Beer-flavored fermented beverage and method for producing same

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a novel beer-flavored fermented beverage which has a reduced purine concentration and in which the deterioration of flavor due to having a reduced purine concentration is improved. The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to the present invention has a purine concentration of 5,000 ppb or less, the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan and histidine being 2 ppm or more. The concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan and histidine may be 1 ppm or more, 0.5 ppm or more and 0.5 ppm or more, respectively.

Description

Beer-taste fermented beverage and method for producing the same CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-232427 (filing date: December 27, 2024), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The present invention relates to a beer-taste fermented beverage and a method for producing the same, and more particularly to a beer-taste fermented beverage with a reduced purine concentration and a method for producing the same.

[0003] It is said that in beer, which is a fermented malt beverage, purine compounds are present at about 4 to 10 mg / 100 mL (40,000 to 100,000 ppb). When purine compounds are ingested as food, they are decomposed into uric acid, which is said to contribute to an increase in uric acid levels. Therefore, for fermented malt beverages such as beer, products with reduced purine compounds that meet the health orientation of consumers are desired.

[0004] So far, technologies for reducing the concentration of purine compounds in fermented malt beverages such as beer have been developed (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). On the other hand, a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage with a reduced purine concentration and a rich taste is known (Patent Document 3).

[0005] International Publication No. 96 / 25483 JP-A-2004-290071 JP-A-2019-97414

[0006] The inventors of the present invention have found that in a beer-taste fermented beverage with a reduced purine concentration, the aroma of the entire beverage becomes weak due to the reduction of the purine concentration, and as a result, negative aromas stand out. The object of the present invention is to provide a novel beer-taste fermented beverage in which the deterioration of the aroma due to the reduction of the purine concentration is improved while the purine concentration is reduced.

[0007] The present invention provides the following: [1] A beer-flavored fermented beverage having a purine concentration of 5,000 ppb or less, wherein the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine is 2 ppm or more. [2] The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to [1] above, wherein the concentration of tyrosine is 1 ppm or more. [3] The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to [1] or [2] above, wherein the concentration of tryptophan is 0.5 ppm or more. [4] The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein the concentration of histidine is 0.5 ppm or more. [5] The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to any one of [1] to [4] above, wherein the alcohol concentration is 3.0 v / v% or more and 7.0 v / v% or less. [6] The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to any one of [1] to [5] above, wherein the malt usage ratio is 50% or more and 100% or less. [7] A beer-flavored fermented beverage according to any one of [1] to [6] above, wherein the malt usage ratio is 70% or more and 100% or less, and the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan and histidine is 8 ppm or more. [8] A method for producing a beer-flavored fermented beverage having a purine concentration of 5,000 ppb or less, comprising the step of adding tyrosine, tryptophan and / or histidine to the manufactured beverage so that the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan and histidine is 2 ppm or more. [9] A method for improving the flavor of a beer-flavored fermented beverage having a purine concentration of 5,000 ppb or less, comprising the step of adding tyrosine, tryptophan and / or histidine to the manufactured beverage so that the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan and histidine is 2 ppm or more.

[0008] According to the present invention, in a beer-flavored fermented beverage with reduced purine concentration, by setting the concentration of at least one of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine to a predetermined concentration, it is possible to provide a beer-flavored fermented beverage with good flavor while reducing the purine concentration.

[0009] In this invention, "beer-flavored beverage" means a beverage having a beer-like flavor. In this invention, "beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage" means a beverage fermented with yeast using a carbon source, a nitrogen source, and water as raw materials, and includes beer and sparkling alcoholic beverages. A preferred embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage is a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage in which malt and / or ungerminated grains are used as at least part of the raw materials, and more preferably a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage in which malt is used as at least part of the raw materials. In this invention, "beer-flavored fermented non-alcoholic beverage" means a beverage produced by removing the alcohol component produced in a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage that has undergone a fermentation process using yeast, and a beverage produced by stopping the fermentation process at a stage where the ethanol concentration is less than 1 v / v%. In this invention, "beer-flavored fermented non-alcoholic beverage" includes beverages that contain no alcohol at all, i.e., beverages with an ethanol concentration of 0.00 v / v%, and beverages with an ethanol concentration greater than 0.00 v / v% and less than 1 v / v%. In this invention, the term "beer-flavored fermented beverage" includes both "beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverages" and "beer-flavored fermented non-alcoholic beverages."

[0010] In this invention, "low-malt beer" includes beverages containing distilled alcohol as an ingredient, as well as those that do not contain malt or hops. In this invention, "beer" can be defined as a beverage made by fermenting malt, hops, and water, or a beverage made by fermenting malt, hops, water, and certain auxiliary ingredients, and that satisfies the following two conditions (limited to those with an alcohol content of less than 20%) (see the Liquor Tax Act (Law No. 6 of 1953), which came into effect on October 1, 2024): • The malt ratio is 50% or more. • The weight of the fruit used (including dried, boiled, or concentrated fruit juice) and certain flavorings does not exceed 5% of the weight of the malt (including those not used).

[0011] When the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention uses malt as at least part of its raw materials, the malt usage ratio is, for example, more than 0%, 5% or less, 5% or more, 10% or less, 10% or more, 12.5% ​​or less, 12.5% ​​or more, 15% or less, 15% or more, 17.5% or less, 17.5% or more, 20% or less, 20% or more, 22.5% or less, 22.5% or more, 25% or less, 25% or more, 27%. 5% or less, 27.5% or more, 30% or less, 30% or more, 32.5% or less, 32.5% or more, 35% or less, 35% or more, 37.5% or less, 37.5% or more, 40% or less, 40% or more, 4 2.5% or less, 42.5% or more, 45% or less, 45% or more, 47.5% or less, 47.5% or more, 50% or less, 50% or more, 52.5% or less, 52.5% or more, 55% or less, 55% or more , 57.5% or less, 57.5% or more, 60% or less, 60% or more, 62.5% or less, 62.5% or more, 65% or less, 65% or more, 67.5% or less, 67.5% or more, 70% or less, 70% or more, 72.5% or less, 72.5% or more, 75% or less, 75% or more, 77.5% or less, 77.5% or more, 80% or less, 80% or more, 82.5% or less, 82.5% or more, 85% or less, 8 The malt content can be 5% or more, 87.5% or less, 87.5% or more, 90% or less, 90% or more, 92.5% or less, 92.5% or more, 95% or less, 95% or more, 97.5% or more, 100% or less, or 100%, preferably 50% or more, 60% or more, 70% or more, 80% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 100% or less, or 100%. These upper and lower limits can be combined arbitrarily, "or less" can be changed to "less than", and "or more" can be changed to "greater than". In this invention, "malt usage ratio" refers to the ratio of the mass of malt to the mass of all raw materials excluding hops and brewing water.

