Zinc-fortified tea composition

Abstract

The present invention relates to tea compositions. In particular, the present invention relates to zinc-fortified tea compositions. Accordingly, the present invention provides a tea composition comprising: a) a micronized zinc compound; b) a first polysaccharide comprising maltodextrin; c) a second polysaccharide comprising gum arabic; and d) a leaf tea product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tea composition. In particular, the present invention relates to a zinc-enriched tea composition.

Background Art

[0002] Tea is one of the most popular beverages in the world. It is thought that drinking tea refreshes the mind. Also, the polyphenols contained in tea are considered to be good for human health. There are various commercially available teas, such as black tea, green tea, oolong tea, white tea, etc. Black tea is generally produced by a method including the steps of withering, dipping, fermentation, and firing / drying. On the other hand, the manufacturing method of green tea does not include the step of fermentation. Therefore, the characteristic profile of green tea is different from that of black tea.

[0003] Most people in Asian countries drink tea at least twice or more a day. Therefore, tea has the potential to be one way to supply nutrients and essential elements.

[0004] Currently, zinc is becoming increasingly important in the food industry. Zinc is thought to have properties that enhance immunity. Regular intake of zinc is thought to have a long-term effect on the immunity of the human body. In modern times, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people are very eager to strengthen the immune response of their inner health. Therefore, zinc has become very popular.

[0005] Zinc supplements are commercially available.

[0006] The present inventors have discovered that there is a particular problem in that when zinc is included in the form of tea, it supplies a sufficient amount of zinc in the end cup. Just adding zinc to leaf tea products does not supply a sufficient amount of zinc to the resulting beverage. Also, each cup needs to be supplied with a sufficient amount of zinc. More importantly, the supply amount of zinc should be proportional to the amount of zinc added to the tea leaves during processing.

[0007] Therefore, zinc-fortified tea compositions that supply large amounts of zinc to beverages in the end cup are still desired. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] Considering the above, one object of the present invention is to provide a zinc-fortified tea composition.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a zinc-fortified tea composition that supplies a sufficient amount of zinc in each cup of beverage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The inventors have surprisingly found that by including several selected micronized forms of zinc salts together with two specific selected polysaccharides, a sufficient amount of zinc is supplied in each cup of beverage, thereby providing a zinc-fortified tea composition that satisfies one or more of the above objectives.

[0011] In the first embodiment, the present invention is a) Micronized zinc compounds; b) The first polysaccharide containing maltodextrin; c) Second, polysaccharides containing gum arabic; and d) Leaf tea products The present invention provides a tea composition containing the following:

[0012] These and other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the detailed description below. To dispel any doubt, any feature of one aspect of the present invention may be utilized in any other aspect of the present invention. The word “comprising” is intended to mean “including,” but not necessarily “consisting of” or “composed of.” In other words, the listed steps or options do not need to be exhaustive. Note that the examples shown in the following description are intended to clarify the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention to these examples themselves. Similarly, all percentages are mass / mass percentage unless otherwise indicated. Except for the examples and comparative examples, or unless otherwise explicitly indicated, all numerical values ​​in this description indicating the amount of material or reaction conditions, the physical properties of the material and / or use should be understood as being modified by the word “about.” Numerical ranges expressed in the form “from x to y” should be understood as including x and y. If multiple preferred ranges for a particular feature are described in the form "from x to y," it should be understood that all ranges combining different endpoints are also intended. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The disclosure of the present invention as found herein is deemed to encompass all embodiments found in claims that are multiplely dependent on one another, regardless of any facts that may lead to the conclusion that the claims are not multiplely dependent or redundant.

[0014] If features are disclosed in relation to a particular aspect of the present invention (e.g., a composition of the present invention), such disclosure shall be deemed to apply mutatis mutandis to any other aspect of the present invention (e.g., a method of the present invention).

