Method for producing a beer-flavored beverage and beer-flavored beverage

Abstract

To provide a method for producing a beer-flavored beverage with a reduced purine content. [Solution] A method for producing a beer-flavored beverage, comprising a saccharification step for saccharifying starch in a raw material liquid, wherein in the saccharification step, lipase is added to the raw material liquid and the lipase is reacted with the raw material liquid under conditions of pH 4.4 or higher and less than 5.5.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing a beer-taste beverage and a beer-taste beverage.

Background Art

[0002] Due to the increasing health consciousness in recent years, various technical means for reducing the content of purine bodies in beer-taste beverages have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, there is disclosed a method for producing a fermented beverage including a step of adding a purine body adsorbent to a yeast-containing fermentation liquid obtained by fermenting a raw material containing grains, hops, yeast, and water, a step of liquid-feeding the yeast-containing fermentation liquid to which the purine body adsorbent has been added to a filter under a water pressure of 50 kPa to 700 kPa, and a step of filtering the liquid that has been liquid-fed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the method described in Patent Document 1 is not sufficient as a purine body reduction technology, and it has been difficult to obtain a sufficient purine body reduction effect when applied to a beer-taste beverage having a high malt ratio in the raw material.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a method for producing a beer-taste beverage with a further reduced content of purine bodies.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing a beer-flavored beverage, comprising a saccharification step of saccharifying starch in a raw material liquid, wherein the saccharification step includes adding lipase to the raw material liquid and allowing the lipase to act on the raw material liquid under conditions of pH 4.4 or higher and less than 5.5.

[0007] The above-mentioned beer-flavored beverage includes a saccharification process in which lipase is reacted with the raw material liquid under conditions of pH 4.4 to less than 5.5, thereby further reducing the purine content (total content of adenine, guanine, xanthine, and hypoxanthine). Furthermore, by reacting the raw material liquid with lipase under conditions of pH 4.4 to less than 5.5 during the saccharification process, the content of ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate increases, resulting in a beer-flavored beverage with a more fruity and vibrant aroma.

[0008] The above saccharification may be carried out by the infusion method. Furthermore, the pH may be between 4.4 and less than 5.0. In this case, the purine content in the beer-flavored beverage will be further reduced.

[0009] The temperature of the raw material solution during saccharification may be 60°C or lower, and the saccharification time may be 60 minutes or more.

[0010] One aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing a beer-flavored beverage, comprising a fermentation step of fermenting wort with yeast to obtain a post-fermentation liquid, and an activated carbon treatment step of adding activated carbon to the post-fermentation liquid and performing activated carbon treatment, wherein the yeast is selected as a yeast in which the mass ratio of the total content of adenine and xanthine to the total content of guanine and hypoxanthine in the post-fermentation liquid before the addition of activated carbon is low.

[0011] In the method for producing beer-flavored beverages, the above mass ratio may be 1.5 or less.

[0012] One aspect of the present invention relates to a beer-flavored beverage in which the proportion of malt in the raw materials is 50% by mass or more, and the purine content is 2.4 mg / 100 mL or less when converted to an alcohol content of 5 v / v%.

[0013] The purine content may be 2.0 mg / 100 mL or less, based on an alcohol content of 5 v / v%. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for producing a beer-flavored beverage with a reduced purine content.

[0015] In processes other than the saccharification process, such as fermentation, adding enzymes such as purine nucleosidase can be difficult in practical manufacturing. In the manufacturing method of the present invention, lipase is added during the saccharification process, making it easier to produce beer-flavored beverages with reduced purine content.

[0016] While the optimal pH for lipase activity is between 5.0 and 6.0, in this invention, lipase can also be applied to the raw material solution under conditions outside the optimal pH range for lipase activity, specifically between 4.4 and 5.0, during the saccharification process. In this case, the purine content will be reduced even more significantly. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] The embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0018] In this specification, "beer-flavored beverage" means a beverage having a beer-like flavor, and includes beer as defined by the Liquor Tax Act (as of April 1, 2018). A beer-flavored beverage may be a beer-flavored alcoholic beverage with an alcohol content of 1 v / v% or more, or a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage with an alcohol content of less than 1 v / v%. In this specification, "alcohol" means ethanol unless otherwise specified.

