JP7734731B2 - Non-alcoholic carbonated beverage with enhanced aroma and method for producing same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage with enhanced aroma and a method for producing the same.

In recent years, in order to prevent drunk driving and other issues, there has been a demand for the development of beverages that offer the same palatability as alcoholic beverages without the consumption of alcohol at all, and a market has emerged for beverages with an alcohol content of 0.00% (v/v). In the production of such beverages, flavorings that use ethanol as a solvent cannot be used, and instead, flavorings that use propylene glycol as a solvent or emulsified flavorings must be used.

However, these flavorings often have a weaker aroma than flavorings that use ethanol solvents, making it difficult to design beverages with the same strong aroma as those that use ethanol solvent flavorings.

On the other hand, the present inventors have discovered that the alcoholic flavor of an alcoholic carbonated beverage can be enhanced by adjusting the difference (ΔpH) between the pH value of the alcoholic carbonated beverage and the pH value measured after removing carbon dioxide from the bottled alcoholic carbonated beverage to a predetermined value or greater (Patent Document 1). However, because Patent Document 1 examined alcoholic carbonated beverages using ethanol-containing flavorings, it did not discover the effect of adjusting ΔpH in beverages with low ethanol contents. For example, Patent Document 1 makes no mention of enhancing aroma release in non-alcoholic carbonated beverages (carbonated beverages containing flavorings and with an ethanol concentration of 0.00 v/v%).

JP 2017-189140 A

The inventors have discovered that in a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage containing a specific aroma component, the aroma produced when the beverage is consumed can be enhanced by adjusting the difference in pH between the carbonated beverage when it contains carbon dioxide and the pH after the carbon dioxide has been removed (hereinafter referred to as "ΔpH") to a certain value or greater. The present invention is based on this finding.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage with enhanced aroma and containing a predetermined amount of aroma components, as well as a method for producing the same.

According to the present invention, the following inventions are provided.
(1) A non-alcoholic carbonated beverage containing an aroma component, wherein the difference (ΔpH) between the pH value of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage and the pH value measured after removing carbon dioxide from the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage is 0.04 or more, and the pH value is determined as shown in the following table:
The amount L of aroma components in the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage measured by the measurement method shown in is 20 or more.
(2) A non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to (1) above, containing a flavoring.
(3) A non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to (1) or (2), wherein the pH value of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage after decarbonation is 2.0 to 7.0.
(4) A non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to any one of (1) to (3), having an alcohol concentration of less than 0.05 v/v%.
(5) A non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to any one of (1) to (4) above, containing a sweetener.
(6) A non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to any one of (1) to (5), which is a bottled carbonated beverage.
(7) A method for producing a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage containing aroma components, comprising adjusting the difference (ΔpH) between the pH value of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage and the pH value measured after removing carbon dioxide from the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage to 0.04 or more, and the amount of aroma components L in the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage measured by the measurement method shown in Table 1 above is 20 or more.
(8) The method described in (7) above, wherein the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage contains a flavoring.
(9) The method described in (7) or (8), wherein the alcohol concentration of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage is less than 0.05 v/v%.
(10) A method for enhancing the aroma of a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage containing aroma components, comprising adjusting the difference (ΔpH) between the pH value of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage and the pH value measured after removing carbon dioxide from the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage to 0.04 or more, and wherein the amount of aroma components L in the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage measured by the measurement method shown in Table 1 above is 20 or more.
(11) The method according to (10), wherein the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage contains a flavoring.
(12) The method described in (10) or (11) above, wherein the alcohol concentration of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage is less than 0.05 v/v%.

According to the present invention, it is possible to enhance the aroma of non-alcoholic carbonated beverages containing a predetermined amount of aroma components. In particular, according to the present invention, it is possible to enhance the aftertaste of non-alcoholic carbonated beverages containing a predetermined amount of aroma components.

Specific Description of the Invention

In the present invention, "non-alcoholic" means that the beverage not only does not contain ethanol derived from yeast fermentation, but also is substantially free of ethanol, with the ethanol content (alcohol concentration) preferably being less than 0.05 v/v%, more preferably less than 0.01 v/v%, and even more preferably less than 0.005 v/v%.

In this invention, "fragrance emergence" means that the aroma can be clearly perceived, and is a concept that includes not only the aroma perceived immediately after drinking a beverage, but also the aftertaste. Furthermore, in this invention, "aftertaste" refers to the aroma perceived as it passes from the back of the throat to the nose after swallowing a beverage.

