JP2023042905A - Beverage having enhanced sourness - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a beverage having effectively enhanced sourness.SOLUTION: Provided is a beverage comprising L-ergothioneine and a sourness component, wherein the acidity X (%) and the L-ergothioneine content Y (w/w%) in the beverage satisfy either (i) 0.03≤X and Y≥0.00005 or (ii) 0.00001≤X<0.03, and Y≥0.001×e-100X.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

The present invention relates to beverages with enhanced sourness.

A wide variety of beverages have been put on the market due to the diversification of consumer tastes and rising health consciousness. As one of them, beverage products with a strong sour taste that can be refreshed with a sour stimulus during hot summer months or when tired are on the market. For example, “Shakitto Sour (registered trademark) C.C. Lemon (registered trademark)” (Suntory Beverage & Food), which was advertised in a news release as having delicious condensed sourness, and was advertised in a news release as having the highest level of sourness in the Mitsuya brand. “Mitsuya (registered trademark)” Acerola (Asahi Soft Drinks), “Mitsuya (registered trademark)” Green Lemon (Asahi Soft Drinks) advertised in a news release as the most sour Mitsuya brand, and “Very Sour Lemonade” (Seijo Ishii), and "Shigekix (registered trademark) Chuhai Soda Flavor" (Mitsubishi Shokuhin), an alcoholic beverage advertised as extremely stimulating, are on the market. These have enhanced acidity by blending a large amount of acidulant such as citric acid.

Various methods for enhancing the sourness of beverages have also been proposed. For example, by adding sucralose and/or stevia extract and fruit flavors to enhance the sourness of beverages (Patent Document 1), by adjusting the content of monoethyl citrate in the beverage to a predetermined range, There is a method for enhancing the sourness of beverages (especially fruit-flavored beverages) (Patent Document 2).

JP 2013-27363 A JP 2020-103152 A

As mentioned above, several techniques for enhancing the sourness of beverages are known, but the types and flavors of beverages are diversifying in recent years, and it is possible that the existing technology alone will not be able to enhance the sourness of all beverages. have a nature. By developing a new method different from the existing description, it can be said that it is desirable to expand the types of beverages that can enhance the sourness well, even if only a little.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new beverage with enhanced sourness by developing a new method that can effectively enhance the sourness of the beverage.

As a result of intensive studies on the above problem, the present inventors have found that L-ergothioneine can effectively enhance the acidity of beverages, and have completed the present invention. The present invention includes, but is not limited to, the following aspects.
[1] A beverage containing L-ergothioneine and a sour component, wherein the acidity X (%) and the L-ergothioneine content Y (w/w%) in the beverage satisfy the following formula (i) or (ii): .
(i) if 0.03≤X, then Y≥0.00005;
(ii) when 0.00001≦X<0.03, Y≧0.001×e ^−100X
[2] The beverage according to [1], which is intended for drinking at room temperature or below.
[3] The beverage according to [1] or [2], which is a packaged beverage.
[4] The beverage according to any one of [1] to [3], which is an instant beverage.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the sourness of a drink can be effectively enhanced. In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the amount of sour components while maintaining the sour taste of the beverage. There is also an advantage that sufficient sourness can be obtained without lowering it more than necessary.

It is the graph which plotted the determination result with the acidity of 0.05% or less in Experiment 3 of an Example.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following examples.
The present invention can enhance the sourness of beverages by incorporating L-ergothioneine as a sourness-enhancing ingredient. Here, the term "sour taste" as used herein means a sensation of sourness as typified by vinegar in a taste sensory test of a beverage.

(L-ergothioneine)
In the present invention, by including L-(+)-Ergothioneine (CAS 58511-63-0) (hereinafter L-ergothioneine is abbreviated as EGT) as an active ingredient, the acidity of the beverage is enhanced. be able to. Although EGT itself has no sourness, adding EGT to a beverage enhances the sourness of the beverage, effectively enhancing or emphasizing the sourness.

EGT is a compound represented by Formula I below.

