JP7629268B2 - Beer-flavored beverage and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beer-flavored beverage and a method for producing the same.

In recent years, as consumer preferences and values have become more diverse, progress has been made in developing beer-flavored beverages with a variety of flavors.

Methods that use fruit juice, flavorings, herbs, etc. are known for imparting a citrus aroma to beer-flavored beverages. However, citral (a collective term for cis-neral and trans-geranial), a typical component of citrus aroma, can change to p-methylacetophenone, etc., and impart an undesirable aroma. In response to this, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for suppressing the generation of deterioration odors by adding a dicarboxylic acid having a conjugated double bond in the molecule or a metal salt thereof to a citrus flavor-containing product with the aim of preserving the unique aroma of citrus flavor.

JP 2016-116476 A

It cannot be said that sufficient research has been done into technical means for imparting a citrus aroma to beer-flavored beverages while suppressing the deterioration of flavor and the generation of undesirable aromas during storage, and there is a demand for the development of such technical means.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a beer-flavored beverage that has a citrus aroma and is inhibited from deteriorating in flavor and generating undesirable odors during storage.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a beer-flavored beverage containing citronellol, geraniol, nerol, and linalool.

The beer-taste beverage of the present invention contains citronellol, geraniol, nerol, and linalool, and therefore has a citrus scent. Furthermore, because the beer-taste beverage of the present invention has such a composition, deterioration of flavor and generation of undesirable odors due to storage are suppressed.

In one embodiment, the citronellol content may be 20 ppb or more and 1000 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage.

In one embodiment, the geraniol content may be 2 ppb or more and 150 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage.

In one embodiment, the nerol content may be 2 ppb or more and 250 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage.

In one embodiment, the linalool content may be 1 ppb or more and 1000 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage.

In one embodiment, the beer-taste beverage may further contain at least one selected from the group consisting of limonene and myrcene.

In one embodiment, the limonene content may be 0.02 ppb or more and 2.5 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage.

In one embodiment, the myrcene content may be 0.02 ppb or more and 2.5 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage.

In one embodiment, the beer-taste beverage may further contain geranic acid. This enhances the flavor (particularly the "citrus aroma" and "fresh aroma") of the beer-taste beverage.

In one embodiment, the content of geranic acid may be 5 ppb or more and 150 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for producing a beer-taste beverage, which includes blending lemon myrtle into a raw material liquid.

The above manufacturing method involves blending lemon myrtle into the raw material liquid, so the resulting beer-flavored beverage has a citrus scent and is free from deterioration of flavor and unpleasant odors caused by storage.

In one embodiment, the method may include adjusting the lemon myrtle content to be 0.01 kg/kL or more and 0.5 kg/kL or less based on the total amount of the raw material liquid.

The present invention makes it possible to provide a beer-flavored beverage that has a citrus aroma and is also suppressed from deteriorating in flavor and generating undesirable odors during storage.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(Beer-flavored beverage)
The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment contains citronellol, geraniol, nerol, and linalool.

In this specification, "beer-taste beverage" refers to a beverage that has a beer-like flavor. A beer-taste beverage may be a beer-taste alcoholic beverage with an alcohol content of 1 v/v% or more, or a non-alcoholic beer-taste beverage with an alcohol content of less than 1 v/v%. In this specification, alcohol refers to ethanol unless otherwise specified.

Beer-flavored alcoholic beverages include, for example, those classified as beer, happoshu, other brewed alcoholic beverages, liqueurs, and spirits under the Liquor Tax Act (as of April 1, 2018).

The alcohol content of the beer-flavored alcoholic beverage is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 1 v/v% or more, 2 v/v% or more, 3 v/v% or more, 4 v/v% or more, or 5 v/v% or more. The alcohol content of the beer-flavored alcoholic beverage may be, for example, 20 v/v% or less, 15 v/v% or less, 10 v/v% or less, 9 v/v% or less, 8 v/v% or less, 7 v/v% or less, 6 v/v% or less, 5 v/v% or less, 4 v/v% or less, or 3 v/v% or less.

