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 aspartic acid and glutamic acid being 2 ppm or more. The concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid may be 1 ppm or more, respectively.

Description

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

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-232429 (filing date: December 27, 2024), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

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

[0003] It is said that about 4 to 10 mg / 100 mL (40,000 to 100,000 ppb) of purine compounds are present in beer, which is a fermented malt beverage. When ingested as food, purine compounds 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 No. 2004-290071 JP-A No. 2019-97414

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

[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 aspartic acid and glutamic acid is 2 ppm or more. [2] The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to [1], wherein the concentration of aspartic acid is 1 ppm or more. [3] The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to [1] or [2], wherein the concentration of glutamic acid is 1 ppm or more. [4] The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the alcohol concentration is 3.0 v / v% or more and 7.0 v / v% or less. [5] The beer-flavored fermented beverage according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the malt usage ratio is 50% or more and 100% or less. [6] A method for producing a beer-flavored fermented beverage having a purine concentration of 5,000 ppb or less, comprising the step of adding aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid to the produced beverage so that the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid is 2 ppm or more. [7] 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 aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid to the produced beverage so that the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid 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 aspartic acid and glutamic acid 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 a combination of some or all of these (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 can be, 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, 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, 50 ppb or less, 40 ppb or more, 40 ppb or less, 30 ppb or more, 30 ppb or less, 20 ppb or more, or 20 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."

[0023] The guanine concentration of the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention is, for example, 4,000 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, 1,700 ppb or more, 1,700 ppb or less, 1,600 ppb or more, 1,600 ppb or less, and 1,500 ppb or less. The upper limit can be 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 more" 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, 1,000 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 arbitrarily, "or less" can be changed to "less than", and "or more" can be changed to "greater than".

[0025] The hypoxanthine concentration of the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be 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, 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; "less than or equal to" can be changed to "less than," and "greater than or equal to" 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 aspartic acid and glutamic acid can be set to a predetermined value. Specifically, the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be 2.0 ppm, and can also be 2.5 ppm, 3.0 ppm, 3.2 ppm, 3.5 ppm, 3.6 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, 10.0 ppm, 10.5 ppm, 11.0 ppm, 11.5 ppm, 12.0 ppm, 12.5 ppm, 13.0 ppm, 13.5 ppm, or 14.0 ppm. Furthermore, the upper limit (less than or equal to) of the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 30.0 ppm, and can also be 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, 19.5 ppm, 19.0 ppm, 18.5 ppm, 18.0 ppm, 17.5 ppm, 17.0 ppm, 16.5 ppm, 16.0 ppm, 15.6 ppm, 15.5 ppm, 15.2 ppm, or 15.0 ppm. These lower and upper limits can be combined arbitrarily, and the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention may be, for example, 2.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm,7.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 2 0.0 ppm or less, 8.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm and above 8.0 ppm or less, 9.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm,9.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 4 0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm m or more and 16.0 ppm or less, 13.0 ppm or more and 16.0 ppm or less, 14.0 ppm or more and 16.0 ppm or less, 2.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 3.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 4.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 5.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 6.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 7.0 ppm or more and 1 The concentration can be 5.0 ppm or less, 8.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, or 14.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm. The total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid can be calculated by adding the concentrations of aspartic acid and glutamic acid 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 90% or more, and the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 9 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 90% (preferably 60% or more and less than 90%, 50% or more and 80%, or 60% or more and 80%), and the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 4 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 off-flavors caused by the reduction in purine concentration and the weakness of the beer-like umami 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 90% or more, the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid in the beverage can be set to a concentration of 9 ppm or higher. Furthermore, for beer-flavored fermented beverages of the present invention with a malt usage ratio of 50% or more but less than 90% (preferably 60% or more but less than 90%, 50% or more but 80%, or 60% or more but 80%), the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid in the beverage can be set to a concentration of 4 ppm or higher.