[0019] Examples of beer-taste alcoholic beverages include those classified as beer, low-malt beer, other foamy liquors, and liqueurs under the Liquor Tax Act (as of April 1, 2018).

[0020] The alcohol content of the beer-taste alcoholic beverage is not particularly limited and may be, for example, 1 v / v% or more and 20 v / v% or less. The lower limit of the alcohol content of the beer-taste alcoholic beverage may be, for example, 1 v / v% or more, 2 v / v% or more, 3 v / v% or more, 4 v / v% or more, 5 v / v% or more, 6 v / v% or more, or 7 v / v% or more. Also, the upper limit of the alcohol content of the beer-taste alcoholic beverage may be, for example, 20 v / v% or less, 15 v / v% or less, 10 v / v% or less, 9 v / v% or less, 8 v / v% or less, 7 v / v% or less, 6 v / v% or less, 5 v / v% or less, 4 v / v% or less, or 3 v / v% or less.

[0021] The non-alcoholic beer-taste beverage is a beer-taste beverage that substantially does not contain alcohol. The alcohol content of the non-alcoholic beer-taste beverage may be less than 1 v / v%, may be 0.5 v / v% or less, may be 0.1 v / v% or less, or may be less than 0.005 v / v% (0.00 v / v%).

[0022] As used herein, the "raw material liquid" is a liquid containing raw materials and at least contains raw materials containing starch and water. As used herein, the "raw materials" mean those other than water and hops among all the raw materials used for the production of beer-taste beverages determined based on the Liquor Tax Act (as of April 1, 2018).

[0023] The ratio of malt in the raw materials (malt usage ratio) may be 50% by mass or more, 67% by mass or more, 90% by mass or more, or 100% by mass, and may also be 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, or 66% by mass or less. As used herein, the ratio of malt in the raw materials (malt usage ratio) is the ratio of the total weight of malt to the total weight of the raw materials.

[0024] Malt can be obtained by germinating barley. Examples of barley include barley, wheat, rye, oats, oats, pearl oats, and oats, with barley being preferred. Malt contains malt extract.

[0025] The raw materials may include grain ingredients other than malt. Examples of grain ingredients other than malt include barley, wheat, rye, oats, and Job's tears; and processed grain products such as grain extract. Grain extract is obtained by extracting grain extract containing sugars and nitrogen from grain. As grain ingredients other than malt, one type may be used alone, or multiple types may be used in combination.

[0026] The raw materials may include plant materials other than wheat. Examples of plant materials other than wheat include grains such as corn, rice, and sorghum; potatoes and sweet potatoes; legumes such as soybeans and peas; and carbohydrate raw materials (sugars) such as starch, grits, and liquid sugar.

[0027] The raw materials may further include, for example, plant-derived proteins, salts, fruits (including dried or boiled fruits, or concentrated fruit juice). Examples of plant-derived raw material proteins include wheat protein, soy protein, pea protein, or their decomposition products. The plant-derived raw material protein may be obtained by, for example, an extraction operation in which plant raw materials are immersed in a solvent, or commercially available plant-derived raw material proteins may be used. Examples of salts include sodium chloride, calcium chloride, calcium carbonate, and ammonium sulfate. The fruit may be, for example, fruit peel, or citrus peel.

[0028] A method for producing a beer-flavored beverage according to one embodiment includes a saccharification step in which starch in a raw material liquid is saccharified. In the production method according to one embodiment, the saccharification step includes adding lipase to the raw material liquid and allowing the lipase to act on the raw material liquid under conditions of pH 4.4 or higher and less than 5.5.