[0012] The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can use, for example, barley malt or wheat malt as malt, and may use one type of malt or a combination of multiple types of malt. In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the ratio of barley malt (mass) to raw malt (mass) is, for example, 0%, 0% or more, 10% or more, 10% or less, 12.5% ​​or more, 12.5% ​​or less, 15% or more, 15% or less, 17.5% or more, 17.5% or less, 20% or more, 20% or less, 22.5% or more, 22.5% or less, 25% or more, 25% or less, 27.5% or more, 27.5% or less, 30% or more, 30% or less, 32.5% or more, 32.5% or less, 35% or more, 35% or less, 37.5% or more, 37.5% or less, 40% or more, 40% or less, 42.5% or more, 42.5% or less, 45% or more, 45% or less, 47.5% or more, 47.5% or less, 50% or more, 50% or less. It can be 52.5% or more, 52.5% or less, 55% or more, 55% or less, 57.5% or more, 57.5% or less, 60% or more, 62.5% or more, 62.5% or less, 65% or more, 65% or less, 67.5% or more, 67.5% or less, 70% or more, 70% or less, 72.5% or more, 72.5% or less, 75% or more, 75% or less, 77.5% or more, 77.5% or less, 80% or more, 80% or less, 82.5% or more, 82.5% or less, 85% or more, 85% or less, 87.5% or more, 87.5% or less, 90% or more, 90% or less, 92.5% or more, 92.5% or less, 95% or more, 95% or less, 97.5% or more, 97.5% or less, 100% or less, or 100%. These upper and lower limits can be combined in any way; "less than or equal to" can be changed to "less than," and "greater than or equal to" can be changed to "greater than."In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the proportion of wheat malt (mass) to the total mass of raw malt is, for example, 0%, 0% or more, 10% or more, 10% or less, 12.5% ​​or more, 12.5% ​​or less, 15% or more, 15% or less, 17.5% or more, 17.5% or less, 20% or more, 20% or less, 22.5% or more, 22.5% or less, 25% or more, 25% or less, 27.5% or more, 27.5% or less, 30% or more, 30% or less, 32.5% or more, 32.5% or less, 35% or more, 35% or less, 37.5% or more, 37.5% or less, 40% or more, 40% or less, 42.5% or more, 42.5% or less, 45% or more, 45% or less, 47.5% or more, 47.5% or less, 50% or more, 50% The following percentages may be 52.5% or more, 52.5% or less, 55% or more, 55% or less, 57.5% or more, 57.5% or less, 60% or more, 62.5% or more, 62.5% or less, 65% or more, 65% or less, 67.5% or more, 67.5% or less, 70% or more, 70% or less, 72.5% or more, 72.5% or less, 75% or more, 75% or less, 77.5% or more, 77.5% or less, 80% or more, 80% or less, 82.5% or more, 82.5% or less, 85% or more, 85% or less, 87.5% or more, 87.5% or less, 90% or more, 92.5% or more, 92.5% or less, 95% or more, 95% or less, 97.5% or more, 97.5% or less, 100% or less, or 100%. In the above, "greater than or equal to" can be written as "greater than or equal to". These upper and lower limits can be combined in any way, "less than or equal to" can be written as "less than", and "greater than or equal to" can be written as "greater than or equal to".

[0013] The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can use dark malt as part of the malt raw material. In this specification, "dark malt" refers to malt that has been roasted at a relatively high temperature (for example, about 120°C or higher) during the production of malt from barley, resulting in a dark brown color. Non-limiting examples of dark malt include caramel malt and black malt. Generally, dark malt tends to be darker in color the higher the roasting temperature.

[0014] The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention may also contain malts other than dark malt, such as pale malt (base malt). Non-limiting examples of pale malt include pale malt (barley malt), pilsner malt (barley malt), and wheat malt (wheat malt).

[0015] The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention may preferably use dark malt as part of the malt ingredients, in which case the malt other than dark malt may include light malt.

[0016] In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the ratio of dark malt (mass) to total malt raw materials (mass) is, for example, 0%, 0% or more, 1% or more, 1% or less, 2% or more, 2% or less, 3% or more, 3% or less, 4% or more, 4% or less, 5% or more, 5% or less, 6% or more, 6% or less, 7% or more, 7% or less, 8% or more, 8% or less, 9% or more, 9% or less, 10% or more, 10% or less, 12.5% ​​or more. 12.5% ​​or less, 15% or more, 15% or less, 17.5% or more, 17.5% or less, 20% or more, 20% or less, 22.5% or more, 22.5% or less, 25% or more, 25% or less, 27.5% or more, 27.5% or less, 30% or more, 30% or less, 32.5% or more, 32.5% or less, 35% or more, 35% or less, 37.5% or more, 37.5% or less, 40% or more, 40% or less, 42.5% or more, 4 2.5% or less, 45% or more, 45% or less, 47.5% or more, 47.5% or less, 50% or more, 50% or less, 52.5% or more, 52.5% or less, 55% or more, 55% or less, 57.5% or more, 5 7.5% or less, 60% or more, 60% or less, 62.5% or more, 62.5% or less, 65% or more, 65% or less, 67.5% or more, 67.5% or less, 70% or more, 70% or less, 72.5% or more, 72 The upper and lower limits can be any combination of these values, "less than or equal to" can be changed to "less than", and "greater than or equal to" can be changed to "greater than".

[0017] In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the ratio of pale malt (mass) to total malt raw materials (mass) is, for example, 0%, 0% or more, 10% or more, 10% or less, 12.5% ​​or more, 12.5% ​​or less, 15% or more, 15% or less, 17.5% or more, 17.5% or less, 20% or more, 20% or less, 22.5% or more, 22.5% or less, 25% or more, 25% or less, 27.5% or more, 27.5% or less, 30% or more, 30% or less, 32.5% or more, 32.5% or less, 35% or more, 35% or less, 37.5% or more, 37.5% or less, 40% or more, 40% or less, 42.5% or more, 42.5% or less, 45% or more, 45% or less, 47.5% or more, 47.5% or less, 50% or more, 50% or less Lower, 52.5% or more, 52.5% or less, 55% or more, 55% or less, 57.5% or more, 57.5% or less, 60% or more, 60% or less, 62.5% or more, 62.5% or less , 65% or more, 65% or less, 67.5% or more, 67.5% or less, 70% or more, 70% or less, 72.5% or more, 72.5% or less, 75% or more, 75% or less, 77.5 The upper and lower limits can be any combination of these values, "less than or equal to" can be "less than", and "greater than or equal to" can be "greater than".

[0018] The beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention may also be made without using malt as an ingredient, in which case the malt usage ratio is 0%.

[0019] The alcohol concentration of the beer of the present invention can be set arbitrarily. %、0.05v / v%、0.1v / v%、0.2v / v%、0.3v / v%、0.4v / v%、0.5v / v%、0.6 / v%0. v / v%、0.8v / v%、0.9v / v%、1.0v / v%、1.1v / v%、1.2v / v%、1.3v / v%、1.1v / v%、1.2v / v% . 、2.3v / v%、2.4v / v%、2.5v / v%、2.6v / v%、2.7v / v%、2.8v / v%、2.9v / v%、2.9 / / v% v%、3.1v / v%、3.2v / v%、3.3v / v%、3.4v / v%、3.5v / v%、3.5v / v%、3.7v / v%、3.8v / v% or 4.0v / v%. .9v / v%, 10.8v / v%, 10.7v / v%, 10.6v / v%, 10.5v / v%, 10.4v / v%, 10.3v / v%, 10.2v / v%, 10.1v / v%, 10.0v / v%, 9.9v / v%, 9.8v / v%, 9.7v / v%, 9.6v / v%, 9.5v / v%, 9.4v / v%, 9.3v / v%, 9.2v / v%, 9.1v / v%, 9.0v / v%, 8.9v / v%, 8.8v / v%, 8.7v / v%, 8.6v / v%, 8.5v / v%, 8.4v / v%, 8.3v / v%, 8.2v / v%, 8.1v / v%, 8.0v / v%, 7.9v / v%, 7.8v / v%, 7.7v / v%, 7.6v / v%, 7.5v / v%, 7.4v / v%, 7.3v / v%, 7.2v / v%, 7.1v / v%, 7.0v / v%, 6.9v / v%, 6.8v / v%, 6.7v / v%, 6.6v / v%, 6.5v / v%, 6.4v / v%,6.3v / v%,6.2v / v%,6.1v / v%,6.0v / v%,5.9v / v%,5.8v / v%,5.7v / v%,5.6v / v%,5.5v / v%,5.4v / v%,5.3v / v%,5.2v / v%,5.1v / v%,5.0v / v%,4.9v / v%,The alcohol content can be 4.8 v / v%, 4.7 v / v%, 4.6 v / v%, 4.5 v / v%, 4.4 v / v%, 4.3 v / v%, 4.2 v / v%, 4.1 v / v%, or 4.0 v / v%. These lower and upper limits can be combined in any way, and the alcohol concentration of the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 1.0 v / v% or more and 10.0 v / v% or less, preferably 2.0 v / v% or more and 8.0 v / v% or less, and more preferably 3.0 v / v% or more and 7.0 v / v% or less. The alcohol concentration of the beer-flavored fermented non-alcoholic beverage of the present invention is less than 1.00 v / v%, and can be, for example, 0.001 v / v% or more and less than 1 v / v%, 0.001 v / v% or more and 0.5 v / v%, 0.001 v / v% or more and 0.1 v / v%, or 0.001% or less. "or less" can be written as "less than".