In this invention, "flavoring" refers to an additive used to flavor food, and may be either a synthetic or natural flavoring, as long as it is labeled as "flavoring" in the ingredient labeling.

The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention contains a predetermined amount of aroma components, for example, flavorings. Furthermore, the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention is a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage in which the difference (ΔpH) between the pH value of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage and the pH value measured after removing carbon dioxide from the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage is within a predetermined numerical range. Having such a ΔpH enhances the aroma released when the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention is consumed. The beverage of the present invention can be produced by adjusting the ΔpH to fall within the predetermined numerical range during the production process of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage.

ΔpH is the difference between the pH value of a carbonated beverage and the pH value measured after the carbon dioxide has been removed from the carbonated beverage. ΔpH is calculated by subtracting the smaller of these two pH values from the larger pH value. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pH value of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention is lower than the pH value measured after the carbon dioxide has been removed from the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage, and therefore ΔpH is expressed as (pH value measured after the carbon dioxide has been removed from the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage) - (pH value of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage).

The ΔpH of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention is 0.04 or higher, preferably 0.05 or higher, more preferably 0.06 or higher, and even more preferably 0.07 or higher. The higher the ΔpH, the greater the aroma enhancement effect, so there is no particular upper limit, but a realistic value can be, for example, 2.00, preferably 1.00, more preferably 0.8, and even more preferably 0.5.

The pH value can be measured using a method that can measure both the pH value of a carbonated beverage and the pH value when the effects of carbonation in that carbonated beverage are eliminated. While such a method was virtually impossible in the past, it is now well known in the art, and devices for use in such methods are commercially available. An example of such a device is the PBA-S (manufactured by Anton Paar Japan), a type of beverage analysis measuring device. Using such a method or device, ΔpH can be easily measured.

The ΔpH of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention can be adjusted by first producing the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage and measuring its ΔpH. If the ΔpH is below the predetermined value, the adjustment can be achieved by increasing or decreasing the amount of ingredients or food additives that affect the ΔpH in the raw material solution before carbonating the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage. Here, after producing a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage by increasing or decreasing the amount of ingredients or food additives that affect the ΔpH, the ΔpH can be measured again, and if the ΔpH is below the predetermined value, the same procedure can be repeated. Furthermore, once the conditions (such as the amounts of all ingredients) that result in a ΔpH above the predetermined value are found, the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage can be produced according to those conditions; there is no need to measure the ΔpH again. In other words, the production of a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to such conditions itself should be understood to constitute an act of adjusting the ΔpH.

Food additives used to adjust the ΔpH can be food additives that affect the pH value of the raw material solution of a carbonated beverage before carbonation, and these are called ΔpH-imparting agents. Materials whose safety as a food can be confirmed can be used as ΔpH-imparting agents. Whether a certain ΔpH-imparting agent has the property of making the difference between the pH value of a carbonated beverage in a carbonated state and the pH value after decarbonation of the beverage greater than a certain value can be determined by examining the following method. That is, a candidate ΔpH-imparting agent is added to a raw material solution of a carbonated beverage before carbonation, and then carbonation is added to produce a prototype bottled carbonated beverage. The ΔpH of the resulting prototype can be measured using an instrument (e.g., PBA-S (manufactured by Anton Paar Japan)) that can measure both the pH value of the carbonated beverage and the pH value after the influence of carbonation in the carbonated beverage has been removed, thereby easily confirming whether or not the agent has a ΔpH-imparting effect. Specific examples of ΔpH imparting agents having such properties include sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO ₃ ), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium citrate, potassium citrate, sodium gluconate, potassium gluconate, tripotassium phosphate, dipotassium phosphate, trisodium phosphate, disodium phosphate, sodium malate, disodium succinate, monosodium succinate, dipotassium succinate, monopotassium succinate, sodium tartrate, potassium hydrogen tartrate, histidine, arginine, γ-aminobutyric acid, citrulline, lysine, etc. The amount of food additives such as these ΔpH imparting agents to be used can be appropriately determined by one skilled in the art to satisfy the above-mentioned ΔpH conditions depending on the carbon dioxide pressure of the beverage, the pH value of the beverage, other ingredients, etc.

The aroma enhancement effect of the present invention is achieved in accordance with the amount of aroma components contained in the beverage, regardless of the amount of aroma components contained in the beverage; therefore, the specific amount of aroma components in the beverage is not particularly limited. On the other hand, since the aroma enhancement effect of the present invention is an effect of enhancing the aroma caused by the aroma components contained in the beverage, it is also true that the greater the amount of aroma components in the beverage, the more easily it is perceived.