[0029] In the saccharification process, first, the raw materials and water are mixed to prepare the raw material solution. Next, the starch in the raw material solution is saccharified to obtain the saccharified solution. The saccharification process may include protein resting. Protein resting is usually performed before saccharifying the starch in the raw materials. Protein resting refers to the decomposition of proteins in the raw materials by enzymes derived from the raw materials and / or separately added enzymes. Protein resting may be performed, for example, by holding the raw material solution at a temperature of 40°C to 60°C or 45°C to 55°C for 30 to 120 minutes or 45 to 75 minutes.

[0030] The conditions for saccharification (saccharification conditions) can be set appropriately according to the type of raw material, etc. The temperature of the raw material liquid when saccharification is performed (saccharification temperature) may be, for example, 70°C or lower, 65°C or lower, 60°C or lower, 55°C or lower, 50°C or lower, or 45°C or lower, and may be 35°C or higher, 40°C or higher, 45°C or higher, 50°C or higher, 55°C or higher, or 60°C or higher.

[0031] Methods of saccharification include the infusion method and the decoction method. The infusion method involves adding water and raw materials to a single fermentation tank and gradually raising the temperature of the entire raw material liquid. The decoction method uses a fermentation tank into which water and raw materials are added, and a fermentation kettle. A portion of the raw material liquid is taken into the fermentation kettle, boiled, and then returned to the fermentation tank, gradually raising the fermentation temperature.

[0032] Saccharification is preferably carried out by the infusion method. When saccharification is carried out by the infusion method, for example, a method in which the entire raw material liquid is heated to the above saccharification temperature in one step, or a method in which the temperature is raised in stages can be used. When saccharification is carried out by the decoction method, a method can be used in which approximately 30% to 40% of the raw material liquid is separated, boiled for a predetermined time, and then combined with the unboiled raw material liquid, and this process is repeated multiple times.

[0033] The time required for saccharification (saccharification time) may be, for example, 30 minutes or more, 60 minutes or more, 70 minutes or more, 80 minutes or more, 90 minutes or more, 100 minutes or more, or 110 minutes or more, and may be 200 minutes or less, or 150 minutes or less.

[0034] The saccharification process involves adding lipase to the raw material solution and allowing the lipase to react with the raw material solution under conditions of pH 4.4 or higher and less than 5.5.

[0035] The lipase may be, for example, a lipase derived from a microorganism such as a bacterium of the genus Aspergillus. More specifically, the lipase may be, for example, a lipase produced by Aspergillus niger. One type of lipase may be used alone, or multiple types may be used in combination.

[0036] Commercially available enzyme preparations can be used as the lipase added to the raw material solution. Examples of commercially available enzyme preparations that can be used as lipases include Lipase A "Amano" 6 (manufactured by Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.) and Lipase A "Amano" 12 (manufactured by Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd.).

[0037] The amount of lipase added may be, for example, 0.001% by mass or more, 0.01% by mass or more, 0.05% by mass or more, 0.1% by mass or more, 0.2% by mass or more, or 0.3% by mass or more, relative to the total amount of raw materials in the saccharification process, and may be 5.0% by mass or less, 3.0% by mass or less, 1.0% by mass or less, or 0.5% by mass or less.

[0038] Lipase may be added in such a way that its lipase activity is 10 U / g or more, 100 U / g or more, or 300 U / g or more, or 10,000 U / g or less, 1,000 U / g or less, or 500 U / g or less, based on the total mass of the raw materials.

[0039] The pH during the lipase reaction may be 5.4 or less, less than 5.0, 4.9 or less, 4.8 or less, 4.7 or less, or 4.6 or less, or 4.4 or higher, or 4.5 or higher, from the viewpoint of obtaining a beer-flavored beverage with a higher content of ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate and a more fruity and vibrant aroma. The pH during the lipase reaction may be 4.4 or higher and less than 5.0, or 4.5 or higher and 4.8 or lower. The optimal pH for lipase is 5.0 or higher and 6.0 or lower, but by reacting the raw material liquid with lipase under conditions of pH 4.4 or higher and less than 5.0 during the saccharification process, a beer-flavored beverage with an even lower purine content can be obtained.