[0020] Methods for measuring the alcohol concentration (ethanol concentration) in beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverages are widely known to those skilled in the art, and for example, the alcohol concentration can be measured by the method described in the "National Tax Agency's prescribed analytical method." The alcohol concentration (ethanol concentration) of beer-flavored fermented non-alcoholic beverages can be measured by gas chromatography (GC) with an FID (flame ionization detector) (hereinafter also referred to as "GC / FID"). In this case, for more accurate concentration measurement, it is desirable to use a calibration curve created based on the measurement values ​​of several control samples with known concentrations. It is preferable that these control samples with known concentrations are within the same range as the concentration being measured. It is also preferable to use an internal standard substance, and an example of an internal standard substance is 2-propanol.

[0021] The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention has a reduced purine concentration, or a reduced concentration of any one of adenine, guanine, xanthine, and hypoxanthine, or any combination thereof (in this specification, "purine concentration" refers to the total concentration of the four purine bases: adenine, guanine, xanthine, and hypoxanthine). The purine concentration of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 10,000 ppb or less, 9,000 ppb or more, 9,000 ppb or less, 8,000 ppb or more, 8,000 ppb or less, 7,000 ppb or more, 7,000 ppb or less, 6,000 ppb or more, 6,000 ppb or less, 5,000 ppb or more, 5,000 ppb or less, 4,000 ppb or more, 4,000 ppb or less, 3,000 ppb or more, or 3,000 ppb or less. These lower and upper limits can be combined arbitrarily, "or less" can be changed to "less than", and "or more" can be changed to "greater than". Beverages with a purine concentration of less than 5,000 ppb correspond to "purine-free beverages". In the present invention, "ppb" is synonymous with "μg / L".

[0022] The adenine concentration of the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is, for example, 1,000 ppb or less, 900 ppb or more, 900 ppb or less, 800 ppb or more, 800 ppb or less, 700 ppb or more, 700 ppb or less, 600 ppb or more, 600 ppb or less, 500 ppb or more, 500 ppb or less, 450 ppb or more, 450 ppb or less, 400 ppb or more, 400 ppb or less, and 350 ppb. The upper and lower limits can be any combination of these values, and "less than or equal to" can be changed to "less than," and "greater than or equal to."

[0023] The guanine concentration of the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is, for example, 4,000 ppb or less, 3,500 ppb or less, 3,400 ppb or more, 3,400 ppb or less, 3,300 ppb or more, 3,300 ppb or less, 3,200 ppb or more, 3,200 ppb or less, 3,100 ppb or more, 3,100 ppb or less, 3,000 ppb or more, 3,000 ppb or less, 2,000 ppb or more, 2,000 ppb or less, 1,900 ppb or more, 1,900 ppb or less, 1,800 ppb or more, 1,800 ppb or less, 1,70 The lower and upper limits can be 0 ppb or more, 1,700 ppb or less, 1,600 ppb or more, 1,600 ppb or less, 1,500 ppb or more, 1,500 ppb or less, 1,400 ppb or more, 1,400 ppb or less, 1,300 ppb or more, 1,300 ppb or less, 1,200 ppb or more, 1,200 ppb or less, 1,100 ppb or more, 1,100 ppb or less, 1,000 ppb or more, 1,000 ppb or less, 500 ppb or more, 500 ppb or less, 100 ppb or more, 100 ppb or less, 50 ppb or more, or 50 ppb or less. These lower and upper limits can be combined in any way, "or less" can be changed to "less than", and "or greater than" can be changed to "greater than".

[0024] The xanthine concentration of the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 2,000 ppb or less, 1,500 ppb or more, 1,500 ppb or less, 1,000 ppb or more, 1,000 ppb or less, 900 ppb or more, 900 ppb or less, 800 ppb or more, 800 ppb or less, 700 ppb or more, 700 ppb or less, 600 ppb or more, 600 ppb or less, 500 ppb or more, 500 ppb or less, 400 ppb or more, 400 ppb or less, 300 ppb or more, 300 ppb or less, 200 ppb or more, 200 ppb or less, 100 ppb or more, 100 ppb or less, 50 ppb or more, or 50 ppb or less. These lower and upper limits can be combined in any way; "less than or equal to" can be changed to "less than," and "greater than or equal to" can be changed to "greater than."

[0025] The hypoxanthine concentration of the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is, for example, 1,500 ppb or less, 1,000 ppb or more, 1,000 ppb or less, 950 ppb or more, 950 ppb or less, 900 ppb or more, 900 ppb or less, 850 ppb or more, 850 ppb or less, 800 ppb or more, 800 ppb or less, 750 ppb or more, 750 ppb or less, 700 ppb or more, 700 ppb or less, 650 ppb or more, 650 ppb or less, 600 ppb or more, 600 ppb The following limits may be set: 550 ppb or more, 550 ppb or less, 500 ppb or more, 500 ppb or less, 450 ppb or more, 450 ppb or less, 400 ppb or more, 400 ppb or less, 350 ppb or more, 350 ppb or less, 300 ppb or more, 300 ppb or less, 250 ppb or more, 250 ppb or less, 200 ppb or more, 200 ppb or less, 150 ppb or more, 150 ppb or less, 100 ppb or more, 100 ppb or less, 50 ppb or more, or 50 ppb or less. These lower and upper limits can be combined in any way, "or less" can be changed to "less than", and "or more" can be changed to "greater than".

[0026] The concentrations of adenine, guanine, xanthine, and hypoxanthine can be measured by known methods, for example, by detecting them using LC-MS / MS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) after hydrolysis with perchloric acid (see Journal of Food Hygiene 55(2):110-116 (2014)). Furthermore, the purine concentration can be calculated as the total concentration of the four purine bases: adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine.

