Beer-flavored beverage, method for producing the same, and method for imparting a honey-like aroma to a beer-flavored beverage.

Abstract

To provide a beer taste beverage to which honey-like scent is added.SOLUTION: A beer taste beverage contains guaiacol and linalool, and the content of guaiacol is 5 μg / L or more and 200 μg / L or less, and the content of linalool is 5 μg / L or more and 110 μg / L or less.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a beer - flavored beverage and a method for producing the same. The present invention also relates to a method for imparting a honey - like aroma to a beer - flavored beverage.

Background Art

[0002] With the diversification of consumers' preferences, beer - flavored beverages with various flavor characteristics have been increasingly demanded. As a method for improving the flavor characteristics of beer - flavored beverages, a method of adding various aroma components is known.

[0003] By the way, guaiacol (2 - methoxyphenol) having a medicinal aroma is known as an aroma component contained in foods such as dried bonito (for example, Non - Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Non - Patent Documents

[0004]

Non - Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The inventors of the present invention have found that, by combining guaiacol having a medicinal aroma and linalool and further adjusting their contents within a predetermined range, surprisingly, a honey - like aroma can be imparted to a beer - flavored beverage. The present invention is based on this new finding and aims to provide a beer - flavored beverage imparted with a honey - like aroma. The present invention also aims to provide a method for producing the beer - flavored beverage.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention relates to a beer-flavored beverage containing guaiacol and linalool, wherein the guaiacol content is 5 μg / L or more and 200 μg / L or less, and the linalool content is 5 μg / L or more and 110 μg / L or less.

[0007] The beer-flavored beverage according to the present invention contains a combination of guaiacol and linalool, and furthermore, since the content of these is within a predetermined range, it can be perceived as having a honey-like aroma.

[0008] The above-mentioned beer-flavored beverage may have a guaiacol content of 15 μg / L to 160 μg / L and a linalool content of 40 μg / L to 100 μg / L. This will make the above-mentioned effects more pronounced.

[0009] The above-mentioned beer-flavored beverage may have a carbohydrate content of 2.0 g / 100 mL or less. The beer-flavored beverage according to the present invention can exhibit the above-mentioned effects even when the carbohydrate content is reduced.

[0010] The present invention also relates to a method for producing a beer-flavored beverage, which includes adjusting the guaiacol content in the beer-flavored beverage to between 5 μg / L and 200 μg / L, and adjusting the linalool content in the beer-flavored beverage to between 5 μg / L and 110 μg / L.

[0011] The manufacturing method according to the present invention includes adjusting the guaiacol and linalool content in a beer-flavored beverage to a predetermined range, thereby enabling the production of a beer-flavored beverage with a honey-like aroma.

[0012] The above manufacturing method includes a fermentation step in which a pre-fermentation liquid is fermented with yeast, and the pre-fermentation liquid may be brought into contact with an amount of oak wood of 0.005 w / v% to 0.5 w / v% or less, and then the oak wood may be removed before fermentation. By bringing the liquid into contact with this predetermined amount of oak wood, the guaiacol content in the pre-fermentation liquid can be adjusted to the range described above. Furthermore, the inventors' studies have shown that the guaiacol content does not change significantly before and after yeast fermentation. Therefore, by adjusting the guaiacol content in the pre-fermentation liquid, the guaiacol content in the beer-flavored beverage obtained after fermentation can be adjusted.

[0013] The above-mentioned form of oak wood may be, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of oak powder, oak fine, and oak chips. The above-mentioned oak wood may also be, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of French oak light toast, French oak medium toast, French oak heavy toast, American oak medium toast, and American oak heavy toast.

[0014] The present invention further relates to a method for imparting a honey-like aroma to a beer-flavored beverage, which includes adjusting the guaiacol content in the beer-flavored beverage to between 5 μg / L and 200 μg / L, and adjusting the linalool content in the beer-flavored beverage to between 5 μg / L and 110 μg / L. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The present invention makes it possible to provide a beer-flavored beverage with a honey-like aroma. Furthermore, the present invention makes it possible to provide a method for producing a beer-flavored beverage with a honey-like aroma. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] 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.

[0017] [Beer-flavored beverage] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment contains guaiacol and linalool, with a guaiacol content of 5 μg / L to 200 μg / L and a linalool content of 5 μg / L to 110 μg / L. Because the beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment contains a combination of guaiacol and linalool, and their contents are within a predetermined range, it can have a honey-like aroma.

