JP7744745B2 - Composition containing fruit juice and ethanol and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a composition containing fruit juice and ethanol and a method for producing the same.

Squeezed fruit juice is called cloudy juice, and in the case of citrus fruits, it contains solid matter such as pulp derived from the fruit. These solid matter has a distinctive texture on the tongue and can also clump or settle, which can be perceived as undesirable characteristics depending on the intended use of the juice.

To solve this problem, there has traditionally been clear juice, which is made by subjecting cloudy juice to enzyme treatment or solid-liquid separation to reduce the solids content, but these processes have the problem of impairing the characteristic citrus flavor.

The inventors have discovered that by first mixing a predetermined amount of ethanol with cloudy citrus juice and then subjecting the resulting mixture to solid-liquid separation, a citrus juice-ethanol mixed composition can be obtained that maintains the characteristic citrus fruit flavor while ensuring sufficient clarity. The present invention is based on this finding.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a citrus juice ethanol mixture composition that is clear and maintains the citrus fruit-like flavor of cloudy citrus juice, as well as a method for producing the same.

That is, the present invention provides the following inventions.
(1) A method for producing a citrus juice ethanol mixed composition containing 1 v/v % or more ethanol,
The method comprises: (a) a step of mixing ethanol with cloudy citrus fruit juice so that the ethanol concentration is 1 v/v% or more, thereby obtaining a fruit juice-ethanol mixture; and (b) a step of subjecting the fruit juice-ethanol mixture to a solid-liquid separation treatment.
(2) The method according to (1) above, wherein the temperature of the fruit juice-ethanol mixture is 0 to 50°C from the start of contact of the cloudy fruit juice with ethanol to the start of solid-liquid separation treatment.
(3) The method according to (1) or (2) above, wherein ethanol is mixed with the cloudy fruit juice so that the ethanol concentration is 10 to 65 v/v%.
(4) The method according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the time from the start of contact of the cloudy fruit juice with ethanol to the start of solid-liquid separation is 120 hours or less.
(5) A citrus juice/ethanol mixture composition produced by the method according to any one of (1) to (4).
(6) A citrus juice-ethanol mixed composition containing citrus juice, having an ethanol concentration of 1 v/v% or more, particles present having a median diameter of 0.1 μm or more, and a limonene concentration of 0.1 ppm or more.
(7) The citrus juice-ethanol mixed composition according to (6), having a limonene concentration of 1 to 5000 ppm.
(8) The citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition according to (6) or (7), wherein the median particle size is 20 to 100 μm.
(9) The citrus juice ethanol mixture composition according to any one of (6) to (8), having an ethanol concentration of 10 to 65 v/v%.
(10) An alcoholic beverage comprising the citrus juice-ethanol mixed composition according to any one of (5) to (9).

The present invention provides a citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition that is clear and maintains the citrus-like flavor and aroma of cloudy citrus juice. This citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition can be used as a raw material for alcoholic beverages in place of conventional citrus juice or citrus flavorings, and the resulting alcoholic beverage will be clear and have the citrus-like flavor and aroma of cloudy citrus juice. Furthermore, during the production process of the citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition, the flavor of the citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition can be further improved by appropriately adjusting the ethanol treatment conditions and solid-liquid separation treatment conditions to adjust the limonene concentration and particle size within certain ranges.

Specific Description of the Invention

In this invention, "alcoholic beverage" means a beverage with an alcohol content of 1% or more that is considered an alcoholic beverage under the Liquor Tax Act.

In this specification, "ppm" is synonymous with "mg/L" and "ppb" is synonymous with "μg/L."

The citrus juice-ethanol mixture composition of the present invention contains 1 v/v % or more of ethanol and is produced by mixing ethanol with cloudy citrus juice so that the ethanol concentration is 1 v/v % or more to produce a juice-ethanol mixture, and then subjecting the juice-ethanol mixture to a solid-liquid separation process.

