Beer-flavored beverage and method for producing the same

Abstract

To provide a beer taste beverage having fragrant and clear flavor such as barley tea.SOLUTION: Beer taste beverages containing guaiacol and furfural and having a ratio of contents of the guaiacol and the furfural (guaiacol / furfural) of 0.13 or larger and 0.80 or smaller.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Various techniques have been disclosed so far for improving the flavor of beer-taste beverages. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing a roasted fermented alcoholic beverage including adding roasted cereals and / or roasted germinated cereals to wort during or after wort boiling and before the fermentation process.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a beer-taste beverage having a fragrant and refreshing flavor like that of roasted barley tea. Another object of the present invention is to provide a production method capable of easily producing a beer-taste beverage having a fragrant and refreshing flavor like that of roasted barley tea.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present invention relates to a beer-taste beverage containing guaiacol and furfural, wherein the ratio of the content of guaiacol to the content of furfural (guaiacol / furfural) is 0.13 or more and 0.80 or less.

[0006] The beer-taste beverage according to the present invention has a fragrant and refreshing flavor like that of roasted barley tea because guaiacol / furfural is within a predetermined range.

[0007] The above-mentioned beer-flavored beverage may contain furfural between 15 μg / L and 90 μg / L.

[0008] The above-mentioned beer-flavored beverage may have a color between 20°EBC and 75°EBC.

[0009] The present invention also relates to a method for producing a beer-flavored beverage, which includes using malt containing colored malt with a chromaticity of more than 1200°EBC and less than or equal to 1500°EBC as a raw material.

[0010] The method for producing a beer-flavored beverage according to the present invention uses colored malt having a predetermined color as a raw material, making it possible to easily produce a beer-flavored beverage with a fragrant and refreshing taste similar to barley tea.

[0011] In the above manufacturing method, it is preferable that the proportion of colored malt with a chromaticity of over 1200°EBC and up to 1500°EBC is between 0.5% and 15% by mass relative to the total amount of malt. This makes it easier for the guaiacol / furfural content of the beer-flavored beverage produced to fall within the specified range. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a beer-flavored beverage having a fragrant and refreshing taste similar to barley tea. Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a simple method for producing a beer-flavored beverage having a fragrant and refreshing taste similar to barley tea. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] 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.

[0014] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment contains guaiacol and furfural, and the ratio of guaiacol content to furfural content (guaiacol / furfural) is 0.13 or more and 0.80 or less. Because the guaiacol / furfural ratio of the beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment is within a predetermined range, it has a fragrant and refreshing taste similar to barley tea.

[0015] 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.

[0016] 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. 59 of 2018). The beer-flavored alcoholic beverage according to this embodiment is not limited to those exemplified above.

[0017] 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.

[0018] Non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverages are beer-flavored beverages that contain virtually no alcohol. The alcohol content of non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverages may be less than 1 v / v%, 0.5 v / v%, 0.1 v / v%, or less than 0.005 v / v% (0.00 v / v%).

[0019] The alcohol content of the beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, based on the oscillating densitometer method described in the National Tax Agency's prescribed analysis method (ordinance) "3 Sake 3-4 Alcohol Content".

[0020] The guaiacol content in the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment is not particularly limited as long as the guaiacol / furfural is within the above-mentioned prescribed range. For example, it may be 1 μg / L or more and 50 μg / L or less, may be 2 μg / L or more and 45 μg / L or less, may be 3 μg / L or more and 40 μg / L or less, may be 4 μg / L or more and 30 μg / L or less, may be 5 μg / L or more and 25 μg / L or less.

[0021] The guaiacol content of the beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, by the GC-MS method.

[0022] The furfural content in the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment is not particularly limited as long as the guaiacol / furfural is within the prescribed range. For example, it may be 1 μg / L or more and 200 μg / L or less, may be 5 μg / L or more and 150 μg / L or less, may be 10 μg / L or more and 100 μg / L or less, may be 15 μg / L or more and 90 μg / L or less, may be 15 μg / L or more and 60 μg / L or less.

[0023] The furfural content of the beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, by the GC-MS method.

[0024] The ratio of the content of guaiacol to the content of furfural in the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment (guaiacol / furfural) may be 0.13 or more and 0.80 or less. When the guaiacol / furfural is within this range, a beer - flavored beverage having a fragrant and refreshing flavor like roasted barley tea can be obtained. From the viewpoint of more significantly exhibiting this effect, the guaiacol / furfural is preferably 0.14 or more and 0.70 or less, more preferably 0.15 or more and 0.60 or less, still more preferably 0.16 or more and 0.50 or less, even more preferably 0.17 or more and 0.40 or less, even more preferably 0.18 or more and 0.30 or less, and particularly preferably 0.19 or more and 0.25 or less.