[0018] In this specification, "beer-flavored beverage" means a beverage having a beer-like flavor. The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment 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-flavored alcoholic beverages include, but are not limited to, those classified as beer, sparkling alcoholic beverages, other brewed alcoholic beverages, and liqueurs under the Liquor Tax Act (Act No. 8 of 2020). The beer-flavored alcoholic beverages according to this embodiment are not limited to those exemplified above.

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

[0021] A 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] The alcohol content of the beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, based on the vibrating densitometer method described in the National Tax Agency's prescribed analysis method (ordinance) "3 Sake 3-4 Alcohol Content".

[0023] The guaiacol content in the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 5 μg / L or more and 200 μg / L or less. Since the effects according to the present invention become more prominent, the guaiacol content in the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 10 μg / L or more and 200 μg / L or less, may be 15 μg / L or more and 160 μg / L or less, may be 20 μg / L or more and 120 μg / L or less, may be 25 μg / L or more and 100 μg / L or less, or may be 30 μg / L or more and 90 μg / L or less.

[0024] The guaiacol content of the beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

[0025] The linalool content in the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 5 μg / L or more and 110 μg / L or less. Since the effects according to the present invention become more prominent, the linalool content in the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 10 μg / L or more and 110 μg / L or less, may be 35 μg / L or more and 105 μg / L or less, may be 40 μg / L or more and 100 μg / L or less, may be 45 μg / L or more and 95 μg / L or less, or may be 50 μg / L or more and 90 μg / L or less.

[0026] The linalool content of beer-flavored beverages can be measured, for example, by solid-phase microextraction-mass spectrometry with gas chromatography (SPME-GC-MS).

[0027] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain malt as an ingredient. In this specification, malt refers to malt or processed malt products. Examples of malt include barley, wheat, rye, oats, oats, pearl oats, and oats. Examples of processed malt products include malt extract, malt, and malt extract. Malt extract is obtained by extracting malt extract containing sugars and nitrogen from malt. Malt is obtained by germinating malt. As malt, colored malt (e.g., caramel malt, crystal malt, dark malt, chocolate malt, coffee malt, etc.) produced by roasting or scorching at a relatively high temperature (e.g., about 120°C) during malt production may be used. Malt extract is obtained by extracting extract containing sugars and nitrogen from malt.

[0028] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain hops as an ingredient. Hops include dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extract, and also include processed hop products such as raw hops, hexahops, tetrahops, and isopropyl hop extract.

[0029] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may have a malt ratio (the proportion of malt in the ingredients other than water and hops) of 0% by mass or more and 100% by mass or less. The malt ratio may be 10% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, 60% by mass or more, 65% by mass or more, 66% by mass or more, 67% by mass or more, 70% by mass or more, 80% by mass or more, 90% by mass or more, 95% by mass or more, 99% by mass or more, or 100% by mass. Alternatively, the malt ratio may be less than 100% by mass, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, 50% by mass or less, less than 50% by mass, 40% by mass or less, 30% by mass or less, 25% by mass or less, less than 25% by mass, 20% by mass or less, or 10% by mass or less.

[0030] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may contain bittering agents, coloring agents, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavorings, salts, etc., which are commonly used in beverages, as long as they do not impair the effects of the present invention. Examples of bittering agents include, in addition to the hops mentioned above, iso-alpha acids, caffeine, gentian extract, peptides, theobromine, naringin, bitter oak extract, wormwood extract, cinchona extract, etc. Examples of coloring agents include caramel color, gardenia color, fruit juice color, vegetable color, and synthetic color. Examples of sweeteners include fructose-glucose liquid sugar, glucose, galactose, mannose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose, glycogen, and starch. Examples of high-intensity sweeteners include neotame, acesulfame K, sucralose, saccharin, sodium saccharin, disodium glycyrrhizinate, cyclamate, dulcin, stevia, glycyrrhizin, thaumatin, monellin, aspartame, and alitame. Examples of antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, and polyphenols. Examples of acidulants include phosphoric acid, lactic acid, DL-malic acid, citric acid, adipic acid, trisodium citrate, glucono delta-lactone, gluconic acid, potassium gluconate, sodium gluconate, succinic acid, monosodium succinate, disodium succinate, sodium acetate, DL-tartaric acid, L-tartaric acid, DL-sodium tartrate, L-sodium tartrate, sodium lactate, glacial acetic acid, fumaric acid, monosodium fumarate, and DL-sodium malate. Examples of salts include table salt, acidic potassium phosphate, acidic calcium phosphate, ammonium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, potassium metabisulfite, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate.

