Method for producing a beer-flavored beverage, and method for reducing the purine content of a beer-flavored beverage.

Abstract

To provide a method for producing a beer-flavored beverage that can reduce the purine content. [Solution] A method for producing a beer-flavored beverage, comprising at least a preparation step of preparing a pre-fermentation liquid to be used for fermentation, and a fermentation step of fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with yeast, wherein unrefined sugar is used as a raw material in the preparation step.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing a beer-taste beverage, and a method for reducing the purine body content of a beer-taste beverage.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, demand for beer-taste beverages with reduced purine body content has been rising due to growing health consciousness. Various methods have been disclosed so far regarding methods for producing beer-taste beverages with reduced purine body content.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing a fermented beverage, which includes a purine adsorbent adding step of adding a purine adsorbent to a yeast-containing fermented liquid obtained by fermenting raw materials containing cereals, hops, yeast and water, a liquid feeding step of feeding the yeast-containing fermented liquid added with the purine adsorbent to a filter at a water pressure of 50 kPa to 700 kPa, and a filtering step of filtering the fed liquid.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The technical means for reducing the purine body content of beer-taste beverages cannot be said to have sufficient variations, and there remains room for further investigation. The present inventors have found that the purine body content of the obtained beer-taste beverage can be reduced by performing the mashing step and the fermentation step using unrefined sugar as a raw material. The present invention is based on this novel finding, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a beer-taste beverage that can reduce the purine body content.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention relates to a method for producing a beer-flavored beverage, comprising at least a mashing step of preparing a pre-fermentation liquid used for fermentation, and a fermentation step of fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with yeast, wherein unrefined sugar is used as a raw material in the mashing step.

[0007] The manufacturing method according to the present invention uses unrefined sugar as a raw material for the brewing and fermentation processes, thereby reducing the purine content of the resulting beer-flavored beverage. In other words, the beer-flavored beverage obtained by the manufacturing method according to the present invention has a reduced purine content.

[0008] Unrefined sugar may include brown sugar. This will make the effect of reducing purine content more pronounced. Brown sugar may be processed brown sugar. This will make the effect of reducing purine content even more pronounced.

[0009] The present invention can also be understood as a method for reducing the purine content of a beer-flavored beverage, comprising at least a preparation step for preparing a pre-fermentation liquid used in fermentation, and a fermentation step for fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with yeast, wherein unrefined sugar is used as a raw material in the preparation step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for producing a beer-flavored beverage that can reduce the purine content. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] 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.

[0012] The method for producing a beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment (hereinafter also simply referred to as the "production method") comprises at least a mashing step for preparing a pre-fermentation liquid to be used for fermentation, and a fermentation step for fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with yeast. In the mashing step, unrefined sugar is used as a raw material. Because the production method according to this embodiment uses unrefined sugar as a raw material for the mashing and fermentation steps, the purine content of the resulting beer-flavored beverage can be reduced. The production method according to this embodiment can be carried out in the same manner as known methods for producing beer-flavored beverages, except for the use of unrefined sugar as a raw material.

[0013] In this specification, "beer-flavored beverage" means a beverage having a beer-like flavor. Examples of beer-flavored beverages are those classified as "sparkling alcoholic beverages" (beer, sparkling sake, and other sparkling alcoholic beverages) under the Liquor Tax Act (Act No. 8 of 2020). Other sparkling alcoholic beverages include "other brewed alcoholic beverages (sparkling) (2)" and "liqueurs (sparkling) (2)". Furthermore, beer-flavored beverages may also include beverages not belonging to the sparkling alcoholic beverages under the Liquor Tax Act and soft drinks (e.g., non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverages). The beer-flavored beverages according to this embodiment are not limited to those exemplified above.

[0014] In this specification, "purine" refers to purine bases and compounds (purine compounds) from which purine bases can be released by acid hydrolysis. Examples of purine compounds include nucleosides and nucleotides. Purine bases refer to adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine. In this specification, "purine content" refers to the value measured for the purine base content in a sample (wort, post-fermentation liquid, etc.) that has undergone acid hydrolysis. That is, the purine content is the total content of purine bases originally present in the sample and purine bases released from purine compounds by acid hydrolysis.

