Beverage containing fermented base alcohol and method for producing same

Abstract

Provided are: a novel fermented-alcohol-containing beverage having a good flavor; and a method for producing the same.　The beverage contains: a fermented alcohol and an alcohol infusion of a frozen pulverized product obtained from at least one starting food product selected from the group consisting of fruits and vegetables.

Description

Fermentation-based alcohol-containing beverages and methods for producing the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a beverage containing fermented alcohol and a method for producing the same.

[0002] In recent years, beverages with a variety of flavors, including non-alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages with a wide range of alcohol content, have been sold worldwide, particularly in Japan, in response to diversifying consumer preferences. Furthermore, overseas alcoholic beverages using fermented alcohols that do not involve a distillation process are being developed due to factors such as tax rates and distribution channels. However, these fermented alcohols that do not involve a distillation process are known to have a unique taste, and efforts are being made to improve this taste.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing a fermented alcoholic beverage with excellent taste and flavor, which is characterized by the fact that in a method for producing a fermented alcoholic beverage using beer yeast, soy protein with an increased potassium and / or inositol content is added and the total amount of potassium ions and the total amount of inositol in the pre-fermentation solution is adjusted to promote fermentation in the production of the fermented alcoholic beverage and to harmonize the taste and flavor of the fermented alcoholic beverage.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a method for producing fermented alcoholic beverages such as beer and miscellaneous alcoholic drinks, in which a hydrolyzate or preparation of a protein raw material with a high content of amino acids that is highly assimilable by brewer's yeast, such as wheat gluten or soybean protein, is used as part of the raw materials to promote fermentation by brewer's yeast, thereby enhancing the taste and flavor and producing a fermented alcoholic beverage without an unpleasant odor or an immature odor.

[0005] JP 2008-178405 A JP 2006-158268 A

[0006] Under the circumstances described above, there is a need for the development of a novel fermented alcohol-containing beverage with good taste or a method for producing the same.

[0007] The present inventors have confirmed that when consuming beverages containing fermented alcohol, there is a problem of a lack of flavor harmony due to unpleasant odors such as a grain odor derived from the fermentation alcohol raw material, a fermentation-derived cement odor, and other unpleasant odors. The present inventors have surprisingly found that the sensory characteristics of such beverages containing fermented alcohol can be improved by using raw materials obtained by a fruit freeze-crushing and soaking method. The present invention is based on this finding.

[0008] The present invention provides the following beverage production methods and beverages, etc., but is not limited to these. [1] A beverage comprising an alcoholic soak solution of frozen, finely pulverized material of one or more raw food materials selected from the group consisting of fruits and vegetables, and a fermented alcohol. [2] The beverage according to [1], in which the fermented alcohol content is 0.1 v / v% or more in terms of pure alcohol. [3] The beverage according to [1] or [2], in which the alcohol content is 0.5 to 40 v / v%. [4] The beverage according to any one of [1] to [3], in which the fermented alcohol is obtained from one or more fruits selected from the group consisting of barley, sugarcane, pineapple, apple, grape, rice, corn, pear, cherry, plum, pomegranate, orange, peach, kiwifruit, passion fruit, persimmon, mango, lemon, banana, lime, berry, and strawberry, and the fermented alcohol content is 0.5 v / v% or more relative to the beverage. [5] The beverage according to any one of [1] to [4], which is a packaged beverage. [6] The beverage according to any one of [1] to [5], which is a beverage having a citrus fruit flavor, pome fruit flavor, stone fruit flavor, berry flavor, cereal fruit flavor, tropical and subtropical fruit flavor, fruit-like vegetable flavor, root vegetable flavor, leafy vegetable flavor, fruit vegetable flavor, spiced vegetable and garnish flavor, energy drink flavor, coffee flavor, tea flavor, cocoa flavor, cola flavor, dessert flavor, or dairy drink flavor. [7] A method for producing a beverage, comprising: freezing one or more raw food materials selected from the group consisting of fruits and vegetables to obtain a frozen product; finely pulverizing the frozen product to obtain a frozen and finely pulverized product; immersing the frozen and finely pulverized product in an alcohol solution having a concentration sufficient to extract one or more raw material components to obtain an alcoholic soak; and blending the alcoholic soak of the frozen and finely pulverized product and fermented alcohol into a beverage.