[0027] The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention may have a reduced carbohydrate concentration. Specifically, the carbohydrate concentration of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention may be 2.0 g / 100 mL or less, 1.9 g / 100 mL or less, 1.8 g / 100 mL or less, 1.7 g / 100 mL or less, 1.6 g / 100 mL or less, 1.5 g / 100 mL or less, 1.4 g / 100 mL or less, 1.3 g / 100 mL or less, 1.2 g / 100 mL or less, 1.1 g / 100 mL or less, 1.0 g / 100 mL or more, 1.0 g / 100 mL or less, 0 The lower and upper limits can be any combination of these values, "less than or equal to" can be changed to "less than", and "greater than or equal to" can be changed to "greater than". Beverages with a carbohydrate concentration of less than 0.5 g / 100 mL are classified as "zero carbohydrate beverages".

[0028] The carbohydrate concentration can be measured by known methods, and can be calculated by subtracting the amounts of water, protein, lipids, ash, and dietary fiber from the mass of the sample to be measured (see the Nutritional Labeling Standards (Partial Amendment of Consumer Affairs Agency Notification No. 9, December 16, 2009)).

[0029] In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine can be set to a predetermined value. Specifically, the lower limit (greater than or equal to) of the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be 2.0 ppm, and can be 3.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm, 15.0 ppm, 16.0 ppm, 17.0 ppm, 18 It can also be 0 ppm, 19.0 ppm, 20.0 ppm, 21.0 ppm, 22.0 ppm, 23.0 ppm, 24.0 ppm, 25.0 ppm, 26.0 ppm, 27.0 ppm, 28.0 ppm, 29.0 ppm, 30.0 ppm, 31.0 ppm, 32.0 ppm, 33.0 ppm, 34.0 ppm, 35.0 ppm, 36.0 ppm, 37.0 ppm, 38.0 ppm, 39.0 ppm, or 40.0 ppm. Furthermore, the upper limit (less than or equal to) of the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 200.0 ppm, 195.0 ppm, 190.0 ppm, 185.0 ppm, 180.0 ppm, 175.0 ppm, 170.0 ppm, 165.0 ppm, 160.0 ppm, 155.0 ppm, 150.0 ppm, 145.0 ppm, 140.0 ppm, 135.0 ppm, 130.0 ppm, 1 It can also be 25.0 ppm, 120.0 ppm, 115.0 ppm, 110.0 ppm, 105.0 ppm, 100.0 ppm, 95.0 ppm, 90.0 ppm, 85.0 ppm, 80.0 ppm, 75.0 ppm, 70.0 ppm, 65.0 ppm, 60.0 ppm, 55.0 ppm, 50.0 ppm, 45.0 ppm, 40.0 ppm, 35.0 ppm, 30.0 ppm, 25.0 ppm, 20.0 ppm, 15.0 ppm, or 10.0 ppm.These lower and upper limits can be combined arbitrarily, and the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 2.0 ppm to 200.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 200.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 200.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 200.0 ppm, 20.0 ppm to 200.0 ppm, 40.0 ppm to 200.0 ppm, 60.0 ppm to 200.0 ppm, 100.0 ppm to 200.0 ppm, and 2.0 ppm to 10 It can be 0.0 ppm or less, 5.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 20.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 40.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 60.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 60.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 60.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 60.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 60.0 ppm, 20.0 ppm to 60.0 ppm, or 40.0 ppm to 60.0 ppm. The total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine can be calculated by adding up the concentrations of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine in the beverage. In this invention, "ppm" is synonymous with "mg / L".

[0030] In an embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, where the malt usage ratio is 70% or more, and the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 8.0 ppm, the deterioration of flavor due to the reduction in purine concentration is well improved despite the reduction in purine concentration. In another embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, where the malt usage ratio is 50% or more and less than 70% (preferably 60% or more and less than 70%), and the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 2.0 ppm, the deterioration of flavor due to the reduction in purine concentration is well improved despite the reduction in purine concentration. Specifically, in these beverages, the sourness caused by the reduction in purine concentration and the weakness of the beer-like sweetness caused by the reduction in purine concentration are well improved. In other words, for beer-flavored fermented beverages of the present invention with a malt usage ratio of 70% or more, the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine in the beverage can be set to a concentration of 8.0 ppm or higher. Furthermore, for beer-flavored fermented beverages of the present invention with a malt usage ratio of 50% or more and less than 70% (preferably 60% or more and less than 70%), the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine in the beverage can be set to a concentration of 2.0 ppm or higher.

[0031] In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the tyrosine concentration can be set to a predetermined value. Specifically, the lower limit (greater than or equal to) of the tyrosine concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be 0.0 ppm, and can also be 0.5 ppm, 1.0 ppm, 1.5 ppm, 2.0 ppm, 2.5 ppm, 3.0 ppm, 3.5 ppm, 4.0 ppm, 4.5 ppm, 5.0 ppm, 5.5 ppm, 6.0 ppm, 6.5 ppm, 7.0 ppm, 7.5 ppm, 8.0 ppm, 8.5 ppm, 9.0 ppm, 9.5 ppm, or 10.0 ppm.Furthermore, the upper limit (less than or equal to) of the tyrosine concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 100.0 ppm, 99.0 ppm, 98.0 ppm, 97.0 ppm, 96.0 ppm, 95.0 ppm, 94.0 ppm, 93.0 ppm, 92.0 ppm, 91.0 ppm, 90.0 ppm, 89.0 ppm, 88.0 ppm, 87.0 ppm, 86.0 ppm, 85.0 ppm, 84.0 ppm, 83.0 ppm, 82.0ppm, 81.0ppm, 80.0ppm, 79.0ppm, 78.0ppm, 77.0ppm, 76.0ppm, 75.0ppm, 74.0ppm, 73.0ppm, 72.0ppm, 71.0ppm, 70. 0ppm, 69.0ppm, 68.0ppm, 67.0ppm, 66.0ppm, 65.0ppm, 64.0ppm, 63.0ppm, 62.0ppm, 61.0ppm, 60.0ppm, 59.0ppm, 58.0ppm m, 57.0ppm, 56.0ppm, 55.0ppm, 54.0ppm, 53.0ppm, 52.0ppm, 51.0ppm, 50.0ppm, 49.0ppm, 48.0ppm, 47.0ppm, 46.0ppm, 4 5.0ppm, 44.0ppm, 43.0ppm, 42.0ppm, 41.0ppm, 40.0ppm, 39.0ppm, 38.0ppm, 37.0ppm, 36.0ppm, 35.0ppm, 34.0ppm, 33.0 It can also be ppm, 32.0 ppm, 31.0 ppm, 30.0 ppm, 29.0 ppm, 28.0 ppm, 27.0 ppm, 26.0 ppm, 25.0 ppm, 24.0 ppm, 23.0 ppm, 22.0 ppm, 21.0 ppm, 20.0 ppm, 19.0 ppm, 18.0 ppm, 17.0 ppm, 16.0 ppm, 15.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm, or 10.0 ppm.These lower and upper limits can be combined arbitrarily, and the tyrosine concentration of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 0.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 20.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 30.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, 55.0 ppm to 100.0 ppm, or 0.0 ppm to 55.0 ppm. The following ranges are possible: 1.0 ppm to 55.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 55.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 55.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 55.0 ppm, 20.0 ppm to 55.0 ppm, 30.0 ppm to 55.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, or 20.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm.

