Mint-flavored beverage

Abstract

This invention provides a novel technology that can suppress off-flavors and irritating aftertastes in mint-flavored beverages containing carvone. [Solution] A mint-flavored beverage containing carvone and furfural, wherein the furfural content is 0.1 ppb or more, and the ratio of the furfural content (B)(ppb) to the carvone content (A)(ppb) (B) / (A) is greater than 0 and 5.0 or less. The carvone content can be 0.1 ppm or more.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mint-flavored beverage.

Background Art

[0002] Mint is a type of herb and is a plant classified in the genus Mentha of the Lamiaceae family. Mint is characterized by a refreshing fragrance and flavor, and in the market, food and beverages, cosmetics, etc. with a unique flavor and a cooling sensation imparted by mint are in circulation.

[0003] As beverages using mint, there are known cool beverages for summer with a cooling flavor, cocktails typified by mojito, and the like. Typical mints used in beverages include peppermint and spearmint. Peppermint is also called Japanese mint, English mint, etc., has menthol as the main component of its fragrance, and has a sudden cooling sensation that passes through the nose and a somewhat stimulating fragrance. On the other hand, spearmint is also called Dutch mint or green mint, the main component of its fragrance is carvone, it has a weaker stimulating sensation than peppermint, and has a mild and sweet fragrance. In both cases, spices containing their extracts or main aroma components are used in mint-flavored beverages. Also, as a beverage containing carvone, for example, the beverage described in Patent Document 1 is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a novel technique capable of suppressing off-flavors and the stimulating sensation in the aftertaste in a mint-flavored beverage containing carvone.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The inventor conceived the idea of ​​creating a mint-flavored beverage that contains carvone. However, the inventors have noticed that in mint-flavored beverages containing carvone, especially those containing alcohol, an artificial-sounding off-flavor and irritating aftertaste, similar to that of oral care products, can be perceived due to the carvone, resulting in a decrease in the palatability of the beverage. In this specification, "off-flavor" refers to a taste or aroma that, when consumed, evokes something other than mint. Furthermore, "irritation in the aftertaste" refers to a lingering sensation, such as coolness, in the mouth that is perceived as an aftertaste.

[0007] As a result of diligent research, the inventors have discovered that by including a specific amount of furfural together with carvone in a mint-flavored beverage, it is possible to suppress the off-flavor and irritating aftertaste of the beverage, thus completing the present invention.

[0008] The gist of this invention is as follows: [1] It contains carvone and furfural, The furfural content is 0.1 ppb or more. A mint-flavored beverage in which the ratio of furfural content (B) (ppb) to carvone content (A) (ppb) (B) / (A) is greater than 0 and 5.0 or less. [2] A mint-flavored beverage as described in [1], having a carvone content of 0.1 ppm or more. [3] It contains carvone and furfural, The furfural content is set to 0.1 ppb or more. A method for producing a mint-flavored beverage, comprising including a ratio (B) / (A) of furfural content (ppb) to carvone content (A)(ppb) such that the ratio is greater than 0 and 5.0 or less. [4] It contains carvone and furfural, The furfural content is set to 0.1 ppb or more. A method for suppressing off-flavors and irritation in the aftertaste of a mint-flavored beverage, comprising including the ratio (B) / (A) of the furfural content (B)(ppb) to the carvone content (A)(ppb) being greater than 0 and 5.0 or less. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a novel technology is available that can suppress off-flavors and irritating aftertastes in mint-flavored beverages containing carvone. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes one embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment relates to a mint-flavored beverage, which contains carvone in an amount of 0.1 ppm or more and furfural in an amount of 0.1 ppb or more and 1000 ppb or less.

[0011] In this specification, a mint-flavored beverage refers to a beverage that, when consumed, has a taste and aroma reminiscent of mint. Specific examples of mint include peppermint and spearmint. However, it is sufficient that the beverage evokes the image of a plant classified as mint; it is not necessary to specify a particular plant.

