JP6936576B2 - Containered tea beverage - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a packaged tea beverage.

Consumers who are not good at the astringent taste of caffeine and consumers who have restricted intake of caffeine, such as pregnant women, are required to have so-called low-caffeine tea beverages with a reduced caffeine content. There is. However, the low caffeine tea beverage had a poor body feeling.

Therefore, it is known that the body feeling is supplemented by adjusting the content of caffeine and the content of calcium in the tea beverage within a predetermined range (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-128244 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-84744

Surprisingly, it was found that turbidity due to calcium salts occurs in low-caffeine tea beverages. It was generally believed that turbidity in tea beverages was due to the coexistence of calcium and polyphenols in the presence of abundant amounts of caffeine. Therefore, it is surprising that turbidity occurs in low-caffeine tea beverages.

From the viewpoint of suppressing turbidity of tea beverages, it is also one method to remove the precipitate that causes turbidity by filtration using activated carbon or the like, anion exchange, or the like. However, in the step of removing the precipitate, not only mineral components such as calcium but also astringent components such as polyphenols are removed, so that the effect of improving the body feeling is small even by the inclusion of calcium.

An object of the present invention is to provide a packaged tea beverage that suppresses turbidity, has no astringent taste, and has an excellent body feeling.

The present inventors have found that even a low-caffeine beverage can provide a packaged tea beverage that suppresses turbidity, has no astringent taste, and has an excellent body feeling, and has completed the present invention.

(1) The present invention is a packaged tea beverage having a caffeine content of 10 mg / 100 mL or less, a calcium dissolution content of 1 mg / 100 mL or more, and a turbidity (OD720 nm) of 0.23 or less.

(2) The present invention is the packaged tea beverage according to (1), which has a polyphenol content of 10 mg / 100 mL or more.

(3) In the present invention, the polyphenol is a tea polyphenol, which is the packaged tea beverage according to (2).

(4) The present invention is the packaged tea beverage according to any one of (1) to (3), which contains an extract from black tea.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a packaged tea beverage that suppresses turbidity, has no astringent taste, and has an excellent body feeling.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and the present invention shall be carried out with appropriate modifications within the scope of the object of the present invention. Can be done.

The packaged tea beverage of the present invention (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as “tea beverage”) has a caffeine content of 10 mg / 100 mL or less, a calcium dissolution content of 1 mg / 100 mL or more, and a turbidity (OD720 nm) of 0. It is .23 or less. Further, the packaged tea beverage of the present invention may contain polyphenols, and preferably contains tea polyphenols.

The packaged tea beverage of the present invention has a low caffeine content of 10 mg / 100 mL or less, but has a calcium dissolution content of 1 mg / 100 mL or more, so that it has no astringent taste and has an excellent body feeling. Further, even if the calcium dissolution content is 5 mg / 100 mL or more, the turbidity (OD720 nm) is 0.23 or less, and the turbidity can be suppressed. Furthermore, since turbidity can be suppressed even if the calcium dissolution content is high, it can be expected that calcium, which is a mineral component, imparts functionality.

By containing polyphenols, particularly tea polyphenols, the packaged tea beverage of the present invention can impart astringency to the tea beverage and easily impart a body feeling. Since polyphenols have an antioxidant function, they can be expected to impart functionality such as anti-arteriosclerosis, anti-allergy, blood flow enhancement, and anti-cancer.

[caffeine]
The caffeine content of the packaged tea beverage of the present invention is 10 mg / 100 mL or less, preferably 5 mg / 100 mL or less, more preferably 1 mg / 100 mL or less, and 0 mg / 100 mL (0 mg / 100 mL or less) from the viewpoint of realizing a low caffeine beverage. It may be unmeasurable). The caffeine content is measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC method). The measurement conditions of the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC method) are the measurement conditions shown in the examples.

The caffeine content in the tea beverage can be adjusted by, for example, the following method. When reducing the caffeine content, tea leaves extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide gas, which are sprinkled with hot water or water during tea making, or immersed in hot water or water, are used. In addition, when reducing the caffeine content, the second and subsequent extracts, which are extracted at a low temperature when extracting tea beverages from tea leaves, are used. Further, in order to reduce the caffeine content, the tea leaf extract is treated with an adsorbent such as activated carbon or resin or a mineral such as white clay. These methods for reducing the caffeine content may be used alone or in combination. On the other hand, when increasing the caffeine content in the tea beverage, a caffeine preparation that is acceptable in terms of food is added. The caffeine preparation is added, for example, at the final preparation stage of the extract.

