Beverage base containing fatty acid

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of improving a preservative aftertaste that may occur after drinking a beverage obtained from a beverage base. The present invention uses a specific fatty acid and isobutanol at a specific weight ratio.

Description

Fatty acid-containing beverage base

[0001] The present invention relates to a beverage base containing a preservative, a specific fatty acid, and isobutanol.

[0002] In recent years, beverage bases, which are products intended to be diluted and consumed, have become increasingly popular. This is likely due to the fact that beverage bases are convenient for carrying and storing at home due to their small size and weight. Another advantage of beverage bases is that, unlike tea bags and other products, beverages can be easily prepared by simply diluting them.

[0003] Technologies relating to beverage bases include, for example, alcoholic beverage bases (Patent Document 1) and low-alcohol beverage bases (Patent Document 2).

[0004] JP 2011-135841 A JP 2016-027831 A

[0005] Because beverage bases contain relatively high concentrations of nutritional components, there is a high risk of microbial growth in the beverage base. To address this issue, the inventors have considered using preservatives. However, preservatives have a unique taste problem, namely, the taste of the preservative felt when drinking the beverage lingers after drinking, in other words, the preservative taste has a noticeable aftertaste. Since the taste of preservatives is not necessarily pleasant, this aftertaste may have a negative impact on the flavor of the beverage.

[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve the aftertaste of preservatives that may occur after consumption of a beverage obtained from the beverage base.

[0007] After extensive research, the inventors have found that using a specific fatty acid and isobutanol in a specific ratio can improve the aftertaste of a preservative. Specifically, the present invention relates to, but is not limited to, the following: 1. A beverage base comprising at least one preservative, at least one fatty acid having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms, and isobutanol, wherein the weight ratio of the total content of the fatty acids to the content of isobutanol is 0.05 or greater. 2. The beverage base according to 1, wherein the preservative is selected from the group consisting of benzoic acids and sorbic acids. 3. The beverage base according to 1 or 2, wherein the alcohol content is less than 1 v / v %. 4. The beverage base according to 3, for preparing an alcohol-flavored beverage. 5. The beverage base according to any one of 1 to 4, wherein the weight ratio of the total content of the fatty acids to the total content of the preservatives is 0.01 or greater. 6. The beverage base according to any one of 1 to 5, wherein the total content of the preservatives is 1000 ppm or less. 7. 7. A beverage base according to any one of 1 to 6, having a sweetness intensity of 50 or less. 8. A beverage base according to any one of 1 to 7, having an alcohol content of 0.00 v / v%. 9. A beverage base according to any one of 1 to 8, having a total fatty acid content of 6 ppm or more.

[0008] The present invention can improve the aftertaste of preservatives in beverages derived from the beverage base.

[0009] In one aspect, the present invention can prevent or improve the refreshing feeling of a beverage obtained from a beverage base. In this specification, "refreshing feeling" means that a refreshing feeling is felt without an oily taste remaining in the mouth while drinking the beverage. When designing a beverage, it is important that additives do not impair the flavor of the beverage, so the effect of the present invention on the refreshing feeling is of great significance.

[0010] The present invention will be described below. Unless otherwise specified, "ppm" used in this specification means ppm by weight / volume (w / v), which is synonymous with "mg / L."

[0011] In addition, in this specification, the term "alcohol" means ethyl alcohol unless otherwise specified.

[0012] (Beverage Base) The present invention relates to a beverage base for dilution and drinking, and so-called "concentrated type" beverages are also included in the beverage base of the present invention.

[0013] A beverage can be prepared by diluting the beverage base of the present invention. There is no limit to the dilution ratio, but typically the dilution ratio is 2 or 3 times or more by weight, with the upper limit being approximately 20 times. The dilution ratio may be indicated on the product. Examples of diluents include water, carbonated water, tea, and other liquids.

[0014] (Preservative) The beverage base of the present invention contains at least one preservative. For clarity, the beverage base of the present invention may contain only one type of preservative or may contain two or more types of preservatives. The preservative used in the present invention is not particularly limited, but may include, for example, benzoic acids and sorbic acids.