The citrus fruit used as the raw material may be any type of citrus fruit, and will be appropriately selected by those skilled in the art depending on the flavor of the alcoholic beverage to be produced. Therefore, the type of citrus fruit is not particularly limited, but examples of citrus fruit that are easily used as raw materials for alcoholic beverages include lemon, grapefruit, orange, mandarin orange, yuzu, kumquat, kabosu, sudachi, shikuwasa, lime, citron, and bush citrus, with lemon and grapefruit being even more preferred.

Cloudy citrus juice is the juice extracted from citrus fruits and contains solid matter such as fruit-derived pulp. The cloudy citrus juice used in the present invention may be any of the extracted citrus juice, its concentrate, and its dilution, but is preferably concentrated cloudy juice. Furthermore, the cloudy citrus juice mixed with ethanol in the present invention may be in the form of a mixture with clear citrus juice. In other words, in the present invention, it is sufficient that the liquid containing cloudy juice has been adjusted to a predetermined ethanol concentration, and even if clear juice is present in the liquid, it is sufficient that the ethanol concentration is within a predetermined range.

The ethanol used in the present invention may be any ethanol suitable for consumption, such as industrial alcohol or alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages are suitable for use as ethanol, and examples of alcoholic beverages include distilled alcohol, spirits, and liqueurs, with vodka being preferred.

When adding ethanol to cloudy fruit juice at a predetermined concentration, a predetermined amount of ethanol can be added to the cloudy fruit juice, and water can be added to this mixture as needed. Alternatively, the ethanol can be diluted with water in advance and this diluted mixture can be added to the cloudy fruit juice. Alternatively, water can be added to the cloudy fruit juice in advance and the required amount of ethanol can be added thereto. Alternatively, ethanol and water can be added simultaneously to the cloudy fruit juice. Furthermore, after adding ethanol to the cloudy fruit juice, a mixing operation can be performed before the subsequent solid-liquid separation process to ensure sufficient mixing. Such mixing operations can be performed by means known in the art, such as a stirring blade, bubbling, a static mixer, or circulation in a pipe.

The lower limit of the ethanol concentration in the mixture obtained by adding ethanol to cloudy citrus juice is 1 v/v%, preferably 2.5 v/v%, more preferably 5 v/v%, even more preferably 10 v/v%, even more preferably 15 v/v%, even more preferably 25 v/v%, and even more preferably 35 v/v%. As for the upper limit, the ethanol concentration in the mixture is preferably less than 100 v/v%, more preferably 80 v/v% or less, even more preferably 75 v/v% or less, even more preferably 65 v/v% or less, and even more preferably 55 v/v% or less.

The solid-liquid separation process may be any process that can reduce the solids concentration in the fruit juice-ethanol mixture. Examples of such processes include centrifugation, filtration, and decantation. Centrifugation or filtration is preferred, and centrifugation is more preferred.

The time from the start of contact between ethanol and fruit juice to the start of solid-liquid separation is not particularly limited, but is preferably 150 hours or less, more preferably 120 hours or less, and even more preferably 1,440 minutes (24 hours) or less.

The temperature of the fruit juice-ethanol mixture from the start of contact between the ethanol and the fruit juice to the start of solid-liquid separation is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0 to 60°C, more preferably 0 to 50°C, even more preferably 0 to 40°C, and even more preferably 1 to 40°C.

The citrus juice ethanol mixture composition obtained by the method of the present invention is clear and maintains the citrus fruit-like flavor and aroma that cloudy citrus juice possesses.

Furthermore, the analysis results of the above citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition showed that, even if not obtained by the method of the present invention, a citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition will be clear and will maintain the citrus-like flavor and aroma of cloudy citrus juice, as long as it contains citrus juice, has an ethanol concentration of 1 v/v% or more, has a median particle diameter of 0.1 μm or more, and has a limonene concentration of 0.1 ppm or more. Therefore, according to a second aspect of the present invention, a citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition that satisfies the above conditions is provided. Hereinafter, the term "citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition of the present invention" includes not only a citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition obtained by the method of the present invention, but also a citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition according to the second aspect of the present invention.

