JP7798503B2 - Alcoholic beverages and their manufacturing methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an alcoholic beverage and a method for producing the same.

Izakayas and other establishments sometimes serve alcoholic beverages made by mixing dashi stock made from natural ingredients such as bonito flakes with sake. These alcoholic beverages have the umami flavor of the dashi stock, and are in demand among consumers who appreciate such flavors.

However, alcoholic beverages made with dashi have the problem of having a strong fishy smell. In particular, fish such as bonito flakes contain substances that produce trimethylamine (hereinafter referred to as trimethylamine-forming substances), which causes a fishy smell. For this reason, alcoholic beverages made with dashi such as bonito flakes produce trimethylamine, which results in a loss of flavor.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an alcoholic beverage and a method for producing the same that can reduce the fishy odor even when using foods containing trimethylamine or trimethylamine-producing substances.

The present inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by using a specific manufacturing method, and have arrived at the present invention. That is, the present invention provides the following.
[1] A method for producing an alcoholic beverage, comprising the steps of: adding a food containing trimethylamine or a trimethylamine-generating substance to an alcohol-containing liquid; extracting components contained in the food with the alcohol-containing liquid; distilling the alcohol-containing liquid after the extraction step and recovering at least a portion of the distillate; and preparing an alcoholic beverage using the recovered distillate.
[2] The method according to [1], wherein the food contains 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine.
[3] The manufacturing method described in [1] or [2], wherein the food contains ingredients derived from natural products.
[4] The manufacturing method described in [3], wherein the food contains ingredients derived from fish.
[5] The manufacturing method described in [4], wherein the food is bonito flakes or bonito flakes extract.
[6] The method according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the recovering step includes a step of distilling the alcohol-containing liquid under reduced pressure.
[7] The method according to [6], wherein the vacuum distillation step is carried out under a pressure of 100 mmHg to 750 mmHg.
[8] The method according to any one of [1] to [7], wherein the alcohol-containing liquid is raw material alcohol or shochu.
[9] The alcoholic beverage has an alcohol content of 10% or more, a 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration of the alcoholic beverage is 0.3 ppb or more in terms of pure alcohol, and a trimethylamine concentration of the alcoholic beverage is 500 ppb or less in terms of pure alcohol. [10] The manufacturing method according to any one of [1] to [10].
[11] An alcoholic beverage having an alcohol content of 10% or more, a 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration of 0.3 ppb or more in terms of pure alcohol, and a trimethylamine concentration of 500 ppb or less in terms of pure alcohol.
[12] A method for improving the flavor of an alcoholic beverage containing 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine and trimethylamine or a trimethylamine-producing substance, the method comprising the steps of: adjusting the 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration of the alcoholic beverage to 0.3 ppb or more, calculated as pure alcohol; adjusting the trimethylamine concentration of the alcoholic beverage to 500 ppb or less, calculated as pure alcohol; and adjusting the alcohol content of the alcoholic beverage to 10% or more.

The present invention provides an alcoholic beverage and a method for producing the same that can reduce the fishy odor even when using foods containing trimethylamine or trimethylamine-producing substances.

1: Method for Producing Alcoholic Beverage First, a method for producing an alcoholic beverage according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The production method according to this embodiment generally comprises an extraction step (step S1), a distillation step (step S2), and an alcoholic beverage preparation step (step S3). Each step will be described in detail below.

(Step S1) Extraction: First, a food containing trimethylamine or a trimethylamine-producing substance is prepared. Then, the prepared food is added to an alcohol-containing liquid, and the components contained in the food are extracted (transferred) into the alcohol-containing liquid.

The food is not particularly limited as long as it contains trimethylamine or a trimethylamine-producing substance, which means a substance that generates trimethylamine in an alcohol-containing liquid.
When foods containing trimethylamine or trimethylamine-producing substances are used in alcoholic beverages, the fishy odor can be a problem as described above. However, according to the present embodiment, the trimethylamine content can be reduced by going through a distillation process, and the fishy odor can be suppressed.

Preferably, the food contains 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine. 2,3,5-Trimethylpyrazine is a substance that contributes to a fragrant flavor (smoked flavor) and is contained in fish-derived substances such as bonito flakes. By using a food containing 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, a fragrant alcoholic beverage can be obtained.