[0015] In this specification, "benzoic acids" means benzoic acid, benzoic acid esters, and salts thereof. Specific examples of benzoic acids are benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, propyl parahydroxybenzoate, and butyl parahydroxybenzoate. In particular, benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, and potassium benzoate are preferred, with sodium benzoate being more preferred.

[0016] In addition, the term "sorbic acids" as used herein refers to sorbic acid, sorbic acid esters, and salts thereof. Specific examples of sorbic acids include sorbic acid, sodium sorbate, potassium sorbate, and sorbic acid alkyl esters. In particular, sorbic acid, sodium sorbate, and potassium sorbate are preferred, with potassium sorbate being more preferred.

[0017] The total content of preservatives in the beverage base of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is typically 1000 ppm or less, or 800 ppm or less. The lower limit is not limited as long as it is greater than 0, but is typically 1 ppm or more, or 10 ppm or more. Thus, examples of ranges for the total content of preservatives include 1 to 1000 ppm, 1 to 800 ppm, 10 to 1000 ppm, and 10 to 800 ppm.

[0018] The content of the preservative may be measured by any known method, for example, high performance liquid chromatography.

[0019] (Fatty Acid and Isobutanol) The beverage base of the present invention contains at least one fatty acid having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms and isobutanol. It should be noted that the beverage may contain only one type of fatty acid having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms, or may contain two or more types of fatty acids having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms.

[0020] Examples of such fatty acids include saturated fatty acids such as acetic acid (2 carbon atoms), propionic acid (3 carbon atoms), butyric acid (4 carbon atoms), valeric acid (5 carbon atoms), hexanoic acid (6 carbon atoms), heptanoic acid (7 carbon atoms), octanoic acid (caprylic acid) (8 carbon atoms), nonanoic acid (pelargonic acid) (9 carbon atoms), decanoic acid (capric acid) (10 carbon atoms), undecanoic acid (undecylic acid) (11 carbon atoms), and dodecanoic acid (lauric acid) (12 carbon atoms); and the corresponding unsaturated fatty acids.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the beverage base of the present invention comprises saturated fatty acids having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms, or includes acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, hexanoic acid, heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, undecanoic acid, and dodecanoic acid.

[0022] In another preferred embodiment, the beverage base of the invention comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of saturated fatty acids having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms, or at least one member selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, hexanoic acid, heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, undecanoic acid, and dodecanoic acid, or comprises acetic acid.

[0023] In the beverage base of the present invention, the weight ratio of the total content of the fatty acids to the content of isobutanol is 0.05 or more, preferably 0.07 or more, more preferably 0.1 or more, more preferably 0.2 or more, more preferably 0.5 or more, more preferably 3 or more, and more preferably 5 or more. The upper limit of this weight ratio is not particularly limited, but is typically 7000 or 6000. Thus, examples of ranges of this weight ratio are 0.05 to 7000, 0.05 to 6000, 0.07 to 7000, 0.07 to 6000, 0.1 to 7000, 0.1 to 6000, 0.2 to 7000, 0.2 to 6000, 0.5 to 7000, 0.5 to 6000, 3 to 7000, 3 to 6000, 5 to 7000, or 5 to 6000.

[0024] The weight ratio of the total content of the fatty acids to the total content of the preservatives in the beverage base of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.01 or more, more preferably 0.05 or more, more preferably 0.18 or more, more preferably 0.27 or more, more preferably 0.4 or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but examples thereof are 0.83, 1, 100, 110, or 120. Thus, typical examples of such weight ratio ranges are 0.01 to 120, 0.01 to 1, 0.01 to 0.83, 0.05 to 120, 0.05 to 1, 0.05 to 0.83, 0.18 to 120, 0.18 to 1, 0.18 to 0.83, 0.27 to 120, 0.27 to 1, 0.27 to 0.83, 0.4 to 120, 0.4 to 1, 0.4 to 0.83, 0.05 to 110, or 0.4 to 100.

