JP6971571B2 - Umeshu and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to umeshu and a method for producing the same, and more particularly to a savory umeshu having a reduced bitterness and / or an increased thickness of the taste and a method for producing the same.

Umeshu has been made at home for a long time, and is generally manufactured by putting plum, distilled liquor with high alcohol content such as shochu, and sugar in a predetermined amount in a closed container and soaking them for about a year. There is. In recent years, brewers have also developed and produced plum wine that can be easily drunk.

As a raw material for plum wine, plums in the stages from ome to ripe plums can be used. In recent years, plum wine using ripe plums has also become popular, and there is an aroma component peculiar to ripe plums. Therefore, plum wine having or fortifying a ripe aroma component is desired, and efforts are being made to search for a ripe aroma component peculiar to ripe plums.

In addition, plum wine has a bitter taste that seems to be mainly derived from seeds. This bitterness has been regarded as plum wine, but it has not always been accepted favorably. Therefore, it is desirable to effectively reduce the bitterness while strengthening the ripe aroma component.

On the other hand, the following findings are known regarding aliphatic ester compounds such as hexyl hexane acid. Patent Document 1 describes the use of an aliphatic ester compound in an oral liquid preparation composition in order to suppress the bitterness of a functional substance.

Patent Document 2 exemplifies hexyl hexanoate as a fruit-like flavor composition.

US Pat.

Non-Patent Document 1 describes that apricots contain hexyl hexanoate.

However, no relationship between hexyl hexanoate and the reduction of bitterness and / or the enhancement of taste thickness of plum wine has been reported.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-094742 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-015686 Special Table 2003-533196 Publication No.

Gokbulut et al., SPME-GC-MS detection of volatile compounds in apricot varieties., Food Chemistry 132 (2012) pp.1098-1102

As a result of examining the aroma component peculiar to ripe plums, the present inventors have found hexyl hexanoate as the component. Furthermore, it was found that by adding hexyl hexanoate to plum wine, the bitterness of plum wine is reduced, the thickness of the taste is enhanced, and the ripe aroma is enhanced. The present invention is based on such findings.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide plum wine with reduced bitterness and / or enhanced taste thickness.

According to the present invention, the following inventions are provided.
(1) Umeshu containing hexyl hexanoate at a concentration of 0.2 to 1500 ppb.
(2) The plum wine according to (1), wherein the concentration of hexyl hexanoate is 0.4 to 1000 ppb.
(3) The plum wine according to (1) or (2), wherein the mass ratio of hexyl caproate to γ-decalactone (hexyl hexanoate: γ-decalactone) is 1: 0.1 to 1: 10000.
(4) The plum wine according to any one of (1) to (3), which does not substantially use fruits or fruit juices other than plum as a raw material.
(5) A method for producing plum wine, which comprises adjusting the concentration of hexyl hexanoate in plum wine to 0.2 to 1500 ppb.
(6) A method for enhancing the thickness of the taste of plum wine, which comprises adjusting the concentration of hexyl hexanoate in plum wine to 0.2 to 1500 ppb.
(7) A method for reducing the bitterness of plum wine, which comprises adjusting the concentration of hexyl hexanoate in plum wine to 0.2 to 1500 ppb.

According to the present invention, by making plum wine containing hexyl hexanoate as described above, the bitterness of plum wine can be reduced and / or the thickness of taste (particularly the thickness of aftertaste) can be enhanced. The thickness of the taste, particularly the thickness of the aftertaste, is a flavor peculiar to plum wine made from ripe plums, and the present invention can enhance such flavors. Therefore, the present invention is to improve the palatability of plum wine. It is advantageous. The plum wine of the present invention has a scent like plum wine.

Specific description of the invention

The plum wine of the present invention contains hexyl hexanoate. In the present invention, by adjusting the concentration of hexyl hexanoate in plum wine to a predetermined range, the bitterness of plum wine can be reduced and / or the thickness of the taste can be enhanced. Such plum wine can be produced by adjusting the concentration of caproic acid hexyl in the process of producing plum wine containing caproic acid hexyl. The concentration of hexyl hexanoate may be adjusted by adding hexyl hexanoate, or by blending a raw material containing hexyl hexanoate, or by increasing or decreasing the blending amount thereof.