[0031] The carbohydrate content of the beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 5.0g / 100mL or less, 4.0g / 100mL or less, 3.0g / 100mL or less, 2.5g / 100mL or less, 2.0g / 100mL or less, 1.5g / 100mL or less, 1.2g / 100mL or less, 1.0g / 100mL or less, 0.9g / 100mL or less, 0.7g / 100mL or less, or "zero carbohydrates" according to the nutrition labeling standards, i.e., 0.5g / 100mL or less. The carbohydrate content of the beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, greater than 0g / 100mL, 0.3g / 100mL or more, 0.5g / 100mL or more, 0.6g / 100mL or more, or 1.0g / 100mL or more. The carbohydrate content can be adjusted depending on the type and amount of raw materials used.

[0032] In this specification, "carbohydrates" refers to carbohydrates as defined in the Food Nutrition Labeling Standards (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 176 of 2003). Specifically, carbohydrates refer to what remains in food after excluding protein, lipids, dietary fiber, ash, water, and alcohol. The carbohydrate content in beer-flavored beverages is calculated by subtracting the amounts of protein, lipids, dietary fiber, ash, water, and alcohol from the weight of the beer-flavored beverage. The amounts of protein, lipids, ash, and water are measured according to the methods specified in the Food Nutrition Labeling Standards. The amount of alcohol can be measured together with the amount of water. Specifically, the amount of protein is measured by the modified Dumas method for the determination of total nitrogen (protein), the amount of lipids is measured by ether extraction, chloroform-methanol mixture extraction, Gerber's method, acid hydrolysis, or Röse-Gottlieb method, the amount of dietary fiber is measured by high-performance liquid chromatography or Prosky method, the amount of ash is measured by magnesium acetate ashing, direct ashing, or sulfuric acid ashing, and the amount of water and alcohol can be measured by Karl Fischer method, drying aid method, reduced-pressure heating and drying method, atmospheric pressure heating and drying method, or plastic film method.

[0033] The bitterness value (BU) of the beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 0.0 or more and 50.0 or less. The BU of the beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 40.0 or less, 30.0 or less, 20.0 or less, or 15.0 or less, and may be 1.0 or more, 2.0 or more, 3.0 or more, 4.0 or more, 5.0 or more, or 10.0 or more. The bitterness value of the beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment can be measured by the method described in "8.15 Bitterness Value" of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Japan Brewing Association, edited by the International Technical Committee [Analysis Committee] of the Beer Brewers Association, revised and augmented in 2013). The bitterness value can be appropriately set within the above range by, for example, adjusting the type and amount of raw materials used.

[0034] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be non-carbonated or carbonated. Here, non-carbonated means that the gas pressure at 20°C is 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm²). 2 This refers to a gas pressure of less than 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm²) at 20°C, and foaming means that the gas pressure at 20°C is less than 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm²). 2 This refers to a pressure of 0.294 MPa (3.0 kg / cm²) or higher. If it is to be foamy, the upper limit of the gas pressure is 0.294 MPa (3.0 kg / cm²). 2 It can be set to that extent.

[0035] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment can be served in a container. Any container that can be sealed 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 container 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.

[0036] [Method of manufacturing beer-flavored beverages] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment can be produced by a manufacturing method that includes adjusting the guaiacol content in the beer-flavored beverage to between 5 μg / L and 200 μg / L, and adjusting the linalool content in the beer-flavored beverage to between 5 μg / L and 110 μg / L. This manufacturing method may, for example, involve mixing raw materials to produce the beer-flavored beverage (blending method), or it may involve fermentation with yeast or the like to produce the beer-flavored beverage (fermentation method).

[0037] A manufacturing method (method by blending) according to one embodiment includes, for example, a blending step of blending water, guaiacol, linalool, and, if necessary, alcohol (e.g., distilled alcohol such as raw material alcohol, spirits and vodka, fermented liquid obtained by brewing) and / or various additives (e.g., bittering agents, coloring agents, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavorings, salts, etc.) in a raw material tank. The blending step can be carried out in accordance with conventional methods, except for adjusting the content of guaiacol and linalool within the above range. The adjustment of the guaiacol content may be carried out by blending guaiacol itself, by blending it as a flavoring composition, food additive, raw material, etc. containing guaiacol, or by adding raw materials containing guaiacol such as oak wood and oak extract. Linalool may be blended as linalool itself, or by blending it as a flavoring composition, food additive, raw material, etc. containing linalool.