A non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage is a beer-flavored beverage that contains substantially no alcohol. The alcohol content of a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage may be less than 1 v/v%, may be 0.5 v/v% or less, may be 0.1 v/v% or less, or may be less than 0.005 v/v% (0.00 v/v%).

Citronellol (β-citronellol) is a compound also known as 3,7-dimethyl-6-octen-1-ol.

The citronellol content may be 20 ppb or more, 40 ppb or more, 60 ppb or more, 80 ppb or more, or 100 ppb or more, based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. The citronellol content may be 1000 ppb or less, 800 ppb or less, 600 ppb or less, 400 ppb or less, 300 ppb or less, or 200 ppb or less, based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. When the citronellol content is within the above-mentioned ranges, the "citrus aroma" and "fresh aroma" are more excellent, and the occurrence of the "sweet burnt aroma" and "oxidized beer aroma" that occur during storage is further suppressed.

The citronellol content can be adjusted, for example, by blending citronellol itself with the beer-taste beverage, or by producing the beer-taste beverage using a raw material that can cause the beer-taste beverage to contain citronellol. Commercially available citronellol may be used. Raw materials that can cause the beer-taste beverage to contain citronellol include raw materials that contain citronellol and raw materials that contain a precursor that is converted to citronellol during the production process, and specific examples include lemon myrtle, ginger, cardamom, and Japanese pepper.

Geraniol is a compound also known as 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-ol, and is the cis-isomer of nerol. Geraniol may be a commercially available product.

The geraniol content may be 2 ppb or more, 4 ppb or more, 6 ppb or more, 8 ppb or more, or 10 ppb or more, based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. The geraniol content may be 150 ppb or less, 100 ppb or less, 80 ppb or less, 60 ppb or less, 50 ppb or less, 40 ppb or less, or 30 ppb or less, based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. When the geraniol content is within the above-mentioned ranges, the "citrus aroma" and "fresh aroma" are more excellent, and the generation of the "sweet burnt aroma" and "oxidized beer aroma" that occur during storage is further suppressed.

The geraniol content can be adjusted, for example, by blending geraniol itself with the beer-taste beverage, or by producing the beer-taste beverage using a raw material that can cause the beer-taste beverage to contain geraniol. Commercially available geraniol may be used. Raw materials that can cause the beer-taste beverage to contain geraniol include raw materials that contain geraniol and raw materials that contain a precursor that is converted to geraniol during the production process, and specific examples include lemon myrtle, ginger, cardamom, and Japanese pepper.

Nerol is a compound also known as (3Z)-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-ol, and is the trans isomer of geraniol. Nerol may be a commercially available product.

The nerol content may be 2 ppb or more, 4 ppb or more, 6 ppb or more, 8 ppb or more, or 10 ppb or more, based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. The nerol content may be 250 ppb or less, 200 ppb or less, 150 ppb or less, 100 ppb or less, 80 ppb or less, 60 ppb or less, or 50 ppb or less, based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. When the nerol content is within the above-mentioned ranges, the "citrus aroma" and "fresh aroma" are more excellent, and the occurrence of the "sweet burnt aroma" and "oxidized beer aroma" that occur during storage is further suppressed.

The nerol content can be adjusted, for example, by blending nerol itself with the beer-taste beverage, or by producing a beer-taste beverage using a raw material that can cause the beer-taste beverage to contain nerol. Commercially available nerol may be used. Raw materials that can cause the beer-taste beverage to contain nerol include raw materials that contain nerol and raw materials that contain a precursor that is converted to nerol during the production process, and specific examples include lemon myrtle, ginger, cardamom, and Japanese pepper.

Linalool is a compound also known as 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-ol. Linalool may be a commercially available product.

The linalool content may be 1 ppb or more, 2 ppb or more, 3 ppb or more, 4 ppb or more, or 5 ppb or more, based on the total amount of the beer-flavored beverage. The linalool content may be 1000 ppb or less, 500 ppb or less, 300 ppb or less, 200 ppbb or less, 100 ppb or less, 50 ppb or less, 40 ppb or less, 30 ppb or less, 20 ppb or less, or 10 ppb or less, based on the total amount of the beer-flavored beverage. When the linalool content is within the above-mentioned ranges, the "citrus aroma" and "fresh aroma" are more excellent, and the occurrence of the "sweet burnt aroma" and "oxidized beer aroma" that occur during storage is further suppressed.