[0040] pH adjustment can be performed during the saccharification process by adding acid. In other words, the raw materials may contain acid. Organic acids and / or inorganic acids can be used as the acid. Examples of acids that can be used in the saccharification process include lactic acid, phosphoric acid, citric acid, and malic acid.

[0041] A method for producing beer-flavored beverages may include a step (pre-fermentation step) after the saccharification step in which the saccharified liquid is filtered, hops are added, boiled, allowed to stand, cooled, etc., as needed, to obtain a pre-fermentation liquid.

[0042] Hops that can be added in the pre-fermentation process include, for example, dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extract. Hops may also be processed hop products such as raw hops, hexahops, tetrahops, and isopropyl hop extract.

[0043] A method for producing a beer-flavored beverage may include a fermentation step in which yeast is used to ferment the wort to obtain a post-fermentation liquid, and an activated carbon treatment step in which activated carbon is added to the solution after the saccharification step (for example, the post-fermentation liquid) to perform activated carbon treatment. A method for producing a beer-flavored beverage may further include a post-fermentation step in which the post-fermentation liquid is subjected to storage, heating (sterilization), addition of alcohol, carbonation, etc. Wort is a liquid obtained after the saccharification of raw materials such as barley, and is unfermented.

[0044] In the fermentation process, yeast is added to the wort (pre-fermentation liquid) to carry out alcoholic fermentation. More specifically, yeast is inoculated into the wort (pre-fermentation liquid) and fermented to obtain a post-fermentation liquid containing alcohol produced by the yeast. Examples of yeast used in the fermentation process include top-fermenting yeast and bottom-fermenting yeast. Top-fermenting yeast and bottom-fermenting yeast may be used individually, or they may be used in combination. Sugars such as liquid sugar may be added during the fermentation process. In addition, zinc salts (e.g., zinc sulfate) and inactive yeast may be added to the wort during the fermentation process from the viewpoint of promoting yeast budding.

[0045] In a method for producing a beer-flavored beverage comprising a fermentation step and an activated carbon treatment step, it is preferable that the yeast used in the fermentation step is selected as a yeast with a low mass ratio of the total content of adenine and xanthine to the total content of guanine and hypoxanthine in the post-fermentation liquid before the addition of activated carbon (before the activated carbon treatment step). In this case, a beer-flavored beverage with a further reduced purine content can be obtained.

[0046] In other words, as one embodiment of the present invention, a method for producing a beer-flavored beverage is provided, comprising a fermentation step of fermenting wort with yeast to obtain a post-fermentation liquid, and an activated carbon treatment step of adding activated carbon to the post-fermentation liquid and performing activated carbon treatment, wherein the yeast is selected as a yeast in which the mass ratio of the total content of adenine and xanthine to the total content of guanine and hypoxanthine in the post-fermentation liquid before the addition of activated carbon is low.

[0047] Methods for selecting yeast with a low mass ratio include, for example, conducting fermentation tests using various types of yeast and measuring the content of adenine, guanine, xanthine, and hypoxanthine in the fermentation liquid.

[0048] The mass ratio of the total content of adenine and xanthine to the total content of guanine and hypoxanthine in the fermentation liquid before the addition of activated carbon by the yeast may be 1.7 or less, 1.6 or less, 1.5 or less, 1.4 or less, or 1.3 or less, and may be 0.5 or more, 0.8 or more, or 1.0 or more.

[0049] The content of adenine, guanine, xanthine, and hypoxanthine can be measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The above mass ratios refer to values ​​calculated based on the content of adenine, guanine, xanthine, and hypoxanthine when the alcohol content is converted to 5v / v%.