[0031] In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the concentration of aspartic acid can be set to a predetermined value. Specifically, the lower limit (greater than or equal to) of the concentration of aspartic acid 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, 10.0 ppm, 10.5 ppm, 11.0 ppm, 11.5 ppm, 12.0 ppm, 12.5 ppm, 13.0 ppm, 13.5 ppm, or 14.0 ppm. Furthermore, the upper limit (less than or equal to) of the aspartic acid concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 30.0 ppm, and can also be 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, 19.5 ppm, 19.0 ppm, 18.5 ppm, 18.0 ppm, 17.5 ppm, 17.0 ppm, 16.5 ppm, 16.0 ppm, 15.5 ppm, or 15.0 ppm. These lower and upper limits can be combined arbitrarily, and the aspartic acid concentration of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 0.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, or 8.0 ppm. Above 30.0 ppm or less, 9.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm,5.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm or more 20.0 ppm or less, 4.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm 2.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm or more 18.0 ppm or less, 1.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm,14.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm pm or less, 11.0 to 17.0 ppm, 12.0 to 17.0 ppm, 13.0 to 17.0 ppm, 14.0 to 17.0 ppm, 0.0 to 16.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm or more 16.0ppm or less, 2.0ppm or more and 16.0ppm or less, 3.0ppm or more and 16.0ppm or less, 4.0ppm or more and 16.0ppm or less, 5.0ppm or more and 16.0ppm or less, 6.0ppm or more and 16.0ppm or less, 7.0ppm or less Above 16.0 ppm or less, 8.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, The concentration can be set to 4.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 5.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 6.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 7.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 8.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 9.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 10.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 11.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 12.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 13.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, or 14.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less.

[0032] In an embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, where the malt usage ratio is 90% or more and the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the aspartic acid concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 3 ppm, the deterioration of flavor due to the reduction in purine concentration is well improved despite the reduction in purine concentration. Furthermore, in an embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, where the malt usage ratio is 50% or more and less than 90% (preferably 60% or more and less than 90%, 50% or more and 80%, or 60% or more and 80%) and the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the aspartic acid concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 2 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 off-flavors caused by the reduction in purine concentration and the weakness of the beer-like umami 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 90% or more, the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the aspartic acid concentration in the beverage can be set to a concentration of 3 ppm or higher. Furthermore, for beer-flavored fermented beverages of the present invention that have a malt usage ratio of 50% or more but less than 90% (preferably 60% or more but less than 90%, 50% or more but 80%, or 60% or more but 80%), the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the aspartic acid concentration in the beverage can be set to a concentration of 2 ppm or higher.

[0033] In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the concentration of glutamic acid can be set to a predetermined value. Specifically, the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the glutamic acid 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, 10.0 ppm, 10.5 ppm, 11.0 ppm, 11.5 ppm, 12.0 ppm, 12.5 ppm, 13.0 ppm, 13.5 ppm, or 14.0 ppm. Furthermore, the upper limit (less than or equal to) of the glutamic acid concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 30.0 ppm, and can also be 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, 19.5 ppm, 19.0 ppm, 18.5 ppm, 18.0 ppm, 17.5 ppm, 17.0 ppm, 16.5 ppm, 16.0 ppm, 15.5 ppm, or 15.0 ppm. These lower and upper limits can be combined arbitrarily, and the glutamic acid concentration of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 0.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, or 8.0 ppm. Above 30.0 ppm or less, 9.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 30.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm,5.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 25.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm or more 20.0 ppm or less, 4.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 20.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm 2.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 19.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm or more 18.0 ppm or less, 1.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm,14.0 ppm to 18.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 4.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 5.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 6.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 7.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 8.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 17.0 ppm pm or less, 11.0 to 17.0 ppm, 12.0 to 17.0 ppm, 13.0 to 17.0 ppm, 14.0 to 17.0 ppm, 0.0 to 16.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm or more 16.0ppm or less, 2.0ppm or more and 16.0ppm or less, 3.0ppm or more and 16.0ppm or less, 4.0ppm or more and 16.0ppm or less, 5.0ppm or more and 16.0ppm or less, 6.0ppm or more and 16.0ppm or less, 7.0ppm or less Above 16.0 ppm or less, 8.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 9.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 10.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 11.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 12.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 13.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 14.0 ppm to 16.0 ppm, 0.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 1.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 2.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, 3.0 ppm to 15.0 ppm, The concentration can be set to 4.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 5.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 6.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 7.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 8.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 9.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 10.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 11.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 12.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, 13.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less, or 14.0 ppm or more and 15.0 ppm or less.