The content of linalool can be adjusted, for example, by blending linalool itself with the beer-taste beverage, or by producing the beer-taste beverage using a raw material that can cause the beer-taste beverage to contain linalool. Commercially available linalool may be used. Raw materials that can cause the beer-taste beverage to contain linalool include raw materials that contain linalool and raw materials that contain a precursor that is converted to linalool during the production process, and specific examples include lemon myrtle, hops, ginger, cardamom, and Japanese pepper.

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may further contain at least one selected from the group consisting of limonene and myrcene, and may further contain geranic acid.

Limonene is a compound also known as 1-methyl-4-(1-methylethenyl)cyclohexene. Limonene may be a commercially available product.

The limonene content may be 0.02 ppb or more, 0.04 ppb or more, 0.06 ppb or more, 0.08 ppb or more, or 0.09 ppb or more, based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. The limonene content may be 2.5 ppb or less, 2.0 ppb or less, 1.5 ppb or less, 1.0 ppb or less, 0.9 ppb or less, 0.8 ppb or less, 0.7 ppb or less, 0.6 ppb or less, or 0.5 ppb or less, based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage.

The limonene content can be adjusted, for example, by blending limonene itself into the beer-taste beverage, or by producing the beer-taste beverage using a raw material that can cause the beer-taste beverage to contain limonene. Commercially available limonene may be used. Raw materials that can cause the beer-taste beverage to contain limonene include raw materials that contain limonene and raw materials that contain a precursor that is converted to limonene during the production process, and specific examples include lemon myrtle, lemon, and Japanese pepper.

Myrcene is a compound also known as 7-methyl-3-methyleneocta-1,6-diene. Myrcene may be a commercially available product.

The myrcene content may be 0.02 ppb or more, 0.04 ppb or more, 0.06 ppb or more, 0.08 ppb or more, or 0.09 ppb or more, based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. The myrcene content may be 2.5 ppb or less, 2.0 ppb or less, 1.5 ppb or less, 1.0 ppb or less, 0.9 ppb or less, 0.8 ppb or less, 0.7 ppb or less, 0.6 ppb or less, or 0.5 ppb or less, based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage.

The myrcene content can be adjusted, for example, by blending myrcene itself into the beer-taste beverage, or by producing a beer-taste beverage using a raw material that can cause the beer-taste beverage to contain myrcene. Commercially available myrcene may be used. Raw materials that can cause the beer-taste beverage to contain myrcene include raw materials that contain myrcene and raw materials that contain a precursor that is converted to myrcene during the production process, and specific examples include lemon myrtle, hops, cardamom, etc.

Geranic acid is a compound also known as 3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dienoic acid. Geranic acid may be a commercially available product.

The content of geranic acid may be 5 ppb or more, 10 ppb or more, 15 ppb or more, 20 ppb or more, 22 ppb or more, 24 ppb or more, 26 ppb or more, 28 ppb or more, or 30 ppb or more, based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. The content of geranic acid may be 150 ppb or less, 100 ppb or less, 80 ppb or less, 70 ppb or less, 60 ppb or less, 50 ppb or less, 40 ppb or less, or 30 ppb or less, based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. When the content of geranic acid is within the above-mentioned ranges, the "citrus aroma" and "fresh aroma" are superior.

The content of geranic acid can be adjusted, for example, by blending geranic acid itself with the beer-taste beverage, or by producing the beer-taste beverage using a raw material that can cause geranic acid to be contained in the beer-taste beverage. Commercially available geranic acid may be used. Raw materials that can cause geranic acid to be contained in the beer-taste beverage include raw materials that contain geranic acid and raw materials that contain a precursor that is converted to geranic acid during the production process, and a specific example is lemon myrtle.