The concentration of hexyl hexanoate in plum wine of the present invention is 0.2 to 1500 ppb, preferably 0.4 to 1000 ppb. Here, "ppb" indicates a parts per billion, and 1 ppb corresponds to 1 μg / L. The preferable lower limit of the hexyl hexane acid concentration in the plum wine of the present invention is 0.4 ppb, more preferably 0.6 ppb, and the preferred upper limit is 1000 ppb, more preferably 500 ppb, still more preferably 300 ppb. The hexyl hexanoate concentration in plum wine can be measured by gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GC / MS). Such measurement can be easily performed by using a commercially available gas chromatograph / mass spectrometer (for example, manufactured by Agilent Technologies, Inc.). At that time, for more accurate concentration measurement, it is desirable to use a calibration curve prepared based on the measured values of several standard solutions having known concentrations or control samples.

Further, it is known that γ-decalactone is present as one of the ripe aroma components in the plum wine of ripe plums. Therefore, the plum wine of the present invention may also contain γ-decalactone. In the plum wine of the present invention, the mass ratio of hexyl hexane acid to γ-decalactone (hexyl hexane acid: γ-decalactone) may be 1: 0.001 to 1: 10000, preferably 1: 0.01 to 1. It is 1: 6000, more preferably 1: 0.04 to 1: 5000. The concentration of γ-decalactone in plum wine can be measured by gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GC / MS). Such measurement can be easily performed by using a commercially available gas chromatograph / mass spectrometer (for example, manufactured by Agilent Technologies, Inc.). At that time, for more accurate concentration measurement, it is desirable to use a calibration curve prepared based on the measured values of several standard solutions having known concentrations or control samples.

The umeshu of the present invention is a liqueur stipulated in Article 3, Item 21 of the Liquor Tax Law (Act No. 6 of 1958), which includes liquor in which ume is soaked and the components of ume are leached out. To say. In terms of operational handling, liquors containing plums soaked in liquors and leached with ume components are liquors with ume soaked and leached with plum components, and sugars and acidity. A mixture of agents, coloring agents, fragrances, other alcoholic beverages, etc. (including those with effervescent properties). Furthermore, plum wine is classified into "genuine plum wine" and "non-genuine plum wine". Here, "genuine plum wine" refers to plum wine made using only plums, sugars and alcoholic beverages. On the other hand, "non-genuine plum wine" refers to plum wine that is not "genuine plum wine", that is, plum wine mixed with acidulants, coloring agents, flavors, and other alcoholic beverages.

The non-genuine plum wine, which is one aspect of the present invention, may contain fruit juices other than plums such as apples, peaches, bananas, and passion fruits, and aroma components derived from the fruit juices. Depending on the amount of these fruit juices and aroma components added, flavors other than plum may be felt, but they may also have a certain effect on reducing bitterness or increasing thickness. In non-genuine plum wine that does not contain or has a low content of these fruit juices and aroma components, the effect of reducing bitterness or increasing the thickness can be more clearly felt by containing a certain amount of hexyl hexanoate. Here, the term "low content" means, for example, a content that does not affect the aroma of plum wine.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the plum wine of the present invention does not substantially use fruits or juices other than plum as a raw material. Here, "substantially not used" means that even if fruits or juices other than plums are used, the amount thereof does not affect the aroma of plum wine. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plum wine of the present invention does not use fruits or fruit juices other than plum as a raw material.

The plums used for the above plum wine can be used without any problem as long as they can be used for plum wine such as ome, ripened plum, and ripe plum. Ripe plums or ripened plums are preferable from the viewpoint of flavor such as thickness of taste.

The alcohol in the plum wine of the present invention can be given by blending an ethanol-containing material. As the ethanol-containing material, alcohol for raw materials or distilled liquor (spirits) can be used, and examples of preferable distilled liquor include vodka, gin, shochu, tequila, lamb, brandy, whiskey and the like. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the alcohol source is raw material alcohol, shochu, brandy, or gin, and more preferably raw material alcohol, shochu, or brandy.

