Alcoholic beverage manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a method for producing brewed alcohol or liqueur containing aroma components contained in wintersweet flowers and containing no toxic substances when alcoholic beverages are produced by adding wintersweet flowers to an alcohol-containing substance and then filtering or distilling the flowers; and a method for producing distilled alcohol with a refreshing and clean aroma by reducing the unpleasant odor produced in the distilled alcohol when harvested wintersweet flowers are used as they are when distilling the distilled alcohol by adding wintersweet flowers to an alcohol-containing substance and then distilling the flowers in a pot still. [Solution] When producing the above-mentioned brewed alcohol or liqueur, of the corolla, calyx, receptacle and stalk that make up the wintersweet flower, the calyx, receptacle and stalk, which may contain toxic substances, are removed and only the corolla is used; and when producing the above-mentioned distilled alcohol, the calyx, receptacle and stalk, which contain aromatic components different from those of the wintersweet corolla, are removed and only the corolla is used.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing alcoholic beverages having the aroma of wintersweet flowers using wintersweet flowers as one of the ingredients, and more specifically to a method for producing alcoholic beverages having the aroma of wintersweet flowers by adding wintersweet flowers to an alcohol-containing material such as mash or alcoholic beverages, and then filtering or distilling the mixture, and a method for producing new alcoholic beverages having the aroma of wintersweet flowers by blending alcoholic beverages produced by the above method with alcoholic beverages produced by other methods. [Background technology]

[0002] There has been a huge amount of research into the flavor and aroma of alcoholic beverages. The aroma of alcoholic beverages can be broadly divided into aromas that are derived from components contained in the raw materials and transferred directly to the finished product, and aromas that are not contained in the raw materials but are newly generated during the fermentation, distillation, and storage processes. A wide variety of ingredients are used in the production of alcoholic beverages, including grains, fruits, roots, bark, and animals, and each alcoholic beverage made using these ingredients has its own unique aroma.

[0003] The composition of aroma compounds contained in grapes varies depending on the variety, and it has been reported that the aroma of wine and brandy, which are made from grapes, is greatly influenced by the variety of grapes used as the raw material (Non-Patent Document 1).

[0004] Wintersweet is known as one of the four major fragrant trees (daphne, gardenia, osmanthus, and wintersweet), and its flowers are extremely fragrant. The essential oil obtained by steam distillation of wintersweet flowers contains a variety of aromatic compounds. Non-Patent Document 2 presents detailed analytical results on the composition of essential oils obtained by steam distillation of buds, open buds, fresh flowers, and withered flowers, as well as leaves and branches, of Japanese wintersweet (Maratia praecox). Non-Patent Document 2 states that the main aromatic compounds contained in the essential oil obtained from fresh flowers were 15.90% benzyl alcohol, 2.39% benzyl acetate, 6.92% linalool, 1.19% nerolidol, and 1.07% indole. Note that Non-Patent Document 2 does not distinguish between wintersweet flowers and corollas.

[0005] In alcoholic beverage production, raw materials are used that have had as many impurities removed as possible that could cause an unpleasant taste or odor in the product. Because the closer to the surface of brown rice grains there are more impurities, the polished rice used in sake brewing has at least 25% of the weight of the brown rice removed by a rice polisher for regular sake and at least 40% for ginjo sake, and the sweet potatoes used in sweet potato shochu production have fine roots and damaged parts removed by hand. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] Nishimura, Kiichi, The Aroma of Brandy, Journal of the Brewing Society of Japan, 75, 485-491 (1980) [Non-patent document 2] Yoko Naya, Munio Kotake, Bull.Chem.Soc.Japan, 51, 3571~3573(1978) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] As mentioned above, wintersweet flowers are rich in aromatic compounds, so using them as an ingredient makes it possible to produce fragrant alcoholic beverages. However, strangely enough, there are no alcoholic beverages on the market that use wintersweet flowers as an ingredient and that clearly state on the label the words "wintersweet," "rose plum," or "wintersweet," such as wintersweet sake or wintersweet shochu.

[0008] The Liquor Tax Act permits the production of homemade alcoholic beverages by steeping flowers, fruits, sugars, etc. in shochu and other alcoholic beverages. Non-Patent Document 3 describes how to make 183 types of alcoholic beverages, and Non-Patent Document 4 describes how to make 200 types of alcoholic beverages, including many made with flowers such as chrysanthemum, osmanthus, and daphne. However, there is no description of alcohol made with wintersweet flowers.

[0009] On the other hand, it is known that the seeds and leaves of Wintersweet contain the toxic alkaloid calycanthine. It has been reported that when a grazing sheep showed neurological symptoms, an autopsy revealed Wintersweet seeds in its stomach, and it was speculated that the ingestion of Wintersweet seeds was the cause (Non-Patent Document 5). Although not specified in the document, sheep have a preference for eating the leaves of plants, so it is speculated that the sheep described in the document ingested the seeds along with the Wintersweet leaves. Calycanthine has the chemical formula C 22 H 26 N4 is a toxic substance with a molecular weight of 346.47, a melting point of 245°C, soluble in common organic solvents, and practically insoluble in water (Non-Patent Document 6).

[0010] As mentioned above, it has been reported that the seeds and leaves of wintersweet contain toxic substances, but it has not been reported that wintersweet flowers contain toxic substances. As described in Non-Patent Document 2, wintersweet flowers are rich in many aromatic components, and by using wintersweet flowers, alcoholic beverages with a sweet, refreshing aroma like that of wintersweet flowers can be produced. The first objective is to provide a method for producing alcoholic beverages that do not contain toxic substances by utilizing the aromatic components contained in wintersweet flowers.