[0015] The present invention a) Micronized zinc compounds; b) The first polysaccharide containing maltodextrin; c) a second polysaccharide containing arabic gum; and d) a leaf tea product A tea composition containing the above is provided.

[0016] The particle size of the micronized zinc compound is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 50 μm, more preferably in the range of 0.1 to 30 μm, even more preferably in the range of 0.1 to 20 μm, and most preferably in the range of 0.1 to 10 μm.

[0017] It is also possible to obtain a zinc compound in a larger size and then subject it to a process of reducing the size to obtain a micronized zinc compound of the desired size as described above.

[0018] Alternatively, zinc particles in a micronized form can be directly obtained and used in the present invention.

[0019] The solubility of the zinc compound in water at 25 °C is preferably less than 0.001 g / mL, more preferably less than 0.0005 g / mL. Most preferably, the zinc compound is water-insoluble.

[0020] The zinc compound may preferably be selected from zinc oxide, zinc carbonate, and combinations thereof. The most preferred zinc compound is zinc oxide.

[0021] The amount of the zinc compound is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 4%, more preferably in the range of 1 to 3%, and most preferably in the range of 1.5 to 2% with respect to the mass of the composition.

[0022] The composition of the present invention also contains two kinds of polysaccharides. The first polysaccharide contains maltodextrin. In the most preferred embodiment, the first polysaccharide is maltodextrin.

[0023] Maltodextrin is a very well-known food additive. It is a flavorless substance. It is generally produced by hydrolysis from plant starch. The starch is preferably corn or wheat. It is generally known to improve the mouthfeel of savouries.

[0024] The amount of maltodextrin used in the composition of the present invention is in the range of preferably 0.5 to 5% by mass, more preferably 1 to 4% by mass, still more preferably 2 to 4% by mass, and most preferably 2 to 3% by mass of the composition.

[0025] The composition of the present invention also contains a second polysaccharide. The second polysaccharide is gum arabic. This is also generally known as acacia gum. It is an edible water-soluble gum widely used in the food industry as a stabilizer and / or thickener.

[0026] The amount of gum arabic in the composition of the present invention is in the range of preferably 0.05 to 6% by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 4% by mass, still more preferably 0.1 to 3% by mass, and most preferably 0.5 to 2% by mass.

[0027] The composition of the present invention includes a leaf tea product. The leaf tea product preferably means a tea product obtained after the manufacturing process of leaf tea and containing less than 10%, preferably less than 7%, and most preferably less than 5% moisture based on the mass of the leaf tea product.

[0028] The leaf tea product may preferably be selected from black tea products, green tea products, oolong tea products, white tea products, or blends thereof.

[0029] Black tea generally refers to fermented tea, produced by processing fresh tea leaves. Fresh tea leaves refer to tea leaves, buds, and / or stems that have not been dried to a moisture content of less than 30% by mass, and usually have a moisture content in the range of 60-90%. Black tea has different characteristics from green tea. Black tea is more astringent and less bitter than green tea. Also, the reddish color of black tea liquor is considerably stronger than that of green tea. Black tea also contains higher levels of theaflavins.

[0030] In the process of making black tea, fermentation refers to the oxidation and hydrolysis processes that occur when certain endogenous enzymes and substrates are combined through mechanical cell breakdown, such as by steeping the leaves. During this process, the colorless catechins contained in the leaves are converted into a complex mixture of yellow and orange to dark brown polyphenolic substances.

[0031] Green tea refers to tea that is essentially unfermented. Green tea has different characteristics from black tea. Unlike black tea, green tea liquid is light in color. Green tea is also rich in catechins and contains little to no theaflavins.

[0032] Oolong tea refers to a type of tea that is semi-fermented.

[0033] For the purposes of this invention, the preferred leaf tea product is either black tea or green tea, with black tea being the most preferred.

[0034] The amount of leaf tea product in the composition is preferably in the range of 85-98.5% by mass, more preferably 87-98.5% by mass, even more preferably 90-98.5% by mass, and most preferably 92-98.5% by mass of the composition.