[calcium]
The calcium dissolution content in the packaged tea beverage of the present invention is 1 mg / 100 mL or more, preferably 3 mg / 100 mL. When the calcium dissolution content of the tea beverage is 1 mg / 100 mL or more, the tea beverage can be given a body feeling. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10 mg / 100 mL or less, more preferably 6 mg / 100 mL or less, from the viewpoint of suppressing turbidity and suppressing astringent taste. In the present invention, the calcium-dissolved content is the content of calcium dissolved in the tea beverage, and does not include the content of undissolved calcium. Calcium content is measured by ion chromatography. The measurement conditions of the ion chromatography method are the measurement conditions shown in the examples.

The calcium dissolution content in the tea beverage is adjusted, for example, by adding a food-acceptable calcium source. For example, the calcium dissolution content is increased by adding a calcium source such as an organic acid salt of calcium, an inorganic acid salt of calcium, or an organic salt of calcium. In addition, when increasing the calcium dissolution content, a mineral or a processed product thereof that releases calcium ions when the liquid is brought into contact with the liquid is brought into contact with the beverage raw material liquid. Alternatively, the tea leaf extract is diluted with water to prepare a beverage raw material liquid having a reduced polyphenol content, and then a calcium source is added. On the other hand, when reducing the calcium dissolution content in the tea beverage, an anion that makes the calcium salt insoluble is added and precipitated as a salt to be removed. Further, the tea leaf extract is filtered using activated carbon or the like, or treated with an adsorbent such as an ion exchange resin or a chelate resin. However, if the tea leaf extract is treated with an adsorbent, not only calcium but also polyphenols and the like may be removed and the body feeling may be reduced. Therefore, when the tea leaf extract is treated with an adsorbent, it may be necessary. It is desirable to add either or both components so that the caffeine content and the calcium dissolution content are within the predetermined values.

Examples of the organic acid calcium that can be added include calcium ascorbate, calcium gluconate, calcium lactate, calcium citrate, calcium stearate, calcium sorbate, calcium pantothenate, calcium propionate and the like. Examples of the inorganic calcium acid that can be added include calcium chloride, calcium phosphate, calcium glycerophosphate, calcium silicate, calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate and the like. Examples of the organic calcium that can be added include calcium L-glutamic acid and the like.

[Polyphenol]
The polyphenol contained in the packaged tea beverage of the present invention means a component having a plurality of phenolic hydroxyl groups in the molecule. The polyphenol contained in the tea beverage preferably contains a tea polyphenol. Tea polyphenols refer to various polyphenols contained in tea leaves, and specifically, not only primary polyphenols such as catechins and proanthocyanidins, but also theacinensins and oolontheanins which are products of their oxidative polymerization. , Theaflavins, thearubigins and other secondary polyphenols are also included.

The polyphenol content in the tea beverage is preferably 10 mg / 100 mL or more, more preferably 30 mg / 100 mL or more. When the polyphenol content of the tea beverage is 10 mg / 100 mL or more, it becomes easy to give a body feeling to the tea beverage. Further, even when the polyphenol content is as high as in the above range, turbidity can be suppressed. By using tea polyphenol as the polyphenol, astringency is imparted to the tea beverage and it becomes easy to impart a body feeling. The upper limit is not particularly limited, but is preferably 170 mg / 100 mL or less, more preferably 140 mg / 100 mL or less, from the viewpoint that the astringent taste becomes too strong when contained in a large amount.

In the present invention, the polyphenol content can be defined as the amount of tannin. In the present invention, the "tannin amount" is the iron tartrate method, which is a standard for evaluating the amount of polyphenols in teas (see "Chemistry and Function of Green Tea, Black Tea, Oolong Tea" by Toshiro Nakabayashi et al. ) Can be used for measurement. In this measuring method, the absorbance (540 nm) of the purple component produced by reacting the polyphenol in the liquid with the iron tartrate reagent is measured, and a calibration curve prepared using ethyl gallate as a standard substance is used. Can be quantified. The amount of tannin can be obtained by multiplying the quantified value thus obtained by 1.5 times.

The polyphenol content in the tea beverage can be adjusted by, for example, the following method. By measuring the tannin amount of the tea leaf extract and / or the tea extract and containing the tannin amount in a desired concentration range, the polyphenol content contained in the tea beverage can be adjusted to a predetermined range. .. Alternatively, the tannin amount of the tea beverage can be adjusted by adding a predetermined amount of the tea leaf extract and / or the tea extract whose tannin amount has been adjusted in advance, and the polyphenol content contained in the tea beverage accordingly. Can be adjusted.