Therefore, the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention is intended to contain a certain amount or more of aroma components. Specifically, the amount of aroma components L in the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage measured by the measurement method shown in Table 1 above can be 20 or more, more preferably 40 or more.

In the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention, the pH value of the carbonated beverage after decarbonation can be adjusted to 2.0 to 7.0, preferably 3.0 to 7.0, more preferably 3.0 to 6.5, even more preferably 3.0 to 6.0, even more preferably 3.0 to 5.5, even more preferably 3.5 to 5.5, and even more preferably 3.5 to 5.0. The pH value of the beverage can be measured using an instrument (e.g., PBA-S (manufactured by Anton Paar Japan)) that can measure both the pH value of a carbonated beverage and the pH value of that carbonated beverage after the influence of carbonation has been removed.

The carbon dioxide pressure of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention can be adjusted as desired, for example, within the range of 0.1 to 0.4 MPa, preferably 0.15 to 0.35 MPa, and more preferably 0.2 to 0.3 MPa (all gas pressures at 20°C).

The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention may contain a sweetener, such as a high-intensity sweetener (e.g., acesulfame K, sucralose, etc.), a sweetener derived from fruit juice (e.g., sweeteners derived from fruit juice such as grape juice, grapefruit juice, or apple juice), sugar, glucose, fructose, oligosaccharides, isomerized liquid sugar, or sugar alcohol. The sugar may be derived from animal or plant sources (fruits, vegetables, milk, etc.).

The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention can be provided as a packaged beverage. The container used for the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention may be any container typically used for filling beverages, such as a metal can, a barrel, a plastic bottle (e.g., a PET bottle or cup), a paper container, a bottle, or a pouch container, but metal cans, barrels, plastic bottles (e.g., a PET bottle), or bottles are preferred.

One of the features of the aroma enhancement effect of the present invention is that it also enhances aftertaste, and this feature is thought to be compatible with aromas reminiscent of alcohol (alcohol-like aromas). Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage of the present invention is a beverage with an alcohol-like aroma, i.e., an alcohol-flavored beverage. Examples of alcohol-flavored beverages include beer-flavored beverages, sake-flavored beverages, wine-flavored beverages, liqueur-flavored beverages, cocktail-flavored beverages, chuhai-flavored beverages, steeped-liquor-flavored beverages, whiskey-flavored beverages, and shochu-flavored beverages.

The beverage of the present invention may contain other ingredients used in the production of non-alcoholic carbonated beverages. Examples of such other ingredients include acidulants (e.g., tartaric acid, lactic acid, phosphoric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, citric acid, phytic acid, itaconic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, adipic acid, acetic acid, or salts thereof), colorings, and food additives (e.g., foaming and foam retention enhancers, bittering agents, preservatives, antioxidants, thickening stabilizers, emulsifiers, dietary fiber, pH adjusters, etc.). Furthermore, other flavorings (e.g., fragrances) can also be added as long as they do not interfere with the aroma-enhancing effect.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for enhancing the aroma of a flavoring-containing non-alcoholic carbonated beverage, the method comprising adjusting the difference (ΔpH) between the pH value of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage and the pH value measured after removing carbon dioxide from the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage to 0.04 or more.

The present invention will be specifically explained based on the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Carbonated beverage samples for each group were prepared using the post-mix method according to the recipe in Table 2. The post-mix method involves pouring a syrup prepared by mixing sugar solution, acidulant, flavoring, coloring, etc. into a container, then pouring carbonated water into the container, sealing the container, and then mixing the syrup and carbonated water. In this example, a syrup prepared by mixing ingredients other than carbonated water was poured into the container, and then carbonated water (carbon dioxide concentration 0.5 MPa) prepared separately by carbonation (dissolving by carbon dioxide injection) was poured into the container. After sealing the container, the carbonated beverage samples for each group were prepared by mixing the syrup and carbonated water.

ΔpH measurement method: ΔpH (the difference between the pH value of a carbonated beverage sample and the pH value when carbon dioxide is removed from the carbonated beverage sample) was measured using a beverage analysis measuring device, PBA-S (manufactured by Anton Paar Japan). The pH obtained by measurement (pH value of the carbonated beverage sample) and pH (CO ₂ corrected) (pH value when carbon dioxide is removed from the carbonated beverage sample) were calculated using the following formula:
[ΔpH] = [pH (CO ₂ Correct)] - [pH]
The ΔpH was calculated by:

Sensory Evaluation Sensory evaluation of the prepared carbonated beverage samples from each group was carried out by five trained panelists according to the following method and criteria.

