more, 60% or less, 60% or more, 62.5% or less, 62.5% or more, 65% or less, 65% or more, 67.5% or less, 67.5% or more, 70% or less, 70% or more, 72.5% or less, 72.5% or more, 75% or less, 75% or more, 77.5% or less, 77.5% or more, 80% or less, 80% or more, 82.5% or less, 82.5% or more, 85% or less, 85% or more, 87.5% or less, 87.5% or more, 90% or less, 90% or more, 92.5% or less, 92.5% or more, 95% or less, 95% or more, 97.5% or less, 97.5% or more or 100%, and preferably can be 50% or more, 60% or more, 70% or more, 80% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more or 100%. These upper and lower limit values can be arbitrarily combined, "less than" can be "less than", and "more than" can be "more than". As combinations of the upper and lower limit values, for example, it can be 50% or more and 100% or less, 60% or more and 100% or less, 70% or more and 100% or less, 80% or more and 100% or less or 90% or more and 100% or less. In the present invention, the "malt usage ratio" refers to the ratio of the mass of malt to the mass of all raw materials excluding hops and brewing water. When the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention uses malt as at least a part of the raw materials, it is called a beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage.In the present invention, beer refers to a product obtained by fermenting malt, hops, water, and other certain auxiliary raw materials, or a product obtained by adding hops or certain auxiliary raw materials thereto and then fermenting, and satisfies the following two conditions (limited to those with an alcohol content of less than 20 degrees). · The malt ratio is 50 / 100 or more. · The weight of the fruits used (including dried, boiled-down, or concentrated fruit juices) and certain flavoring agents does not exceed 5 / 100 of the weight of the malt (including those not used). This can be defined as such (refer to the Liquor Tax Law (Law No. 6 of 1953) with an enforcement date of October 1, 2023).

[0011] In the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention, as the malt, for example, barley malt, wheat malt can be used, and one type of malt may be used, or a plurality of types of malt may be combined and used. In the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention, the ratio of barley malt (by mass) to the raw material malt (by mass) can be, for example, 10% or more, 12.5% or more, 15% or more, 17.5% or more, 20% or more, 22.5% or more, 25% or more, 27.5% or more, 30% or more, 32.5% or more, 35% or more, 37.5% or more, 40% or more, 42.5% or more, 45% or more, 47.5% or more, 50% or more, 52.5% or more, 55% or more, 57.5% or more, 60% or more, 62.5% or more, 65% or more, 67.5% or more, 70% or more, 72.5% or more, 75% or more, 77.5% or more, 80% or more, 82.5% or more, 85% or more, 87.5% or more, 90% or more, 92.5% or more, 95% or more, 97.5% or more, or 100%, and the ratio of wheat malt (by mass) to the raw material malt (by mass) can be, for example, 10% or more, 12.5% or more, 15% or more, 17.5% or more, 20% or more, 22.5% or more, 25% or more, 27.5% or more, 30% or more, 32.5% or more, 35% or more, 37.5% or more, 40% or more, 42.5% or more, 45% or more, 47.5% or more, 50% or more, 52.5% or more, 55% or more, 57.5% or more, 60% or more, 62.5% or more, 65% or more, 67.5% or more, 70% or more, 72.5% or more, 75% or more, 77.5% or more, 80% or more, 82.5% or more, 85% or more, 87.5% or more, 90% or more, 92.5% or more, 95% or more, 97.5% or more, or 100%. In the above, "or more" can be regarded as "exceeding".