In the beverage of the present invention, commercially available EGT by chemical synthesis may be used, or an extract from mushrooms containing EGT, sake lees, or the like, or a refined product thereof may be used. Mushrooms that can be used to extract EGT include Golden/Yellow Oyster mushroom (scientific name: Pleurotus cornucopiae var. ) Mushrooms (scientific name: Agaricus bisporus); Oyster mushroom (Grey Oyster Mushroom) (scientific name: Pleurotus ostreatus); Shiitake (scientific name: Lentinula edodes); Maitake (scientific name: Grifola Frondosa); (scientific name: Hericium erinaceus); willow matsutake (scientific name: Agrocybe aegerita); chanterelles (scientific name: Cantharellus cibarius); porcini (scientific name: Boletus edulis); Alternatively, multiple types can be used in combination. Among these, Pleurotus cornucopia is preferred because of its high EGT content. When an extract is used as EGT, the flavor of components other than EGT may affect the beverage.

(drink)
The beverage of the present invention is a beverage having an acidity within a predetermined range. As used herein, the term "acidity" refers to acidity equivalent to citric acid, that is, the weight-volume percent concentration of citric acid when all acids contained in a beverage are assumed to be citric acid. The acidity is calculated based on the method for measuring acidity stipulated in the Japanese Agricultural Standards (No. 1127, August 8, 2006). A specific measuring method will be described in detail in the section of Examples.

In the present invention, the synergistic action of the sour component in the beverage and EGT effectively enhances the sourness of the beverage. In the case where the beverage contains a sour component with an acidity of 0.03% or more, the EGT concentration in the beverage of 0.00005 w/w% or more facilitates receiving the effects of the present invention. That is, given the acidity X (%) and the ergothioneine content Y (w/w%) in the beverage, the beverage that satisfies the following formula (i) can be said to be an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

(i) 0.03≦X and Y≧0.00005
Although the upper limit of the acidity is not particularly limited, it is preferably about 2.5% or less, more preferably 2.0% or less, still more preferably 1.5% or less, and particularly preferably 1 from the viewpoint of the effect. .0% or less.

The EGT concentration is preferably 0.0002 w/w% or more, more preferably 0.0004 w/w% or more, and even more preferably 0.0006 w/w% or more. In addition, since the addition of a large amount of EGT does not increase the sourness-enhancing effect, the upper limit of the EGT concentration is about 0.05 w/w%, preferably 0.03 w, in consideration of economic merits. /w% or less, more preferably 0.01 w/w% or less, and still more preferably 0.008 w/w% or less.

In addition, when the acidity of the beverage contains less than 0.03% acidity component, as shown in Experiment 3 of Examples described later, the acidity X (%) and the content of ergothioneine Y (w / w %) satisfies the following formula (ii), the effect of the present invention can be easily obtained. Note that "e" in the formula (ii) is the base of natural logarithms (Napier's number).

(ii) 0.00001≦X<0.03 and Y≧0.001×e ^−100X
The lower limit of the acidity is 0.00001% or more, preferably 0.0001% or more, more preferably 0.001% or more, and still more preferably 0.01% or more from the viewpoint of the effect. .

The beverage of the present invention contains a sour component, and the acidity in the beverage of the present invention can be adjusted using the sour component. The sourness component that can be used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is an acid that can be used in beverages, and organic acids such as citric acid, succinic acid, malic acid, acetic acid, tartaric acid, ascorbic acid gluconate, lactic acid, and fumaric acid. and phosphoric acid can be exemplified. Among them, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, phosphoric acid, and ascorbic acid are acids with remarkable effects of the present invention. Various salts of these acid components (for example, sodium salts) can also be used. Furthermore, the above acids and salts thereof may be contained in fruit juices or fruit extracts and fermentation raw materials. Specifically, fruit juices and fruit extracts such as citrus fruits (grapefruit, lemon, orange, lime, Japanese citrus, etc.), apples, plums, grapes, peaches, berries, tropical fruits (pineapple, mango, acerola, etc.), apples Fermented raw materials such as vinegar, black vinegar, moromi vinegar, grain vinegar, rice vinegar, fermented milk, and fermented whey liquid may be contained in the beverage of the present invention as a sour component. In the present invention, juices and fruit extracts of citrus fruits, apples and plums are more preferably used, and juices and fruit extracts of citrus fruits are particularly preferably used. By enhancing the sourness of a beverage containing fruit juice or fruit extract according to the present invention, the freshness inherent in fruit or fruit juice is improved, so a beverage containing fruit juice or fruit extract is one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. be.