[0032] In an embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, where the malt usage ratio is 70% or more, and the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the tyrosine concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 4.0 ppm, the deterioration of flavor due to the reduction in purine concentration is well improved despite the reduction in purine concentration. In another embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, where the malt usage ratio is 50% or more and less than 70% (preferably 60% or more and less than 70%), and the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the tyrosine concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 1.0 ppm, the deterioration of flavor due to the reduction in purine concentration is well improved despite the reduction in purine concentration. Specifically, in these beverages, the sourness caused by the reduction in purine concentration and the weakness of the beer-like sweetness caused by the reduction in purine concentration are well improved. In other words, for beer-flavored fermented beverages of the present invention that have a malt usage ratio of 70% or more, the lower limit of the tyrosine concentration in the beverage (above or above) can be set to a concentration of 4.0 ppm or higher. Furthermore, for beer-flavored fermented beverages of the present invention that have a malt usage ratio of 50% or more and less than 70% (preferably 60% or more and less than 70%), the lower limit of the tyrosine concentration in the beverage (above or above) can be set to a concentration of 1.0 ppm or higher.

[0033] In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the concentration of tryptophan can be set to a predetermined value. Specifically, the lower limit (greater than or equal to) of the tryptophan concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be 0.0 ppm, and can also be 0.5 ppm, 1.0 ppm, 1.5 ppm, 2.0 ppm, 2.5 ppm, 3.0 ppm, 3.5 ppm, 4.0 ppm, 4.5 ppm, 5.0 ppm, 5.5 ppm, 6.0 ppm, 6.5 ppm, 7.0 ppm, 7.5 ppm, 8.0 ppm, 8.5 ppm, 9.0 ppm, 9.5 ppm, or 10.0 ppm. Furthermore, the upper limit (less than or equal to) of the tryptophan concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 50.0 ppm, and also 49.0 ppm, 48.0 ppm, 47.0 ppm, 46.0 ppm, 45.0 ppm, 44.0 ppm, 43.0 ppm, 42.0 ppm, 41.0 ppm, 40.0 ppm, 39.0 ppm, 38.0 ppm, 37.0 ppm, 36.0 ppm, 35.0 ppm, 34.0 ppm, 33.0 ppm, 32.0 ppm, and 31.0 ppm. It can also be 30.0 ppm, 29.0 ppm, 28.0 ppm, 27.0 ppm, 26.0 ppm, 25.0 ppm, 24.0 ppm, 23.0 ppm, 22.0 ppm, 21.0 ppm, 20.0 ppm, 19.0 ppm, 18.0 ppm, 17.0 ppm, 16.0 ppm, 15.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm, or 5.0 ppm.These lower and upper limits can be combined arbitrarily, and the tryptophan concentration of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 0.0 ppm to 50.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 50.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 50.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 50.0 ppm, 15.0 ppm to 50.0 ppm, 20.0 ppm to 50.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, or 1.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm. The following ranges are possible: 2.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 15.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 5.0 ppm, 0.5 ppm to 5.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 5.0 ppm, or 2.0 ppm to 5.0 ppm.

[0034] In an embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, where the malt usage ratio is 70% or more and the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) the tryptophan concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 2.0 ppm, the deterioration of flavor due to the reduction in purine concentration is well improved despite the reduction in purine concentration. In another embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, where the malt usage ratio is 50% or more and less than 70% (preferably 60% or more and less than 70%) and the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) the tryptophan concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 0.5 ppm, the deterioration of flavor due to the reduction in purine concentration is well improved despite the reduction in purine concentration. Specifically, in these beverages, the sourness caused by the reduction in purine concentration and the weakness of the beer-like sweetness caused by the reduction in purine concentration are well improved. In other words, for beer-flavored fermented beverages of the present invention that have a malt usage ratio of 70% or more, the lower limit of the tryptophan concentration in the beverage (above or above) can be set to a concentration of 2.0 ppm or higher. Furthermore, for beer-flavored fermented beverages of the present invention that have a malt usage ratio of 50% or more and less than 70% (preferably 60% or more and less than 70%), the lower limit of the tryptophan concentration in the beverage (above or above) can be set to a concentration of 0.5 ppm or higher.

[0035] In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the concentration of histidine can be set to a predetermined value. Specifically, the lower limit (greater than or equal to) of the histidine concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be 0.0 ppm, and can also be 0.5 ppm, 1.0 ppm, 1.5 ppm, 2.0 ppm, 2.5 ppm, 3.0 ppm, 3.5 ppm, 4.0 ppm, 4.5 ppm, 5.0 ppm, 5.5 ppm, 6.0 ppm, 6.5 ppm, 7.0 ppm, 7.5 ppm, 8.0 ppm, 8.5 ppm, 9.0 ppm, 9.5 ppm, or 10.0 ppm. Furthermore, the upper limit (less than or equal to) of the histidine concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 50.0 ppm, and also 49.0 ppm, 48.0 ppm, 47.0 ppm, 46.0 ppm, 45.0 ppm, 44.0 ppm, 43.0 ppm, 42.0 ppm, 41.0 ppm, 40.0 ppm, 39.0 ppm, 38.0 ppm, 37.0 ppm, 36.0 ppm, 35.0 ppm, 34.0 ppm, 33.0 ppm, 32.0 ppm, 31.0 ppm, It can also be 30.0 ppm, 29.0 ppm, 28.0 ppm, 27.0 ppm, 26.0 ppm, 25.0 ppm, 24.0 ppm, 23.0 ppm, 22.0 ppm, 21.0 ppm, 20.0 ppm, 19.0 ppm, 18.0 ppm, 17.0 ppm, 16.0 ppm, 15.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm, or 5.0 ppm.These lower and upper limits can be combined arbitrarily, and the histidine concentration of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 0.0 ppm to 50.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 50.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 50.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 50.0 ppm, 15.0 ppm to 50.0 ppm, 20.0 ppm to 50.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, and 15.0 ppm or less. It can be set to 20.0 ppm or less, 0.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 10.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 10.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 10.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 10.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 5.0 ppm, 0.5 ppm to 5.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 5.0 ppm, or 2.0 ppm to 5.0 ppm.

[0036] In an embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, where the malt usage ratio is 70% or more, and the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the histidine concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 2.0 ppm, the deterioration of flavor due to the reduction in purine concentration is well improved despite the reduction in purine concentration. In another embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, where the malt usage ratio is 50% or more and less than 70% (preferably 60% or more and less than 70%), and the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the histidine concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 0.5 ppm, the deterioration of flavor due to the reduction in purine concentration is well improved despite the reduction in purine concentration. Specifically, in these beverages, the sourness caused by the reduction in purine concentration and the weakness of the beer-like sweetness caused by the reduction in purine concentration are well improved. In other words, for beer-flavored fermented beverages of the present invention that have a malt usage ratio of 70% or more, the lower limit of the histidine concentration in the beverage (above or below) can be set to a concentration of 2.0 ppm or higher. Furthermore, for beer-flavored fermented beverages of the present invention that have a malt usage ratio of 50% or more and less than 70% (preferably 60% or more and less than 70%), the lower limit of the histidine concentration in the beverage (above or below) can be set to a concentration of 0.5 ppm or higher.

[0037] The tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine contained in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention exist in both L- and D-forms. In the present invention, "tyrosine," "tryptophan," and "histidine" each refer to either the L-form or the D-form, and may be the L-form alone, the D-form alone, or a mixture of the L-form and the D-form. In one embodiment of the present invention, "tyrosine," "tryptophan," and "histidine" can be L-tyrosine, L-tryptophan, and L-histidine, respectively.