[0009] The present invention provides a novel beverage having good taste and a method for producing the same. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a novel method for producing a beverage or a beverage having an improved overall flavor and impurities is provided.

[0010] The present invention will be described in detail below. The following embodiments are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention to these embodiments. The present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0011] All documents cited in this specification, as well as published patent applications, patent publications and other patent documents, are hereby incorporated by reference.

[0012] 1. Frozen and finely pulverized raw food material One aspect of the present invention relates to a beverage comprising an alcoholic soak solution of frozen and finely pulverized raw food material of one or more types selected from the group consisting of fruits and vegetables, and fermented alcohol.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, a frozen product is obtained by freezing one or more raw food materials selected from the group consisting of fruits and vegetables. The fruits and vegetables are not particularly limited, and a variety of fruits and vegetables can be used. For example, fruits that can be used include citrus fruits (mandarin oranges, hassaku oranges, iyokan oranges, navel oranges, Valencia oranges, hyuganatsu oranges, kiyomi oranges, ponkan oranges, pomelo oranges, grapefruits, lemons, shikuwasa (coconut oranges), tangor oranges, natsumikan (Japanese oranges), sweet oranges, sudachi (Japanese oranges), kabosu (Japanese citrus), daidai (Japanese oranges), sanbokan (Japanese plums), oroblanco (Japanese oranges), limes, yuzu (Japanese citrus), and kumquats), pome fruits (apples, Japanese pears, pears, persimmons, loquats, pomegranates, and quince), stone fruits (peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, plums, and apricots), berries (grapes and figs), grains (chestnuts, almonds, pistachios, and cashew nuts), tropical and subtropical fruits (pineapples, bananas, papayas, lychees, kiwifruits, and mangoes), and fruit-like vegetables (strawberries, melons, watermelons, and papayas). Alternatively, akebia, atemoya, avocado, olive, blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, currant, tangelo, cherimoya, durian, jujube, date palm, mangosteen, bayberry, haskap, avocado, passion fruit, acerola, kiwano, guava, gumi, pitaya, loquat, longan, white sapote, melon, quince, coconut, star fruit, etc. can also be used. Vegetables that can be used include root vegetables (such as carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes), stem and leaf vegetables (such as celery, parsley, and watercress), leafy vegetables (spinach, lettuce, and cabbage), fruit vegetables (such as cucumbers, pumpkins, bell peppers, tomatoes, and sweet corn), herbs (such as mint, lemongrass, coriander, Italian parsley, and rosemary), and spices and garnishes (such as ginger, shiso, chili peppers, cinnamon, and pepper). Two or more types of fruits and vegetables may be used in combination. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the frozen product is obtained by freezing citrus fruits, pome fruits, or stone fruits, and more preferably, the frozen product is obtained by freezing one or more fruits selected from lemons, oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, peaches, grapes, Shikwasa, apples, yuzu, Japanese pears, and Western pears.As used herein, "fruit" or "vegetable" refers to the whole raw fruit or vegetable, including juice and solids, unless otherwise specified.

[0014] Any freezing machine or freezing method may be used for freezing fruits and vegetables as long as they can be pulverized by the method described below. For example, any of air freezing, air blast freezing, contact freezing, brine freezing, and freezing methods using liquid nitrogen may be used. From the viewpoint of rapid freezing, freezing methods using liquid nitrogen are preferred.

[0015] The freezing temperature of fruits and vegetables is not particularly limited as long as they are sufficiently frozen and can be pulverized by the method described below. Preferably, the freezing temperature may be −40°C or lower, −50°C or lower, −60°C or lower, −70°C or lower, −80°C or lower, −90°C or lower, −100°C or lower, −110°C or lower, −120°C or lower, −130°C or lower, −140°C or lower, −150°C or lower, −160°C or lower, −170°C or lower, −180°C or lower, or −190°C or lower. For example, freezing may be performed at −196°C using liquid nitrogen. Alternatively, the freezing temperature is preferably below the brittle temperature of the fruit or vegetable. In this specification, the “brittle temperature” refers to the temperature at which an object rapidly becomes brittle (brittle and easily broken) at low temperatures. The brittle temperature of fruits and vegetables can be determined, for example, by the method described in Japanese Patent No. 5,154,230.