[0035] The composition according to the present invention may contain further nutrients. These further nutrients can be selected from vitamin C or any other suitable nutrients.

[0036] The present invention also provides a method for providing a zinc-fortified tea composition, a) A step of preparing a zinc compound with a solubility of less than 0.001 g / mL in water at 25°C; b) A step of pulverizing a zinc compound to produce a particle size in the range of 0.1 to 10 μm; c) A step of adding a first polysaccharide containing maltodextrin and a second polysaccharide containing gum arabic to a micronized zinc compound; d) A step of mixing the materials from step (c) to obtain a coating mixture; e) A step of coating the leaf tea product with the coating mixture obtained in step d. This provides a method that includes this.

[0037] The method begins with preparing a zinc compound with a solubility of less than 0.001 g / mL in water at 25°C. More preferably, the solubility is less than 0.0005 g / mL. Most preferably, the zinc compound is water-insoluble. Subsequently, the zinc compound undergoes a micronization (size reduction) step. The particle size of the micronized zinc compound is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 50 μm, more preferably in the range of 0.1 to 30 μm, even more preferably in the range of 0.1 to 20 μm, and most preferably in the range of 0.1 to 10 μm.

[0038] Alternatively, a zinc compound having the aforementioned solubility and particle size can be used directly in the method of the present invention.

[0039] In the next step, a first polysaccharide containing maltodextrin and a second polysaccharide containing gum arabic are added to the micronized zinc compound. These materials are then appropriately mixed to obtain a coating mixture.

[0040] The coating mixture is then applied to the tea leaf products. The tea leaf products may preferably be selected from black tea products, green tea products, oolong tea products, white tea products, or blends thereof.

[0041] To aid in better mixing of the components, it is preferable to add water during the preparation of the coating solution. Preferably, the water temperature is in the range of 25°C to 75°C, more preferably 30°C to 70°C, even more preferably 35°C to 65°C, and most preferably 35°C to 55°C.

[0042] Next, the present invention will be illustrated by the following non-limiting embodiments. These embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the present invention in any way. [Examples]

[0043] Preparation of various zinc-fortified tea products Various zinc-fortified tea products were prepared using the methods described below.

[0044] (Example A) A coating solution was prepared by dissolving 2.75 g of zinc sulfate heptahydrate (solubility: 57.7 g per 100 g of water at 25°C), 1 g of acacia gum, and 3 g of maltodextrin in 43 g of distilled water (50°C). 93.25 g of black tea leaves (obtained from Kenya) were placed in a bowl, the coating solution was sprinkled over the tea leaves, and the mixture was thoroughly mixed using a Hobart blender. This mixture was then spread onto a ceramic plate and dried in a hot air oven at 80°C.

[0045] Next, 1.6g of the dried tea leaves produced above was blended with 0.4g of regular black tea leaves (obtained from Kenya). Then, a tea infusion was prepared using this blend.

[0046] (Example 1) 2.5 g of zinc oxide (solubility: 0.0004 g per 100 g of water at 25°C) was pulverized using a mill (analytical mill, model: IKA A11 Basic). After pulverization, the particle size was reduced to 10 μm (average diameter). A binder solution was prepared by dissolving 1 g of acacia gum and 3 g of maltodextrin in 43 g of distilled water (50°C). The pulverized zinc oxide was added to the binder solution to prepare the coating solution. 93.5 g of black tea leaves (obtained from Kenya) were placed in a bowl, the coating solution was sprinkled over the tea leaves, and the mixture was thoroughly mixed using a Hobart blender. The mixture was then spread onto a ceramic plate and dried in a hot air oven at 80°C.

[0047] Next, 1.9g of the dried tea leaves produced above was blended with 0.1g of regular black tea leaves (obtained from Kenya). Then, a tea infusion was prepared using this blend.