[0038] In this invention, in addition to adding tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine during the beverage manufacturing process, tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine can be incorporated into a beer-flavored fermented beverage by setting manufacturing conditions. Non-limiting examples of such manufacturing conditions include adjusting brewing conditions, increasing the amount of raw materials containing the substance, increasing the amount of raw materials that produce the substance in the final product, and adjusting the concentration of substances converted to the substance by yeast fermentation. In this invention, in addition to adding tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine during the beverage manufacturing process, tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine can also be incorporated into a beer-flavored fermented beverage by selecting raw materials. Non-limiting examples of raw materials containing tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine, and raw materials that produce tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine in the final product, include malt, sugars (e.g., liquid sugar), rice, corn grits, corn starch, and soybeans (e.g., hydrolyzed soybean protein).

[0039] In the production of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, when tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine are added, the tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine only need to be suitable for food production, and their form is not particularly limited as long as they are readily soluble in an aqueous solvent.

[0040] In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the concentrations of tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine can be quantified using commercially available instruments such as a high-speed amino acid analyzer (for example, the L-8900 (manufactured by Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation)).

[0041] The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is characterized by improved flavor despite reduced purine concentration, which can lead to a deterioration in taste. Beer-flavored fermented beverages with reduced purine concentration (particularly beer and low-malt beer) have had flavor issues, such as a strong sour taste due to the reduced purine concentration. The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention improves the sourness caused by the reduced purine concentration, thus solving the above-mentioned problem of beer-flavored fermented beverages with reduced purine concentration. Beer-flavored fermented beverages with reduced purine concentration (particularly beer and low-malt beer) also have had flavor issues, such as a weaker beer-like sweetness due to the reduced purine concentration. The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention improves the weaker beer-like sweetness caused by the reduced purine concentration, thus solving the above-mentioned problem of beer-flavored fermented beverages with reduced purine concentration. Here, "sourness" refers to the sour taste sensation felt when the beverage is consumed. "Sweetness as beer" refers to the rich, malty sweetness that spreads in the mouth when the beverage is consumed.

[0042] The beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is not limited in its manufacturing procedure, as long as the purine concentration is reduced to a predetermined level and tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine are contained at predetermined levels. For example, it can be manufactured as follows: Fermentation yeast is added to wort prepared from brewing raw materials such as malt, hops, adjuncts, and brewing water, and fermentation is carried out. The resulting fermented liquid is stored at a low temperature, the yeast is removed by a filtration process, and if necessary, it is further diluted to produce a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage. The reduction of purine concentration in the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage can be achieved according to the known methods described below. Furthermore, to ensure that the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage contains predetermined levels of tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine, as described above, this can be achieved by adding tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine during the beverage manufacturing process or by appropriately setting the raw materials or manufacturing conditions. In this way, a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage can be produced in which the purine concentration is reduced and the concentrations of tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine are at predetermined levels.

[0043] The beer-flavored fermented non-alcoholic beverage of the present invention can also be produced, for example, by removing alcohol from a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage after its production, or by stopping fermentation at a stage where the ethanol concentration is less than 1 v / v% during the fermentation process in the production of a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage. In this method, the concentrations of tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine can be adjusted at any stage of the production process, and can also be further adjusted by adding tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine.

[0044] As a method for removing alcohol from a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage, for example, (i) a method of removing alcohol and low-boiling components by distillation under reduced pressure or normal pressure, (ii) a method of removing alcohol and low-molecular components with a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, and (iii) a method of adsorbing and removing volatile components onto steam while using centrifugal force can be mentioned. In the present specification, a beer-taste fermented non-alcoholic beverage produced by removing alcohol from a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage may be referred to as a "de-alcoholized beverage", and the de-alcoholized beverage can be rephrased as a "beverage using a de-alcoholized wort fermentation broth as a raw material".

[0045] The reduction of the purine content in a beer-taste fermented beverage can be carried out according to known methods. Non-limiting examples of methods for reducing the purine content in a beer-taste fermented beverage include a method of reducing the purine content in the beverage by contacting the pre-fermentation liquid or fermentation liquid with an adsorbent such as activated carbon or zeolite (see JP-A-2003-169658, JP-A-2004-290071, JP-A-2004-290072, JP-A-2015-112090, etc.), a method of reducing the purine content in the beverage by using raw materials other than malt with a low purine content (e.g., soy protein, corn grits) (see JP-A-2014-117204, JP-A-2014-117205, etc.), and a method of performing an enzyme inactivation treatment to inactivate at least a part of the enzyme group derived from malt, and then performing a purine nucleosidase treatment on the charged liquid to reduce the yeast non-assimilable purine content in the wort (e.g., JP-A-2018-64502).

[0046] The reduction of the carbohydrate concentration in a beer-taste fermented beverage can be carried out according to known methods. Non-limiting examples of methods for reducing the carbohydrate concentration in a beer-taste fermented beverage include a method of adding glucoamylase during the saccharification process, a method of adding glucoamylase during the fermentation process (see, for example, "Enzyme Utilization Technology Series - From Basics and Analysis to Modification, High Functionality, and Industrial Application -" (supervised by Shinomiya, NTS Co., Ltd., 2010)), a method of reducing carbohydrates by enhancing the assimilability by yeast using liquid sugar rich in carbohydrates assimilable by yeast (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-131202), and a method of performing wort filtration during the saccharification process (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-147780).

[0047] In the above manufacturing procedure, the wort can be prepared according to a conventional method. For example, a mixture of brewing raw materials and brewing water can be saccharified, filtered to obtain wort, hops can be added to the wort, and then boiled, and the boiled wort can be cooled to prepare the wort. The addition of hops may be carried out during boiling. The wort can also be prepared by adding a commercially available enzyme preparation during the saccharification process. For example, a protease preparation can be used for protein decomposition, an α-amylase preparation, a glucoamylase preparation, a pullulanase preparation, etc. can be used for carbohydrate decomposition, a β-glucanase preparation, a cellulase preparation, etc. can be used for cellulose decomposition, or a mixed preparation of these can also be used.

[0048] In the production of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, in addition to malt, the following ingredients are used: unsprouted grains (e.g., unsprouted barley (including extract), unsprouted wheat (including extract)); rice, corn, sorghum, potatoes, starch, sugars (e.g., liquid sugar), dietary fiber (including dietary fiber contained in liquid sugar), fruits (e.g., fruit juice, concentrated fruit juice), coriander or its seeds, spices or their raw materials (e.g., pepper, cinnamon, sansho pepper), herbs (e.g., chamomile, sage, basil), vegetables (e.g., sweet potato, pumpkin), buckwheat. Alternatively, auxiliary ingredients such as sesame seeds, sugar-containing substances (e.g., honey, brown sugar), salt, miso, flowers, tea, coffee, cocoa (including preparations thereof), and marine products (e.g., oysters, kelp, wakame seaweed, bonito flakes); nitrogen sources such as protein hydrolysates and yeast extracts; other grains (e.g., soybeans); and other additives such as flavorings, colorings, foaming and foam retention enhancers, water conditioners, and fermentation aids may be used as brewing ingredients. However, the above are examples, and ingredients other than those listed above may be used in the production of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention.

[0049] In the production of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine can be incorporated into the beer-flavored fermented beverage at a predetermined concentration by using raw materials containing tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine (for example, malt, sugars (e.g., liquid sugar), rice, corn grits, corn starch, soybeans (e.g., hydrolyzed soybean protein)) as brewing ingredients. When the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is beer, tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine themselves cannot be incorporated as brewing ingredients for beer. However, according to the present invention, tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine can be incorporated into the beer at a predetermined concentration by selecting the brewing ingredients, which is advantageous in that it can improve the flavor of the beer.