[0025] The beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain wheat raw materials as raw materials. In this specification, wheat raw materials refer to wheat or wheat processed products. Examples of wheat include barley, wheat, rye, crow wheat, oat, pearl barley, and emmer wheat. Examples of wheat processed products include wheat extract, malt, and malt extract. Wheat extract is obtained by extracting wheat extract components containing sugars and nitrogen components from wheat. Malt is obtained by germinating wheat. As malt, colored malt (e.g., caramel malt, crystal malt, black malt, chocolate malt, coffee malt, etc.) produced by performing drying or roasting during the production of malt at a relatively high temperature (e.g., about 120°C) until charred may be used. Malt extract is obtained by extracting extract components containing sugars and nitrogen components from malt.

[0026] The beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain hops as raw materials. Hops include dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extracts, and also include hop processed products such as whole hops, hexahops, tetra - hops, and isomerized hop extracts.

[0027] 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, or 50% by mass or less.

[0028] 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.

[0029] The chromaticity of the beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 20°EBC or more and 75°EBC or less. The chromaticity of the beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 20°EBC or more, or 30°EBC or more, and may be 70°EBC or less, 65°EBC or less, 60°EBC or less, 55°EBC or less, 50°EBC or less, 45°EBC or less, or 40°EBC or less. The chromaticity of the beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment can be measured by the method described in "8.8 Chromaticity 8.8.2 Absorbance Method" 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).

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be manufactured, for example, by mixing raw materials (blending method), or by fermentation using yeast or the like (fermentation method).

[0034] A manufacturing method (method by blending) according to one embodiment includes a blending step of blending water, guaiacol, furfural, 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 ratio of the contents of guaiacol and furfural to within the above range. Guaiacol may be blended as guaiacol itself, or as a flavoring composition containing guaiacol, etc. Furfural may be blended as furfural itself, or as a flavoring composition containing furfural, etc.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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 the manufacture of beverages. 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.

[0037] Other embodiments of the manufacturing method (fermentation method) include, for example, a preparation step and a fermentation step.

[0038] In the preparation process, the raw materials and the water used in the preparation process are used to obtain the pre-fermentation liquid. In other words, the preparation process is the process of preparing the pre-fermentation liquid used for fermentation. The preparation process may include, in this order, a boiling step in which the sugar-containing liquid is boiled, a removal step in which solid matter is removed from the raw material liquid, and a cooling step in which the raw material liquid is cooled.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] In the fermentation process, the pre-fermentation liquid is fermented with yeast to obtain the post-fermentation liquid. In the fermentation process, yeast is added and alcoholic fermentation takes place. More specifically, yeast is inoculated into the pre-fermentation liquid and fermented, and a post-fermentation liquid containing alcohol produced by the yeast is obtained.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.).

[0045] The ratio of guaiacol and furfural content can be adjusted, for example, by adding guaiacol and / or furfural to the raw material liquid. In this specification, the raw material liquid refers to 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 furfural added to the raw material liquid may be guaiacol or furfural itself, or it may be a flavoring composition containing guaiacol and / or furfural.

[0046] The ratio of guaiacol and furfural content can also be adjusted, for example, by using colored malt with a chromaticity of over 1200°EBC and up to 1500°EBC as a raw material. Since the ratio of guaiacol and furfural content tends to fall within the above predetermined range, the usage ratio of colored malt with a chromaticity of over 1200°EBC and up to 1500°EBC is preferably more than 0.5% by mass and up to 15% by mass, more preferably 0.75% by mass and up to 10% by mass, even more preferably 1% by mass and up to 5% by mass, and even more preferably 1.5% by mass and up to 3% by mass, relative to the total amount of malt used.