The type of tea leaves used in the tea leaf extract is not particularly limited as long as it is Camellia sinensis species. It is known that tea leaves have different flavor qualities such as fermented tea (black tea), semi-fermented tea (oolong tea), and non-fermented tea (green tea) depending on the difference in fermentation conditions. Although it may be used, fermented tea (black tea) is preferably applied. Further, in the present invention, the tea leaf extract includes the extract itself from the tea leaves and processed products thereof (for example, the tea leaf extract obtained by concentrating or powdering the tea leaf extract).

[Turbidity (OD720 nm)]
The turbidity (OD720 nm) of the packaged tea beverage of the present invention is preferably 0.23 or less, more preferably 0.20 or less, still more preferably 0.10 or less. When the turbidity (OD720 nm) of the tea beverage is 0.23 or less, no turbidity is observed, and the tea beverage is visually excellent. The lower limit is not particularly limited, but is about 0.02 or more from the viewpoint of manufacturing. In the present invention, the turbidity (OD720 nm) is measured by a spectrophotometer (device name: U-5100, manufactured by Hitachi High-Tech Science Co., Ltd.). The lower the value of turbidity (OD720 nm), the higher the clarity of the tea beverage, and the higher the value of turbidity (OD720 nm), the lower the clarity of the tea beverage.

The adjustment of the turbidity (OD720 nm) in the tea beverage is the same as the adjustment of the calcium dissolution content in the tea beverage. It is possible to reduce the turbidity (OD720 nm) by filtration or treatment with an adsorbent, which is generally performed, but as described above, calcium, polyphenols, etc. are also removed, and the body feeling is reduced. It ends up. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the turbidity (OD720 nm) by any other method.

For example, the tea leaf extract may be diluted with water to prepare a beverage raw material liquid having a polyphenol content of more than 0 mg / 100 mL and 10 mg / 100 ml or less, and then a calcium source may be added. As a result, even if the calcium dissolution content is the same as compared with the case where a calcium source is added to a tea leaf extract having a high polyphenol content to obtain a beverage raw material liquid and then diluted with water to reduce the polyphenol content. , The amount of precipitate formed can be reduced, that is, the increase in turbidity (OD720 nm) can be suppressed. Further, when a tea beverage is obtained by adding water to a beverage raw material liquid after adding a calcium source, the change in pH may be adjusted to be within pH 1 to prepare the tea beverage. Thereby, even if the calcium dissolution content is the same, the amount of precipitate formed can be reduced, that is, the increase in turbidity (OD720 nm) can be suppressed. If the change in pH after the addition of the calcium source is large, it is considered that the formation of a precipitate is likely to occur.

[PH]
The pH of the packaged tea beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably pH 4 or more and less than pH 8.0, more preferably pH 5 or more and pH 7 from the viewpoint of suppressing the formation of precipitates and suppressing the turbidity of the tea beverage. Is less than. The pH of the tea beverage of the present invention can be adjusted, for example, by adding a food-acceptable pH adjuster to the beverage raw material solution containing the tea extract or other components. Examples of the pH adjuster that can be added include sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium hydrogen carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, and it is preferable to add sodium hydrogen carbonate from the viewpoint of flavor and cost.

[Other ingredients]
The packaged tea beverage of the present invention may be prepared, for example, as an antioxidant, a pH adjuster, a fragrance, various esters, organic acids, organic acid salts, inorganic acids, inorganic acid salts, inorganic salts, pigments, etc. It may contain various additives such as emulsifiers, preservatives, seasonings and quality stabilizers.

Further, in the case of the tea beverage of the present invention, particularly when it is a black tea beverage, fruit juice (fruit juice) may be blended in order to enhance the palatability. The fruit juice can be selected from fruit juice, fruit flavor, plant flavor or a mixture thereof. Preferred juices are apple, pear, lemon, lime, mandarin, grapefruit, orange, peach, la France, blueberry, raspberry, cranberry, strawberry, grape, kui, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, guava, cassis, pomegranate, apricot. , Prunes and cherries. Among these, apples, peaches and lemons or mixtures thereof are most preferable because they are well-balanced with the flavor of black tea beverages.

Further, the tea beverage of the present invention may contain an herbal extract in order to enhance the palatability, particularly when it is a black tea beverage. The herb extract means an extract obtained by subjecting an herb to an extraction process. Examples of the herb extract include the extract itself from the herb and processed products thereof (for example, an herb extract obtained by concentrating or powdering the herb extract), and the present invention is not particularly limited. Preferred herbs are rosehip, chamomile, lemongrass, peppermint, lemon balm, rooibos, lavender, jasmine and elderflower.