[0016] Fruits and vegetables may be frozen as they are without processing, or may be cut to a predetermined size before freezing. Fruits and vegetables may be cut whole with inedible parts such as seeds and peels still attached, or may be cut after removing the inedible parts beforehand. Preferably, fruits and vegetables are frozen as they are without processing. By subjecting the fruits and vegetables to the below-described pulverization and soaking with the seeds and peels still attached, the flavor of the whole fruit or vegetable is preferably imparted.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the frozen product obtained by the above-described method is pulverized to obtain a finely pulverized product. The method for pulverizing the frozen product is not particularly limited as long as the pulverized product can be sufficiently and easily subjected to the extraction described below without applying heat. For example, pulverization can be performed using a freeze pulverizer ("Rinrex Mill" manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation). The average particle size of the pulverized product obtained by pulverizing the frozen product is preferably about 200 μm or less (or 1 to 200 μm), more preferably about 100 μm or less (or 1 to 100 μm), as measured by the method described in the Examples. When the average particle size of a pulverized product is indicated in this specification, it means the median diameter (the particle size corresponding to 50% of the sieve distribution curve), unless otherwise specified.

[0018] 2. Alcoholic Immersion Solution of Frozen Finely Ground Material In one aspect of the present invention, the finely ground material obtained by the above method is immersed in alcohol at a concentration sufficient to extract one or more of the raw material components to obtain an alcoholic immersion solution (hereinafter also referred to as "frozen-ground immersion alcohol" in this specification). In this specification, the "alcoholic solution at a concentration sufficient to extract one or more of the raw material components" is not particularly limited as long as it is an alcoholic solution at a concentration sufficient to extract one or more components (e.g., aroma components) of the fruit or vegetable used as the raw material.

[0019] The alcohol used for soaking is not particularly limited as long as it has a concentration sufficient to extract one or more of the raw material components as described above and can achieve the effects of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the alcohol used for soaking refers to ethyl alcohol (ethanol). For example, an alcohol concentration of about 15 to about 100 v / v% can be used. Preferably, it can be about 20 to about 70 v / v% or about 30 to about 60 v / v%. Examples of such alcohol include shochu, whiskey, brandy, fermented alcohol, raw material alcohol, or spirits (grain spirits, neutral spirits). Neutral spirits are distilled alcoholic beverages that have been repeatedly distilled to an alcohol concentration of 95 v / v% or more. When using fermented alcohol for soaking, it is preferable to use fermented alcohol that has been filtered and has had its color and flavor removed using activated carbon after fermentation of the raw material. Furthermore, by changing the alcohol concentration of the alcohol solution used for soaking, the types and amounts of aromatic and effective components extracted into the alcohol solution can be changed. Specifically, when fruit is used, the alcohol concentration can be about 20 v / v % or more, preferably about 30 v / v % or more, for example about 40 v / v %, from the viewpoint of providing a sufficient flavor, and can be preferably about 60 v / v % or less from the viewpoint of preventing undesirable tastes (e.g., bitterness) and odors (e.g., mold odors).

[0020] The immersion ratio and immersion time during immersion can be determined appropriately depending on the type of material, the particle size of the pulverized material, the type or amount of components to be extracted, the desired extraction efficiency, etc. The immersion ratio is generally about 1 g to about 500 g, preferably about 5 g to about 300 g, and more preferably about 10 g to about 200 g of frozen pulverized material per 1 L of alcohol solution. The immersion time is generally preferably about half a day to several months.

[0021] By adjusting the steeping conditions, the amount of components contained in the steeping solution and the aroma can be adjusted. For example, by extending the steeping time or increasing the amount of fruit steeped, the amount of components contained in the steeping solution can be increased and the aroma can be strengthened. Therefore, by changing the steeping conditions depending on the raw material, it is possible to maintain stable quality in the resulting alcohol steeping solution or beverages using it.