[0012] The beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention can have an arbitrarily set alcohol concentration. The lower limit value (equal to or higher than) of the alcohol concentration can be, for example, 1.0 v / v%, 1.1 v / v%, 1.2 v / v%, 1.3 v / v%, 1.4 v / v%, 1.5 v / v%, 1.6 v / v%, 1.7 v / v%, 1.8 v / v%, 1.9 v / v%, 2.0 v / v%, 2.1 v / v%, 2.2 v / v%, 2.3 v / v%, 2.4 v / v%, 2.5 v / v%, 2.6 v / v%, 2.7 v / v%, 2.8 v / v%, 2.9 v / v% or 3.0 v / v%, and the upper limit value (equal to or lower than) can be, for example, 11.0 v / v%, 10.9 v / v%, 10.8 v / v%, 10.7 v / v%, 10.6 v / v%, 10.5 v / v%, 10.4 v / v%, 10.3 v / v%, 10.2 v / v%, 10.1 v / v%, 10.0 v / v%, 9.9 v / v%, 9.8 v / v%, 9.7 v / v%, 9.6 v / v%, 9.5 v / v%, 9.4 v / v%, 9.3 v / v%, 9.2 v / v%, 9.1 v / v%, 9.0 v / v%, 8.9 v / v%, 8.8 v / v%, 8.7 v / v%, 8.6 v / v%, 8.5 v / v%, 8.4 v / v%, 8.3 v / v%, 8.2 v / v%, 8.1 v / v%, 8.0 v / v%, 7.9 v / v%, 7.8 v / v%, 7.7 v / v%, 7.6 v / v%, 7.5 v / v%, 7.4 v / v%, 7.3 v / v%, 7.2 v / v%, 7.1 v / v%, 7.0 v / v%, 6.9 v / v%, 6.8 v / v%, 6.7 v / v%, 6.6 v / v%, 6.5 v / v%, 6.4 v / v%, 6.3 v / v%, 6.2 v / v%, 6.1 v / v% or 6.0 v / v%. These lower limit values and upper limit values can be arbitrarily combined respectively, and the alcohol concentration of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 1.0 v / v% or higher and 10.0 v / v% or lower, preferably 2.0 v / v% or higher and 8.0 v / v% or lower, more preferably 3.0 v / v% or higher and 6.0 v / v% or lower.

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

[0014] The beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention has a reduced purine body concentration. Specifically, the upper limit value (hereinafter or less) of the purine body concentration of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is 2.0 mg / 100 mL, and it can also be 1.9 mg / 100 mL, 1.8 mg / 100 mL, 1.7 mg / 100 mL, 1.6 mg / 100 mL, 1.5 mg / 100 mL, 1.4 mg / 100 mL, 1.3 mg / 100 mL, 1.2 mg / 100 mL, 1.1 mg / 100 mL, 1.0 mg / 100 mL, 0.9 mg / 100 mL, 0.8 mg / 100 mL, 0.7 mg / 100 mL, 0.6 mg / 100 mL, 0.5 mg / 100 mL, 0.4 mg / 100 mL, 0.3 mg / 100 mL or 0.2 mg / 100 mL. In addition, a beverage with a purine body concentration of less than 0.5 mg / 100 mL corresponds to a "purine body zero beverage".

[0015] The measurement of the purine body can be carried out by a known method. For example, it can be measured by a method of detecting using LC-MS / MS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) after hydrolysis with perchloric acid (see Journal of Food Nutrition 55(2): 110-116 (2014)). In this specification, the "purine body concentration" refers to the total amount of 4 purine body bases of adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine.

[0016] The beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention may have a reduced carbohydrate concentration. Specifically, the upper limit value (hereinafter or less) of the carbohydrate concentration of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is 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, 1.4 g / 100 mL, 1.3 g / 100 mL, 1.2 g / 100 mL, 1.1 g / 100 mL, 1.0 g / 100 mL, 0.9 g / 100 mL, 0.8 g / 100 mL, 0.7 g / 100 mL, 0.6 g / 100 mL, 0.5 g / 100 mL, 0.4 g / 100 mL, 0.3 g / 100 mL or 0.2 g / 100 mL. In addition, a beverage with a carbohydrate concentration of less than 0.5 g / 100 mL corresponds to a "carbohydrate zero beverage".

[0017] The measurement of the carbohydrate concentration can be carried out by a known method, and can be carried out according to a method of calculating from the mass of the sample to be measured by excluding the amounts of water, protein, lipid, ash and dietary fiber (see the Nutritional Labeling Standards (Consumer Affairs Agency Notice No. 9 of December 16, 2009, partially revised)).