[0048] In the above examples, zinc sulfate heptahydrate was obtained from Merck (catalog number 1088830500), acacia gum was also obtained from Merck (catalog number 1042281000), maltodextrin was obtained from Sigma Aldrich (catalog number 419699-100G), and zinc oxide was obtained from Merck (catalog number 1088490500).

[0049] After preparing the above tea products, infusions were prepared from the tea products using the following protocol.

[0050] 2g of tea product was placed in a mug, and 200mL of boiling water was poured over it. After steeping for 2 minutes, the contents were filtered using a strainer, and the filtered tea was collected for further analysis.

[0051] The amount of zinc in the final tea beverage was measured according to the standard ICP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Emission Spectroscopy) procedure.

[0052] The tea extract was acidified with concentrated nitric acid (approximately 65%) and immersed in a microwave digester (Anton Paar, Model: Multiwave Go) for 60 minutes. The immersed solution was then injected into an ICP-OES (Agilent) and the emission spectral intensity was measured at a wavelength of 213.8 nm. The intensity was then converted to zinc concentration using a standard calibration curve.

[0053] The results are summarized in Table 1 below.

[0054] [Table 1]

[0055] From the above examples, it is clear that Example 1 can supply a much larger amount of zinc to the infusion, while the supply in Example A is much less than that in Example 1. Furthermore, although the amount of zinc used per 2g of tea leaves is substantially less in Example 1, it nevertheless supplies a substantially larger amount of zinc.

[0056] Therefore, from the description of the present invention, it is clear that the present invention now makes it possible to provide a zinc-fortified tea composition that supplies a sufficient amount of zinc in each cup of beverage.

Claims

1. a) Micronized zinc compounds; b) The first polysaccharide containing maltodextrin; c) Second, polysaccharides containing gum arabic; and d) Leaf tea products A tea composition containing, - The particle size of the finely powdered zinc compound is in the range of 0.1 to 50 μm; - The amount of maltodextrin is in the range of 0.5 to 5% by mass of the tea composition; and - A tea composition in which the amount of gum arabic is in the range of 0.05 to 6% by mass.

2. The tea composition according to claim 1, wherein the particle size of the finely powdered zinc compound is in the range of 0.1 to 20 μm.

3. The tea composition according to claim 1, wherein the particle size of the finely powdered zinc compound is in the range of 0.1 to 10 μm.

4. The tea composition according to claim 1, wherein the solubility of the finely powdered zinc compound in water at 25°C is less than 0.001 g / mL.

5. The tea composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the finely powdered zinc compound is selected from zinc oxide, zinc carbonate, and combinations thereof.

6. The tea composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the finely powdered zinc compound is zinc oxide.

7. The tea composition according to claim 1, wherein the amount of maltodextrin is in the range of 1 to 4% by mass of the tea composition.

8. The tea composition according to claim 1, wherein the amount of gum arabic is in the range of 0.1 to 4% by mass of the tea composition.

9. The tea composition according to claim 1, wherein the leaf tea product is selected from black tea products, green tea products, oolong tea products, white tea products, or blends thereof.

10. The tea composition according to claim 8, wherein the leaf tea product is a black tea product.

11. The tea composition according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the amount of the leaf tea product in the tea composition is in the range of 85 to 98.5% by mass of the tea composition.

12. The tea composition according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the tea composition contains further nutrients.

13. A method for providing a micronized zinc-fortified tea composition, a) A step of preparing a zinc compound with a solubility in water at 25°C of less than 0.001 g / mL; b) A step of producing a micronized zinc compound by pulverizing the zinc compound to produce a particle size in the range of 0.1 to 10 μm; c) A step of adding a first polysaccharide containing maltodextrin and a second polysaccharide containing gum arabic to the finely powdered zinc compound; d) A step of mixing the materials from step (c) to obtain a coating mixture; and e) A step of coating the leaf tea product with the coating mixture obtained in step d. A method that includes this.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein water is added in step (d).

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the temperature of the water is in the range of 25°C to 75°C.

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