[container]
The container for enclosing the containerized tea beverage of the present invention can be appropriately selected and used as long as it is a sealed container known in the beverage industry, and can be appropriately determined according to the distribution form and consumer needs. Specific examples thereof include glass, plastic (polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), etc.), paper, aluminum, steel, etc., or a sealed container made of a composite material or laminated material thereof. Can be mentioned. In particular, a transparent (including translucent) container is preferable because of its visual superiority. The transparent container may be entirely transparent or partially transparent. Even if the packaged beverage of the present invention is a transparent container, turbidity is suppressed, so that a visually excellent packaged tea beverage can be provided.

The packaged tea beverage of the present invention may be drunk undiluted or diluted to a desired magnification. As described above, the tea beverage of the present invention may be provided as a bottled tea beverage for dilution because it is possible to suppress turbidity even when the calcium content is high.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[Examples / Comparative Examples]
A beverage stock solution containing a predetermined amount of polyphenol was prepared according to the order of addition shown in Table 1 and the composition of the beverage raw materials, and a predetermined amount of calcium lactate was added to the beverage stock solution to prepare 3000 mL of a black tea beverage.

Table 2 shows the polyphenol content of the beverage stock solution, the calcium (Ca) content, the caffeine content, the polyphenol content, and the turbidity (OD720 nm) in the black tea beverage. In addition, a trained panelist evaluated the sensuality to see if the body and astringent taste were felt. The results are shown in Table 2 below. Regarding the body feeling, the evaluation was 〇 for those who felt particularly, Δ for those who felt it, and × for those who felt a little lacking. Regarding the astringent taste, those that were almost unnoticeable were marked with ○, those that were slightly worrisome were marked with △, and those that were worrisome were marked with ×.

The polyphenol content, calcium dissolution content, and caffeine content were measured with the following measuring devices and measuring conditions.

(Quantification of polyphenol content)
By the above-mentioned iron tartrate method, the absorbance at a wavelength of 540 nm was measured using an absorptiometer (device name: U-5100, manufactured by Hitachi High-Tech Science Co., Ltd.), and the amount of polyphenol was calculated from the measured value.

(Quantification of calcium dissolution content)
The calcium dissolution content was measured by the ion chromatography method under the following conditions. The black tea beverage to be measured was suction-filtered with a membrane filter GL chromatodisc (13AI, 0.45 μm) in advance, and then degassed.
Equipment: Shimadzu Ion Chromatograph HIC-20A set (Detector: Electrical conductivity)
Column: Shima-Pack IC-C4 manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation
Oven temperature: 40 ° C
Mobile phase: 3.0 mM oxalic acid aqueous solution Flow rate: 1 ml / min
Detection: Electrical conductivity detector Sample injection volume: 25 μl

(Quantification of caffeine content)
The caffeine content was measured under the following conditions by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography.
HPLC equipment: Shimadzu Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography Nexera
Column: Agilent ZORBAX EclipsePlus C18 particle size 1.8 μm x inner diameter 3.0 mm x length 100 mm
Mobile phase A: Ultrapure water containing 0.17% phosphoric acid Mobile phase B: Methanol containing 0.17% phosphoric acid Sample injection amount: 3 μl
Liquid delivery volume: 1.2 mL / min Column oven temperature: 45 ° C
Measurement wavelength: 280 nm

From the results in Table 2, the black tea beverages of Examples 1 to 4 in which polyphenols and calcium were in a predetermined range were excellent in body feeling without harshness and turbidity. On the other hand, the black tea beverages of Comparative Examples 1 to 3 in which polyphenols and calcium were not in the predetermined ranges showed turbidity, lacked body feeling, and had a strong astringent taste. From these results, it can be seen that if the content of calcium or polyphenol is too small, the body feeling tends to be reduced, and if it is too large, the astringent taste becomes strong. Further, it can be seen that when the content of polyphenol is high, turbidity is likely to occur even if the content of calcium is low.

Claims (3)

Caffeine content is 0.3 mg / 100 mL or less, calcium dissolution content is 3 mg / 100 mL or more and 6 mg / 100 mL or less, polyphenol content is 10 mg / 100 mL or more and 170 mg / 100 mL or less, turbidity (OD720 nm) is 0.23 or less. A containerized tea beverage that is. The packaged tea beverage according to claim 1, wherein the polyphenol is a tea polyphenol. The packaged tea beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which comprises an extract from black tea.