The sugar in the plum liquor of the present invention is not particularly limited, and appropriate sugars such as monosaccharides (for example, fructose and glucose), disaccharides (for example, sucrose and lactose), oligosaccharides and polysaccharides are used. It can be used, and specifically, it may be ice sugar, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, liquid sugar, disaccharide, brown sugar or the like.

The plum wine of the present invention may contain other ingredients used in the production of plum wine. Such other components include, for example, sweeteners (eg, sugar alcohols, high sweetness sweeteners, honey, etc.), acidity agents (eg, phosphoric acid, citric acid, apple acid, ascorbic acid, tartrate acid, succinic acid, etc.). , Lactic acid, gluconic acid, fumaric acid, acetic acid or salts thereof, etc.), coloring agents, fragrances, food additives (for example, foaming / foam retention improvers, bitterness agents, preservatives, antioxidants, thickening stabilizers) , Emulsifiers, dietary fibers, pH adjusters, etc.) and the like can be appropriately added.

The plum wine of the present invention can be produced according to a usual method for producing plum wine, except for adjusting the concentration of hexyl hexanoate. For example, plum wine can be produced by immersing plums, sugars and the like in alcoholic beverages (ethanol-containing materials). Here, the addition of the saccharide to the ethanol-containing material may be performed before the ume soaking, at the same time as the ume soaking, or after the ume soaking. Further, the storage conditions of the ume soaked in the ethanol-containing material are not particularly limited, but the ume as it is (for example, at room temperature or low temperature) or frozen can be used. The plum wine of the present invention can be produced by appropriately adding a raw material containing hexyl hexaneate or hexyl hexaneate at any stage of such a production process.

In the present invention, by adjusting the concentration of hexyl hexanoate within a certain range, the thickness of the taste of plum wine, particularly the thickness of the aftertaste, is enhanced. Therefore, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for enhancing the taste thickness of plum wine, for example, the thickness of aftertaste, which adjusts the concentration of hexyl hexanoate in plum wine to 0.2-1500 ppb. Including doing.

Further, in the present invention, the bitterness of plum wine is reduced by adjusting the concentration of hexyl hexanoate within a certain range. Therefore, according to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for reducing the bitterness of plum wine is provided, which method comprises adjusting the concentration of hexyl hexanoate in plum wine to 0.2-1500 ppb.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. In the examples, "%" means "% by mass" unless otherwise specified. The evaluation of each test was evaluated independently for each test. Further, the unit and the measuring method of the present invention are in accordance with JIS unless otherwise specified.

Test Example 1: Measurement of the content of hexyl hexanoate in plum wine products 1. Sample As a sample, commercially available plum wine was used and used as samples B to E. Here, Samples B to D are non-genuine plum wine, and Sample E is genuine plum wine. Further, hexyl hexanoate was added to sample B to prepare sample A.

2. 2. Measurement method In order to quantify hexyl hexanoate in plum wine, it was extracted with a twister (manufactured by GERSTEL) and then measured by gas chromatograph / mass spectrometry (GC / MS). The measurement was performed by the standard addition method.
(1) Sample pretreatment (i) 10 mL of each sample was weighed in 6 20 mL screw tubes.
(Ii) A standard solution of hexyl caproate (solution containing hexyl caproate (purity> 98.0%) (Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.)) in steps so that the added hexyl hexanoate has the following concentration in the above sample. Was added.
0, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 μg / L
(In order to calculate the coefficient of variation, two samples were prepared without adding the standard solution.)
(Iii) Extraction was performed by stirring at room temperature for 2 hours using a twister (length 10 mm, film thickness 0.5 mm).
(Iv) After extraction, the twister was taken out, washed with water and wiped off with water.
(V) Heat desorption-Measurement was performed by GC / MS.