[0015] Acid hydrolysis can be performed by adding a 70% perchloric acid aqueous solution to the sample (e.g., wort, post-fermentation liquid, etc.) at a concentration of 10 v / v%, and incubating it on a heat block set to 100°C for 1.5 hours. The purine content can be determined by measuring the individual content of adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and summing these values.

[0016] In this specification, "unrefined sugar" means a sugar composition that significantly contains non-sugar components in addition to sugar components that yeast can utilize (e.g., glucose, fructose, sucrose). In one embodiment, it is a term used to distinguish it from "refined sugar" (granulated sugar, white sugar, white granulated sugar, etc.). The origin of the sugar components in unrefined sugar is not particularly limited and may be derived from plant materials such as sugarcane, sugar beet, palm, coconut, maple, etc., or may be artificially synthesized. Non-sugar components in unrefined sugar may include, for example, ash, minerals, organic acids or nitrogen compounds, caramel compounds, melanoidins, flavonoids, etc. Non-sugar components in unrefined sugar may be, for example, non-sugar components derived from plant materials, or non-sugar components contained in the juice of plant materials.

[0017] The proportion of non-sugar components in unrefined sugar may be, for example, 5% or more by mass, 6% or more by mass, 7% or more by mass, 8% or more by mass, 9% or more by mass, 10% or more by mass, 11% or more by mass, 12% or more by mass, 13% or more by mass, 14% or more by mass, 15% or more by mass, 16% or more by mass, 17% or more by mass, 18% or more by mass, 19% or more by mass, or 20% or more by mass, based on the total amount of unrefined sugar, and may be 50% or less by mass, 45% or less by mass, 40% or less by mass, 35% or less by mass, 30% or less by mass, 25% or less by mass, 20% or less by mass, 19% or less by mass, 18% or less by mass, 17% or less by mass, 16% or less by mass, 15% or less by mass, 14% or less by mass, 13% or less by mass, 12% or less by mass, 11% or less by mass, or 10% or less by mass, based on the total amount of unrefined sugar. The proportion of non-sugar components in unrefined sugar is calculated as the percentage of the remaining components after subtracting the total amount of sugar components from the total amount of solids.

[0018] Specific examples of unrefined sugar used in the manufacturing method according to this embodiment include, for example, raw sugar, brown sugar, unrefined cane sugar, and red sugar. Raw sugar is, for example, sugar produced by removing impurities from sugarcane juice, concentrating it by boiling, and then crystallizing it to separate the molasses. Brown sugar is, for example, sugar produced by removing impurities from sugarcane juice, concentrating it by boiling, and then not performing any processing such as separating the molasses. Unrefined cane sugar is, for example, sugar produced by removing impurities from raw sugar and then powdering it. Red sugar is, for example, sugar produced by blending raw sugar, molasses, etc., removing impurities, concentrating it by boiling, and then cooling it. Brown sugar may also be processed brown sugar. Processed brown sugar is, for example, sugar produced by blending raw sugar, refined sugar, molasses, etc., adding additives such as caramel coloring, flavorings, and seasonings as needed, removing impurities, concentrating it by boiling, and then cooling it. In this specification, sugars obtained from plant materials other than sugarcane (such as sugar beets, palms, coconuts, and maple syrup) in accordance with the above-mentioned methods for producing raw sugar, brown sugar, unrefined sugar (cane sugar), red sugar, and processed brown sugar are also included in the definitions of raw sugar, brown sugar, unrefined sugar (cane sugar), red sugar, and processed brown sugar as defined herein.

[0019] The preparation step is the step of preparing the pre-fermentation liquid to be used for fermentation. In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, the preparation step can be carried out in the same manner as known preparation steps, except that unrefined sugar is used as a raw material. That is, the preparation step may be, for example, the step of obtaining the pre-fermentation liquid using raw materials (including unrefined sugar) and preparation water (water used in the preparation step). The preparation step may also include, for example, a boiling step of boiling the sugar-containing liquid, a removal step of removing solids from the raw material liquid, and a cooling step of cooling the raw material liquid, in that order.