[0034] In an embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, where the malt usage ratio is 90% or more, and the lower limit (above or below) of the glutamic acid concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 3 ppm or 6 ppm, the deterioration of flavor due to the reduction in purine concentration is well improved despite the reduction in purine concentration. Furthermore, in an embodiment of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, where the malt usage ratio is 50% or more and less than 90% (preferably 60% or more and less than 90%, 50% or more and 80% or less, or 60% or more and 80% or less), and the lower limit (above or below) of the glutamic acid concentration in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is 2 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 off-flavors caused by the reduction in purine concentration and the weakness of the beer-like umami caused by the reduction in purine concentration are well improved. In other words, for beer-flavored fermented beverages of the present invention that use 90% or more malt, the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the glutamic acid concentration in the beverage can be set to 3 ppm (or 6 ppm) or higher. Furthermore, for beer-flavored fermented beverages of the present invention that use 50% or more but less than 90% malt (preferably 60% or more but less than 90%, 50% or more but 80%, or 60% or more but 80%), the lower limit (or greater than or equal to) of the glutamic acid concentration in the beverage can be set to 2 ppm or higher.

[0035] The aspartic acid and glutamic acid contained in the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention exist in both L- and D-forms. In the present invention, "aspartic acid" and "glutamic acid" 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, "aspartic acid" and "glutamic acid" can be L-aspartic acid and L-glutamic acid, respectively.

[0036] In this invention, in addition to adding aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid during the beverage manufacturing process, aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid 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 aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid during the beverage manufacturing process, aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid can also be incorporated into a beer-flavored fermented beverage by selecting raw materials. Non-limiting examples of raw materials containing aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid and raw materials that produce aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid in the final product include malt, sugars (e.g., liquid sugar), rice, corn grits, corn starch, soybeans (e.g., hydrolyzed soybean protein), etc.

[0037] In the production of the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, when aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid are added, the aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid only need to be suitable for food production, and their form is not particularly limited as long as they are easily soluble in an aqueous solvent.

[0038] In the beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention, the concentration of aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid can be quantified using commercially available equipment such as a high-speed amino acid analyzer (for example, the L-8900 (manufactured by Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation)).

[0039] The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention is characterized by improved flavor despite reduced purine concentration, which can alleviate the deterioration of flavor caused by reduced purine concentration. Beer-flavored fermented beverages with reduced purine concentration (particularly beer and low-malt beer) have had flavor issues, such as a strong perception of negative flavors like off-flavors due to the reduced purine concentration. The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention improves on the off-flavors caused by reduced purine concentration, thus solving the above-mentioned problems 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 perception of beer-like umami due to the reduced purine concentration. The beer-flavored fermented beverage of the present invention improves on the weaker beer-like umami caused by reduced purine concentration, thus solving the above-mentioned problems of beer-flavored fermented beverages with reduced purine concentration. Here, "off-flavor" refers to flavor sensations such as bitterness, grittiness, etc., that are perceived as not being refreshing after being consumed. Furthermore, "the deliciousness of beer" refers to the aroma and flavor sensations perceived when tasting, such as the richness of the flavor.

[0040] 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 aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid are contained at a predetermined level. 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 purine concentration in the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage can be reduced according to the known methods described below. Furthermore, to include a predetermined concentration of aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid in the beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage, as described above, this can be achieved by adding aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid 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 manufactured in which the purine concentration is reduced and the concentration of aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid is at a predetermined level.