The lower limit of the ethanol concentration in the citrus juice-ethanol mixed composition of the present invention is 1 v/v%, preferably 2.5 v/v%, more preferably 5 v/v%, even more preferably 10 v/v%, even more preferably 15 v/v%, even more preferably 25 v/v%, and even more preferably 35 v/v%. As for the upper limit, the ethanol concentration in the mixed composition is preferably less than 100 v/v%, more preferably 80 v/v% or less, even more preferably 75 v/v% or less, even more preferably 65 v/v% or less, and even more preferably 55 v/v% or less.

The lower limit of the limonene concentration in the citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition of the present invention is preferably 0.1 ppm, more preferably 0.5 ppm, even more preferably 1.0 ppm, even more preferably 5.0 ppm, and even more preferably 10 ppm. Furthermore, the upper limit of the limonene concentration in the citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition of the present invention is preferably 5000 ppm, more preferably 3000 ppm, even more preferably 1000 ppm, even more preferably 500 ppm, and even more preferably 100 ppm. The limonene concentration can be measured by a known method using GC/MS.

The lower limit of the median diameter of particles present in the citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition of the present invention is preferably 0.1 μm, more preferably 0.5 μm, even more preferably 1.0 μm, even more preferably 5.0 μm, even more preferably 10 μm, even more preferably 20 μm, and even more preferably 30 μm. Furthermore, the upper limit of the median diameter of particles present in the citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition of the present invention is preferably 1000 μm, more preferably 750 μm, even more preferably 600 μm, even more preferably 200 μm, and even more preferably 100 μm. The median diameter can be measured by a laser diffraction/scattering method. The refractive index can be selected from 1.60-0.10i.

The turbidity of the citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition of the present invention is preferably 500 ntu or less, more preferably 400 ntu or less, even more preferably 250 ntu or less, even more preferably 100 ntu or less, and even more preferably 50 ntu or less. Turbidity can be measured using a transmitted light measurement method.

The lower limit of the sugar content of the citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition of the present invention is preferably 5°, more preferably 10°, even more preferably 15°, and even more preferably 20°. The upper limit of the sugar content of the citrus juice/ethanol mixed composition of the present invention is preferably 200°, more preferably 100°, and even more preferably 50°. Sugar content can be measured using a refractive index method.

When added to a beverage, the citrus juice ethanol mixed composition of the present invention can impart a citrus fruit-like flavor without increasing the turbidity of the beverage. The content (i.e., the amount added) of the citrus juice ethanol mixed composition of the present invention in a beverage is not particularly limited and can be determined appropriately by those skilled in the art depending on the type of beverage and the desired flavor intensity.

The beverage of the present invention may be one into which carbon dioxide has been injected, i.e., a carbonated beverage.

The pH of the beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably adjusted to 2.5 to 5.0. The pH of the beverage can be easily measured using a commercially available pH meter.

The beverage of the present invention may contain other ingredients used in beverage production. Examples of such other ingredients include sweeteners (e.g., sugar, glucose, fructose, oligosaccharides, isomerized liquid sugar syrup, sugar alcohols, high-intensity sweeteners, etc.), acidulants (e.g., citric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, phosphoric acid, phytic acid, itaconic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, adipic acid, acetic acid, or salts thereof, etc.), colorants, and food additives (e.g., foaming and foam retention enhancers, bittering agents, preservatives, antioxidants, thickening stabilizers, emulsifiers, dietary fiber, pH adjusters, etc.).

The beverage of the present invention is preferably provided as a packaged beverage. The container used may be any container commonly 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, with metal cans, barrels, plastic bottles (e.g., a PET bottle), or bottles being preferred.

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

The following methods were employed in the experiments in the examples.
(1) Sensory Evaluation For the sensory evaluation, water or alcohol was added to each sample to adjust the alcohol concentration to 16 v/v%. The samples were used as tasting samples. The sensory evaluation was performed by five trained panelists, and the average values were used. The standard error for all tasting samples was 0.2 or less.

(2) Turbidity The turbidity was measured by a transmitted light measurement method.

(3) Limonene Concentration The limonene concentration was measured by GC/MS analysis under the following conditions:
GC/MS main unit: QP2010 SHIMAZU, AOC20i;
Column: J&W Scientific 1909is-936 HP-1MS Agilent.