[0012] The mint-flavored beverage in this embodiment may be an alcoholic beverage or a non-alcoholic beverage, and is not particularly limited; however, it is preferable that it be an alcoholic beverage because applying the configuration of the present invention can further suppress off-flavors and irritating aftertastes. In this specification, "alcoholic beverage" refers to a beverage containing alcohol such as ethanol, and having an alcohol content of 1 v / v% or more. Furthermore, in this specification, "non-alcoholic beverage" refers to a beverage with an alcohol content of less than 1 v / v%. In the case of a non-alcoholic beverage, it may also be a beverage with an alcohol content of substantially 0.0 v / v%.

[0013] When the mint-flavored beverage of the present embodiment is an alcoholic beverage, the alcohol content is not particularly limited. However, by applying the configuration of the present invention, the off-flavor and the pungency in the aftertaste can be more effectively suppressed. Therefore, it is more preferably 1 v / v% or more and 9 v / v% or less.

[0014] An alcoholic beverage is produced, for example, by blending a liquor (base liquor) serving as an alcohol source with water. The base liquor is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include distilled liquors. Examples of distilled liquors include gin, whisky, vodka, shochu, and alcohol for raw materials. For example, one or more of these can be configured to be contained in the mint-flavored beverage of the present embodiment when it is an alcoholic beverage.

[0015] As described above, the mint-flavored beverage of the present embodiment contains carvone and furfural.

[0016] Carvone (2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol) is a kind of monoterpene ketone represented by C

[0017] , ، , , H 14 O. Carvone is contained in herbs such as spearmint and caraway and has a mint aroma with a sweet and gentle pungency. The carvone contained in the mint-flavored beverage of the present embodiment may be either the L-form or the D-form, or a mixture of the L-form and the D-form such as a racemic mixture. In the mint-flavored beverage of the present embodiment, carvone is contained at a content of 0.1 ppm or more. The upper limit value of the carvone content is not particularly limited. However, since the off-flavor and the pungency in the aftertaste due to carvone can be more sufficiently suppressed, it is preferably 1500 ppm or less, more preferably 500 ppm or less, and even more preferably 200 ppm or less.

[0017] Furfural (2-furancarboxaldehyde) is a kind of aromatic aldehyde represented by C5H4O₂. Furfural is produced, for example, by thermally decomposing saccharides (pentasaccharides) under acidic conditions and has an almond-like aroma. In the mint-flavored beverage of the present embodiment, the content of furfural is 0.1 ppb or more and 1000 ppb or less.

[0018] Also, in the mint-flavored beverage of the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of improving flavor (taste), the ratio (B) / (A) of the content of furfural (B) to the content of carboxylic acid (A) is preferably 0.0002 or more and 1.0 or less, more preferably 0.001 or more and 0.5 or less, and even more preferably 0.01 or more and 0.5 or less. Note that the unit of (A) related to carboxylic acid is ppm, and the unit of (B) related to furfural is ppb. Also, in order to further improve the flavor, it is preferable that the above ratio (B) / (A) satisfies 0.0002 or more and 1.0 or less, and the content of furfural is 0.1 ppb or more and 500 ppb or less, more preferably 0.5 ppb or more and 50 ppb or less, and even more preferably 1 ppb or more and 50 ppb or less.

[0019] Note that the method for adjusting the contents of carboxylic acid and furfural in the mint-flavored beverage of the present embodiment is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately implemented by those skilled in the art. Also, the contents of carboxylic acid and furfural can be calculated from the raw material composition of the mint-flavored beverage of the present embodiment, and can also be obtained according to a known method using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC / MS). Specifically, for carboxylic acid, the content in the beverage can be obtained based on the solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) method described in JP-A No. 2020-178603. Also, for furfural, like other aldehydes, it can be quantitatively measured by derivatization and then analysis by GC / MS, for example, according to the method described in Vesely et al., Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2003, vol.51, p.6941-6944.

[0020] In addition to carvone and furfural, the mint-flavored beverage of this embodiment may contain other ingredients as needed, to the extent that it can solve the problems of the present invention. Other ingredients include water, as well as other ingredients that impart mint flavor, fruit juice, acidulants, flavorings, vitamins, colorings, antioxidants, emulsifiers, preservatives, sweeteners, salt, seasonings, extracts, pH adjusters (e.g., citric acid, sodium citrate), quality stabilizers, and thickeners.