[0020] In the boiling step, the sugar-containing liquid is boiled to obtain a post-boiling liquid (sugar-containing liquid after boiling). The sugar-containing liquid contains components capable of alcoholic fermentation by yeast. Examples of the sugar-containing liquid include wort and syrup. Wort is a liquid obtained through saccharification of malt raw materials and the like, and is unfermented. Wort can be obtained, for example, through a step of mixing raw materials such as malt raw materials and unrefined sugar with water, a step of saccharifying the liquid containing the raw materials and water by a conventional method to obtain a saccharified liquid, and a step of filtering the saccharified liquid.

[0021] As raw materials other than unrefined sugar, malt raw materials may be used, raw materials other than malt raw materials may be used, or a combination of these may be used. As used herein, the term "malt raw material" refers to barley or a processed barley product. Examples of barley include barley, wheat, rye, crow barley, oat, adlay, and barley. Examples of processed barley products include barley extract, malt, and malt extract. Barley extract is obtained by extracting a barley extract component containing sugar and nitrogen components from barley. Malt is obtained by germinating barley. As the malt, colored malt produced by performing drying and roasting during malt production at a relatively high temperature (for example, about 120°C) and scorching the malt (for example, caramel malt, crystal malt, black malt, chocolate malt, coffee malt, etc.) may be used. Malt extract is obtained by extracting an extract component containing sugar and nitrogen components from malt.

[0022] Examples of raw materials other than malt raw materials may include cereals such as corn, rice, and sorghum, potatoes such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, beans such as soybeans and peas, plant raw materials such as herbs and spices, and saccharide raw materials (sugars) such as powdered sugars including starch, grits, liquid sugar, and granulated sugar.

[0023] The malt ratio in the raw materials (the proportion of malt in the raw materials other than water and hops) may be 0 mass% or more and less than 100 mass%. The malt ratio may be 10 mass% or more, 20 mass% or more, 30 mass% or more, 40 mass% or more, 50 mass% or more, 51 mass% or more, 60 mass% or more, 65 mass% or more, 66 mass% or more, 67 mass% or more, 70 mass% or more, 80 mass% or more, 90 mass% or more, 95 mass% or more, or 99 mass% or more. The malt ratio in the raw materials may be, for example, 95 mass% or less, 90 mass% or less, 80 mass% or less, 70 mass% or less, 67 mass% or less, 66 mass% or less, 65 mass% or less, 60 mass% or less, 51 mass% or less, or 50 mass% or less.

[0024] The unrefined sugar ratio in the raw materials (the proportion of unrefined sugar in the raw materials other than water and hops) may be more than 0 mass% and 100 mass% or less. The unrefined sugar ratio may be 10 mass% or more, 20 mass% or more, 30 mass% or more, 40 mass% or more, 49 mass% or more, 50 mass% or more, 60 mass% or more, 65 mass% or more, 66 mass% or more, 67 mass% or more, 70 mass% or more, 80 mass% or more, 90 mass% or more, 95 mass% or more, 99 mass% or more, or 100 mass%. The unrefined sugar ratio in the raw materials may be, for example, less than 100 mass%, 95 mass% or less, 90 mass% or less, 80 mass% or less, 70 mass% or less, 60 mass% or less, 50 mass% or less, 49 mass% or less, 40 mass% or less, 35 mass% or less, 30 mass% or less, 25 mass% or less, or 20 mass% or less.

[0025] In the boiling step, hops may be added to the raw material liquid. As the hops to be added, for example, dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extracts can be used. The hops may be processed hop products such as reduced hops, hexa hops, tetra hops, and isomerized hop extracts.

[0026] 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 in the boiling step, and, if hops were added in 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 (e.g., cold wort).

[0027] The fermentation process is the process of fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with yeast. In the fermentation process, for example, yeast is added to the pre-fermentation liquid obtained in the mashing process (e.g., cold wort) and fermented to obtain the post-fermentation liquid.