[0038] The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may further include a filtration step of filtering a mixture obtained by mixing each component in a blending step, a first sterilization step of sterilizing the filtrate filtered in the filtration step, a filling step of filling the sterilized filtrate sterilized in the first sterilization step into containers such as bottles, cans, or PET bottles, and a second sterilization step of sterilizing the filtrate filled into the containers together with the containers.

[0039] The blending process may involve mixing while stirring with a stirrer or similar device to ensure that each component is well combined. The filtration process can be carried out using, for example, a general filter or strainer. The first sterilization process may be carried out by plate sterilization, from the viewpoint of processing speed, etc., and is not limited to this method as long as a similar process can be performed. The filling process may be carried out in a clean room that maintains a level of cleanliness that is normally maintained in beverage manufacturing. The second sterilization process can be carried out by heating the filtrate together with the container at a predetermined temperature and for a predetermined time. The first or second sterilization process may be a non-heating sterilization process. Examples of non-heating sterilization processes include ultraviolet (UV) sterilization. It is also possible to perform unsterilized filling without performing a sterilization process.

[0040] Other embodiments of the manufacturing method (fermentation method) include, for example, a preparation step and a fermentation step.

[0041] The preparation process is the process of preparing the pre-fermentation liquid to be used for fermentation. The preparation process may be, for example, the process of obtaining the pre-fermentation liquid using raw materials and preparation water (water used in the preparation process). The preparation process may also include, for example, a boiling process in which the sugar-containing liquid is boiled, a removal process in which solids are removed from the raw material liquid, and a cooling process in which the raw material liquid is cooled.

[0042] In the boiling process, the sugar-containing liquid is boiled to obtain the boiled liquid (sugar-containing liquid after boiling). The sugar-containing liquid is a liquid that contains components capable of alcoholic fermentation by yeast. Examples of sugar-containing liquids include wort and syrup. Wort is a liquid obtained after the saccharification of the aforementioned barley raw materials and is unfermented. Wort can be obtained, for example, by a process of mixing the aforementioned barley raw materials with water, a process of saccharifying the liquid containing the raw materials and water by a conventional method to obtain a saccharified liquid, and a process of filtering the saccharified liquid.

[0043] Hops may be added to the raw material liquid during the boiling process. Examples of hops that can be added include dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extract. The hops may also be processed hop products such as raw hops, hexahops, tetrahops, and isopropyl hop extract.

[0044] In the removal step, solid matter is removed from the boiled liquid to obtain a purified liquid. The removal step can be carried out, for example, by precipitating the insoluble solid matter contained in the boiled liquid. Examples of solid matter include heat-coagulated material produced during the boiling step, and, if hops were added during the boiling step, hop residue, etc. The removal step may be carried out in a whirlpool. In the cooling step, the purified liquid is cooled to a temperature at which yeast fermentation is possible to obtain a pre-fermentation liquid.

[0045] The fermentation process involves fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with yeast. The fermentation process yields a post-fermentation liquid, which is the result of fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with yeast. In the fermentation process, alcoholic fermentation is carried out by yeast. More specifically, yeast is inoculated into the pre-fermentation liquid and fermented, yielding a post-fermentation liquid containing alcohol produced by the yeast.

[0046] In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, the post-fermentation process may include steps for maturing and cooling the post-fermentation liquid, and for filtering the post-fermentation liquid. By performing the filtering step, insoluble solids, yeast, etc., can be removed from the post-fermentation liquid.

[0047] In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, other post-fermentation steps may include heating (sterilization) of the post-fermentation liquid (or the post-fermentation liquid after the filtration step), and the addition of various additives (for example, bittering agents, coloring agents, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavorings, salts, etc.).