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain a barley raw material as a raw material. In this specification, the barley raw material refers to barley or a processed barley product. Examples of barley include barley, wheat, rye, oats, oats, pearl barley, and oats. Examples of processed barley products include barley extract, malt, and malt extract. Barley extract is obtained by extracting barley extract components containing sugar and nitrogen from barley. Malt is obtained by germinating barley. Malt extract is obtained by extracting extract components containing sugar and nitrogen from malt. In this specification, the term "raw material" refers to all raw materials used in the production of a beer-taste beverage other than water and hops.

The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain hops as an ingredient. Hops include dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extract, as well as processed hop products such as low hops, hexahops, tetrahops, and iso-hop extract.

The beer-flavored beverage according to this embodiment may contain, in addition to citronellol, geraniol, nerol, and linalool (and limonene, myrcene, and geranic acid as necessary), acidulants, colorants, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, flavorings, salts, and the like that are typically incorporated into beverages. Examples of acidulants include phosphoric acid, lactic acid, DL-malic acid, citric acid, adipic acid, trisodium citrate, glucono delta-lactone, gluconic acid, potassium gluconate, sodium gluconate, succinic acid, monosodium succinate, disodium succinate, sodium acetate, DL-tartaric acid, L-tartaric acid, sodium DL-tartrate, sodium L-tartrate, sodium lactate, glacial acetic acid, fumaric acid, monosodium fumarate, and DL-sodium malate. Examples of colorants include caramel color, gardenia color, fruit juice color, vegetable color, and synthetic color. Examples of sweeteners include high fructose glucose liquid sugar, glucose, galactose, mannose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose, glycogen, and starch. Examples of high-intensity sweeteners include neotame, acesulfame K, sucralose, saccharin, sodium saccharin, disodium licyrrhizinate, cyclamate, dulcin, stevia, glycyrrhizin, thaumatin, monellin, aspartame, and alitame. Examples of antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, and polyphenols. Examples of salts include table salt, potassium acid phosphate, calcium acid phosphate, ammonium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, potassium metabisulfite, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate.

The bitterness value (BU) of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 1 to 50, and may be less than 5, 4.5 or less, 4.0 or less, 3.5 or less, 3.0 or less, 2.5 or less, 2.0 or less, 1.5 or less, 1.0 or less, 0.5 or less, or 0, or may be 0.5 or more, 1.0 or more, 1.5 or more, 2.0 or more, 2.5 or more, or 3.0 or more.

In this specification, the bitterness value can be measured, for example, by the method described in "8.15 Bitterness Value" of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Brewing Society of Japan, edited by the International Technical Committee [Analysis Committee] of the Brewers Association of Japan, revised and expanded in 2013). The bitterness value can be appropriately set within the above range, for example, by adjusting the type and amount of raw materials used.

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be a fermented beverage (a fermented beer-taste beverage) or a non-fermented beverage (a non-fermented beer-taste beverage). A fermented beverage is produced through fermentation with yeast or the like. A non-fermented beverage is produced without fermentation with yeast or the like.

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be either non-sparkling or sparkling. Here, non-sparkling means that the gas pressure at 20° C. is less than 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg/cm ² ), and sparkling means that the gas pressure at 20° C. is 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg/cm ² ) or more. If the beer-taste beverage is sparkling, the upper limit of the gas pressure may be about 0.294 MPa (3.0 kg/cm ² ).

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be provided in a container. Any container that can be sealed can be used, and so-called canned or barrel containers made of metal (such as aluminum or steel). Glass containers, PET bottle containers, paper containers, pouch containers, etc. can also be used as the container. There is no particular limit to the capacity of the container, and any container currently in circulation can be used. It is preferable to use a metal container, as it completely blocks gas, moisture, and light and can maintain stable quality at room temperature for a long period of time.

(Method of producing beer-taste beverage)
The method for producing a beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment includes blending lemon myrtle into a raw material liquid. In this specification, the raw material liquid refers to a liquid that is the base of the beer-taste beverage. The raw material liquid includes liquids used or produced in each process (e.g., sugar-containing liquid, boiled liquid, refined liquid, pre-fermentation liquid, and post-fermentation liquid, which will be described later).