[0047] The ratio of guaiacol and furfural content may be further adjusted by, for example, using the aforementioned method of using colored malt as a raw material, and by adding guaiacol and / or furfural to the raw material liquid. [Examples]

[0048] The present invention will be described more specifically below based on examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0049] [Test Example 1: Manufacturing and Evaluation of Beer-Flavored Beverages] (Manufacturing of beer-flavored beverages) Liquid sugar, lactic acid, phosphoric acid, and hop extract were dissolved in water, and guaiacol and furfural were added to achieve the concentrations shown in Tables 1 and 2. The gas pressure was set to 2.3 kg / cm² using carbonated water. 2 The mixture was adjusted and filled into containers to produce beer-flavored beverages of Examples 1-6 and Comparative Examples 1-4. The composition of the produced beer-flavored beverages is shown in Tables 1 and 2. In Tables 1 and 2, the guaiacol / furfural ratio is the value obtained by dividing the guaiacol content (μg / L) by the furfural content (μg / L).

[0050] (Sensory evaluation) Sensory evaluations were conducted on the beer-flavored beverages of Examples 1-6 and Comparative Examples 1-4, focusing on the evaluation criteria of "aroma reminiscent of barley tea" and "refreshing 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.

[0051] "Barley tea-like aroma" refers to the sensation of experiencing the aroma of barley, similar to that of drinking barley tea. A higher score indicates a stronger barley tea-like aroma. "Clean flavor" refers to the sensation of experiencing a flavor with few off-flavors. A higher score indicates a stronger clean flavor. For the sensory evaluation of "barley tea-like aroma" and "clean flavor," the scores of the beer-flavored beverage in Comparative Example 1 were fixed at 2 points and 2 points respectively, and other beer-flavored beverages were evaluated using this as a baseline. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

[0052] [Table 1]

[0053] [Table 2]

[0054] Examples 4-6, which had a ratio of guaiacol content to furfural content (guaiacol / furfural) of 0.13 to 0.80, exhibited excellent characteristics of both a barley tea-like aroma and a refreshing flavor.

[0055] [Test Example 2: Manufacturing and Evaluation of Beer-Flavored Beverages] (Manufacturing of beer-flavored beverages) Beer-flavored beverages with varying ratios of colored malt (malt ratio: 100% by mass, alcohol content: 3.5-5.4%) were manufactured by conventional methods (fermentation method) (Example 7 and Comparative Examples 5-6 in Table 3). The ratios of colored malt with a chromaticity of 1200°EBC or less, and colored malt with a chromaticity between 1200°EBC and 1500°EBC or less (percentage of total malt) are shown in Table 3.

[0056] Furthermore, guaiacol or furfural was added to the beer-flavored fermented beverage of Example 7 to the concentrations shown in Table 3, and the beer-flavored beverages of Example 8 and Comparative Example 7 were produced. Similarly, guaiacol or furfural was added to the beer-flavored fermented beverage of Comparative Example 6 to the concentrations shown in Table 3, and the beer-flavored beverages of Example 9 and Comparative Example 8 were produced.

[0057] (Measurement of guaiacol content) The guaiacol content of the beer-flavored beverages in Example 7 and Comparative Examples 5-6 was measured by GC-MS.

[0058] (Measurement of furfural content) The furfural content of the beer-flavored beverages in Example 7 and Comparative Examples 5-6 was measured by GC-MS.

[0059] (Measurement of chromaticity) The color of the manufactured beer-flavored beverage was measured using the method described in "8.8 Color 8.8.2 Absorbance Method" 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 enlarged in 2013).

[0060] (Sensory evaluation) Sensory evaluations were conducted on the beer-flavored beverages of Examples 7-9 and Comparative Examples 5-8, using the same criteria as in Test Example 1, for the evaluation items of "roasted barley tea-like aroma" and "refreshing flavor." As in Test Example 1, the scores for "roasted barley tea-like aroma" and "refreshing flavor" for the beer-flavored beverage of Comparative Example 1 were fixed at 2 points and 2 points respectively, and the other beer-flavored beverages were evaluated using this as a baseline.

[0061] [Table 3]

[0062] Even beer-flavored beverages produced by fermentation showed excellent characteristics of both a roasted barley tea-like aroma and a refreshing taste when the ratio of guaiacol content to furfural content (guaiacol / furfural) was between 0.13 and 0.80 (beer-flavored beverages of Examples 7-9).

Claims

1. It contains guaiacol and furfural, The guaiacol content is between 4 μg / L and 50 μg / L. A beer-flavored beverage in which the ratio of guaiacol content to furfural content (guaiacol / furfural) is between 0.13 and 0.

80.

2. The beer-flavored beverage according to claim 1, wherein the furfural content is 15 μg / L or more and 90 μg / L or less.

3. A beer-flavored beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the chromaticity is 20°EBC or more and 75°EBC or less.

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