[0048] The content of guaiacol and linalool can be adjusted, for example, by adding guaiacol and / or linalool to the raw material liquid. In this specification, the raw material liquid means the liquid that forms the basis of the beer-flavored beverage. The raw material liquid includes liquids used or produced in each step (e.g., sugar-containing liquid, post-boiling liquid, purified liquid, pre-fermentation liquid, post-fermentation liquid). The guaiacol and / or linalool added to the raw material liquid may be guaiacol or linalool itself, a flavoring composition containing guaiacol and / or linalool, a food additive, etc., or a raw material containing guaiacol such as oak wood and oak extract.

[0049] The guaiacol content can also be adjusted, for example, by using a pre-fermentation liquid (pre-fermentation liquid from which oak wood components have been leached) obtained by contacting the raw material liquid with an amount of oak wood between 0.005 w / v% and 0.5 w / v% before fermentation. When preparing the pre-fermentation liquid, oak wood components are leached out by contacting (for example, immersing) the raw material liquid with oak wood. Since guaiacol is one of the components that leaches out, the guaiacol content in the pre-fermentation liquid can be adjusted. The inventors' studies have shown that the guaiacol content does not change significantly before and after yeast fermentation. Therefore, by adjusting the guaiacol content in the pre-fermentation liquid, the guaiacol content in the beer-flavored beverage obtained after fermentation can be adjusted.

[0050] As for the oak wood, for example, oak powder, oak fine, or oak chips can be used. The oak wood may be at least one selected from the group consisting of, for example, French oak light toast, French oak medium toast, French oak heavy toast, American oak medium toast, and American oak heavy toast, as it has a high guaiacol content and makes it easy to adjust the guaiacol content in the pre-fermentation liquid. The oak wood may be used alone or in combination of two or more types. Commercially available oak wood may also be used.

[0051] The amount of oak wood used may be, for example, 0.005 w / v% to 0.5 w / v% of the total amount of raw material liquid. If the amount of oak wood used is within this range, it becomes easier to adjust the guaiacol content in the pre-fermentation liquid to within the range described above. The lower limit of the amount of oak wood used may be, for example, 0.01 w / v% or more, 0.025 w / v% or more, or 0.05 w / v% or more. The upper limit of the amount of oak wood used may be, for example, 0.4 w / v% or less, 0.3 w / v% or less, 0.2 w / v% or less, or 0.1 w / v% or less.

[0052] The pre-fermentation liquid from which the components of oak wood have been extracted can be obtained, for example, by adding a predetermined amount of oak wood to a sugar-containing liquid before carrying out the boiling process described above, boiling it to obtain a post-boiling liquid, and then removing the oak wood along with other solids by the removal process described above. The cooling process described above may be carried out after the removal process.

[0053] [Method for imparting a honey-like aroma to beer-flavored beverages] The present invention described above can also be understood as a method for imparting a honey-like aroma to a beer-flavored beverage, which includes adjusting the guaiacol content in the beer-flavored beverage to between 5 μg / L and 200 μg / L, and adjusting the linalool content in the beer-flavored beverage to between 5 μg / L and 110 μg / L. The above-described embodiments can be applied without limitation as specific embodiments of the method. [Examples]

[0054] The present invention will be described more specifically below based on examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0055] [Test Example 1: Manufacturing and Evaluation of Beer-Flavored Beverages] (Manufacturing of beer-flavored beverages) A pre-fermentation liquid was obtained using malt, barley, and hops by conventional methods. Brewer's yeast was added to the pre-fermentation liquid and fermentation was carried out to obtain a post-fermentation liquid. The post-fermentation liquid was filtered to obtain the beer-flavored beverage of Test Example A-1 (malt ratio 48% by mass, alcohol content 4.93 v / v%, bitterness value 18.3). Next, guaiacol and / or linalool were added to the beer-flavored beverage of Test Example A-1 to the concentrations shown in Tables 1 and 2 to obtain the beer-flavored beverages of Test Examples A-2 to A-8 and Test Examples B-1 to B-5.

[0056] Furthermore, three commercially available beer-flavored beverages were purchased and designated as Test Example C-1 (malt ratio 100% by mass), Test Example D-1 (malt ratio 50% by mass or more), and Test Example E-1 (malt ratio less than 25% by mass). In addition, guaiacol and linalool were added to the beer-flavored beverages of Test Examples C-1, D-1, and E-1 to the concentrations shown in Table 3 to obtain the beer-flavored beverages of Test Examples C-2, D-2, and E-2, respectively.