[0018] The beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is characterized in that the butyric acid concentration is at a predetermined value. Specifically, the lower limit value (greater than or equal to) of the butyric acid concentration is 0.35 mg / L, and it can also be 0.36 mg / L, 0.37 mg / L, 0.38 mg / L, 0.39 mg / L, 0.40 mg / L, 0.41 mg / L, 0.42 mg / L, 0.43 mg / L, 0.44 mg / L, 0.45 mg / L, 0.46 mg / L, 0.47 mg / L, 0.48 mg / L, 0.49 mg / L, 0.50 mg / L, 0.51 mg / L, 0.52 mg / L, 0.53 mg / L, 0.54 mg / L, 0.55 mg / L, 0.56 mg / L, 0.57 mg / L, 0.58 mg / L, 0.59 mg / L, 0.60 mg / L, 0.61 mg / L, 0.62 mg / L, 0.63 mg / L, 0.64 mg / L, 0.65 mg / L, 0.66 mg / L, 0.67 mg / L, 0.68 mg / L, 0.69 mg / L or 0.70 mg / L.In addition, the upper limit value (less than or equal to) of the butyric acid concentration in the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the effects of the present invention are achieved. For example, it can be 2.00 mg / L, 1.99 mg / L, 1.98 mg / L, 1.97 mg / L, 1.96 mg / L, 1.95 mg / L, 1.94 mg / L, 1.93 mg / L, 1.92 mg / L, 1.91 mg / L, 1.90 mg / L, 1.89 mg / L, 1.88 mg / L, 1.87 mg / L, 1.86 mg / L, 1.85 mg / L, 1.84 mg / L, 1.83 mg / L, 1.82 mg / L, 1.81 mg / L, 1.80 mg / L, 1.79 mg / L, 1.78 mg / L, 1.77 mg / L, 1.76 mg / L, 1.75 mg / L, 1.74 mg / L, 1.73 mg / L, 1.72 mg / L, 1.71 mg / L, 1.70 mg / L, 1.69 mg / L, 1.68 mg / L, 1.67 mg / L, 1.66 mg / L, 1.65 mg / L, 1.64 mg / L, 1.63 mg / L, 1.62 mg / L, 1.61 mg / L, 1.60 mg / L, 1.59 mg / L, 1.58 mg / L, 1.57 mg / L, 1.56 mg / L, 1.55 mg / L, 1.54 mg / L, 1.53 mg / L, 1.52 mg / L, 1.51 mg / L, 1.50 mg / L, 1.49 mg / L, 1.48 mg / L, 1.47 mg / L, 1.46 mg / L, 1.45 mg / L, 1.44 mg / L, 1.43 mg / L, 1.42 mg / L, 1.41 mg / L, 1.40 mg / L, 1.39 mg / L, 1.38 mg / L, 1.37 mg / L, 1.36 mg / L, 1.35 mg / L, 1.34 mg / L, 1.33 mg / L, 1.32 mg / L, 1.31 mg / L, 1.30 mg / L, 1.29 mg / L, 1.28 mg / L, 1.27 mg / L, 1.26 mg / L, 1.25 mg / L, 1.24 mg / L, 1.23 mg / L, 1.22 mg / L, 1.21 mg / L, 1.20 mg / L, 1.19 mg / L, 1.18 mg / L, 1.17 mg / L, 1.16 mg / L, 1.15 mg / L, 1.14 mg / L, 1.13 mg / L, 1.12 mg / L, 1.11 mg / L or 1.00 mg / L.These lower limit values and upper limit values can be arbitrarily combined respectively. The butyric acid concentration of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 0.35 mg / L or more and 2.00 mg / L or less, 0.35 mg / L or more and 1.50 mg / L or less, 0.35 mg / L or more and 1.00 mg / L or less, 0.40 mg / L or more and 2.00 mg / L or less, 0.40 mg / L or more and 1.50 mg / L or less, 0.40 mg / L or more and 1.00 mg / L or less, 0.45 mg / L or more and 2.00 mg / L or less, 0.45 mg / L or more and 1.50 mg / L or less, 0.45 mg / L or more and 1.00 mg / L or less, 0.50 mg / L or more and 2.00 mg / L or less, 0.50 mg / L or more and 1.50 mg / L or less, 0.50 mg / L or more and 1.00 mg / L or less, 0.60 mg / L or more and 2.00 mg / L or less, 0.60 mg / L or more and 1.50 mg / L or less, 0.60 mg / L or more and 1.00 mg / L or less, 0.65 mg / L or more and 2.00 mg / L or less, 0.65 mg / L or more and 1.50 mg / L or less, 0.65 mg / L or more and 1.00 mg / L or less, 0.70 mg / L or more and 2.00 mg / L or less, 0.70 mg / L or more and 1.50 mg / L or less, or 0.70 mg / L or more and 1.00 mg / L or less.