Preferably, the food is a natural product or an extract of a natural product. A preferred example of a natural product is fish. An example of a fish is bonito. In a preferred embodiment, the food is bonito flakes or a bonito flake extract. An example of a bonito flake extract is one in which components of bonito flakes are extracted with alcohol.

The alcohol-containing liquid is not particularly limited as long as it contains alcohol (ethanol). Preferably, the alcohol-containing liquid is a distilled liquor. More preferably, the alcohol-containing liquid is raw material alcohol or shochu. Examples of shochu include sweet potato shochu and barley shochu.

The alcohol content of the alcohol-containing liquid is, for example, 10% or more, preferably 15% or more, more preferably 20% or more, and for example, 80% or less, preferably 65% or less, more preferably 50% or less.

For example, when using a solid food such as bonito flakes, the food is immersed in the alcohol-containing liquid at room temperature (e.g., 5 to 35°C, preferably 20 to 30°C). The immersion time is, for example, 5 to 72 hours, preferably 10 to 48 hours. The food is immersed in an amount of, for example, 5 to 100 g, preferably 10 to 60 g, per 1000 ml of alcohol-containing liquid.

(Step S2) Distillation : The alcohol-containing liquid is distilled and at least a portion of the distillate is recovered. The recovered distillate is a liquid that is less likely to have a fishy smell without significantly impairing the umami flavor derived from the food. In addition, the distillate is imparted with a fragrant flavor.

For example, if fish such as bonito flakes are used as the food in step S1, the alcohol-containing liquid will contain 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, which contributes to the fragrant aroma, but will also contain trimethylamine-producing substances, which cause a fishy odor. In contrast, by performing distillation in step S2, the trimethylamine concentration can be reduced while maintaining a certain level of 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration. As a result, the fishy odor can be reduced while maintaining the fragrant aroma.

The distillation is preferably carried out under reduced pressure, which makes it possible to further reduce the fishy smell compared to atmospheric distillation.
The pressure when carrying out vacuum distillation is, for example, 100 mmHg to 750 mmHg, preferably 100 to 300 mmHg.
The vacuum distillation may be carried out by a direct heating method or an indirect heating method, but is preferably carried out by an indirect heating method.

The distillate obtained by distillation may be recovered in its entirety or in part.
Preferably, a portion of the distillate is recovered. The alcohol content of the distillate usually decreases over time after the start of distillation. Therefore, it is preferable to recover the distillate from the start of distillation until the alcohol content of the distillate (meaning the alcohol content of the liquid currently flowing out, not the alcohol content of the total distillate accumulated since the start of distillation) reaches a predetermined value. The "predetermined value" here is, for example, 20 to 40%, preferably 25 to 35%.

(Step S3) Preparation of Alcoholic Beverage Subsequently, an alcoholic beverage is prepared using the distillate recovered in step S2.

Specifically, the distillate recovered in step S2 may be used as an alcoholic beverage as is, or the concentration of components may be adjusted by adding water to the recovered distillate.

In one embodiment, water is added to the recovered distillate to obtain the desired alcoholic beverage. The alcoholic beverage obtained has an alcoholic content of, for example, 10% or more, preferably 20% or more, and more preferably 30% or more, and for example, 60% or less, preferably 55% or less, and more preferably 50% or less.

If necessary, other components may be added to the recovered distillate.
The prepared alcoholic beverage is preferably filled into a container, sealed, and provided as a bottled beverage.

2: Alcoholic Beverages Alcoholic beverages are prepared by the method described above. As described above, the production method according to this embodiment makes it possible to obtain beverages with a reduced fishy odor, even when using foods containing trimethylamine or its products, which cause a fishy odor (for example, foods containing fish-derived components).

In addition, if the food contains components that contribute to a fragrant flavor, such as 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, these components are maintained. Therefore, a beverage can be obtained that maintains the pleasant flavor inherent in the food while suppressing the fishy smell.

For example, when bonito flakes or bonito extract are used as food, the production method according to this embodiment can produce an alcoholic beverage having a trimethylamine concentration of 500 ppb or less, calculated as pure alcohol, and a 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration of 0.3 ppb or more, calculated as pure alcohol.