[0021] Other ingredients that impart a mint flavor include, for example, mint extracts and flavorings. The manufacturing method for mint extracts is not particularly limited and can be determined as appropriate by those skilled in the art.

[0022] Furthermore, in order to further suppress off-flavors and irritating aftertastes by applying the composition of the present invention, it is preferable that the acidity converted to citric acid is 0.10 g / 100 ml or more in the mint-flavored beverage of this embodiment.

[0023] The acidity of a beverage is the amount of organic acid contained in 100 mL of the beverage converted to citric acid in grams (anhydrous citric acid g / 100 mL), and can be measured using known methods and equipment. Specifically, the method specified in the JAS standard for acidity measurement, more specifically, the neutralization titration method (quantitative formula) using a 0.1 mol / L sodium hydroxide standard solution as an alkaline solution can be used. Therefore, the acidity value can be appropriately adjusted by those skilled in the art, for example, by changing the type or amount of organic acid added to the beverage.

[0024] Furthermore, the mint-flavored beverage of this embodiment may contain carbon dioxide. The gas pressure when carbon dioxide is included is not particularly limited and can be set appropriately by those skilled in the art, but it is preferable that the gas pressure be between 1.5 and 4.0 gas volumes, as applying the configuration of the present invention can further suppress off-flavors and the irritating sensation in the aftertaste. Gas volume refers to the ratio of the volume of carbon dioxide dissolved in the beverage to the volume of the beverage at 1 atmosphere and 20°C. The gas volume value can be obtained by setting the sample to 20°C, attaching a gas pressure gauge, opening a stopcock once to perform a gas release (snift) operation, immediately closing the stopcock, shaking vigorously, and obtaining the value when the pressure becomes constant.

[0025] The mint-flavored beverage of this embodiment can be obtained by mixing raw water, carvone, furfural, and other ingredients as they may be included. In the manufacture of mint-flavored beverages, the order in which ingredients are added is not particularly limited and can be determined as appropriate by those skilled in the art. The raw water mentioned above may be water itself, or it may be a solution of the ingredients it contains. Furthermore, each ingredient added to the mint-flavored beverage may be added individually or as a mixture with other ingredients. For example, carvone can be added to the beverage in a mixture with other compounds that can impart a mint flavor to the beverage.

[0026] Furthermore, when producing a carbonated beverage, in addition to using water containing carbon dioxide (carbonated water) as the raw material in the dilution process described above, carbonation may be performed to achieve a predetermined gas volume before filling the container.

[0027] The mint-flavored beverage produced according to this embodiment can be, for example, a packaged beverage sealed in a container. The method of sealing in the container is not particularly limited and can be carried out, for example, according to conventional methods. The container can also be appropriately selected from known types and is not particularly limited in terms of material or shape. Specific examples of containers include, for example, paper containers, transparent or translucent bottles, transparent or translucent plastic containers such as PET bottles, and metal cans such as steel cans or aluminum cans.

[0028] As described above, according to this embodiment, by including furfural in a mint-flavored beverage containing 0.1 ppm or more of carvone, at a concentration of 0.1 ppb to 1000 ppb, it is possible to suppress off-flavors and aftertastes derived from carvone, such as artificial-tasting off-flavors and irritating sensations. As a result, it is possible to contribute to providing a more palatable beverage. [Examples]

[0029] The present invention will be further described in detail by the following examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0030] [Preparation of beverage base liquid] Beverage base liquids (alcohol 5.1 v / v%, acidity 0.20 g / 100 ml, carbon dioxide pressure 2.3 gas volume) were prepared according to the formulations shown in Table 1.