[0025] The total content of the fatty acids in the beverage base of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 6 ppm or more, more preferably 100 ppm or more, more preferably 105 ppm or more, more preferably 160 ppm or more, and more preferably 250 ppm or more. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but examples thereof are 500, 6000, or 72000 ppm. Therefore, typical examples of the content range are 6 to 72,000 ppm, 6 to 6,000 ppm, 6 to 500 ppm, 100 to 72,000 ppm, 100 to 6,000 ppm, 100 to 500 ppm, 105 to 72,000 ppm, 105 to 6,000 ppm, 105 to 500 ppm, 160 to 72,000 ppm, 160 to 6,000 ppm, 160 to 500 ppm, 250 to 72,000 ppm, 250 to 6,000 ppm, or 250 to 500 ppm.

[0026] The contents of the fatty acids and isobutanol in the beverage of the present invention may be measured by any known method, for example, GC-MS or LC-MS.

[0027] (Alcohol Content) The beverage base of the present invention may or may not contain alcohol, however, a non-alcoholic beverage base is one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, since preservatives are particularly needed when the alcohol content, which has a bactericidal effect, is low.

[0028] The alcohol content in the non-alcoholic beverage base is less than 1 v / v%, and examples thereof include 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, and 0.00 v / v%. For clarity, "0.00 v / v%" also includes values ​​that become 0.00 v / v% when rounded down to three decimal places, such as 0.001 v / v% or 0.009 v / v%.

[0029] In one aspect, the non-alcoholic beverage base of the present invention is used to prepare an alcohol-tasting beverage. As used herein, "alcohol-tasting beverage" refers to a non-alcoholic beverage that has a taste similar to that of an alcoholic beverage. The alcohol content of the non-alcoholic beverage is the same as that described above for the non-alcoholic beverage base. Examples of alcohol-tasting beverages include, but are not limited to, beer-tasting beverages, highball-tasting beverages, chuhai-tasting beverages, non-alcoholic cocktails, sour-tasting beverages, wine-tasting beverages, and sake-tasting beverages. To explain in more detail using examples of highball-flavored beverages, chuhai-flavored beverages, non-alcoholic cocktails, and sour-flavored beverages, these beverages are non-alcoholic but still have the taste of their model highball or chuhai (in the context of the present invention, this refers to an alcoholic carbonated beverage made by diluting a distilled alcoholic beverage such as whiskey or shochu with another beverage such as water, juice, or tea, which may contain fruit juice such as lemon), cocktail (in the context of the present invention, this refers to a beverage containing a base alcoholic beverage such as spirits or liqueur, sour fruit juice such as citrus fruit, sweet ingredients, and optionally carbon dioxide), or sour (in the context of the present invention, this refers to a beverage containing spirits, sour fruit juice such as citrus fruit, sweet ingredients, and carbon dioxide).

[0030] In one embodiment, the beverage base of the present invention can be used to prepare non-alcoholic beverages that are not alcohol-tasting beverages. Examples of such non-alcoholic beverages include soft drinks, carbonated drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, functional drinks, and flavored waters.

[0031] In one aspect, the beverage base of the present invention can be used to prepare an alcoholic beverage. As used herein, "alcoholic beverage" refers to a beverage having an alcohol content of 1% v / v or more. Examples of the alcohol content in alcoholic beverages of the present invention are 1 to 15% v / v, 3 to 12% v / v, and 4 to 9% v / v. Examples of such alcoholic beverages include highballs, chuhais, cocktails, sours, wine, beer, and sake.

[0032] When the beverage base of the present invention contains alcohol, the alcohol may be added to the alcoholic beverage by any means. Typically, the beverage base of the present invention contains a distilled alcoholic beverage, thereby containing alcohol. The distilled alcoholic beverage is not limited by its raw materials or production method. Examples of the distilled alcoholic beverage include spirits (e.g., vodka, rum, tequila, gin, aquavit, Korn), brewer's alcohol, neutral spirits, liqueurs, whiskey, brandy, and shochu. Fruits, vegetables, tea, spices, herbs, etc., infused in these distilled alcoholic beverages may also be used.