In this embodiment, lemon myrtle is a plant of the genus Backhousia in the family Myrtaceae (scientific name: Backhousia citriodora), and contains citral as a main component. Lemon myrtle may be obtained by extracting the leaves, branches, roots, flowers, etc. of lemon myrtle with water, hot water, or ethanol, or may be a commercially available product. Lemon myrtle may be, for example, in a fresh state, dried, or crushed after drying.

In one embodiment, the manufacturing method includes, for example, a preparation process and a fermentation process.

In the brewing process, a pre-fermentation liquid is obtained using the raw materials and brewing water (water used in the brewing process). In other words, the brewing process is a process for preparing a pre-fermentation liquid to be used in fermentation. The brewing process may include, in this order, a boiling process for boiling the sugar-containing liquid, a removal process for removing solids from the raw material liquid, and a cooling process for cooling the raw material liquid.

In the boiling process, the sugar-containing liquid is boiled to obtain a boiled liquid (sugar-containing liquid after boiling). A sugar-containing liquid is one that contains components that can be fermented into alcohol by yeast. Examples of sugar-containing liquids include wort and syrup. Wort is an unfermented liquid obtained through the saccharification of the above-mentioned barley raw material. Wort can be obtained, for example, through a process of mixing raw materials such as the above-mentioned barley raw material with water, a process of saccharifying the liquid containing the raw materials and water by a conventional method to obtain a saccharified liquid, and a process of filtering the saccharified liquid.

In the boiling process, hops may be added to the raw material liquid (sugar-containing liquid). Examples of hops that can be added include dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extract. The hops may be processed hop products such as low hops, hexahops, tetrahops, and iso-hop extract.

In the removal step, the solids in the post-boiling liquid are removed to obtain a refined liquid. The removal step can be carried out, for example, by precipitating the insoluble solids contained in the post-boiling liquid. Examples of solids include thermal coagulations produced in the boiling step, and hop residues if hops are added in the boiling step. The removal step may be carried out in a whirlpool. In the cooling step, the refined liquid is cooled to a temperature at which fermentation by yeast is possible to obtain a pre-fermentation liquid.

In the fermentation process, the pre-fermentation liquid is fermented with yeast to obtain a post-fermentation liquid. In the fermentation process, yeast is added to carry out alcoholic fermentation. More specifically, yeast is inoculated into the pre-fermentation liquid and fermented to obtain a post-fermentation liquid containing alcohol produced by the yeast.

The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may include a step of filtering the post-fermentation liquid as a post-fermentation step following the fermentation step. By carrying out the filtration step, insoluble solids, yeast, etc. can be removed from the post-fermentation liquid.

In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, other post-fermentation processes may include heating (sterilization), adding various additives (e.g., colorants, antioxidants, acidulants, bittering agents, flavorings), adding alcohol, carbonation, etc. to the post-fermentation liquid (or the post-fermentation liquid after the filtration process). Spirits, for example, can be used as the alcohol added in the post-fermentation process.

When the beer-flavored beverage is a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, it may be produced by fermenting it in the same way as regular beer or other beer-flavored beverages to produce alcohol, and then removing or reducing the amount of alcohol, or it may be produced by shortening the fermentation period to suppress the production of alcohol.

If the beer-taste beverage is a non-fermented beverage (a non-fermented beer-taste beverage), it may be produced without carrying out the fermentation process described above.

Lemon myrtle may be added to the raw material liquid at any stage during the manufacturing process of the beer-flavored beverage. For example, it may be added by mixing with other raw materials in the preparation process, or by adding to the raw material liquid (sugar-containing liquid) before the boiling process, or by adding during or after boiling. From the viewpoint of exerting the effects of the present invention more significantly, it is preferable to add lemon myrtle to the raw material liquid (sugar-containing liquid) during or after boiling.