[0050] The activated carbon treatment may be performed on the saccharified liquid or the pre-fermentation liquid. If the method for producing a beer-flavored beverage includes at least a fermentation step and an activated carbon treatment step, the activated carbon treatment may be performed on the solution during the fermentation step (fermentation liquid), the solution after the fermentation step and before the post-fermentation step, or the solution after the post-fermentation step (for example, the stored liquid obtained by storing the post-fermentation liquid).

[0051] The activated carbon treatment may be carried out using a filter aid (e.g., silicon dioxide, polyvinylpolypyrrolidone, etc.) as needed. The activated carbon treatment step may include removing the activated carbon after the treatment. The removal of the activated carbon can be carried out by conventional methods. For example, the removal of activated carbon can be carried out by centrifugation or the like.

[0052] The average pore diameter of the activated carbon may be 4.5 nm or less, 3.6 nm or less, 3.0 nm or less, 2.8 nm or less, 2.4 nm or less, or 2.0 nm or less. The average pore diameter of the activated carbon may be 1.0 nm or more, 1.2 nm or more, 1.5 nm or more, or 1.8 nm or more. The average pore diameter of the activated carbon is preferably 1.0 nm or more and 3.6 nm or less, and more preferably 1.8 nm or more and 2.0 nm or less.

[0053] The average pore diameter is specifically calculated from the specific surface area (A) and total pore volume (V) measured by the BET method based on the following formula (1). Average pore diameter = 4 × [pore volume (V)] / [specific surface area (A)] (1)

[0054] Examples of the raw materials for the activated carbon mentioned above include coconut (coconut shell), wood, etc. It is preferable that the activated carbon is derived from coconut.

[0055] The pore volume of the activated carbon is preferably 1.5 mL / g or more and 2.2 mL / g or less. The pore volume of the activated carbon may be 1.6 mL / g or more, 1.7 mL / g or more, or 1.8 mL / g or more, and may be 3.6 mL / g or less, 2.8 mL / g or less, 2.2 mL / g or less, or 1.9 mL / g or less. The pore volume of the activated carbon can be measured by the BET method.

[0056] The specific surface area of ​​the above activated carbon is 1700 m². 2 It may be less than / g. The specific surface area of ​​activated carbon is 1000m². 2 / g or more, or 1100m 2 It may be greater than or equal to / g. The specific surface area of ​​activated carbon can be measured by the BET method.

[0057] The average particle size of the activated carbon described above may be 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less, or 40 μm or more and 70 μm or less. The average particle size can be measured in accordance with "JIS K 1474:2014 Activated Carbon Test Method 7.5 Effective Diameter, Uniformity Coefficient and Average Particle Size".

[0058] The amount of activated carbon added can be appropriately adjusted according to the type of raw materials used and the quality characteristics required for the final product. In the method for producing a beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment, the amount of activated carbon added may be 100 ppm to 2000 ppm or 300 ppm to 700 ppm relative to the total amount of solution after the saccharification process. Here, "ppm" means 10 -4 This means w / v%.

[0059] Furthermore, the conditions for activated carbon treatment, such as contact time and contact temperature, can be appropriately determined according to the type of raw materials used in the manufacturing process of beer-flavored beverages and the quality characteristics required of the final product. The contact time in activated carbon treatment may be, for example, 1 to 24 hours, 1 to 12 hours, or 1 to 5 hours. The contact temperature in activated carbon treatment may be, for example, -5 to 20°C or -2 to 5°C.

[0060] As the alcohol added in the post-fermentation process, for example, spirits can be used, and among them, barley spirits are preferred. In one embodiment, the beer-flavored beverage may contain spirits (preferably barley spirits). The amount of alcohol added in the post-fermentation process may be less than 1 v / v%, less than 0.5 v / v%, less than 0.1 v / v%, or less than 0.05 v / v% relative to the total amount of the post-fermentation liquid.

[0061] The method for producing a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment does not necessarily include the fermentation step described above. Furthermore, the method for producing a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may include shortening the fermentation period in the fermentation step to suppress alcohol production, or removing or reducing alcohol by distilling or diluting the post-fermentation liquid obtained in the fermentation step. Moreover, the method for producing a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may include steps such as storage, heating (sterilization), and carbonation of the pre-fermentation liquid or the post-fermentation liquid that is substantially alcohol-free.