[0041] 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 concentration of aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid can be adjusted at any stage of the production process, and can also be further adjusted by adding aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid.

[0042] Methods for removing alcohol from beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverages include, for example, (i) a method of removing alcohol and low-boiling point components by distillation under reduced pressure or atmospheric pressure, (ii) a method of removing alcohol and low-molecular-weight components using a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, and (iii) a method of removing volatile components by adsorption onto vapor using centrifugal force. In this specification, a beer-flavored fermented non-alcoholic beverage produced by removing alcohol from a beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage may be called a "de-alcoholic beverage," and a de-alcoholic beverage can be rephrased as a "beverage made from de-alcoholic wort ferment."

[0043] The purine concentration in beer-flavored fermented beverages can be reduced according to known methods. Non-limiting examples of methods for reducing the purine concentration in beer-flavored fermented beverages include methods 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 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-169658, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-290071, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-290072, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-112090, etc.), and using raw materials other than malt that have a low purine content (for example, soybeans). Examples include a method for reducing the purine content in a beverage using corn grits (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-117204, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-117205, etc.), and a method for reducing yeast-non-assimilable purines in the wort by performing an enzyme inactivation treatment to inactivate at least a portion of the enzyme group derived from malt, and then performing a purine nucleosidase treatment on the brewing liquid (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-64502).

[0044] 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 JP-A-2009-131202), and a method of performing wort filtration during the saccharification process (see JP-A-2012-147780).

[0045] In the above production procedure, the wort can be prepared according to a conventional method. For example, a mixture of brewing raw materials and brewing water is saccharified, filtered to obtain wort, hops are added to the wort, and then it is boiled, and the boiled wort is cooled to prepare 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.

[0046] In the production of the beer-taste fermented beverage of the present invention, in addition to malt, unsprouted cereals (e.g., unsprouted barley (including those subjected to extraction), unsprouted wheat (including those subjected to extraction)); rice, corn, sorghum, potato, starch, saccharides (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, Japanese pepper), herbs (e.g., chamomile, sage, basil), vegetables (e.g., sweet potato, pumpkin), buckwheat or sesame, saccharide-containing substances (e.g., honey, brown sugar), salt, miso, flowers, tea, coffee, cocoa (tea, coffee and cocoa include their preparations), seafood (e.g., oyster, kelp, wakame, bonito flakes), etc. as auxiliary raw materials; protein decomposites, yeast extracts, etc. as nitrogen sources; cereals other than those mentioned above (e.g., soybeans); and other additives such as fragrances, pigments, foaming / foam-stabilizing agents, water quality regulators, fermentation aids, etc. can be used as brewing raw materials. However, the above are examples, and in the production of the beer-taste fermented beverage of the present invention, raw materials other than those mentioned above can be used.

[0047] In the production of the beer-taste fermented beverage of the present invention, by using raw materials containing aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid (e.g., malt, saccharides (e.g., liquid sugar), rice, corn grits, corn starch, soybeans (e.g., soybean protein decomposites)) as brewing raw materials, aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid can be contained in the beer-taste fermented beverage at a predetermined concentration. When the beer-taste fermented beverage of the present invention is beer, although aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid themselves cannot be formulated as brewing raw materials for beer, according to the present invention, by selecting brewing raw materials, aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid can be contained in beer at a predetermined concentration, which is advantageous in that the flavor of beer can be improved.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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).

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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).

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.).

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] 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 aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid in the produced beverage such that the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid is 2 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 (for example, an increase in off-flavors, a decrease in the umami of 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.

[0059] 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 adding aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid to the manufactured beverage so that the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid is 2 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.

[0060] The present invention will be described more specifically based on the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0061] Alcohol Concentration Measurement: The alcohol concentration (ethanol concentration) was measured using the method described in the "National Tax Agency's prescribed analytical method."