[0033] As used herein, the alcohol content of a beverage or beverage base can be measured by any known method, for example, a vibration density meter. Specifically, a sample is prepared by removing carbon dioxide from the beverage or beverage base, if necessary, by filtration or ultrasonication, and the sample is then steam distilled. The density of the resulting distillate is measured and converted using "Table 2: Conversion Table of Alcohol Content, Density (15°C), and Specific Gravity (15 / 15°C)," an appendix to the National Tax Agency's Prescribed Analysis Methods (National Tax Agency Instruction No. 6 of 2007, revised June 22, 2007). GC-MS may also be used to measure the alcohol content.

[0034] (Sweetness) If the sweetness of a beverage is high, the sweetness may alleviate the problem of the taste of the preservative. On the other hand, if the sweetness is low, this possibility is low, and therefore the problem of the taste of the preservative is likely to become apparent. Therefore, the present invention is particularly useful for beverages based on low sweetness.

[0035] Thus, in one embodiment, the beverage base of the present invention has a low sweetness intensity, such as 50 or less, preferably 30 or less, more preferably 20 or less, more preferably 10 or less, and more preferably 5 or less.

[0036] The sweetness level used in this specification with respect to beverages does not refer to the sweetness level of the sweetener itself, but is an index representing the sweetness of the beverage, with the sweetness of a beverage containing 1 g of sucrose per 100 g of beverage being set at "1." The sweetness level of a beverage is determined by multiplying the content of each of the sweet components contained in the beverage (including sweet components derived from fruit juice, extract, etc.) by the relative ratio of the sweetness of that sweet component to the sweetness of sucrose to determine the sucrose equivalent, and then summing the resulting sucrose equivalent amounts of each sweet component. The relative ratios of the sweetness of representative sweet components to the sweetness of sucrose, 1, are shown in Table 1. For sweet components not listed in Table 1, the sweetness level provided by the manufacturer producing or selling that sweet component can be used, or the sweetness level can be determined by sensory evaluation.

[0037]

[0038] For example, if 100 g of a beverage contains 1 g of glucose and 1 g of fructose, the total sucrose equivalent amount is (1 g x 0.6 + 1 g x 1.2) = 1.8 g, which means that the sweetness of the beverage is 1.8.

[0039] (Other Components) The beverage base of the present invention may also contain other additives that are typically added to beverages, such as flavorings, vitamins, colorings, antioxidants, seasonings, extracts, pH adjusters, and quality stabilizers, as long as they do not impair the effects of the present invention.

[0040] In one aspect, the beverage base of the present invention has a low dietary fiber content, for example, less than 4.5 g / 100 mL or less than 4.0 g / 100 mL. Dietary fiber is a non-digestible component in food that is not digested by human digestive enzymes. (Packaged Beverage Base) The beverage base of the present invention can be provided in a packaged form. Containers include, but are not limited to, metal containers such as cans, PET bottles, paper cartons, bottles, pouches, etc. For example, a sterilized packaged product can be produced by filling the beverage base of the present invention into a container and then subjecting it to heat sterilization such as retort sterilization, or by sterilizing the beverage base and filling it into a container. (Method and Application) In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing a beverage base. The method includes a step of mixing ingredients so that the beverage contains at least one preservative, at least one fatty acid having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms, and isobutanol, and the weight ratio of the total content of the fatty acids to the isobutanol content is 0.05 or greater. The ingredients include a preservative-containing ingredient, a fatty acid-containing ingredient, an isobutanol-containing ingredient, and, optionally, water. Other ingredients are apparent from the above description of the beverage.

[0041] The types and contents of the above ingredients, and the preferred ranges of weight ratios, are as described above for the beverage base. Furthermore, specific examples and amounts of additional ingredients and parameters are also as described above for the beverage base.

[0042] In another aspect, the present invention provides an agent for improving the aftertaste of preservatives that may occur after drinking a beverage, the agent comprising at least one fatty acid having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms and isobutanol, such that the weight ratio of the total content of the fatty acids to the content of isobutanol is 0.05 or more.