(2) The GC / MS measurement was performed under the following conditions using the following devices.
Analyzer / Sampler: GERSTEL MPS
Gas chromatograph: Agilent Technologies 6890
Mass spectrometer: Agilent Technologies 5975C MSD
Analytical conditions・ CIS: 10 ℃ (0.5min) -12 ℃ / s-300 ℃ (5min)
・ TDU: 40 ℃ (0.5min) -720 ℃ / min-300 ℃ (3min)
・ TDU transfer line: 300 ℃
-Column: DB-5 (60 m, Φ 0.25 mm, film thickness 0.25 μm) (Agilent J & W)
・ Oven temperature: 40 ℃ (5min) -10 ℃ / min-300 ℃ (5min)
・ MSD transfer line: 300 ℃
-Carrier gas: helium, 2.11 mL / min
・ Ionization method: EI (electron ionization) method ・ Ionization voltage: 70eV
・ Ion source temperature: 230 ℃
・ Quadrupole temperature: 150 ℃

サンプルＤおよびサンプルＥは定量下限未満であるため変動係数の算出を行っていない。 3. 3. Results The test results of Test Example 1 are shown in Table 1.

Since the samples D and E are below the lower limit of quantification, the coefficient of variation is not calculated.

Test Example 2: Measurement of the content of γ-decalactone in plum wine products 1. Sample As the sample, the samples A to E of Test Example 1 were used.

2. 2. Measuring method The quantification of γ-decalactone in plum wine is the same as the measuring method of Test Example 1 except that it is quantified by the absolute calibration curve method using γ-Decanolactone (purity> 96.0%) (Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.). I went to.

サンプルＤおよびサンプルＥはヘキサン酸ヘキシル濃度が定量下限未満であるため質量比の算出を行っていない。 3. 3. Results The test results of Test Example 2 are shown in Table 2.

Since the concentration of hexyl hexanoate is less than the lower limit of quantification in Samples D and E, the mass ratio is not calculated.

Test Example 3: Sensory evaluation of plum wine products 1. Sample As the sample, the samples A to E of Test Example 1 were used.

2. 2. Evaluation method The sensory evaluation was performed by three specialized panels using a five-point method for (1) fruity aroma, (2) bitterness remaining in the mouth, (3) thickness of aftertaste, and (4) comprehensive evaluation.
The (1) fruity aroma, (2) bitterness remaining in the mouth, and (3) the thickness of the aftertaste were evaluated in stages from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong), respectively. Here, (1) a fruity scent refers to a scent reminiscent of fruits, and it is considered that esters and lactones are mainly involved in this fruity scent component. Samples A to E are commercially available plum wine or those obtained by adding hexyl hexanoate to the plum wine. Therefore, in Samples A to E, it is evaluated whether or not the fruity scent is strong on the premise that it has a scent like plum wine.
(4) Comprehensive evaluation (preference) was evaluated in stages from 1 (inferior) to 5 (excellent).
In the evaluations of (1), (3), and (4), the scores of the specialized panels were averaged, and it was determined that those having an average score of more than 3 points were preferable, and those having an average score of more than 4 points were particularly suitable. In the evaluation of (2), the scores of the specialized panels were averaged, and it was determined that those with an average score of less than 3 points were preferable, and those with an average score of less than 2 points were particularly suitable.
Based on each evaluation of (1) to (3), the final judgment was made by (4) comprehensive evaluation.

3. 3. Results Table 3 shows the sensory evaluation results of Test Example 3.

Test Example 4: Sensory evaluation of plum wine product (Sample B) to which hexyl hexanoate was added 1. Sample B sample to which hexyl hexaneate was added was used as a sample. The concentrations of hexyl caproate in Sample B after the addition of hexyl caproate were 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 1.1, 5.1, 10.1, 50.1, 100.1, 279. It was .1, 478.1, 955.1, 1479.1, 1626.1, 1941.1 ppb. Note that 0.1 ppb in Table 4 indicates sample B to which hexyl hexanoate was not added.

2. 2. Evaluation method The sensory evaluation was performed by four specialized panels using a five-point method for (1) plum wine-like aroma, (2) bitterness remaining in the mouth, (3) thickness of aftertaste, and (4) comprehensive evaluation. In this test example, "Umeshu-ness" is a scent containing a main aroma component such as benzaldehyde.
The aroma of (1) plum wine, (2) bitterness remaining in the mouth, and (3) the thickness of the aftertaste were evaluated in stages from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong), respectively, and contained 0.1 ppb of hexyl hexanoate. The evaluation of the sample was set to 3.
(4) The overall evaluation (preference) was evaluated in stages from 1 (inferior) to 5 (excellent), and the evaluation of the sample containing hexyl hexanoate 0.1 ppb was set to 3.
In the evaluations of (1), (3), and (4), the scores of the specialized panels were averaged, and it was determined that those with an average score of more than 3 points were preferable, and those with an average score of 4 points or more were particularly suitable. In the evaluation of (2), the scores of the specialized panels were averaged, and it was determined that those with an average score of less than 3 points were preferable, and those with an average score of less than 2 points were particularly suitable.
Based on each evaluation of (1) to (3), the final judgment was made by (4) comprehensive evaluation.