[0022] The alcoholic leachate obtained after the extraction step can be used directly or filtered to remove solids. Filtration can be performed using conventional methods used for similar purposes in this field, such as a method using diatomaceous earth. The resulting alcoholic leachate may be subjected to additional treatments, such as distillation, if necessary.

[0023] 3. Beverages Comprising Alcohol-Soaked Frozen Finely Pulverized Material and Fermented Alcohol The beverage of the present invention comprises an alcohol-soaked solution of the frozen finely pulverized material and fermented alcohol. Beverages containing fermented alcohol have the problem of lacking flavor and harmony due to off-flavors such as grain odors derived from the fermentation alcohol raw materials, fermentation-derived cement odors, and other off-flavors. According to the present invention, a novel fermented alcohol-containing beverage is provided in which the unique taste quality resulting from the off-flavors derived from the fermented alcohol contained in the beverage has been improved. The off-flavors derived from the fermented alcohol can be evaluated as "ginjo-like off-flavors," for example, as shown in the examples of this specification.

[0024] As demonstrated in the examples herein, this improvement in taste was observed only when the alcoholic soaking solution containing the frozen pulverized material was used, but not when alcohol containing no frozen pulverized material was added. Therefore, the effect of the present invention was unexpected. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is speculated that the improvement in taste was brought about by the synergistic effect of the alcoholic soaking solution and the fermented alcohol.

[0025] The beverage of the present invention contains the alcoholic soaking liquid of the frozen pulverized material at a concentration of preferably 1 to 200 mL / L, more preferably 1 to 100 mL / L, and even more preferably 3 to 50 mL / L.

[0026] As used herein, fermented alcohol refers to an alcohol-containing aqueous liquid brewed by fermenting fruits or grains and obtained without a distillation process. Fermented alcohols obtained by removing insoluble solids and / or color and / or flavor after fermentation of the raw material through filtration and / or activated carbon or the like are particularly preferred. Even in such fermented alcohols from which insoluble solids, color, and flavor have been removed through filtration or activated carbon or the like, there are still problems with unpleasant flavors due to grain odors derived from the fermented alcohol raw materials, fermentation-derived cement odors, and other unpleasant odors. The fruits and grains fermented to obtain the fermented alcohol used in the present invention are not particularly limited, and may include at least one fruit selected from the group consisting of wheat (including malt), sugarcane, pineapple, apple, grapes, rice, corn, pear, cherry, plum, pomegranate, orange, peach, kiwifruit, passion fruit, persimmon, mango, lemon, banana, lime, berry, and strawberry. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fermented alcohol comprises fermented alcohol obtained from one or more selected from the group consisting of barley, sugarcane, pineapple, and apple. In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fermented alcohol comprises fermented alcohol obtained from one or more selected from the group consisting of pineapple and apple. For example, pineapple wine, apple wine, etc. may be used as the fermented alcohol.

[0027] The content of the fermented alcohol in the beverage of the present invention is preferably 0.1 v / v% or more, more preferably 0.5 v / v% or more, calculated as pure alcohol. The content of the fermented alcohol in the beverage of the present invention is preferably 10 v / v% or less, more preferably 6.9 v / v% or less. The content of the fermented alcohol in the beverage of the present invention refers to the content of alcohol derived from the fermented alcohol introduced into the beverage of the present invention by adding the fermented alcohol, calculated as pure alcohol.

[0028] Beverages according to some embodiments of the present invention have an alcohol content of 0.1 to 40 v / v%, preferably 0.1 to 30 v / v%, more preferably 0.5 to 25 v / v%, even more preferably 0.5 to 20 v / v%, even more preferably 0.5 to 15 v / v%, and most preferably 0.5 to 10 v / v%. In this specification, the alcohol content is expressed as a percentage (v / v%) on a volume / volume basis. The alcohol content of beverages can be measured by a method specified by the Japan Regional Taxation Bureau. For example, it can be measured using a vibration density meter. Specifically, a sample is prepared by removing carbon dioxide from a beverage using filtration or ultrasound, and the sample is then distilled. The density of the resulting distillate is measured at 15°C, and the density can be calculated using "Table 2: Alcohol Content, Density (15°C) and Specific Gravity (15 / 15°C) Conversion Table," an appendix to the National Tax Agency's Prescribed Analysis Methods (National Tax Agency Ordinance No. 6 of 2007, revised June 22, 2007). Alternatively, if the alcohol content of the alcoholic beverage used is known, the alcohol content can be calculated from the alcohol content and the amount added.