The acidity of the beverage of the present invention can be adjusted by appropriately blending in consideration of the acidity of the sour component in the beverage. When one or more of the above acids and/or salts thereof are used as the sour component, the total amount of each acid is usually about 0.0001 to 3 w/w%, preferably 0.001 to 2.5 w/w. w %, more preferably 0.01 to 2 w/w %, more preferably about 0.1 to 2 w/w %, should be contained in the beverage. When using one or more of the fruit juices or fruit extracts as the sour component, the total content is 0.01 to 10 w/w%, preferably 0.1 to 9 w/w%, more preferably 1 to 8 w/w/ w %, more preferably about 1 to 7 w/w %, should be contained in the beverage. When various salts of the acid component are blended, the mass of the salt may be converted to the mass of an equimolar free form and blended appropriately so as to obtain the desired acid content. The acid content in beverages, fruit juices, and fermentation raw materials can be measured by conventionally known methods such as liquid chromatography.

The beverage of the invention may be a carbonated beverage. It is known that when carbon dioxide gas is added to a beverage to make it into a carbonated drink, the sour taste is strongly felt. This is because the stimulus of carbonic acid activates sour taste-sensitive cells in the oral cavity (Chandrashekar et al., Science, Vol.326, No.5951, 443-445 (2009)). When the beverage of the present invention is a carbonated beverage, the sourness-enhancing effect of EGT and the sourness-enhancing effect of carbonic acid act additively or synergistically, so that not only sourness but also carbonic stimulation can be enhanced. Carbonated beverages are in a so-called "deflated" state due to the rapid degassing of carbon dioxide after opening. There is a problem that palatability decreases rapidly after embolization. However, when the beverage of the present invention is a carbonated beverage, the stimulation (carbonic acid stimulation) that contributes to sourness can also be strengthened, so there is also the advantage that the carbonated beverage after opening can maintain its carbonation sensation. Carbon dioxide gas pressure in the carbonated beverage of the present invention is 1.0 kgf/cm ² or more, preferably 1.5 to 4.5 kgf/cm ² , more preferably 2.0 to 4.0 kgf/cm ² . .

On the other hand, proteins and lipids are known to have an effect of suppressing acidity. Beverages containing protein or lipid may inhibit the effects of the present invention. Therefore, the beverage of the present invention preferably has a protein content and a lipid content of 1.5 w/v% or less. It is more preferably 1.0 w/v% or less, still more preferably 0.5 w/v% or less, and particularly preferably 0 w/v%.

In addition, the beverage of the present invention may contain various additives in the same manner as in ordinary beverages, as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. Examples of various additives include perfumes, seasonings, extracts, vitamins, minerals, pigments, pH adjusters, antioxidants, and the like.

The beverage of the present invention is a beverage containing specific amounts of sourness component and EGT, and enhanced in sourness derived from the sourness component. The beverage of the present invention includes not only liquid beverages such as soft drinks, fruit juice drinks, vegetable drinks, soy milk drinks, vinegar drinks, citric acid drinks, vitamin drinks, and quasi-drug nutrition drinks, but also so-called jelly drinks. Although gel-like and semi-solid forms are also included, a liquid form such as a beverage is preferable from the standpoint of the effect.

The beverage of the present invention also includes instant beverages that are dissolved in liquids such as water, carbonated water, and milk to be drunk as reconstituted beverages. Instant beverages include those in the form of powder (granules) and those in the form of concentrated liquids, and any of them may be used. Examples of water for reconstituting instant beverages include ion-exchanged water, distilled water, natural water, and tap water. As described above, liquids other than water, for example, drinkable liquids such as carbonated water and milk may be used for reduction. The temperature of the liquid such as water can be appropriately selected, and is, for example, 5 to 100.degree. In the case of instant beverages, if the reconstituted beverage obtained by dissolving in a liquid such as water or milk contains the composition of the beverage of the present invention, that is, the acidity component and the amount of EGT within a specific range relative to the acidity, the present invention can be obtained. The effects of the invention can be exhibited. As the reduction ratio or dilution ratio for obtaining the reconstituted beverage from the instant beverage, the ratio indicated on the instant beverage product container, label, or the like may be adopted.