[0028] The yeast used in the fermentation process may be brewer's yeast. The yeast used in the fermentation process may be either top-fermenting yeast or bottom-fermenting yeast.

[0029] The temperature and time used in the fermentation process can be set appropriately depending on the type of yeast used, etc. For example, in the case of top fermentation, a temperature range of 18°C ​​to 24°C and a period of 3 to 7 days can be exemplified, while in the case of bottom fermentation, a temperature range of 8°C to 15°C and a period of 1 to 2 weeks can be exemplified.

[0030] The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may further include a step of maturing and cooling the post-fermentation liquid, and a step of filtering the post-fermentation liquid (first filtration step) as post-fermentation steps. By performing the first filtration step, insoluble solids, yeast, etc. can be removed from the post-fermentation liquid.

[0031] In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, heating (sterilization) or the like may be performed on the post-fermentation liquid (or the post-fermentation liquid after the first filtration step) as another post-fermentation step.

[0032] The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may further include a storage step of storing the fermented liquid to obtain a stored liquid, and may further include a filtration step (second filtration step) of filtering the stored liquid to obtain a filtrate.

[0033] The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may further include a step of adding other ingredients such as bittering agents, coloring agents, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavorings, and salts, which are commonly used in beverages, to the fermented liquid, to the extent that the effects of the present invention are not impaired.

[0034] Examples of bittering agents include hops as mentioned above, as well as caffeine, gentian extract, peptides, theobromine, naringin, bitter oak extract, wormwood extract, and cinchona extract. 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.

[0035] The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may further include an alcohol content adjustment step. The alcohol content adjustment step is a step of adjusting the ethanol content. In the alcohol content adjustment step, for example, the alcohol content may be adjusted by suppressing alcohol production in the fermentation step by shortening the fermentation period, using a brewing method that controls the activity of β-amylase, or using yeast with low alcohol production ability. Alternatively, the alcohol content may be adjusted by producing alcohol through fermentation in the same manner as for ordinary beer-flavored beverages, and then removing or reducing the alcohol. There are no particular restrictions on the method of removing or reducing alcohol, and it can be carried out according to conventional methods such as distillation, dialysis, or dilution. In the alcohol content adjustment step, the alcohol content may be adjusted by adding alcohol (for example, raw material alcohol, distilled alcohol such as spirits and vodka, or fermented liquid obtained by brewing).

[0036] The beer-flavored beverage obtained by the manufacturing method according to this embodiment may be a beer-flavored alcoholic beverage with an alcohol content of 1 v / v% or more, or a beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverage with an alcohol content of less than 1 v / v%. In this specification, "alcohol" means ethanol unless otherwise specified.

[0037] In the case of beer-flavored alcoholic beverages, the alcohol content is not particularly limited and may be, for example, 1v / v% or more, 2v / v% or more, 3v / v% or more, 3.5v / v% or more, 4v / v% or more, 4.5v / v% or more, 5v / v% or more, 5.5v / v% or more, 6.0v / v% or more, or 6.5v / v% or more. In addition, 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, 6.5v / v% or less, 6v / v% or less, 5.5v / v% or less, 5v / v% or less, 4.5v / v% or less, 4v / v% or less, 3.5v / v% or less, or 3v / v% or less.

[0038] In the case of beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverages, there are no particular restrictions on the alcohol content, but it is sufficient if it is less than 1 v / v%, and may be 0.9 v / v% or less, 0.8 v / v% or less, 0.7 v / v% or less, 0.6 v / v% or less, 0.5 v / v% or less, 0.4 v / v% or less, 0.3 v / v% or less, 0.2 v / v% or less, 0.1 v / v% or less, or less than 0.005 v / v% (0.00 v / v%). In addition, the alcohol content of beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverages may be 0.005 v / v% or more, 0.1 v / v% or more, 0.2 v / v% or more, 0.3 v / v% or more, 0.4 v / v% or more, or 0.5 v / v% or more.