[0062] One embodiment of the present invention provides a beer-flavored beverage in which the proportion of malt in the raw materials is 50% by mass or more, and the purine content is 2.4 mg / 100 mL or less when converted to an alcohol content of 5 v / v%. This beer-flavored beverage can be obtained, for example, by the method for producing the beer-flavored beverage described above.

[0063] The proportion of malt in the raw materials for beer-flavored beverages may be as described above. Preferably, the proportion of malt in the raw materials is 50% by mass or more and 66% by mass or less.

[0064] In a beer-flavored beverage according to one embodiment, the purine content is 2.0 mg / 100 mL or less when converted to an alcohol content of 5 v / v%, and may be 1.8 mg / 100 mL or less, 1.6 mg / 100 mL or less, 1.5 mg / 100 mL or less, 1.4 mg / 100 mL or less, 1.3 mg / 100 mL or less, or 1.2 mg / 100 mL or less, and may be 0.5 mg / 100 mL or more, 0.8 mg / 100 mL or more, or 1.0 mg / 100 mL or more.

[0065] In this specification, the purine content refers to the total amount of the four purine bases—adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine, and xanthine—when the alcohol content (concentration) is converted to 5v / v%. The purine content in beer-flavored beverages can be measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

[0066] Beer-flavored beverages may contain aroma components such as ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate. The ethyl acetate content in beer-flavored beverages may be, for example, 10.0 mg / L or more, 30.0 mg / L or more, 35.0 mg / L or more, 40.0 mg / L or more, or 45.0 mg / L or more, based on the total amount of beer-flavored beverage, and may be 70 mg / L or less, 60 mg / L or less, or 55 mg / L or less.

[0067] The isoamyl acetate content in beer-flavored beverages may be, for example, 1.0 mg / L or more, 3.0 mg / L or more, 4.0 mg / L or more, 4.5 mg / L or more, 5.0 mg / L or more, 5.5 mg / L or more, or 6.0 mg / L or more, based on the total amount of beer-flavored beverages, and may be 10.0 mg / L or less, 8.0 mg / L or less, or 7.0 mg / L or less.

[0068] Ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate in beer-flavored beverages can be measured by the method described in the examples below.

[0069] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be a fermented beverage (beer-flavored fermented beverage). Fermented beverages are produced through fermentation using yeast or the like.

[0070] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be effervescent or non-effervescent. The beer-flavored beverage obtained by the manufacturing method according to this embodiment is preferably effervescent. In this specification, effervescence means a gas pressure of 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm²) at 20°C. 2 This means that the gas pressure at 20°C is 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm²), and non-foaming means that the gas pressure at 20°C is 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm²). 2 This refers to a pressure of less than 0.235 MPa (2.4 kg / cm²). If it is foamed, the upper limit of the gas pressure is 0.235 MPa (2.4 kg / cm²). 2 It can be set to that extent.

[0071] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment can be provided in a container. Any airtight container is acceptable, and so-called metal containers (such as aluminum or steel cans or kegs) can be used. Alternatively, glass containers, PET bottles, paper containers, pouch containers, etc., can also be used. The capacity of the container is not particularly limited, and any currently available containers can be used. It is preferable to use a metal container because it can completely block gas, moisture, and light, and maintain stable quality at room temperature for a long period of time. [Examples]