[0057] The carbohydrate content in beer-flavored beverages was measured using the following method. First, the water content, alcohol content, protein content, and ash content of each sample were measured. The total weight of water and alcohol was measured by atmospheric pressure heating and drying. The protein content was measured by the modified Dumas method for the determination of total nitrogen (protein). The ash content was measured by direct ashing. Assuming the lipid content in the sample was 0 g / 100 ml, the carbohydrate content (g / 100 ml) of the sample was calculated by subtracting the water content, alcohol content, protein content, ash content, and dietary fiber content from the weight of the sample.

[0058] The linalool content in beer-flavored beverages was measured using solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS).

[0059] The guaiacol content in beer-flavored beverages was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

[0060] (Sensory evaluation) Sensory evaluations were conducted on the obtained beer-flavored beverages based on the following evaluation criteria: "honey-like aroma," "malty aftertaste," and "richness of flavor." The sensory evaluations were performed by four selected panelists with discriminatory abilities. Each evaluation criterion was rated on a 5-point scale from 1 to 5, and the average score was used as the evaluation score.

[0061] "Honey-like aroma" refers to the sensation of a honey-like fragrance perceived after drinking; a higher score indicates a stronger honey aroma. "Malt-like aftertaste" indicates a stronger malt-like aftertaste; a higher score indicates a richer, more complex flavor. The results are shown in Tables 1-3.

[0062] In Tables 1 and 2, the scores for "honey-like aroma," "malty aftertaste," and "richness of flavor" were fixed at 1 point, 3 points, and 1 point respectively for the beer-flavored beverage in Test Example A-1. These scores were then used as a baseline to evaluate the beer-flavored beverages in Test Examples A-2 to A-8 and Test Examples B-1 to B-5.

[0063] In Table 3, the scores for "honey-like aroma," "malty aftertaste," and "richness of flavor" for the beer-flavored beverage in Test Example C-1 were fixed at 1 point, 3 points, and 1 point, respectively, and the beer-flavored beverage in Test Example C-2 was evaluated using these scores as a baseline. Similarly, the scores for "honey-like aroma," "malty aftertaste," and "richness of flavor" for the beer-flavored beverage in Test Example D-1 were fixed at 1 point, 3 points, and 1 point, respectively, and the beer-flavored beverage in Test Example D-2 was evaluated using these scores as a baseline. Furthermore, similarly, the scores for "honey-like aroma," "malty aftertaste," and "richness of flavor" for the beer-flavored beverage in Test Example E-1 were fixed at 1 point, 3 points, and 1 point, respectively, and the beer-flavored beverage in Test Example E-2 was evaluated using these scores as a baseline.

[0064] [Table 1]

[0065] [Table 2]

[0066] [Table 3]

[0067] As shown in Tables 1 to 3, beer-flavored beverages with a guaiacol content of 5 μg / L to 200 μg / L and a linalool content of 5 μg / L to 110 μg / L received high evaluation scores for "honey-like aroma" and had a strong honey-like aroma. In addition, these beer-flavored beverages also received high evaluation scores for "malty aftertaste" and "richness of flavor," possessing excellent flavor profiles that allowed consumers to strongly perceive a malty aftertaste and richness of flavor.

[0068] [Test Example 2: Manufacturing and Evaluation of Beer-Flavored Beverages] (Manufacturing of beer-flavored beverages) A pre-fermentation liquid was obtained using malt, barley, granulated sugar, and hops by conventional methods. Brewer's yeast was added to the pre-fermentation liquid and fermentation was carried out to obtain a post-fermentation liquid. The post-fermentation liquid was filtered to obtain the beer-flavored beverage of Test Example F-1 (malt ratio 25% by mass, alcohol content 4.98 v / v%, bitterness value 18.4). Next, guaiacol and / or linalool were added to the beer-flavored beverage of Test Example F-1 to the concentrations shown in Tables 4 and 5 to obtain the beer-flavored beverages of Test Examples F-2 to F-8 and Test Examples G-1 to G-5.

[0069] A pre-fermentation liquid was obtained using malt, barley, granulated sugar, and hops by a conventional method. Brewer's yeast was added to the pre-fermentation liquid and fermentation was carried out to obtain a post-fermentation liquid. The post-fermentation liquid was filtered to obtain the beer-flavored beverage of Test Example H-1 (malt ratio 10% by mass, alcohol content 4.99 v / v%, bitterness value 12.4). Next, guaiacol and linalool were added to the beer-flavored beverage of Test Example H-1 to the concentrations shown in Table 6 to obtain the beer-flavored beverage of Test Example H-2.