3. 3. Results Table 4 shows the sensory evaluation results of Test Example 4.

Samples with a hexyl hexyl concentration of 0.2 ppb or more gave good results in all items of plum wine-like aroma, bitterness remaining in the mouth, and thickness of aftertaste, and were highly palatable compared to samples with a hexyl concentration of 0.2 ppb or less. It has been shown. However, regarding the intensity of the aroma like plum wine, it was considered preferable that the concentration of hexyl hexanoate was 1500 ppb or less. That is, from the viewpoint of the aroma like plum wine, the bitterness remaining in the mouth, the thickness of the aftertaste, and the palatability as a comprehensive evaluation, it is considered desirable that the concentration of hexyl hexanoate in plum wine is 0.2 ppb to 1500 ppb. From the results shown in Table 4, the preferable lower limit of the hexyl hexane acid concentration in plum wine is 0.4 ppb, more preferably 0.6 ppb, and the preferred upper limit is 1000 ppb, more preferably 500 ppb, still more preferably 300 ppb. Is considered to be.

Test Example 5: Sensory evaluation of plum wine product (sample B) to which hexyl hexanoate was added 1. Sample B sample to which hexyl hexaneate was added was used as a sample. Hexyl hexate was added to adjust the concentration of hexyl hexate in plum wine to 5.1, 10.1 and 20.1 ppb. The sample B to which hexyl hexanoate was not added had a final concentration of 0.1 ppb.

2. 2. Evaluation method Sensory evaluation was performed by 4 specialized panels.

3. 3. Results The results of the sensory evaluation by the specialized panel are shown below.
0.1ppb: Although it had a fruity aroma, a bitterness that seemed to be derived from seeds remained in the aftertaste.
5.1ppb: The overall taste became thicker and more balanced.
10.1ppb: The thickness of the taste (thickness of the aftertaste) increased from the middle to the latter half, and the bitterness was alleviated.
20.1ppb: The taste became thicker like a sweetener, and the bitterness of the aftertaste was hardly felt.

Test Example 6: Sensory evaluation of plum wine product (Sample E) to which hexyl hexanoate was added 1. Sample As the sample, sample E was used in which hexyl hexanoate was added and the final concentration was adjusted to 0, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 ppb.

2. 2. Evaluation method Sensory evaluation was performed by 4 specialized panels.

3. 3. Results The results of the sensory evaluation by the specialized panel are shown below.
0ppb: A bitter taste derived from the soaked seeds and skin was felt. The taste was low overall.
10-200ppb: The bitterness was masked and the overall taste became thicker. As the added concentration increased, the scent of the nose (standing scent) was felt fruity.

Claims (5)

A plum wine containing hexyl hexanoate at a concentration of 0.4 ppb or more and less than 1000 ppb , which does not contain fruits or juice other than plum. The plum wine according to claim 1, wherein the mass ratio of hexyl hexane acid to γ-decalactone (hexyl hexane acid: γ-decalactone) is 1: 0.1 to 1: 10000. A method of manufacturing a plum, the method comprising adjusting the concentration of hexyl hexanoate below than 0.4 ppb 1000 ppb in Plum, the plum does not contain fruit or fruit juice other than plum method. A method for enhancing the thickness of the taste of plum includes adjusting the concentration of hexyl hexanoate below than 0.4 ppb 1000 ppb in Plum, the plum does not contain fruit or fruit juice other than plum method. A method of reducing the bitterness of plum wine includes adjusting the concentration of hexyl hexanoate below than 0.4 ppb 1000 ppb in Plum, the plum does not contain fruit or fruit juice other than plum method.