[0043] Numerical Ranges For clarity, the numerical ranges set forth herein are inclusive of their endpoints, i.e., lower and upper limits.

[0044] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0045] Test Example 1 Effects of Fatty Acids and Isobutanol In this test example, the effects of fatty acids and isobutanol were confirmed.

[0046] First, water, sodium benzoate (a preservative), fatty acids, and isobutanol were mixed to prepare several beverage bases. The fatty acid used was acetic acid, which has two carbon atoms. The amounts used are shown in the table below. In addition, a control beverage base identical to the above beverage bases, except that it did not contain fatty acids or isobutanol, was prepared.

[0047] All beverage bases and controls contained 0.0% v / v alcohol.

[0048] Next, each of the above beverage bases and the control was diluted 6-fold by weight with water to prepare a plurality of beverage samples.

[0049] The resulting beverage samples were subjected to sensory evaluation by three trained expert panelists, who evaluated the aftertaste of the preservatives and the refreshing feeling. The evaluation criteria are as follows. An average score was then calculated from the obtained scores. In order to reduce individual differences in evaluation, the expert panelists established a common understanding in advance of the relationship between each score and taste using standard samples corresponding to each score.

[0050] <Aftertaste of preservative taste> 5: Very good aftertaste 4: Good aftertaste 3: Slightly good aftertaste 2: Slightly poor aftertaste 1: Poor aftertaste <Refreshing sensation> 5: Very refreshing 4: Refreshing 3: Slightly refreshing 2: Not very refreshing 1: Not refreshing The results of these sensory evaluations are also shown in the table below. The above sensory evaluation method was also used in other test examples.

[0051]

[0052] The aftertaste of the preservative could be improved over a wide range of fatty acid / isobutanol weight ratios.

[0053] Furthermore, the same test was conducted except that the preservative was changed to potassium sorbate. In this case, the alcohol content of all the beverage bases and controls was 0.0 v / v%.

[0054]

[0055] Even when the preservative was changed, the same tendency as above was observed.

[0056] Furthermore, the fatty acids used were changed to an equal mixture of fatty acids having 2 to 12 carbon atoms (acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, hexanoic acid, heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid, undecanoic acid, and dodecanoic acid), and the same experiment as in Table 2 was carried out. The results are shown below.

[0057]

[0058] The same tendency as above was observed even when the type of fatty acid was changed.

[0059] Test Example 2 Weight Ratio of Components A test similar to Test Example 1 was carried out, except that the weight ratio of each component was changed. The results are shown in the table below.

[0060]

[0061] The weight ratio of each component can be varied widely and still have the desired effect.

[0062] Test Example 3: Confirmation of Effect in Complex Systems A test similar to Test Example 1 was carried out, except that the alcohol content of the beverage base was increased to 40 v / v% and the sweetness level was increased to 20. The alcohol content was increased using neutral spirits. High fructose corn syrup was used to increase the sweetness level. The results are shown in the table below.

[0063]

[0064]

[0065] A similar tendency to that in Test Example 1 was observed in a complex system containing a sweet component and alcohol.

Claims

1. A beverage base comprising at least one preservative, at least one fatty acid having from 2 to 12 carbon atoms, and isobutanol, wherein the weight ratio of the total content of said fatty acids to the content of isobutanol is 0.05 or more.

2. The beverage base of claim 1, wherein said preservative is selected from the group consisting of benzoates and sorbates.

3. A beverage base according to claim 1 or 2, having an alcohol content of less than 1% v / v.

4. A beverage base according to claim 3 for preparing an alcoholic-tasting beverage.

5. A beverage base according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the weight ratio of the total content of said fatty acids to the total content of said preservatives is 0.01 or more.

6. A beverage base according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the total content of said preservatives is 1000 ppm or less.

7. A beverage base according to any one of claims 1 to 6, having a sweetness intensity of 50 or less.

8. A beverage base according to any one of claims 1 to 7, having an alcohol content of 0.00 v / v%.

9. A beverage base according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the total content of fatty acids is at least 6 ppm.

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