[0029] The pH of the beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 2.0 to 4.6 in order to achieve good taste quality.

[0030] The beverage of the present invention may be in the form of a packaged beverage if necessary. Specific examples include canned beverages in metal containers such as cans, PET bottled beverages in molded containers primarily made of polyethylene terephthalate, paper-packaged beverages in paper containers combined with metal foil or plastic film, bottled beverages in glass bottles, and pouch beverages in bag-shaped containers made of resin or aluminum. Furthermore, the beverage may be a packaged beverage produced by carrying out a sterilization process at least one time before, during, or after the packaging process.

[0031] The beverage of the present invention may contain various additives, similar to those used in ordinary beverages or foods, provided that the additives do not impair the effects of the present invention. Examples of the additives include sweeteners such as sugar, acidulants, flavorings, vitamins, colorants, antioxidants, emulsifiers, preservatives, seasonings, extracts, pH adjusters, thickeners, and quality stabilizers.

[0032] The beverage of the present invention may further contain other food ingredients in addition to the alcoholic infusion solution of the frozen pulverized material and the fermented alcohol. Examples of other food ingredients contained in the beverage of the present invention include food ingredients that impart a specific flavor to the beverage of the present invention to suit the consumer's preferences. Examples of specific flavors include, but are not limited to, citrus flavor, pome fruit flavor, stone fruit flavor, berry flavor, cereal flavor, tropical and subtropical fruit flavor, fruit-like vegetable flavor, root vegetable flavor, leafy vegetable flavor, fruit vegetable flavor, spicy vegetable and garnish flavor, energy drink flavor, coffee flavor, tea flavor, cocoa flavor, cola flavor, dessert flavor, or dairy drink flavor. Food ingredients that impart specific flavors can include extracts of foods that can impart the above flavors.

[0033] 4. Method for Producing Beverage In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing the following beverage (hereinafter also referred to as the "production method of the present invention").

[0034] A production method according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a beverage, comprising: freezing one or more raw food materials selected from the group consisting of fruits and vegetables to obtain a frozen product; pulverizing the frozen product to obtain a frozen finely pulverized product; immersing the frozen finely pulverized product in an alcohol solution having a concentration sufficient to extract one or more raw material components to obtain an alcoholic steep solution; and blending the alcoholic steep solution and fermented alcohol into a beverage. The beverage obtained by the production method according to one aspect of the present invention may be a non-alcoholic beverage or an alcoholic beverage.

[0035] As used herein, an alcoholic beverage refers to a beverage with an alcohol content of more than 0.5 v / v %.

[0036] In the manufacturing method of the present invention, an alcoholic maceration liquid of frozen pulverized material and fermented alcohol are blended into a beverage. The alcoholic maceration liquid of frozen pulverized material and fermented alcohol can be obtained by the method described above. The blending method of the alcoholic maceration liquid of frozen pulverized material and fermented alcohol is not particularly limited as long as a beverage containing the alcoholic maceration liquid and fermented alcohol is obtained. The alcoholic maceration liquid and fermented alcohol may be added separately to a beverage base (e.g., water or carbonated water) or simultaneously, or either may be added first. Alternatively, the fermented alcohol may be added to the alcoholic maceration liquid before filtration, followed by filtration, and then added to the beverage.

[0037] In one embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, the step of soaking the frozen pulverized material in an alcohol solution having a concentration capable of extracting one or more of the raw material components to obtain an alcohol soaked liquid may be a step of using an alcohol solution having a concentration capable of extracting one or more of the raw material components as a beverage base and adding the frozen pulverized material directly to the beverage base.

[0038] One embodiment of the production method of the present invention may further include a step of adjusting the pH of the beverage to 2.0 to 4.6. The pH of the beverage can be adjusted, for example, by adding a pH adjuster that is acceptable for use in foods.