[0019] In the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention, butyric acid may be derived from raw materials, may be added separately from plant raw materials, or may be produced by fermentation.

[0020] The method for adjusting the butyric acid concentration of the beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, butyric acid can be added in the beverage production process, or the raw materials can be selected and the production conditions can be appropriately set to make the beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage contain butyric acid at a predetermined concentration. Non - limiting examples of such raw materials and production conditions include, for example, the selection of yeast (including strains) and the adjustment of fermentation conditions (for example, refer to Yan Lin, et al., Biomass and Bioenergy, 2012, 47, 395 - 401; Garces Daza F, et al., Biotechnol Biofuels Bioprod, 2023, 26; 16(1): 71).

[0021] In the production of the beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention, when adding butyric acid, the butyric acid may be any suitable for food production, and its form may be any that is easily soluble in an aqueous solvent, and may be in any form such as liquid, powder, solid, or a combination thereof.

[0022] In the beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention, the butyric acid concentration can be measured using gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC / MS).

[0023] The beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is also characterized in that the ratio of the alcohol concentration (v / v%) to the butyric acid concentration (mg / L) in the beverage is a predetermined value. Specifically, the lower limit value (greater than or equal to) of the ratio of the alcohol concentration to the butyric acid concentration in the beverage is 0.5, but it can also be 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9 or 4.0. The upper limit value (less than or equal to) is 10.0, but it can also be 9.9, 9.8, 9.7, 9.6, 9.5, 9.4, 9.3, 9.2, 9.1, 9.0, 8.9, 8.8, 8.7, 8.6, 8.5, 8.4, 8.3, 8.2, 8.1, 8.0, 7.9, 7.8, 7.7, 7.6, 7.5, 7.4, 7.3, 7.2, 7.1 or 7.0.These lower and upper limits can be arbitrarily combined respectively. The ratio of the alcohol concentration (v / v%) to the butyric acid concentration (mg / L) in the beverage of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 0.5 or more and less than 10.0, 1.0 or more and less than 10.0, 1.5 or more and less than 10.0, 2.0 or more and less than 10.0, 2.5 or more and less than 10.0, 3.5 or more and less than 10.0, 4.0 or more and less than 10.0, 0.5 or more and 9.5 or less, 1.0 or more and 9.5 or less, 1.5 or more and 9.5 or less, 2.0 or more and 9.5 or less, 2.5 or more and 9.5 or less, 3.5 or more and 9.5 or less, 4.0 or more and 9.5 or less, 0.5 or more and 9.0 or less, 1.0 or more and 9.0 or less, 1.5 or more and 9.0 or less, 2.0 or more and 9.0 or less, 2.5 or more and 9.0 or less, 3.5 or more and 9.0 or less, 4.0 or more and 9.0 or less, 0.5 or more and 8.5 or less, 1.0 or more and 8.5 or less, 1.5 or more and 8.5 or less, 2.0 or more and 8.5 or less, 2.5 or more and 8.5 or less, 3.5 or more and 8.5 or less, 4.0 or more and 8.5 or less, 0.5 or more and 8.0 or less, 1.0 or more and 8.0 or less, 1.5 or more and 8.0 or less, 2.0 or more and 8.0 or less, 2.5 or more and 8.0 or less, 3.5 or more and 8.0 or less, 4.0 or more and 8.0 or less, 0.5 or more and 7.5 or less, 1.0 or more and 7.5 or less, 1.5 or more and 7.5 or less, 2.0 or more and 7.5 or less, 2.5 or more and 7.5 or less, 3.5 or more and 7.5 or less, 4.0 or more and 7.5 or less, 0.5 or more and 7.0 or less, 1.0 or more and 7.0 or less, 1.5 or more and 7.0 or less, 2.0 or more and 7.0 or less, 2.5 or more and 7.0 or less, 3.5 or more and 7.0 or less, 4.0 or more and 7.0 or less.