Of the five major basic tastes, which are important factors that determine the taste of beverages, sourness, sweetness, saltiness, and bitterness are known to be felt in the order of bitterness, saltiness, sourness, and sweetness. In addition, it is known that the perception of taste changes depending on the temperature of food and drink, and that sourness does not change much with temperature, but sweet, salty, and bitter tastes are easily affected by temperature. When the beverage of the present invention is refrigerated in a temperature range of room temperature or lower, preferably 15 ° C. or lower, more preferably 10 ° C. or lower, the effect of the present invention is more remarkably exhibited. is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

According to the studies of the present inventors, even if EGT is heated, its acidity-enhancing effect is not reduced. Therefore, the form of heat-sterilized packaged beverages that can be drunk with single strength, that is, RTD (RTD = Ready-To-Drink, in containers such as bottles and cans that can be drunk immediately after opening the lid) It is suitable as a convenient form of beverages to be consumed below. As a packaged beverage, it is provided by filling it in a molded container (so-called PET bottle) mainly composed of polyethylene terephthalate, a metal can, a paper container combined with metal foil or plastic film, or a regular packaging container such as a bottle. be able to. The heat sterilization method for packaged beverages is not particularly limited as long as it conforms to the conditions stipulated in the applicable laws and regulations (the Food Sanitation Law in Japan). For example, a retort sterilization method, a high temperature short time sterilization method (HTST method), an ultra-high temperature sterilization method (UHT method), and the like can be mentioned. In addition, it is also possible to appropriately select the heat sterilization method according to the type of container of the packaged beverage. Retort sterilization can be employed. In addition, for PET bottles and paper containers that cannot be retort sterilized, beverages are heat sterilized in advance under the same sterilization conditions as above, and aseptic filling or hot pack filling, etc. can be adopted.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The acidity in the examples was measured by the following method, and samples cooled to 10° C. were used for sensory evaluation.

(Analysis of acidity)
Weigh 5 to 15 g of sample into a 200 ml Erlenmeyer flask, dilute appropriately with water, add a few drops of 1% phenolphthalein indicator, and titrate with 0.1 M sodium hydroxide in a 25 ml burette while shaking. The end point is the point at which the red color persists for one second. When using a hydrogen ion concentration meter, titrate in the same manner while stirring with a magnetic stirrer, and the end point is when the pH reaches 8.1.

Next, the acidity is determined by the following formula (I) Acidity (% by mass) = A x f x 100/W x 0.0064 (I)
[In the formula (I), A is the titration amount (ml) with a 0.1M sodium hydroxide solution, f is the titer of the 0.1M sodium hydroxide solution, and W is the mass of the sample (g), respectively. ]
(Analysis of organic acid and phosphoric acid)
Organic acids and phosphoric acid in the samples were analyzed using a high performance liquid chromatograph. The measurement conditions are as follows.
・Analytical equipment: Shimadzu high-performance liquid chromatograph LC-10A organic acid analysis system ・Column: Shim-pack SCR-102H (8.0mm id × 300mm L.)
・ Mobile phase: 5 mmol / L p-toluenesulfonic acid ・ Detector: Electrical conductivity detector (Experiment 1) Acidity enhancement effect by EGT (1)
An appropriate amount of citric acid was added to pure water to prepare a citric acid aqueous solution having an acidity shown in Table 1. 0.00005 w/w% (=0.5 ppm) or 0.001 w/w% (=10 ppm) of L-ergothioneine (EGT) (manufactured by TETRAHEDRON, purity 99.5% or higher) in half of each citric acid aqueous solution was added and dissolved with stirring to obtain an EGT-containing solution. In addition, a drinking test was conducted by five expert panelists using an EGT-free citric acid aqueous solution as a control, and the sourness was sensory evaluated. For each acidity, a pair of a control solution and an EGT-containing solution was presented to a panel of 5 experts, and the panel evaluated which drink among the pairs presented had a sour taste by a two-point discrimination test. bottom.

Table 1 shows the results. Just adding EGT to pure water with an acidity of 0%, that is, without the addition of citric acid, which is a sour component, was tasteless and did not give a sour taste. By doing so, the sourness was perceived strongly, and the sourness component and EGT acted synergistically, so that the sourness felt especially after the middle was sharpened and emphasized. When the acidity was 0.03% or more, all the panel members rated that the sourness was enhanced even at a very small amount of 0.5ppm EGT. On the other hand, since an aqueous citric acid solution with an acidity of 1.5% or more has a rather sour taste, it was difficult to confirm the sour taste enhancement effect due to the addition of EGT, and some panelists evaluated that there was no change.