The sensory evaluation involved assessing the strength of aroma (including aftertaste) when tasting samples containing various flavorings were used. For each flavor, a beverage sample with an alcohol (ethanol) concentration of 0.1 v/v% was used as the positive control (control group), and a beverage sample with an alcohol concentration of 0.00 v/v% with an arbitrarily adjusted ΔpH was used as the comparison or test group.

The evaluation score was based on the following four levels.
4: Fragrance is equivalent to that of the control group. 3: Fragrance is slightly weaker than that of the control group (similar to the sample in the control group where the amount of fragrance added was 80 v/v%).
2: Fragrance is weaker than the control (same as the control sample with 60 v/v% fragrance added)
1: The fragrance is very weak compared to the control group (similar to the sample in the control group with 40 v/v% fragrance added)

The average evaluation scores of the five panelists were calculated, and the average was classified into levels according to the following evaluation criteria.
(Evaluation criteria)
A: The average evaluation score is 3.5 or more. B: The average evaluation score is 3.0 or more and less than 3.5. C: The average evaluation score is 2.5 or more and less than 3.0. D: The average evaluation score is less than 2.5.

Method for measuring the amount of aroma components L The amount of aroma components L was measured according to Table 1 below.

Example 1: Conditions for enhancing aroma release in flavored non-alcoholic carbonated beverages The effect of ΔpH on aroma release in flavored beverage samples was evaluated. Test, comparison, and control beverage samples of carbonated beverages with various flavors were prepared using the post-mix method, with a carbon dioxide pressure of 0.25 MPa, according to Table 2. The results of ΔpH and sensory evaluation are shown in Table 3, along with the type of flavor and aroma component content L of each beverage sample.

In each flavored beverage sample, the aroma improved as the ΔpH increased. In particular, a significant enhancement of aroma was observed in test plots where the ΔpH was 0.04 or higher.

Furthermore, the greater the aroma component amount L, the more easily the aroma enhancement effect is perceived, and it is believed that the aroma enhancement effect is particularly easily perceived in samples with an aroma component amount L of 20 or more (preferably 40 or more).

Claims (23)

A non-alcoholic carbonated beverage containing an aroma component and having an alcohol concentration of less than 0.05 v/v% , wherein the difference (ΔpH) between the pH value of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage and the pH value measured after removing carbon dioxide from the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage is 0.04 or more, and the pH (when not containing carbon dioxide) is 3.84 or more, and the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage has a pH value of 3.84 or more as shown in the following table:
The amount of aroma components in the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage, L, measured by the measurement method shown in 1. above, is 20 or more, and the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage has a sake-like aroma. The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to claim 1, which contains a flavoring. The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to claim 1 or 2, containing a beer flavor. The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is a beer-flavored beverage. The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which is a sake-flavored beverage. The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which is a shochu-flavored beverage. The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which is a whiskey-flavored beverage. The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which is a wine-flavored beverage. The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 8, containing at least one acidulant selected from the group consisting of tartaric acid, lactic acid, phosphoric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, citric acid, phytic acid, itaconic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, adipic acid, acetic acid, and salts thereof. The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the pH value of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage after decarbonation is 3.84 to 7.0. The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 10, having an alcohol concentration of less than 0.01 v/v%. The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 11, containing a sweetener. The non-alcoholic carbonated beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 12, which is a bottled carbonated beverage. A method for producing a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage containing aroma components and having an alcohol concentration of less than 0.05 v/v% , the method comprising: adjusting the difference (ΔpH) between the pH value of the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage and the pH value measured after removing carbon dioxide from the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage to 0.04 or more ; and adjusting the pH (when not containing carbon dioxide) to 3.84 or more , the method comprising:
wherein the amount L of aroma components in the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage measured by the measurement method shown in 1) above is 20 or more, and the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage has a sake-like aroma. The method of claim 14, wherein the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage contains a flavoring. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage contains a beer flavor. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage is a beer-flavored beverage. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage is a sake-flavored beverage. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage is a shochu-flavored beverage. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage is a whiskey-flavored beverage. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage is a wine-flavored beverage. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage contains at least one acidulant selected from the group consisting of tartaric acid, lactic acid, phosphoric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, citric acid, phytic acid, itaconic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, adipic acid, acetic acid, and salts thereof. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22, wherein the non-alcoholic carbonated beverage has an alcohol concentration of less than 0.01 v/v%.