[0011] It has been reported that the compositions of the volatile components contained in wintersweet flowers and those contained in the leaves are completely different (Non-Patent Document 2). Wintersweet flowers are composed of a corolla, calyx, receptacle, and pedicel. The corolla of wintersweet is bright yellow, but the calyx, receptacle, and pedicel are green or brown and are modified leaves. When producing distilled liquor using wintersweet flowers, if the collected flowers are added directly to an alcohol-containing mixture and distilled, the volatile components contained in the calyx, receptacle, and pedicel will evaporate, causing an unpleasant odor in the distilled liquor. The second objective is to provide a method for producing distilled liquor that has the refreshing, clean fragrance of wintersweet flowers and has as little unpleasant odor as possible. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0012] [Non-patent document 3] Atsuko Fujimaki, Encyclopedia of 183 Types of Fruit Liquor, Flower Liquor, and Medicinal Liquor, Graph Publishing Co., Ltd., published April 5, 2009 [Non-patent document 4] 200 Healthy Fruit, Vegetable, and Medicinal Liquors by Kanako Fukumitsu, published by Hidewa System Co., Ltd. on May 16, 2020 [Non-Patent Document 5] Haruyama, Y., A suspected case of wintersweet poisoning in sheep, Journal of the Japan Veterinary Medical Association, 73, 249-252 (2020) [Non-patent document 6] Yoshimura Toshiji, Chief Editor, Chemistry Dictionary, Morikita Publishing Co., Ltd., p.293, Published in 2009. Means for solving problems

[0013] The first problem is solved by adding wintersweet flowers to an alcohol-containing mixture and then filtering it to produce alcoholic beverages.Of the corolla, calyx, receptacle and pedicel that make up the flower, the calyx, receptacle and pedicel, which may contain toxic substances, are removed and only the corolla is used.

[0014] The second problem is solved by adding wintersweet flowers to an alcohol-containing mixture and then distilling the mixture in a pot still to produce alcoholic beverages. Of the corolla, calyx, receptacle, and pedicel that make up the flower, the calyx, receptacle, and pedicel that contain volatile components different from the corolla are removed, and only the corolla is added to the alcohol-containing mixture before distillation.

[0015] It has been reported that the fruits and leaves of Wintersweet contain the toxic substance calycanthin (Non-Patent Document 5). The calyx, receptacle, and pedicel that make up Wintersweet flowers are modified leaves and may contain toxic substances.

[0016] However, it has not been reported that the corolla of the wintersweet flower contains any toxic substances. Therefore, when adding wintersweet flowers to an alcoholic mixture and then filtering it to produce alcoholic beverages, if the calyx, receptacle, and pedicel of the wintersweet flower are removed and only the corolla is used, alcoholic beverages that do not contain any toxic substances can be produced.

[0017] It has also been reported that the volatile component compositions contained in the flowers and leaves of Wintersweet are completely different (Non-Patent Document 2). The document states that the sesquiterpene elemol is contained in only 1.84% of the essential oil obtained from Wintersweet flowers, but 43.3% of the essential oil obtained from the leaves, and that leaf alcohol (cis-3-Hexen-1-ol) is not contained in the essential oil obtained from the flowers, but 0.45% of the essential oil obtained from the leaves.

[0018] Therefore, if collected wintersweet flowers are added directly to an alcohol-containing mixture and then distilled in a pot still, the volatile components contained in the calyx, receptacle, and pedicel, which are components of the flower, will also evaporate, causing an unpleasant odor in the distilled liquor. However, if only the corolla is used, it is possible to produce a distilled liquor with a pleasant aroma and no unpleasant odor.

[0019] The composition of the aromatic components contained in the corolla of wintersweet (Non-Patent Document 2) is completely different from the composition of the aromatic components contained in conventional wine, brandy, and sweet potato shochu (Non-Patent Documents 1, 7). Therefore, by using wintersweet corolla as one of the main ingredients, it is possible to produce alcoholic beverages with a sweet, refreshing aroma that is different in type from the aroma of conventional alcoholic beverages.

[0020] By adding wintersweet corollas to the mash and then filtering it, a brewed alcoholic beverage containing aromatic components derived from wintersweet corollas, as described in Non-Patent Document 2, can be produced.

[0021] By adding wintersweet corollas and, if necessary, sugars to alcoholic beverages and then filtering them, a liqueur containing aromatic components derived from wintersweet corollas, as described in Non-Patent Document 2, can be produced.

[0022] By adding wintersweet corollas to the mash and then distilling it in a pot still, it is possible to produce pot-distilled shochu containing aromatic components derived from wintersweet corollas, as described in Non-Patent Document 2.

[0023] By adding corollas to alcoholic beverages and then distilling them in a pot still, a distilled liquor with the aroma of the alcoholic beverages and corollas used can be produced.

[0024] When a large amount of wintersweet corollas is used to produce each of the alcoholic beverages described above in

[0020] to

[0023] , alcoholic beverages with a high concentration of the aromatic components contained in the corollas can be produced. By blending these with alcoholic beverages produced by other methods, a variety of alcoholic beverages can be produced that contain aromatic components derived from wintersweet corollas at any desired concentration. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0025] [Non-Patent Document 7] Kazunori Takamine and Yoshihiro Samejima, Factors Contributing to the Flavor of Sweet Potato Shochu, Journal of the Brewing Society of Japan, 103, 601-606 (2008)

Claims

1. This method for producing alcoholic beverages is characterized in that, when adding wintersweet flowers to an alcohol-containing substance and then filtering or distilling in a pot still to produce alcoholic beverages having the aroma of wintersweet flowers, only the corolla is used out of the corolla, calyx, receptacle and pedicel that constitute the wintersweet flowers.

2. A method for producing a new alcoholic beverage having the aroma of wintersweet flowers by blending an alcoholic beverage produced by the method of claim 1 with an alcoholic beverage produced by another method.