[0070] (Sensory evaluation) A sensory evaluation was conducted on the obtained beer-flavored beverages, focusing on the "honey-like aroma" evaluation criterion. The sensory evaluation was performed by four selected panelists with discriminatory abilities. The evaluation was conducted on a 5-point scale from 1 to 5, and the average score was used as the evaluation score.

[0071] "Honey-like aroma" refers to the sensation of smelling honey-like fragrance after drinking, with higher scores indicating a stronger honey aroma. The results are shown in Tables 4 to 6. In Tables 4 and 5, the score for the beer-flavored beverage in Test Example F-1 was fixed at 1 point, and this was used as the baseline for evaluating the beer-flavored beverages in Test Examples F-2 to F-8 and Test Examples G-1 to G-5. In Table 6, the score for the beer-flavored beverage in Test Example H-1 was fixed at 1 point, and this was used as the baseline for evaluating the beer-flavored beverage in Test Example H-2.

[0072] [Table 4]

[0073] [Table 5]

[0074] [Table 6]

[0075] As shown in Tables 4 to 6, beer-flavored beverages with a guaiacol content of 5 μg / L to 200 μg / L and a linalool content of 5 μg / L to 110 μg / L received high evaluation scores for "honey-like aroma" and had a strong honey-like aroma. From the results of Test Example 1 and Test Example 2, it can be understood that the effects of the present invention are achieved even when the malt ratio and carbohydrate content are changed.

[0076] [Test Example 3: Manufacturing of beer-flavored beverages] The raw material liquid, to which malt, hops, and oak wood were added to the brewing water, was boiled according to conventional methods (boiling process), then the solids in the raw material liquid were removed (removal process), and the raw material liquid was cooled to obtain the pre-fermentation liquid (cooling process). Next, brewer's yeast was added to the pre-fermentation liquid and fermentation was carried out to obtain the post-fermentation liquid. French oak heavy (manufactured by Nadarie, oak powder (heavy toasted)) was used as the oak wood.

[0077] For control, pre-fermentation and post-fermentation liquids were obtained using the same procedure as above, except that oak wood was not added.

[0078] The guaiacol content in the pre-fermentation and post-fermentation liquids was measured using the method described in Test Example 1. The results are shown in Table 7.

[0079] [Table 7]

[0080] As shown in Table 7, the guaiacol content in the resulting beer-flavored beverage can be adjusted by adding oak wood to the raw material during the brewing process. It can also be seen that the guaiacol content increases with the amount of oak wood added, and that the guaiacol content increases with the degree to which the oak wood is burned. Furthermore, it can be understood that the guaiacol content does not change significantly before and after fermentation, and that the guaiacol content in the resulting beer-flavored beverage can be adjusted by making adjustments during the brewing process.

Claims

1. It contains guaiacol and linalool, A beer-flavored beverage having a guaiacol content of 15 μg / L to 161.9 μg / L and a linalool content of 40 μg / L to 95 μg / L.

2. The beer-flavored beverage according to claim 1, wherein the guaiacol content is 15 μg / L or more and 160 μg / L or less, and the linalool content is 40 μg / L or more and 95 μg / L or less.

3. A method for producing a beer-flavored beverage, comprising adjusting the guaiacol content in the beer-flavored beverage to between 15 μg / L and 161.9 μg / L, and adjusting the linalool content in the beer-flavored beverage to between 40 μg / L and 95 μg / L.

4. It includes a fermentation process in which the pre-fermentation liquid is fermented with yeast. The manufacturing method according to claim 3, wherein the pre-fermentation liquid is brought into contact with oak wood in an amount of 0.005 w / v% to 0.5 w / v%, and the oak wood is removed before fermentation.

5. The manufacturing method according to claim 4, wherein the oak wood is at least one selected from the group consisting of oak powder, oak fine, and oak chips.

6. The manufacturing method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the oak wood is at least one selected from the group consisting of French oak light toast, French oak medium toast, French oak heavy toast, American oak medium toast, and American oak heavy toast.

7. A method for imparting a honey-like aroma to a beer-flavored beverage, comprising adjusting the guaiacol content in the beer-flavored beverage to between 15 μg / L and 161.9 μg / L, and adjusting the linalool content in the beer-flavored beverage to between 40 μg / L and 95 μg / L.

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