(Experiment 2) Acidity enhancement effect by EGT (2)
EGT-containing solutions were prepared and evaluated in the same manner except that citric acid in Experiment 1 was replaced with tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, phosphoric acid, and ascorbic acid. Table 2 shows the results. At an acidity of 0.0001%, some panels evaluated that the acidity-enhancing effects of tartaric acid, malic acid, and phosphoric acid, which are acids with astringent and astringent tastes, were difficult to perceive. An enhancing effect was confirmed.

(Experiment 3) Examination of EGT Concentration As in Experiment 1, an aqueous citric acid solution with an acidity of 0.00001 to 3.0% was prepared. 0.3 to 500 ppm (=0.00003 to 0.05 w/w%) of EGT was added to this to prepare an EGT-containing solution. As in Experiment 1, it was evaluated whether or not the sourness of the EGT-containing solution was felt stronger than that of the EGT-free product. A sample with 3 or more out of 5 panelists who evaluated it as more sour than the EGT additive-free product was 0, and 2 or less of 5 panelists evaluated it as more sour than the EGT additive-free product. The sample was judged as x.

Table 3 shows the results. In the acidity range of 0.03% or more, if the EGT is 0.5 ppm (=0.00005 w/w%), a sour taste enhancing effect is obtained, and up to 100 ppm, the effect increases depending on the EGT concentration. . FIG. 1 shows the determination results for acidity of 0.05% or less. From the data of 〇, the range in which the sourness-enhancing effect of EGT can be obtained is, if the acidity X (%) and the content Y (w/w%) of L-ergothioneine Y in the sample is 0.03 ≤ X, When Y≧0.00005 and 0.00001≦X<0.03, the approximation Y≧0.001×e ^−100X was obtained.

(Experiment 4) Acidity enhancing effect of EGT in various beverages (1)
Various commercially available packaged beverages shown in Table 4 were used. The drink was opened and half was poured into a plastic cup. 6 ppm or 100 ppm of EGT was added thereto and mixed and dissolved to prepare EGT-containing beverages. This EGT-containing beverage was subjected to a sensory evaluation by four expert panelists to determine whether the sourness was enhanced or not, with EGT-free as a control.

Table 5 shows the results. "4/4" in the table indicates that 4 out of 4 panelists evaluated the EGT-containing beverage as having enhanced sourness compared to the control beverage. As is clear from Table 5, it was confirmed that the addition of EGT had a sourness-enhancing effect in various beverages.

(Experiment 5) Acidity enhancing effect of EGT in various beverages (2)
Drink yogurt (ingredients: dairy products, high-fructose corn syrup, sugar/stabilizer (pectin), sweetener (stevia)) (acidity (containing lactic acid): 0.52%, protein content: 3.0 g/100 ml, lipid content: 0.6 g/100 ml) was used, but EGT was added and evaluated in the same manner as in Experiment 4. All of the four panelists evaluated that the EGT-added beverage had a stronger sour taste, lost the milk-derived milky smell, and was easier to drink. Compared to the drink D of Experiment 4, it was felt that the effect of adding EGT was more remarkable in the drink D, which contained less protein and lipid.

(Experiment 6) Effect of Heating Beverages A and B to which 6 ppm of EGT in Experiment 4 was added were filled into 190 ml cans and retort-sterilized at 135° C. for 1.5 minutes. After cooling to 10° C., a sensory evaluation was made to see if there was any difference in sourness from the beverage before heat sterilization. As a result, it was confirmed that there was no difference in the strength of sourness, and that the good sourness-enhancing effect of EGT was maintained even when heated.

Claims (4)

A beverage containing L-ergothioneine and a sour component, wherein the acidity X (%) and the L-ergothioneine content Y (w/w%) in the beverage satisfy the following formula (i) or (ii).
(i) if 0.03≤X, then Y≥0.00005;
(ii) when 0.00001≦X<0.03, Y≧0.001×e ^−100X 2. The beverage according to claim 1, which is a beverage to be served at room temperature or below. 3. The beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which is a packaged beverage. Beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is an instant beverage.

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