[0039] The alcohol content of beer-flavored beverages can be measured, for example, by the methods described in "8.3.6 Beer, Alcohol (Alcoholizer Method)" or "8.3.7 Headspace GC-FID 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 expanded in 2013), or by the methods described in "3-4 Alcohol Content" of the National Tax Agency's prescribed analysis method.

[0040] The beer-flavored beverage obtained by the manufacturing method according to this embodiment has a reduced purine content. The purine content of the beer-flavored beverage obtained by the manufacturing method according to this embodiment may be, for example, 3.0 mg / 100 mL or less, 2.5 mg / 100 mL or less, 2.1 mg / 100 mL or less, 2.0 mg / 100 mL or less, 1.5 mg / 100 mL or less, 1.0 mg / 100 mL or less, 0.7 mg / 100 mL or less, 0.5 mg / 100 mL or less, or less than 0.5 mg / 100 mL, and may be 0.01 mg / 100 mL or more, 0.05 mg / 100 mL or more, or 0.1 mg / 100 mL or more.

[0041] The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may further include an activated carbon treatment step for further reducing the purine content. The activated carbon treatment step includes, for example, adding activated carbon to the post-fermentation liquid obtained in the fermentation step to perform activated carbon treatment. The activated carbon treatment may be performed by adding activated carbon to the post-fermentation liquid, and may be performed immediately after the fermentation step, or after the maturation and cooling steps of the post-fermentation liquid. The first filtration step and the second filtration step described above may include removing the activated carbon after the activated carbon treatment. The activated carbon can be used without particular limitations as long as it is the same type used for activated carbon treatment of beer-flavored beverages.

[0042] The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may include a filling step of filling the obtained beer-flavored beverage into a container. The container can be any airtight container, and so-called metal containers (such as aluminum or steel cans or barrels) 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.

[0043] The beer-flavored beverage obtained by the manufacturing method 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 ) may also be 0.25 MPa (2.55 kg / cm²). 2 It can be set to that extent.

[0044] The manufacturing method according to the present invention described above can also be considered a method for reducing the purine content of a beer-flavored beverage. That is, the method for reducing the purine content of a beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment comprises at least a preparation step of preparing a pre-fermentation liquid used for fermentation, and a fermentation step of fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with yeast, wherein unrefined sugar is used as a raw material in the preparation step. The above-described embodiments can be applied without limitation as specific embodiments of this method. [Examples]

[0045] The present invention will be described more specifically below based on examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0046] [Test Example 1: Manufacturing and Evaluation of Beer-Flavored Beverages] A pre-fermentation liquid was obtained by conventional methods using malt (malt ratio 51% by mass), sugars, hops, pea protein, and water. 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 beer-flavored beverages for Test Examples 1-1 to 1-8. The types of sugars added are shown in Table 1.

[0047] The purine content of beer-flavored beverages was measured by the following method. A portion of the beer-flavored beverage was taken as a sample. After subjecting the sample to acid hydrolysis, the content of adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS), and these were added together to determine the purine content. Acid hydrolysis was performed by adding 10 v / v% of a 70% perchloric acid aqueous solution to the sample and incubating it on a heat block set to 100°C for 1.5 hours. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0048] [Table 1]

[0049] In Test Examples 1-2 to 1-8, beer-flavored beverages using unrefined sugar as an ingredient had a purine content that was reduced by 7.4 to 23.6% compared to Test Example 1-1, which used refined sugar (granulated sugar) as an ingredient. Furthermore, in Test Examples 1-3 and 1-6 to 1-8, beer-flavored beverages using processed brown sugar as the unrefined sugar showed a significant reduction in purine content.

Claims

[Claim 1] A method for reducing the purine content of a beer-flavored beverage, comprising at least a preparation step of preparing a pre-fermentation liquid to be used for fermentation, and a fermentation step of fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with yeast, wherein in the preparation step, unrefined sugar is used as a raw material, and the unrefined sugar is at least one selected from the group consisting of brown sugar, unrefined sugar, and red sugar.

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