(4) Median diameter of particles contained in the sample The median diameter was measured by a laser diffraction/scattering method using a Shimadzu SALD-2200/WingSALD II with a refractive index of 1.50-0.20i.

Example 1: Study of ethanol concentration in citrus juice ethanol mixed compositions In this example, the ethanol concentration in citrus juice ethanol mixed compositions was studied. Specifically, various amounts of water and ethanol were added to cloudy lemon or grapefruit concentrated juice, mixed for 1 second, and then centrifuged at 1000 G for 10 minutes. After centrifugation, the supernatant was collected to obtain samples of citrus juice ethanol mixed compositions. All samples were maintained at 20°C during the experiment. The turbidity of all samples was measured and sensory evaluation was performed.

The sensory evaluation items and evaluation criteria were as follows:
(i) Fruity flavor: The overall strength of the citrus fruit aroma and flavor. The higher the intensity, the better.
For the tasting samples using lemon as the fruit, test plot 1 was scored at 5 points and test plot 4 was scored at 9 points, and for the tasting samples using grapefruit as the fruit, test plot 7 was scored at 5 points and test plot 10 was scored at 9 points, and all were scored at equal intervals, and evaluated using a score of 1 point (weak) to 9 points (strong).
(ii) Bitterness and astringency: The intensity of bitterness and astringency that exceeds the characteristic of citrus fruits. The lower the intensity, the better.
For the tasting samples using lemon as the fruit, test plot 1 was scored at equal intervals with 5 points and test plot 4 with 1 point, and for the tasting samples using grapefruit as the fruit, test plot 7 was scored at equal intervals with 5 points and test plot 10 with 1 point, and all were evaluated using a score ranging from 1 point (weak) to 9 points (strong).
(iii) Burning sensation: the intensity of the tingling and burning sensation in the throat that accompanies the stimulation of alcohol. The lower the score, the better.
For the tasting samples using lemon as the fruit, test plot 1 was scored at equal intervals with 5 points and test plot 4 with 1 point, and for the tasting samples using grapefruit as the fruit, test plot 7 was scored at equal intervals with 5 points and test plot 10 with 1 point, and all were evaluated using a score ranging from 1 point (weak) to 9 points (strong).
(iv) Roundness of acidity: The degree of mellowness of the acidity characteristic of citrus fruits. The higher the value, the better.
For the tasting samples using lemon as the fruit, test plot 1 was scored at 5 points and test plot 4 was scored at 9 points, and for the tasting samples using grapefruit as the fruit, test plot 7 was scored at 5 points and test plot 10 was scored at 9 points, and all were scored at equal intervals, and evaluated using a score of 1 point (weak) to 9 points (strong).
(v) Saltiness: In citrus fruits, the lower the saltiness, the better.
For the tasting samples using lemon as the fruit, test plot 1 was scored at equal intervals with 5 points and test plot 4 with 1 point, and for the tasting samples using grapefruit as the fruit, test plot 7 was scored at equal intervals with 5 points and test plot 10 with 1 point, and all were evaluated using a score ranging from 1 point (weak) to 9 points (strong).
(vi) Grassy smell: The strength of an unpleasant smell reminiscent of a fishy smell. The lower the smell, the better.
For the tasting samples using lemon as the fruit, test plot 1 was scored at equal intervals with 5 points and test plot 4 with 1 point, and for the tasting samples using grapefruit as the fruit, test plot 7 was scored at equal intervals with 5 points and test plot 10 with 1 point, and all were evaluated using a score ranging from 1 point (weak) to 9 points (strong).

The results are shown in Table 1.

Example 2: Investigation of processing temperature and processing time in the production of citrus juice ethanol mixed compositions In this example, the processing temperature and processing time in the production of citrus juice ethanol mixed compositions were investigated. Specifically, water and ethanol were added to cloudy lemon or grapefruit concentrated juice so that the ethanol concentration was 45%, and the mixture was mixed for a certain period of time, followed by centrifugation at 1000 G for 10 minutes. After centrifugation, the supernatant was collected to obtain samples of citrus juice ethanol mixed compositions. During the experiment, all samples were maintained at the temperatures shown in Table 2. All turbidities were 100 NTU or less. Sensory evaluation was performed on all samples.