[0031] [Table 1]

[0032] [Reference Test] Beverage samples 1-2 to 1-7 were prepared by adding carvone to the beverage base liquid in the amounts shown in Table 2. Three trained panelists evaluated the following aspects of each sample, using Sample 1-1 (without added carvone) as a control (score 0): (a) mint-like taste and aroma (minty flavor) derived from carvone, (b) off-flavor derived from carvone, (c) irritation in the aftertaste derived from carvone, and (d) flavor (deliciousness).

[0033] For (a) to (c), the following seven-point scale was used, with +3 points representing the strongest perceived score. +3 points: Significantly stronger than the control, +2 points: Stronger than the control, +1 point: Slightly stronger than the control, 0 points: About the same as the control, -1 point: Slightly weaker than the control, -2 points: Weaker than the control, -3 points: Significantly weaker than the control

[0034] For (d), the evaluation was conducted using the following seven-point scale, with +3 points being the highest score (the score that was found to be the most delicious). +3 points: Significantly better than the control, +2 points: Better than the control, +1 point: Slightly better than the control, 0 points: About the same as the control, -1 point: Slightly worse than the control, -2 points: Worse than the control, -3 points: Significantly worse than the control The results are shown in Table 2.

[0035] [Table 2]

[0036] As can be seen from Table 2, when carvone was added to the beverage base liquid at a concentration of 0.1 ppm or more, a minty flavor derived from carvone was detected, but an off-flavor and a stimulating aftertaste also derived from carvone were detected.

[0037] [Test Example 1] Samples 2-1 to 2-7 were prepared by adding furfural to samples 1-7 (carvone concentration 500 ppm), which showed a decrease in flavor evaluation after the addition of carvone in the reference test, to the amounts shown in Table 3. Of these, samples 2-2 to 2-7 correspond to the examples. Using samples 1-7 as a control (score 0), sensory evaluation tests similar to those in the reference test were conducted on these samples. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0038] [Table 3]

[0039] As can be seen from Table 3, when furfural was added in the range of 0.1 to 1000 ppb to samples 1-7 containing 500 ppm of carvone, the off-flavor and irritating aftertaste derived from carvone were reduced.

[0040] [Test Example 2] Sample 3-1, in which 0.1 ppm of carvone was added to the base solution, was used as a control (score 0). Sensory evaluation tests were conducted on Samples 3-2 to 3-4, which were examples in which 1, 50, or 500 ppb of furfural was added to Sample 3-1, using the same method as the reference test. The results are shown in Table 4.

[0041] [Table 4]

[0042] As can be seen from Table 4, compared to the comparative example sample 3-1, the mint-flavored beverages of the examples samples 3-2 to 3-4 had suppressed off-flavors and irritating aftertaste.

[0043] [Test Example 3] Sample 4-1, in which 1000 ppm of carvone was added to the base solution, was used as the control (score 0). Sensory evaluation tests were conducted on Samples 4-2 to 4-3, which were examples in which 1, 50, or 500 ppb of furfural was added to Sample 4-1, using the same method as the reference test. The results are shown in Table 5.

[0044] [Table 5]

[0045] As can be seen from Table 5, compared to the comparative example sample 4-1, the mint-flavored beverages of the examples samples 4-2 and 4-3 had suppressed off-flavors and irritating aftertaste.

Claims

1. It contains carvone and furfural, The furfural content is 0.1 ppb or more. A mint-flavored beverage in which the ratio of furfural content (B) (ppb) to carvone content (A) (ppb), (B) / (A), is greater than 0 and 5.0 or less.

2. The mint-flavored beverage according to claim 1, wherein the carvone content is 0.1 ppm or more.

3. It contains carvone and furfural, The furfural content is set to 0.1 ppb or more. A method for producing a mint-flavored beverage, comprising including the content of furfural (B) (ppb) as the ratio (B) / (A) of the content of carvone (A) (ppb) to the content of furfural (B) (ppb) being greater than 0 and 5.0 or less.

4. It contains carvone and furfural, The furfural content is set to 0.1 ppb or more. A method for suppressing off-flavors and irritation in the aftertaste of a mint-flavored beverage, comprising including the ratio (B) / (A) of the amount of furfural (ppb) to the amount of carvone (A) (ppb) being greater than 0 and 5.0 or less.

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