[0062] Purine concentration was measured using a method that detects adenine, guanine, xanthine, and hypoxanthine concentrations after hydrolysis with perchloric acid using LC-MS / MS (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) (see Journal of Food Hygiene 55(2):110-116 (2014)). Purine concentration was calculated as the total concentration of the four purine bases: adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine.

[0063] 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.

[0064] Measurement of Aspartic Acid and Glutamic Acid Concentrations The concentrations of aspartic acid and glutamic acid 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 as the analytical sample solution. A calibration curve was created using standards for the measurement. The above method for measuring aspartic acid concentration does not distinguish between the L-isomer (CAS RN: 56-84-8) and the D-isomer (CAS RN: 1783-96-6). Similarly, the above method for measuring glutamic acid concentration does not distinguish between the L-isomer (CAS RN: 56-86-0) and the D-isomer (6893-26-1).

[0065] 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.

[0066] (1) Method A. Preparation of test samples (i) Test plots 1 to 13 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 to prepare base beverages (test sections 1, 10, and 12 in Table 1-1). Aspartic acid (L-isomer) and glutamic acid (L-isomer) were added to these base beverages as appropriate to the concentrations shown in Table 1, and sample beverages for test sections 2-9, 11, and 13 (Table 1-1) with alcohol concentrations of 5 v / v%, 3 v / v%, and 7 v / v%, respectively, were prepared.

[0067] (ii) Test plots 14-16 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 obtained by filtration. 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 alcohol (95%) were added to this beverage to prepare the base beverage (test plot 14 in Table 1-2). Aspartic acid (L-isomer) and glutamic acid (L-isomer) were added to this base beverage at the concentrations shown in Table 1 to prepare the sample beverages for test plots 15-16 (Table 1-2).

[0068] (iii) Test plots 17-19 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 to prepare the base beverage (test plot 17 in Table 1-2). Aspartic acid (L-isomer) and glutamic acid (L-isomer) were added to this base beverage at the concentrations shown in Table 1 to prepare sample beverages for test plots 18-19 (Table 1-2).

[0069] Evaluation tests were conducted for test sections 1-19 by five trained panelists. Specifically, three evaluation items—"umami as beer," "off-flavors," and "balance"—were evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5 points in 0.5 increments, and the average of the five panelists' evaluation scores was calculated. Here, "umami as beer" refers to the flavor sensation perceived when the beer is tasted, such as the richness of the body. "Off-flavors" refers to the flavor sensation perceived after tasting, such as bitterness or grittiness. "Balance" means that the umami and off-flavors of the beer are in harmony, and that each element that constitutes the natural flavor of beer does not stand out, resulting in a well-rounded flavor that is characteristic of beer. 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, 14, and 17 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. Samples with a score of 2.5 or higher were judged to have a favorable effect on the evaluation item, and samples with a score of 3.5 or higher were judged to have a more favorable effect on the evaluation item. <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

[0070] (2) Results The results are shown in Table 1. A strong off-flavor was perceived in the base beverage when the purine concentration was reduced (test sections 1, 14, and 17), but it was confirmed that the off-flavor tended to be reduced by increasing the concentrations of aspartic acid and glutamic acid (test sections 2-13, 15, 16, 18, and 19). A weaker beer-like flavor was perceived in the base beverage when the purine concentration was reduced (test sections 1, 14, and 17), but it was confirmed that the beer-like flavor tended to be enhanced by increasing the concentrations of aspartic acid and glutamic acid (test sections 2-13, 15, 16, 18, and 19).

[0071]

Claims

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

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

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

4. 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.

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

6. A method for producing a beer-flavored fermented beverage having a purine concentration of 5,000 ppb or less, comprising the step of adding aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid to the beverage produced so that the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid in the beverage is 2 ppm or more.

7. 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 aspartic acid and / or glutamic acid to the manufactured beverage so that the total concentration of aspartic acid and glutamic acid is 2 ppm or more.

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