[0024] The beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is also characterized in that the ratio of the purine body concentration to the butyric acid concentration in the beverage is a predetermined value. Specifically, the upper limit (less than or equal to) of the ratio of the purine body concentration (mg / 100 mL) to the butyric acid concentration (mg / L) in the beverage is less than 1.20, and can also be 1.19, 1.18, 1.17, 1.16, 1.15, 1.14, 1.13, 1.12, 1.11, 1.10, 1.09, 1.08, 1.07, 1.06, 1.05, 1.04, 1.03, 1.02, 1.01, 1.00, 0.99, 0.98, 0.97, 0.96, 0.95, 0.94, 0.93, 0.92, 0.91, 0.90, 0.89, 0.88, 0.87, 0.86, 0.85, 0.84, 0.83, 0.82, 0.81, 0.80, 0.79, 0.78, 0.77, 0.76, 0.75, 0.74, 0.73, 0.72, 0.71, 0.70, 0.69, 0.68, 0.67, 0.66, 0.65, 0.64, 0.63, 0.62, 0.61 or 0.60. The lower limit (greater than or equal to) can be arbitrarily set. For example, it can be 0.10, 0.11, 0.12, 0.13, 0.14, 0.15, 0.16, 0.17, 0.18, 0.19, 0.20, 0.21, 0.22, 0.23, 0.24, 0.25, 0.26, 0.27, 0.28, 0.29, 0.30, 0.31, 0.32, 0.33, 0.34, 0.35 or 0.36.These upper and lower limit values can be arbitrarily combined respectively. The ratio of the purine body concentration (mg / 100 mL) to the butyric acid concentration (mg / L) in the beverage of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 0.10 or more and less than 1.20, 0.15 or more and less than 1.20, 0.20 or more and less than 1.20, 0.25 or more and less than 1.20, 0.30 or more and less than 1.20, 0.35 or more and less than 1.20, 0.10 or more and 1.10 or less, 0.15 or more and 1.10 or less, 0.20 or more and 1.10 or less, 0.25 or more and 1.10 or less, 0.30 or more and 1.10 or less, 0.35 or more and 1.10 or less, 0.10 or more and 1.00 or less, 0.15 or more and 1.00 or less, 0.20 or more and 1.00 or less, 0.25 or more and 1.00 or less, 0.30 or more and 1.00 or less, 0.35 or more and 1.00 or less, 0.10 or more and 0.90 or less, 0.15 or more and 0.90 or less, 0.20 or more and 0.90 or less, 0.25 or more and 0.90 or less, 0.30 or more and 0.90 or less, 0.35 or more and 0.90 or less, 0.10 or more and 0.80 or less, 0.15 or more and 0.80 or less, 0.20 or more and 0.80 or less, 0.25 or more and 0.80 or less, 0.30 or more and 0.80 or less, 0.35 or more and 0.80 or less, 0.10 or more and 0.70 or less, 0.15 or more and 0.70 or less, 0.20 or more and 0.70 or less, 0.25 or more and 0.70 or less, 0.30 or more and 0.70 or less, or 0.35 or more and 0.70 or less.

[0025] The beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is characterized in that, although the purine body concentration is reduced, the intensity of flavor, complexity, and the balance between aroma and taste are good. Beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverages with reduced purine body concentration (especially beer and sparkling wine) had flavor problems such as less thickness of taste due to the reduction of purine body concentration. The beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention has improved intensity of flavor, complexity, and the balance between aroma and taste, and can solve the above problems of beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverages with reduced purine body concentration. Here, the "intensity of flavor" means the degree of beer-like aroma and taste. Also, the "complexity" means the degree of beer-like complexity. Also, the "balance between aroma and taste" means a flavor in which each taste element (sweetness, bitterness, sourness, umami, etc.) constituting the natural taste of beer is not prominent and is unified in a beer-like manner.

[0026] The beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention has no limitation in its manufacturing procedure as long as the purine body concentration is reduced to a predetermined concentration respectively and the butyric acid concentration is contained so as to be a predetermined value. For example, it can be manufactured as follows. That is, beer yeast for fermentation is added to wort prepared from brewing raw materials such as malt, hops, adjuncts, and brewing water, and fermentation is carried out. After the obtained fermented liquid is stored at a low temperature, the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage can be manufactured by removing yeast through a filtration process. The reduction of the purine body concentration in the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage can be carried out according to the known methods described later. Also, in order to contain a predetermined concentration of butyric acid in the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage, as described above, it can be carried out by adding butyric acid in the manufacturing process of the beverage or appropriately setting raw materials or manufacturing conditions. In this way, a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage with reduced purine body concentration and a butyric acid concentration of a predetermined concentration can be manufactured.