The amount of lemon myrtle added may be 0.01 kg/kL or more, 0.02 kg/kL or more, 0.04 kg/kL or more, 0.06 kg/kL or more, or 0.08 kg/kL or more, based on the total amount of the raw material liquid. The lemon myrtle content may be 0.5 kg/kL or less, 0.4 kg/kL or less, 0.3 kg/kL or less, 0.2 kg/kL or less, 0.1 kg/kL or less, or 0.08 kg/kL or less, based on the total amount of the raw material liquid. When the lemon myrtle content is within the above ranges, the resulting beer-flavored beverage has a more excellent "citrus aroma" and "fresh aroma," and the generation of the "sweet burnt aroma" and "oxidized beer aroma" that occur during storage is further suppressed.

In another embodiment, the production method may include, for example, a step of adding citronellol, geraniol, nerol, and linalool to the raw material liquid (e.g., sugar-containing liquid, boiled liquid, refined liquid, pre-fermentation liquid, or post-fermentation liquid) at any stage in the production process of the beer-taste beverage described above. The production method according to this embodiment may further include a step of adding at least one member selected from the group consisting of limonene and myrcene to the raw material liquid, or may further include a step of adding geranic acid to the raw material liquid.

In yet another embodiment, the manufacturing method includes, for example, a blending step of blending water, citronellol, geraniol, nerol, and linalool, and, if necessary, distilled alcohol and various additives (e.g., colorants, antioxidants, acidulants, bittering agents, and flavorings) in a raw material tank. In the blending step, the manufacturing method according to this embodiment may further blend at least one selected from the group consisting of limonene and myrcene, or may further blend geranic acid.

The manufacturing method according to this embodiment may further include a filtration step of filtering the mixed liquid obtained by mixing the components in the blending step, a first sterilization step of sterilizing the filtrate filtered in the filtration step, a filling step of filling a container such as a bottle, can, bottle, or PET bottle with the sterilized filtrate sterilized in the first sterilization step, and a second sterilization step of sterilizing the container together with the filtrate filled in the filling step.

In the blending step, the ingredients may be mixed while being stirred with a stirrer or the like so that they are thoroughly mixed. The filtration step may be performed with a general filter or strainer. The first sterilization step may be performed by plate sterilization from the viewpoint of processing speed, etc., and is not limited to this, and may be applied as long as a similar process can be performed. The filling step may be performed in a clean room that maintains a degree of cleanliness that is usually performed in the manufacture of beverages. The second sterilization step may be performed by heating the filtrate together with the container at a predetermined temperature and for a predetermined time. It is also possible to perform non-sterilized filling without performing the first and second sterilization steps. In addition, when making a sparkling beverage, for example, carbonation may be performed between the first sterilization step and the filling step.

The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment has a citrus aroma and has the effect of suppressing deterioration of flavor and imparting of undesirable odors due to storage. Therefore, as one embodiment of the present invention, a method for imparting a citrus aroma to a beer-taste beverage, and/or a method for suppressing deterioration of flavor and imparting of undesirable odors due to storage of a beer-taste beverage, is provided, which includes the inclusion of citronellol, geraniol, nerol, and linalool.

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

(Test Example 1: Production and Evaluation of Beer-Taste Beverage)
<Production of beer-flavored beverages>
A beer-taste beverage with a malt ratio of about 99% was prepared by the following method using 0.075 kg/kL of lemon myrtle as a raw material. First, barley malt and water were mixed, and then saccharified by a conventional method to obtain wort (saccharified liquid) (saccharification step). After filtering the wort (wort filtration step), the temperature of the wort was raised and boiled (boiling step). In the boiling step, lemon myrtle was added to the boiled wort. The wort after the boiling step (hot wort) was subjected to removal of insoluble matter by precipitation (standing step), cooling (cooling step), and the like to obtain cold wort (pre-fermentation liquid). Next, yeast (beer yeast) was added to the cold wort and fermented to obtain a post-fermentation liquid (fermentation step). The post-fermentation liquid was stored and aged. The liquid after storage (storage liquid) was filtered to obtain the beer-taste beverage of Example 1. In addition, as a control, a control beer-taste beverage was obtained using the same procedure except that lemon myrtle was not used.