[0039] One embodiment of the production method of the present invention may further include a step of packaging the beverage in a container. A sterilization step may be carried out at least one of before, during, and after the packaging step.

[0040] One embodiment of the production method of the present invention may further include a step of blending the various additives or other food ingredients. The method of blending the additives or other food ingredients is not particularly limited, and they can be blended subsequent to any of the steps in the production method or simultaneously with any of the steps, as long as the effects of the present invention can be achieved.

[0041] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0042] <Preparation of Fermented Alcohol> Two types of fermented alcohol were used: one made from a combination of fruit (pineapple) and sugar, and the other made from a combination of grain (malt) and sugar.

[0043] The brewed alcohol was prepared as follows: fruit juice (pineapple juice) or wort (malt extract) was fermented with sugar at approximately 15 to 30°C, and the fermented liquid after fermentation was filtered or treated with activated carbon to remove insoluble solids, color, and flavor, thereby preparing the brewed alcohol used as the fermented alcohol in the present invention. Hereinafter, the fermented alcohol prepared from pineapple juice will be referred to as pineapple wine, and the fermented alcohol prepared from wort will be referred to as malt-based alcohol.

[0044] <Preparation of Alcohol-Infused Liquor from Frozen and Finely Pulverized Material> Fresh lemon fruit was used as the raw fruit. The lemon fruit was frozen using liquid nitrogen at -196°C. The resulting frozen material was then placed in a freeze-pulverizer (Rinrex Mill, Liquid Gas Co., Ltd.) and pulverized while still frozen to obtain a white powdered frozen and finely pulverized material with a particle size of approximately 30 μm. Particle size measurement was performed using the method described in the Examples of WO 2006 / 009252. The resulting frozen and finely pulverized material was then immersed in aqueous alcohol solutions (immersion solutions) with various alcohol contents for 15 hours at 20°C. The resulting solution was filtered using diatomaceous earth to remove solids, yielding an infusion solution. The aqueous alcohol solution used was a mixture of water and neutral spirits. Alcohol-infused liquor from frozen and finely pulverized fresh white grapes was also prepared using the same procedure as for the lemon infusion liquor. The alcohol content of each of the prepared alcohol-infused liquors was 54 v / v%.

[0045] <Preparation of beverages> The fermented alcohol (pineapple wine or malt-based alcohol) prepared as described above, the alcohol-infused liquor of frozen pulverized material (lemon-infused liquor or white grape-infused liquor), and water were mixed at the concentrations shown in Table 1 to prepare beverages.

[0046]

[0047] Beverages A to J were prepared using the following combinations: one using pineapple wine as the fermented alcohol and lemon-infused alcohol as the alcohol-infused alcohol for the frozen, finely pulverized material (pineapple wine x lemon-infused alcohol), one using pineapple wine as the fermented alcohol and white grape-infused alcohol as the alcohol-infused alcohol for the frozen, finely pulverized material (pineapple wine x white grape-infused alcohol), one using malt-based alcohol as the fermented alcohol and lemon-infused alcohol as the alcohol-infused alcohol for the frozen, finely pulverized material (malt-based alcohol x lemon-infused alcohol), and one using malt-based alcohol as the fermented alcohol and white grape-infused alcohol as the alcohol-infused alcohol for the frozen, finely pulverized material (malt-based alcohol x white grape-infused alcohol).

[0048] Example 1: Effect of alcohol-soaked liquor made from frozen pulverized material on off-flavors derived from fermented alcohol (Evaluation method) For the beverages prepared as described above, four trained expert panelists independently scored the off-flavors derived from fermented alcohol on a 5-point scale from 1 to 5 according to the following evaluation criteria, and the average score was calculated. A higher score indicates less disharmony in the aftertaste. In other words, a higher score indicates better taste quality. Off-flavors derived from fermented alcohol were evaluated using "ginjo aroma-like off-flavors" as an indicator.

[0049] (Evaluation criteria) The evaluation was conducted to determine whether or not the "ginjo aroma-like off-flavor" derived from fermented alcohol was detected. 5 points: Not detected 4 points: Slightly detected 3 points: Detection 2 points: Strong detection 1 point: Extremely strong detection

[0050] (Evaluation Results) The evaluation results are shown in Table 2.