[0027] The reduction of purine concentration in beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverages can be carried out according to known methods. Non - limiting examples of methods for reducing purine concentration in beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverages include methods of reducing the purine content in beverages by contacting the pre - fermentation liquid or fermentation liquid with adsorbents such as activated carbon and zeolite (see JP - A - 2003 - 169658, JP - A - 2004 - 290071, JP - A - 2004 - 290072, JP - A - 2015 - 112090, etc.), and methods of reducing the purine content in beverages by using raw materials other than malt with low purine import (for example, soy protein, corn grits) (see JP - A - 2014 - 117204, JP - A - 2014 - 117205, etc.).

[0028] The reduction of carbohydrate concentration in beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverages can be carried out according to known methods. Non - limiting examples of methods for reducing carbohydrate concentration in beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverages include methods of adding glucoamylase during the saccharification process, methods of adding glucoamylase during the fermentation process (see "Enzyme Utilization Technology Series: From Basics and Analysis to Modification, Advanced Functionalization, and Industrial Application" (supervised by Shinomiya Kiyoshi, NTS Co., Ltd., 2010), etc.), methods of reducing carbohydrates by enhancing the assimilability by yeast using liquid sugar rich in carbohydrates assimilable by yeast (see JP - A - 2009 - 131202), and methods of performing wort filtration during the saccharification process (see JP - A - 2012 - 147780).

[0029] In the above - mentioned manufacturing procedure, the preparation of wort can be carried out according to conventional methods. For example, a mixture of brewing raw materials and brewing water is saccharified, filtered to obtain wort, hops are added to the wort, then it is boiled, and the boiled wort is cooled to prepare wort. Also, wort can be prepared by adding commercially available enzyme preparations during the saccharification process. For example, protease preparations can be used for protein decomposition, α - amylase preparations, glucoamylase preparations, pullulanase preparations, etc. can be used for carbohydrate decomposition, and β - glucanase preparations, cellulase preparations, etc. can be used for cellulose decomposition, respectively, or a mixed preparation of these can also be used.

[0030] In the production of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention, in addition to malt, unsprouted cereals (e.g., unsprouted barley (including those extracted), unsprouted wheat (including those extracted)); rice, corn, adzuki bean, potato, starch, saccharides (e.g., liquid sugar), fruits (e.g., fruit juice, concentrated fruit juice), coriander or its seeds, spices or their raw materials (e.g., pepper, cinnamon, Japanese pepper), herbs (e.g., chamomile, sage, basil), vegetables (e.g., sweet potato, pumpkin), buckwheat or sesame, saccharide-containing substances (e.g., honey, brown sugar), salt, miso, flowers, tea, coffee, cocoa (tea, coffee and cocoa include their preparations), seafood (e.g., oyster, kelp, wakame, skipjack tuna flakes), etc. as auxiliary raw materials; nitrogen sources such as proteolytic products and yeast extracts; other cereals (e.g., soybeans) other than the above; spices, pigments, foaming and foam-stabilizing agents, water conditioners, fermentation promoters, etc. can be used as brewing raw materials, but the above are examples, and in the production of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention, raw materials other than the above can be used. The beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention can use at least malt and hops as the raw materials used other than brewing water, and in some cases, saccharides, rice, corn, starch, etc. can also be used as the raw materials. Needless to say, all-malt beer among beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverages can be produced from malt, hops, and water.

[0031] In the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention, the concentration of ethyl acetate can be, for example, 100 ppm or less, and from the viewpoint of making the taste intensity, refreshness, and balance of aroma and taste better, it is preferably 50 ppm or less, more preferably 40 ppm or less, and even more preferably 30 ppm or less. Also, in the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention, the concentration of ethyl acetate can be, for example, 1 ppm or more, 2 ppm or more, or 3 ppm or more. The ethyl acetate concentration of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage can be adjusted by known methods (e.g., using yeast with low ethyl acetate-producing ability, preparing brewing conditions such as fermentation temperature, etc.).

[0032] The concentration of ethyl acetate in the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be measured by a headspace gas chromatograph with an FID described in the BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (Supplementary Revision in 2013) "8.22". For example, the concentration of ethyl acetate can be determined by introducing the gas phase part of the beer sample heated in a vial into a gas chromatograph equipped with an FID detector, reading the area of ethyl acetate from the gas chromatogram, and calculating the amount of each component from the ratio to the area of the internal standard substance (n-butanol). In that case, for more accurate concentration measurement, it is desirable to use a calibration curve prepared based on the measured values of several control samples having known concentrations.