The sensory evaluation items and evaluation criteria were as follows:
(i) Fruity flavor: The overall strength of the citrus fruit aroma and flavor. The higher the intensity, the better.
For the tasting samples using lemon as the fruit, test plot 1 of Example 1 was scored at equal intervals with 5 points, test plot 4 of Example 1 was scored at 9 points, and for the tasting samples using grapefruit as the fruit, test plot 7 of Example 1 was scored at equal intervals with 5 points, and test plot 10 of Example 1 was scored at 9 points, and all were evaluated using a score ranging from 1 point (weak) to 9 points (strong).

The results are shown in Table 2.

For both the lemon-based sample and the grapefruit-based sample, samples treated at 40°C for 150 hours and samples treated at 60°C for 24 hours or more had a potato-like off-flavor and showed a decrease in overall palatability.

Example 3: Study of Limonene Concentration and Particle Median Diameter in Citrus Juice-Ethanol Mixed Compositions In this example, the limonene concentration and particle median diameter in citrus juice-ethanol mixed compositions were studied. Specifically, water and ethanol were added to cloudy lemon or grapefruit concentrated juice to adjust the ethanol concentration to 5-80%, and the mixture was mixed for 10 seconds, followed by immediate centrifugation (200-1000 G, 2-20 minutes). After centrifugation, the supernatant was collected to obtain samples of citrus juice-ethanol mixed compositions. All samples were maintained at 20°C during the experiment. The turbidity and limonene concentration of the samples were measured, and the limonene concentration was adjusted by adding limonene fragrance as appropriate. All turbidities were below 100 NTU. Sensory evaluation was performed on all samples.

The sensory evaluation items and evaluation criteria were as follows:
(i) Fruity flavor: The overall strength of the citrus fruit aroma and flavor. The higher the intensity, the better.
For the tasting samples using lemon as the fruit, a sample with a limonene concentration of 0.3 ppm/median diameter of 1.3 μm was given 5 points, and a sample with a limonene concentration of 1000 ppm/median diameter of 70.5 μm was given 9 points, all of which were divided into equal intervals. For the tasting samples using grapefruit as the fruit, a sample with a limonene concentration of 0.4 ppm/median diameter of 1.1 μm was given 5 points, and a sample with a limonene concentration of 1000 ppm/median diameter of 31.6 μm was given 9 points, all of which were divided into equal intervals. Each sample was evaluated using a score ranging from 1 point (weak) to 9 points (strong).

The results are shown in Table 3.

All samples with a limonene concentration of 5,000 ppm exhibited a strong astringent taste, and overall palatability was reduced.

Claims (7)

A method for producing a citrus juice ethanol mixed composition containing 1 v/v % or more ethanol, comprising:
(a) mixing ethanol with cloudy citrus fruit juice to an ethanol concentration of 1 v/v% or more to obtain a fruit juice-ethanol mixture; and (b) subjecting the fruit juice-ethanol mixture to solid-liquid separation treatment,
The method, wherein the cloudy fruit juice is a squeezed juice (excluding the case where the citrus juice ethanol mixed composition is an alcoholic beverage containing fruit juice that has not been subjected to any heat treatment) . The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature of the fruit juice-ethanol mixture is 0 to 50°C from the start of contact between the cloudy fruit juice and ethanol to the start of the solid-liquid separation process. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein ethanol is mixed with the cloudy fruit juice to give an ethanol concentration of 10 to 65 v/v%. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the time from the start of contact between the cloudy fruit juice and ethanol to the start of solid-liquid separation is 120 hours or less. A citrus juice-ethanol mixed composition containing citrus juice, having an ethanol concentration of 15 to 65 v/v%, particles present having a median diameter of 0.1 μm or more, and a limonene concentration of 1 to 1000 ppm . The citrus juice ethanol mixed composition according to claim 5 , wherein the median particle size is 20 to 100 μm. An alcoholic beverage comprising the citrus juice-ethanol mixed composition according to claim 5 or 6 .