[0050] The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention may use at least malt and hops as raw materials other than brewing water, and may also use sugars, rice, corn, starch, etc. as raw materials in some cases. It goes without saying that all-malt beer, among beer-flavored fermented beverages, can be produced from malt, hops, and water.

[0051] In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the concentration of ethyl acetate can be, for example, 100 ppm or less, and from the viewpoint of improving the intensity of flavor, freshness, and balance of aroma and taste, it is preferably 50 ppm or less, more preferably 40 ppm or less, and even more preferably 30 ppm or less. In addition, in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the concentration of ethyl acetate can be, for example, 1 ppm or more, 2 ppm or more, or 3 ppm or more. The ethyl acetate concentration of the beer-flavored fermented beverage can be adjusted by known methods (for example, by using yeast with low ethyl acetate production ability, or by adjusting brewing conditions such as fermentation temperature).

[0052] The concentration of ethyl acetate in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be measured by GC / FID as described in "8.22" of the BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (2013 revised and augmented edition). For example, the concentration of ethyl acetate can be determined by introducing the gas phase of a beer sample heated in a vial into the GC / FID, reading the area of ​​ethyl acetate from the gas chromatogram, and calculating the amount of each component from the ratio to the area of ​​the internal standard substance (n-butanol). In this case, for more accurate concentration measurement, it is desirable to use a calibration curve created based on the measured values ​​of several control samples with known concentrations.

[0053] In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the concentration of malic acid can be, for example, 20 ppm to 120 ppm, preferably 30 ppm to 100 ppm. The concentration of malic acid in the beer-flavored fermented beverage can be measured by the capillary electrophoresis method described in "8.24.2" of the BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (2013 revised and augmented edition).

[0054] In this invention, "bitterness value (BU)" refers to the value measured according to the method described in section 8.15 of the BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (2013 revised and augmented edition). Specifically, it can be determined by adding acid to a sample beverage, extracting with isooctane, measuring the absorbance of the isooctane layer (275 nm), and multiplying this measurement by 50.

[0055] The upper limit of the bitterness value (BU) of the beverage of the present invention can be 60, 50, 40, 30, 25, 22, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, or 10, and the lower limit can be 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, or 2. The range of the bitterness value (BU) of the beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 2 to 60, and from the viewpoint of obtaining a beer-tasting fermented beverage with a more preferable flavor, it can be, for example, 3 to 30, preferably 4 to 25, 5 to 22, or 5 to 20.

[0056] In the present invention, there are no particular limitations on the method for adjusting the bitterness value (BU), but a preferred method is to adjust the amount of hops and / or hop products used and / or the boiling time in the production of a beer-flavored fermented beverage. Generally, increasing the amount of hops and / or hop products used and / or the boiling time increases the concentration of iso-α acids, etc., in the beer-flavored fermented beverage produced, resulting in a higher BU of the beer-flavored fermented beverage. Conversely, decreasing the amount of hops and / or hop products used and / or the boiling time decreases the concentration of iso-α acids, etc., in the beer-flavored fermented beverage produced, resulting in a lower BU of the beer-flavored fermented beverage. Examples of hops used include fresh hops, hop pellets that have been pre-crushed and processed into pellets, hop pellets that contain a large amount of lupulin by sieving lupulin particles during processing, and hop extract obtained by extracting the bitter substances and essential oils of lupulin. Examples of hop products used include raw hops, hexahops, tetrahops, isomerized hop extract (isotope extract), etc.

[0057] The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can have a pH of 2.0 to 7.0, preferably 2.3 to 5.0, more preferably 3.0 to 4.7, and most preferably 3.5 to 4.5. The pH of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be adjusted using a pH adjusting agent. The pH of the beer-flavored fermented beverage can be measured using a commercially available pH meter (for example, HORIBA Scientific Benchtop pH Meter, HORIBA Advanced Technology Co., Ltd.).

[0058] The beverage provided by the present invention may be subjected to a carbon dioxide addition process, and further, after processes such as filling and sterilization, it can be provided as a packaged beverage. Sterilization may be performed before or after filling. In addition, if the pH of the beverage is adjusted to less than 4, the filling process can be performed directly without the sterilization process to produce a packaged beverage.

[0059] The container used for the beverage according to the present invention may be any container that is normally used for filling beverages, such as metal cans, barrels, plastic bottles (e.g., PET bottles, cups), paper containers, bottles, pouches, etc., but preferably metal cans / barrels, plastic bottles (e.g., PET bottles), or bottles.

[0060] In another aspect of the present invention, a method for producing a beer-flavored fermented beverage having a purine concentration of 5,000 ppb or less is provided, the method comprising the step of containing tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine in the produced beverage such that the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine is 8 ppm or more. According to the production method of the present invention, the flavor of the produced beer-flavored fermented beverage is improved. Here, "improved flavor" or "flavor enhancement" of the beer-flavored fermented beverage means that the deterioration of flavor due to the reduction of purine concentration (e.g., increased acidity, decreased sweetness as beer) in the beer-flavored fermented beverage is improved. The production method of the present invention can be carried out in accordance with the description of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention in addition to the above.

[0061] In another aspect of the present invention, a method for improving the flavor of a beer-flavored fermented beverage having a purine concentration of 5,000 ppb or less is provided, the method comprising the step of including tyrosine, tryptophan, and / or histidine in the manufactured beverage so that the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine is 8 ppm or more. According to the flavor improvement method, the flavor of a beer-flavored fermented beverage with reduced purine concentration can be improved. In addition to the above, the flavor improvement method of the present invention can be carried out in accordance with the description of the beer-flavored fermented beverage and its manufacturing method of the present invention.

[0062] The present invention will be described more specifically based on the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0063] Alcohol Concentration Measurement: The alcohol concentration (ethanol concentration) was measured using the method described in the "National Tax Agency's prescribed analytical method."

[0064] The concentrations of adenine, guanine, xanthine, and hypoxanthine were measured using LC-MS / MS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) after hydrolysis with perchloric acid (see Journal of Food Hygiene 55(2):110-116 (2014)). The purine concentration was calculated as the total concentration of the four purine bases: adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine.

[0065] The carbohydrate concentration, based on the nutritional labeling standards, was measured by subtracting the amounts of water, protein, lipids, ash, and dietary fiber from the mass of the sample beverage, in accordance with the method described in the known Fifth Revised Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan Analysis Manual.

[0066] Measurement of Tyrosine, Tryptophan, and Histidine Concentrations The concentrations of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine were measured using a high-speed amino acid analyzer L-8900 (Hitachi High-Tech Science Co., Ltd.) with the filtrate obtained by filtering the sample through a 0.45 μm filter used as the analytical sample solution. Calibration curves were created using standards during the measurement. Note that the above method for measuring tyrosine concentration does not distinguish between the L-form (CAS RN: 60-18-4) and the D-form (CAS RN: 556-02-5). The above method for measuring tryptophan concentration does not distinguish between the L-form (CAS RN: 73-22-3) and the D-form (CAS RN: 153-94-6). Furthermore, the above method for measuring histidine concentration does not distinguish between the L-isomer (CAS RN: 71-00-1) and the D-isomer (CAS RN: 351-50-8).

[0067] Example 1: Production and Evaluation of Beer-Flavored Fermented Beverages In Example 1, test samples of beer-flavored fermented beverages were prepared, and evaluation tests were conducted on each sample.