[0033] In the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention, the concentration of malic acid can be, for example, 20 to 120 ppm, preferably 30 to 100 ppm. The concentration of malic acid in the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage can be measured by the capillary electrophoresis method described in the BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (Supplementary Revision in 2013) "8.24.2".

[0034] In the present invention, the "bitterness value (BU)" refers to the value measured according to the method described in the item of the bitterness value described in the BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (Supplementary Revision in 2013) "8.15". Specifically, after adding an acid to the sample beverage, it is extracted with isooctane, the absorbance (275 nm) of the isooctane layer is measured, and it can be obtained by multiplying such a measured value by 50.

[0035] As the bitterness value (BU) of the beverage of the present invention, for example, 2 to 60 can be mentioned. From the viewpoint of obtaining a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage with more suitable flavor, it can be, for example, 3 to 30, preferably 4 to 25, more preferably 5 to 22, and even more preferably 5.5 to 20.

[0036] In the present invention, the method for adjusting the bitterness value (BU) is not particularly limited, but a method of adjusting the usage amount and / or boiling time of hops and / or hop processed products used in the production of beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverages is preferably mentioned. Generally, when the usage amount and / or boiling time of hops and / or hop processed products is increased, the concentration of iso-α acids and the like in the produced beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage becomes high, and as a result, the BU of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage can be increased. When the usage amount and / or boiling time of hops and / or hop processed products is decreased, the concentration of iso-α acids and the like in the produced beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage becomes low, and as a result, the BU of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage can be decreased. Examples of the above-mentioned hops include raw hops, hop pellets obtained by previously pulverizing and processing them into pellets, hop pellets containing a large amount of lupulin obtained by sieving lupulin grains in advance during the processing, and hop extracts obtained by extracting bitter substances, essential oils, etc. of lupulin. Further, as hop processed products, for example, low hops, hexahops, tetrahops, isomerized hop extracts (isomerized hop extracts), etc. can be used.

[0037] The beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention can have a pH of 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 fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be adjusted using a pH adjuster. The pH of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage can be measured using a commercially available pH meter (for example, HORIBA Scientific desktop pH meter, Horiba Advanced Technology Co., Ltd.).

[0038] The beverage provided by the present invention may be subjected to a step of adding carbon dioxide gas in some cases, and further, can be provided as a bottled beverage through steps such as a filling step and a sterilization step. The sterilization may be performed before or after filling into the container. Also, when the pH of the beverage is adjusted to less than 4, it is also possible to directly perform the filling step without passing through the sterilization step to obtain a bottled beverage.

[0039] The container used for the beverage according to the present invention may be any container usually used for filling beverages. For example, metal cans, barrel containers, plastic bottles (e.g., PET bottles, cups), paper containers, flasks, pouch containers, etc. may be mentioned. Preferably, they are metal cans, barrel containers, plastic bottles (e.g., PET bottles), and flasks.

[0040] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage having a purine concentration of 2.0 mg / 100 mL or less, the method including a step of adding butyric acid so that the butyric acid concentration of the produced beverage becomes 0.35 mg / L or more. According to the production method of the present invention, the flavor of the produced beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage is improved. Here, "the flavor is improved" or "flavor improvement" of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage means that in the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage, despite the reduction of the purine concentration, good results are achieved in terms of taste intensity, refreshness, and the balance between aroma and taste. The production method of the present invention can be carried out in accordance with the description of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention in addition to the above.

[0041] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for improving the flavor of a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage having a purine concentration of 2.0 mg / 100 mL or less, the method including a step of adding butyric acid so that the butyric acid concentration of the produced beverage becomes 0.35 mg / L or more. According to the flavor improvement method, the flavor of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage with a reduced purine concentration can be improved. The flavor improvement method of the present invention can be carried out in accordance with the description of the beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage and its production method of the present invention in addition to the above.

Examples

[0042] The present invention will be described more specifically based on the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0043] Measurement of alcohol concentration The alcohol concentration (ethanol concentration) was measured by the method described in the "Method Prescribed by the National Tax Agency".