[0051]

[0052] In all combinations of fermented alcohol and alcohol-infused liquor from frozen pulverized material, the unpleasant taste derived from fermented alcohol was improved (rating of 3 or higher) depending on the amount of alcohol-infused liquor added. This effect of alcohol-infused liquor from frozen pulverized material was shown with similar strength and tendency regardless of the type of raw food of the frozen pulverized material or the type of raw food of the fermented alcohol.

[0053] Surprisingly, the effect of imbibing alcohol from frozen, finely ground material on improving unpleasant flavors was observed even when the fermentation alcohol content was extremely low (A and B) and when the fermentation alcohol content was extremely high (C and D).

[0054] Example 2: Confirmation that the improvement effect on off-flavors is not due to the alcohol contained in the alcohol-infused liquor The beverages used in Example 1 have different alcohol contents due to differences in the content of alcohol-infused liquor in the frozen pulverized material. To confirm that the improvement effect on off-flavors shown in Example 1 is not simply due to an increase in the alcohol content of the beverages, beverages G and E were prepared by adjusting the alcohol content of the beverages to a constant level using neutral spirits, and the off-flavor improvement effect was evaluated using the above method. Specifically, beverages containing fermented alcohol and frozen pulverized material at the content of G were supplemented with neutral spirits to prepare beverages with an alcohol content of 10% (v / v) (G10), 15% (v / v) (G15), and 20% (v / v) (G20). Similarly, neutral spirits were added to a beverage containing fermented alcohol and frozen pulverized material at the content of E to prepare three beverages with alcohol contents of 10% (v / v) (E10), 15% (v / v) (E15), and 20% (v / v) (E20). The effects of improving unpleasant flavors on each beverage were evaluated using the above method, and the results are shown in Table 3.

[0055]

[0056]

[0057] In the beverages G, G10, G15, and G20, which do not contain alcohol-soaked liquor made from frozen pulverized material, increasing the alcohol content of the beverage did not result in any improvement in the unpleasant taste. On the other hand, in the beverages E, E10, E15, and E20, which contain alcohol-soaked liquor made from frozen pulverized material, all showed an improvement in the unpleasant taste compared to the beverages G, G10, G15, and G20. This result suggests that the improvement in unpleasant taste is not solely due to the alcohol contained in the alcohol-soaked liquor.

Claims

1. A beverage comprising an alcoholic soaked liquid of frozen, finely ground material of one or more raw foods selected from the group consisting of fruits and vegetables, and fermented alcohol.

2. The beverage according to claim 1, wherein the fermented alcohol content is 0.1 v / v % or more in terms of pure alcohol.

3. The beverage according to claim 1 or 2, having an alcohol content of 0.5 to 40 v / v%.

4. The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fermented alcohol is obtained from one or more selected from the group consisting of barley, sugarcane, pineapple, apple, grape, rice, corn, pear, cherry, plum, pomegranate, orange, peach, kiwi fruit, passion fruit, persimmon, mango, lemon, banana, lime, berry, and strawberry, and the content of the fermented alcohol is 0.5 v / v% or more of the beverage.

5. The beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is a packaged beverage.

6. The beverage of any one of claims 1 to 5, which is a citrus fruit-flavored, pome fruit-flavored, stone fruit-flavored, berry-flavored, cereal-flavored, tropical and subtropical fruit-flavored, fruit-like vegetable-flavored, root vegetable-flavored, leafy vegetable-flavored, fruit vegetable-flavored, spicy vegetable and garnish-flavored, energy drink-flavored, coffee-flavored, tea-flavored, cocoa-flavored, cola-flavored, dessert-flavored, or dairy drink-flavored beverage.

7. A method for producing a beverage, comprising: freezing one or more raw food materials selected from the group consisting of fruits and vegetables to obtain a frozen product; finely pulverizing the frozen product to obtain a frozen finely pulverized product; soaking the frozen finely pulverized product in an alcohol solution having a concentration sufficient to extract one or more raw material components to obtain an alcoholic soak; and blending the alcoholic soaked product of the frozen finely pulverized product and fermented alcohol into a beverage.

Images