Green Tea Beverage Sediment Control via Glutamic Acid
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bottleable green tea beverages with high catechin concentrations suffer from sediment formation during storage, especially when heated, which affects flavor and appearance, and can lead to an unpleasant taste balance.
Innovation Solution
A bottleable green tea beverage formulation containing 380 mg/l to 1500 mg/l of epigallocatechin gallate and gallocatechin gallate, along with 20 mg/l to 120 mg/l of glutamic acid, with a diffuse transmittance of 1.0% or less, which prevents sediment formation when sold hot by maintaining clarity and improving flavor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high concentration of catechins is included in the green tea beverage, then biological functionality is improved, but sediment production increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by precisely controlling the concentration of glutamic acid (20-120 mg/l) within a specific range to modify the chemical environment. This parameter adjustment prevents sediment formation while preserving high catechin concentrations (380-1500 mg/l of EGCg and GCg), thereby maintaining biological functionality without the harmful sedimentation effect.
Solution Approach 2:
Glutamic acid serves as an intermediary substance that mediates between catechins and the beverage matrix. By introducing this intermediary at controlled concentrations, the patent prevents direct interaction between catechins that would otherwise lead to sediment formation, while still allowing the catechins to maintain their biological functions.
2Reliability
If high concentration of catechins is included in the green tea beverage, then biological functionality is improved, but palatability deteriorates due to bad balance between astringency and other tastes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses parameter changes by controlling glutamic acid concentration (20-120 mg/l) to adjust the taste profile. Glutamic acid, being umami, balances the astringency of high catechin concentrations, creating a harmonious taste profile while preserving the biological functionality of the catechins.
Solution Approach 2:
The beverage formulation creates a composite system combining high concentrations of catechins (EGCg and GCg) with controlled amounts of glutamic acid. This composite approach allows the umami taste of glutamic acid to counterbalance the astringency of catechins, achieving both high biological functionality and good palatability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the green tea beverage is heated for selling hot, then consumer appeal is improved, but sediment occurrence is promoted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the glutamic acid concentration (20-120 mg/l) to stabilize the beverage composition against thermal stress. This parameter control prevents heat-induced sedimentation while maintaining the beverage's suitability for hot serving, achieving temperature adaptability without sediment formation.
Data Source
AI summary
With the object of providing a bottleable green tea beverage for selling hot, a bottleable green tea beverage was prepared, which is a bottleable green tea beverage containing a green tea extract obtained by extracting green tea leaves, wherein the content in epigallocatechin gallate and gallocatechin gallate is 380 mg/l to 1500 mg/l as a total value, the content of glutamic acid is 20 mg/l to 120 mg/l, the diff-use transmittance is 1.0% or less, and the pH is 5 to 7.