[0072] The present invention will be described more specifically below based on examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0073] [Test Example 1: Effect of reducing purine content] (Manufacturing of beer-flavored beverages) 312g of malt (crushed malt), tap water, and 0.9g of calcium chloride dihydrate were placed in a lab-scale mashing tank and the temperature was raised to 55°C. Next, 1.248g of lipase A "Amano" 12 (manufactured by Amano Enzyme Co., Ltd., production bacterium: Aspergillus niger) and the amount of 50% lactic acid shown in Table 1 were added to the mashing tank to prepare the raw material solution. The 50% lactic acid was added so that the pH of the raw material solution reached the value shown in Table 1. First, the raw material solution was held at 55°C for 60 minutes to allow for protein quiescence. Next, the temperature of the raw material solution was raised to 60°C and held for 90 minutes to perform saccharification. A saccharified solution was obtained by the above procedure (saccharification process). The obtained saccharified solution was held at 75°C for 10 minutes and then filtered. 288g of granulated sugar and water were added to the filtrate to obtain a raw material solution with an extract content of 12 w / v%. Hops were added to the obtained raw material liquid and boiled for 90 minutes. After boiling, the raw material liquid was allowed to stand to settle and remove the hop residue, then cooled to obtain the pre-fermentation liquid. Yeast was added to the pre-fermentation liquid and fermentation was carried out (fermentation process). After the post-fermentation liquid was stored for a predetermined period, activated carbon (Shirasagi WP-H, manufactured by Osaka Gas Chemical Co., Ltd.) was added and activated carbon treatment was performed (activated carbon treatment process). The activated carbon was removed by centrifugation to obtain beer-flavored beverage samples (2-10). As a control, sample 1 of the beer-flavored beverage was prepared using the same procedure as above, except that enzymes were not added.

[0074] In the production of a sample of beer-flavored beverage, the amount of lipase A "Amano" 12 added was 0.4% by mass relative to the mass of added malt. Lipase A "Amano" 12 was added to achieve a lipase activity of 480 U / g. The proportion of malt in the raw materials of the produced beer-flavored beverage was 52% by mass. Yeast A, B, or C was used in the fermentation process.

[0075] The pH of the raw material solution during the saccharification process was measured using a pH meter (manufactured by HORIBA) at 20°C. The alcohol content was measured using an alcoholizer.

[0076] High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure the individual content of adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine in beer-flavored beverages, and the sum of these was defined as the purine content. Table 1 shows the purine content of beer-flavored beverages (samples after activated carbon treatment). Note that the purine content is calculated based on an alcohol content of 5v / v%.

[0077] The ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate content of beer-flavored beverages was measured using a gas chromatograph with an FID detector (Agilent 6890 gas chromatograph, manufactured by Agilent Technologies) according to the method of "8.22 Low Boiling Point Aroma Components" in the BCOJ Beer Analysis Method.

[0078] [Table 1]

[0079] When lipase was applied to the raw material liquid under conditions of pH 4.4 to less than 5.5, a beer-flavored beverage with a lower purine content was obtained (comparison of samples 3-10 with samples 1-2).

[0080] It was shown that lowering the pH of the lipase acting on the raw material solution increases the content of ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate, which are aroma components that contribute to a fruity and elegant flavor.

[0081] [Test Example 2: Effect of yeast type on reducing purine content] Table 2 shows the measurement results of the purine content in the post-fermentation liquid before the addition of activated charcoal for each of the above beer-flavored beverage samples 7 and 9-10, which were prepared under similar conditions except for the type of yeast used. Table 2 also shows the total content of adenine and xanthine (A+X), the total content of guanine and hypoxanthine (G+H), and the mass ratio of the total content of adenine and xanthine to the total content of guanine and hypoxanthine ((A+X) / (G+H)) in the post-fermentation liquid before the addition of activated charcoal for each sample.

[0082] [Table 2]

[0083] When using yeast with a low mass ratio ((A+X) / (G+H)) of the total content of adenine and xanthine to the total content of guanine and hypoxanthine in the post-fermentation liquid before the addition of activated charcoal, it was possible to produce a beer-flavored beverage with a lower purine content.

Claims

[Claim 1] The proportion of malt in the raw materials is 50% by mass or more. The purine content is 2.4 mg / 100 ml, calculated based on an alcohol content of 5 v / v%. A beer-flavored beverage that is L or smaller in size.

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