<Component Analysis>
The contents of geranial (trans citral), neral (cis citral), β-citronellol, geraniol, nerol, linalool, geranic acid, limonene and myrcene in the beer-taste beverage immediately after production were measured by solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS). The results are shown in Table 1.

<Sensory evaluation>
Sensory evaluations were conducted on the beer-taste beverage of Example 1 immediately after production (before storage) and after storage at about 40°C for two weeks (after storage) for the evaluation items of "citrus aroma,""fresharoma,""sweet burnt aroma," and "oxidized beer aroma." The sensory evaluations were conducted by three selected panelists with distinguishing abilities. Each evaluation item was rated on a five-point scale from 1 to 5, and the average score was taken as the evaluation score. The results are shown in Table 1.

"Citrus aroma" is the aroma of citrus fruits felt the moment one sips, with higher scores indicating a stronger, more desirable citrus aroma. "Fresh aroma" is a refreshing, clean aroma, with higher scores indicating a stronger, more desirable fresh aroma. "Sweet burnt aroma" is a smoky aroma like that of sweet ingredients being smoked, with higher scores indicating a stronger, more undesirable sweet burnt aroma. "Oxidized beer aroma" is an odor caused by the oxidation of ingredients, with higher scores indicating a stronger, more undesirable oxidized beer aroma. Similar sensory evaluations were conducted on a control beer-taste beverage that did not contain lemon myrtle, and the scores for the control beer-taste beverage were all fixed at 1 to align the evaluation axes between the panels.

The beer-taste beverage of Example 1 was shown to have a good "citrus aroma" and "fresh aroma." Furthermore, the beer-taste beverage of Example 1 was shown to inhibit deterioration of the "citrus aroma" and "fresh aroma" even after a certain period of storage, and inhibited the generation of a "sweet burnt aroma" and an "oxidized beer aroma."

(Test Example 2: Production and Evaluation of Beer-Taste Beverage)
<Production of beer-flavored beverages>
Citronellol, geraniol, nerol, linalool, geranic acid, limonene, myrcene, and citral were added to the control beer-taste beverage in the proportions shown in Table 2 to obtain the beer-taste beverages of Examples 2 to 4 and Comparative Example 1.

<Sensory evaluation>
Sensory evaluations of the beer-taste beverages of Examples 2 to 4 and Comparative Example 1 were conducted in the same manner as in Test Example 1, except that the evaluation was carried out by four selected panelists with discriminating abilities. The results are shown in Table 2. Note that in the sensory evaluations, the scores for the control beer-taste beverages were all fixed at 1, to ensure that the evaluation axes were consistent across the panels.

The beer-taste beverages of Examples 2 to 4 were shown to be superior in "citrus aroma" and "fresh aroma" compared to the beer-taste beverage of Comparative Example 1. Furthermore, the beer-taste beverages of Examples 2 to 4 were shown to suppress deterioration of the "citrus aroma" and "fresh aroma" after a certain period of storage, and to suppress the generation of a "sweet burnt aroma" and "oxidized beer aroma" compared to the beer-taste beverage of Comparative Example 1.

Claims (10)

Contains citronellol, geraniol, nerol, geranic acid, and linalool,
A beer-taste beverage, in which the nerol content is 10 ppb or more based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage, and the citronellol content is 1000 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage . The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, wherein the citronellol content is 20 ppb or more and 1000 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the geraniol content is 2 ppb or more and 150 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. The beer-taste beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the nerol content is from 10 ppb to 250 ppb based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. The beer-taste beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the linalool content is 1 ppb or more and 1000 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. The beer-taste beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of limonene and myrcene. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 6, wherein the limonene content is from 0.02 ppb to 2.5 ppb based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the myrcene content is 0.02 ppb or more and 2.5 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. The beer-taste beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the content of the geranic acid is 5 ppb or more and 150 ppb or less based on the total amount of the beer-taste beverage. Including blending lemon myrtle into the raw material liquid,
and adjusting the content of the lemon myrtle to be 0.01 kg/kL or more and 0.5 kg/kL or less, based on the total amount of the raw material liquid.