[0068] (1) Method A. Preparation of test samples (i) Test plots 1 to 17 Barley malt and dark malt were used as the main raw materials (malt usage ratio 90%). Enzyme preparations were used for saccharification, and the temperature and time of saccharification were adjusted, and wort was obtained by filtration. Specifically, 90 parts by mass of barley malt, a β-glucanase enzyme preparation and an enzyme preparation mainly composed of glucoamylase were added to 100 parts by mass of 50°C water and held for 30 minutes, then the temperature was raised to 64°C and held for 70 minutes. After that, the temperature was raised to 78°C and held for 5 minutes, and then the wort was obtained by filtration. Following the above wort preparation process, 10 parts by mass of hops and liquid sugar mainly composed of assimilated sugars were added to the obtained wort and boiled at 100°C for 90 minutes, then the wort was allowed to stand, the trebe was separated, and then it was cooled to obtain pre-fermentation liquid. Then, bottom-fermenting yeast was added to the pre-fermentation liquid, and primary fermentation and secondary fermentation were carried out according to the conventional method. Next, the fermented liquid after post-fermentation was stored at a lower temperature and filtered to produce a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage. Water and raw material alcohol (95%) were added to this beverage as appropriate to prepare base beverage A1 (test section 1 in Table 1-1), base beverage A2 (test section 110 in Table 1-1), and base beverage A3 (test section 14 in Table 1-1). Test samples from test sections 2 to 9 were prepared by adding tyrosine (L-isomer), tryptophan (L-isomer), and histidine (L-isomer) to base beverage A1 at the concentrations shown in Table 1-1, test sections 11 to 13 to base beverage A2, and test sections 15 to 17 to base beverage A3.

[0069] (ii) Test plots 18-20 Barley malt and dark malt were used as the main raw materials (malt usage ratio 60%). Enzyme preparations were used for saccharification, and the temperature and time of saccharification were adjusted, and wort was obtained by filtration. Specifically, 60 parts by mass of barley malt, a β-glucanase enzyme preparation and an enzyme preparation mainly composed of glucoamylase were added to 100 parts by mass of 50°C water and held for 30 minutes, then the temperature was raised to 64°C and held for 70 minutes. After that, the temperature was raised to 78°C and held for 5 minutes, and then the wort was obtained by filtration. Following the above wort preparation process, 40 parts by mass of hops and liquid sugar mainly composed of assimilated sugars were added to the obtained wort and boiled at 100°C for 90 minutes, then the wort was allowed to stand, the trebe was separated, and then it was cooled to obtain the pre-fermentation liquid. Then, bottom-fermenting yeast was added to the pre-fermentation liquid, and primary and secondary fermentation were carried out according to the conventional method. Next, the fermented liquid after post-fermentation was stored at a lower temperature and filtered to produce a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage. Water and raw material alcohol (95%) were added to this beverage as appropriate to prepare base beverage B (test section 18 in Table 1-2). Test samples for test sections 19 and 20 were prepared by adding tyrosine (L-isomer), tryptophan (L-isomer), and histidine (L-isomer) to base beverage B at the concentrations shown in Table 1-2.

[0070] (iii) Test plots 21-23 Barley malt and dark malt were used as the main raw materials (malt usage ratio 80%). Enzyme preparations were used for saccharification, and the temperature and time of saccharification were adjusted, and wort was obtained by filtration. Specifically, 80 parts by mass of barley malt, a β-glucanase enzyme preparation, and an enzyme preparation mainly composed of glucoamylase were added to 100 parts by mass of 50°C water and held for 30 minutes, then the temperature was raised to 64°C and held for 70 minutes. After that, the temperature was raised to 78°C and held for 5 minutes, and then the wort was filtered to obtain the wort. Following the above wort preparation process, 20 parts by mass of hops and liquid sugar mainly composed of assimilated sugars were added to the obtained wort and boiled at 100°C for 90 minutes, then the wort was allowed to stand, the trebe was separated, and then it was cooled to obtain the pre-fermentation liquid. Then, bottom-fermenting yeast was added to the pre-fermentation liquid, and primary and secondary fermentation were carried out according to the conventional method. Next, the fermented liquid after post-fermentation was stored at a lower temperature and filtered to produce a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage. Water and raw material ethanol (95%) were added to this beverage as appropriate to prepare base beverage C (test section 21 in Table 1-2). Test samples for test sections 22 and 23 were prepared by adding tyrosine (L-isomer), tryptophan (L-isomer), and histidine (L-isomer) to base beverage C at the concentrations shown in Table 1-2.

[0071] Evaluation tests were conducted for test sections 1-23 by five trained panelists. Specifically, three evaluation items—"sweetness as beer," "acidity," and "balance"—were evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5 points in 0.5 increments, and the average of the evaluation scores of the five panelists was calculated. Here, "sweetness as beer" refers to the rich, sweet aroma and flavor sensation derived from malt that spreads in the mouth. "Acidity" refers to the sour aroma and flavor sensation perceived in the mouth. "Balance" refers to a harmonious balance between sweetness and acidity as beer, where each element constituting the natural aroma and flavor of beer does not stand out, resulting in a well-rounded, beer-like flavor. Furthermore, the specific scoring criteria are as shown below. As a comparative example of test samples with a common base beverage, the scores for each evaluation item in test sections 1, 18, and 21 were set to 1.0 to unify the evaluation criteria among the panelists, and evaluations were conducted while comparing samples with the same base beverage. For samples with a score of 3.0 or higher, the evaluation items were judged to have a favorable effect; for samples with a score of 3.5 or higher, the evaluation items were judged to have a more favorable effect; and for samples with a score of 4.0 or higher, the evaluation items were judged to have an even more favorable effect. <Criteria for each score> 1: Equivalent to the comparative example 2: Slightly improved when compared with the comparative example 3: Improved when compared with the comparative example 4: Improved without comparison to the comparative example 5: Significantly improved without comparison to the comparative example

[0072] (2) Results The results are shown in Table 1. The base beverage tasted more acidic when the purine concentration was reduced (test groups 1, 18, and 21), but it was confirmed that the acidity tended to decrease when the concentrations of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine were increased (test groups 2-17, 19, 20, 22, and 23). The base beverage tasted less sweet as beer when the purine concentration was reduced (test groups 1, 18, and 21), but it was confirmed that the sweetness as beer tended to increase when the concentrations of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine were increased (test groups 2-17, 19, 20, 22, and 23).

[0073]

Claims

1. A beer-flavored fermented beverage having a purine concentration of 5,000 ppb or less, and a total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine of 2 ppm or more.

2. The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to claim 1, wherein the tyrosine concentration is 1 ppm or more.

3. The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the concentration of tryptophan is 0.5 ppm or higher.

4. The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the histidine concentration is 0.5 ppm or higher.

5. The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the alcohol concentration is 3.0 v / v% or more and 7.0 v / v% or less.

6. The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the malt usage ratio is 50% or more and 100% or less.

7. The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the malt usage ratio is 70% or more and 100% or less, and the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan, and histidine is 8 ppm or more.

8. A method for producing a beer-flavored fermented beverage having a purine concentration of 5,000 ppb or less, comprising the step of including tyrosine, tryptophan and / or histidine in the produced beverage such that the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan and histidine is 2 ppm or more.

9. A method for improving the flavor of a beer-flavored fermented beverage having a purine concentration of 5,000 ppb or less, comprising the step of adding tyrosine, tryptophan and / or histidine to the manufactured beverage so that the total concentration of tyrosine, tryptophan and histidine is 2 ppm or more.

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