[0044] Measurement of purine body concentration The purine body concentration was measured by a method of detecting it using LC-MS / MS (liquid chromatography mass spectrometry) after hydrolysis with perchloric acid (see Journal of Food Hygiene 55(2): 110-116 (2014)).

[0045] Measurement of butyric acid concentration The butyric acid concentration was measured using GC / MS. Specifically, it was carried out by the following procedure. As a pretreatment, the sample was diluted 2-fold with ethanol, 100 μL was sampled into a 10 mL vial, and subjected to a Gerstel MPS (Multi Purpose Sampler) system. Nitrogen purging was performed with DHS to vaporize the whole amount and adsorb the components onto Tenax. The Tenax tube was set in a TDU (Thermal Desorption Unit), heated in the TDU to desorb the components, and then those components were re-adsorbed onto the wool liner of a CIS (Cooled Injection System) cooled to -50°C and desorbed by heating. Then, the desorbed components were introduced into the column of the GC, and ion measurement was performed with MS. The analysis conditions for each of the Gerstel MPS system, MPS / TDU / CIS, and GC / MS are shown in Tables 1 to 3.

[0046]

Table 1

[0047]

Table 2

[0048]

Table 3

[0049] Example 1: Production and evaluation of beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage In Example 1, test samples of beer - flavored beverages were prepared, and evaluation tests for each sample were conducted.

[0050] (1) Method A. Preparation of test samples Malted barley was saccharified using an enzyme and then filtered to obtain wort. Hops and liquid sugar mainly containing assimilable sugar were added to the obtained wort, and it was boiled at 100 °C. Then, after the wort was allowed to stand to separate the coagulated protein (trub), it was cooled to obtain a pre - fermentation liquid. Bottom - fermenting yeast was added to the obtained pre - fermentation liquid, and main fermentation and post - fermentation were carried out to obtain a fermentation liquid. The obtained fermentation liquid was stored at a low temperature to stop fermentation, and then filtered to obtain a beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage (malt usage ratio 53%). Then, this beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage was diluted, and brewing ethanol (95%) was added to prepare a base beverage (test group 1 shown in Table 5). Each test sample in test groups 2 - 12 shown in Table 5 was prepared by adding either or both of brewing ethanol (95%) and butyric acid to this base beverage.

[0051] B. Evaluation test The test was conducted by 4 trained panelists. The evaluation criteria for taste intensity, refreshness, and the balance between aroma and taste are shown in Table 4. For these evaluation items, based on the evaluation criteria in Table 4, evaluation was carried out with a score in the range of 1.0 (minimum value) - 5.0 (maximum value) in 0.1 increments, and the average value of the scores of the 4 panelists was calculated. Also, the score for each evaluation item in test group 1 was set to 1.50, and test groups 2 - 12 were evaluated. And samples with a score of 3.0 or more were judged to have an improvement effect.

[0052]

Table 4

[0053] (2) Results The results were as shown in Table 5. When the butyric acid concentration was at a predetermined concentration, good results with a score of 3.0 or higher were obtained for all of the flavor intensity, complexity, and balance of aroma and taste.

[0054] [Table 5] TIFF2025086503000006.tif56145

Claims

1. A beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage having a purine body concentration of 2.0 mg / 100 mL or less, wherein the butyric acid concentration is 0.35 mg / L or more.

2. The beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage according to Claim 1, wherein the malt usage ratio is 50% or more and 100% or less.

3. The beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the butyric acid concentration is 0.35 mg / L or more and 2.00 mg / L or less.

4. The beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the butyric acid concentration is 0.70 mg / L or more and 1.00 mg / L or less.

5. The beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the alcohol concentration is 10.0 v / v% or less.

6. The beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the ratio of the alcohol concentration (v / v%) to the butyric acid concentration (mg / L) in the beverage is 0.50 or more and less than 10.

0.

7. The beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the ratio of the purine body concentration (mg / 100 mL) to the butyric acid concentration (mg / L) in the beverage is less than 1.

20.

8. A method for producing a beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage having a purine body concentration of 2.0 mg / 100 mL or less, the method comprising a step of adding butyric acid so that the butyric acid concentration of the produced beverage is 0.35 mg / L or more.

9. A method for improving the flavor of a beer - flavored fermented alcoholic beverage having a purine body concentration of 2.0 mg / 100 mL or less, the method comprising a step of adding butyric acid so that the butyric acid concentration of the produced beverage is 0.35 mg / L or more.