Note that "pure alcohol equivalent" refers to the concentration of a component when the alcohol content of the liquid is converted to 100%. For example, if an alcoholic beverage has an alcohol content of 50% and the actual concentration of 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine is 0.1 ppb, the "2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration in pure alcohol equivalent" of this alcoholic beverage is 0.2 ppb.

By keeping the trimethylamine concentration, calculated as pure alcohol, at 500 ppb or less, the fishy smell can be made less noticeable. The trimethylamine concentration, calculated as pure alcohol, is preferably 400 ppb or less.

Furthermore, if the 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration, calculated as pure alcohol, is 0.3 ppb or higher, a sufficient fragrant flavor can be obtained. The 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration, calculated as pure alcohol, is preferably 0.4 ppb or higher, and more preferably 0.9 ppb or higher. The 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration, calculated as pure alcohol, is, for example, 10.0 ppb or lower, preferably 5.0 ppb or lower, and more preferably 3.5 ppb or lower.

This embodiment can also be considered a method for enhancing the flavor of an alcoholic beverage, comprising the steps of adjusting the 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration of the alcoholic beverage to 0.3 ppb or more, calculated as pure alcohol; adjusting the trimethylamine concentration of the alcoholic beverage to 500 ppb or less, calculated as pure alcohol; and adjusting the alcohol content of the alcoholic beverage to 10% or more.

The following describes examples carried out by the inventors to explain the present invention in more detail. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the following examples.

Alcoholic beverages according to Comparative Example 1 and Examples 1 to 6 were prepared according to the conditions set forth in Tables 1 and 2. Specifically, each alcoholic beverage was prepared by the following method.
(Comparative Example 1)
3 g of bonito extract was added to 100 ml of alcoholic liquid (raw material alcohol with an alcohol content of 38%) and stirred. The obtained alcoholic beverage liquid was designated as Comparative Example 1.

Example 1
45 g of dried bonito flakes were added to 1500 ml of alcoholic liquid (raw material alcohol with an alcohol content of 38%) and soaked at room temperature for 24 hours. Then, distillation was carried out under atmospheric pressure using a steam injection method. The distillate was collected from the start of distillation until the alcohol content of the distilled liquid had dropped to 30%. Water was added to the collected distillate to adjust the alcohol content to 45%. The resulting liquid was the alcoholic beverage of Example 1.

Example 2
3 g of bonito extract was added to 100 ml of alcoholic liquid (raw material alcohol with an alcohol content of 38%). The alcoholic liquid was then distilled by indirect heating under reduced pressure (160 mmHg). The distillate was collected from the start of distillation until the alcohol content of the distilled liquid had dropped to 30%. Water was added to the collected distillate to adjust the alcohol content to 45%. The resulting liquid was designated the alcoholic beverage of Example 2.

Example 3
45 g of dried bonito flakes were added to 1500 ml of alcoholic liquid (raw material alcohol with an alcohol content of 38%) and soaked at room temperature for 24 hours. The alcoholic liquid was then distilled by indirect heating under reduced pressure (160 mmHg). The distillate was collected from the start of distillation until the alcohol content of the distilled liquid had dropped to 30%. Water was added to the collected distillate to adjust the alcohol content to 45%. The resulting liquid was the alcoholic beverage of Example 3.

Example 4
The alcoholic beverage of Example 4 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 2 except for using sweet potato shochu with an alcohol content of 38%.

Example 5
The alcoholic beverage of Example 5 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 3 except for using sweet potato shochu with an alcohol content of 38%.

Example 6
An alcoholic beverage according to Example 6 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 2 except that barley shochu with an alcohol content of 30% was used as the alcoholic liquid.

Sensory tests were conducted on the beverages of Comparative Example 1 and Examples 1 to 6. The concentrations of 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine and trimethylamine were also measured. Specifically, the sensory tests and component concentration measurements were conducted using the following methods.

<Sensory test>
Each of the alcoholic beverages obtained was subjected to a sensory evaluation by six distilled spirits panelists. The sensory evaluation was carried out on the strength of the fragrant aroma (smoked aroma), the strength of the fishy smell, the umami taste, and the balance of the flavor and aroma.

The "strength of the aroma (smoked aroma)" was assessed on a five-point scale from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong). The criteria used were "sweet potato shochu with an alcohol content of 38%" and Comparative Example 1. In other words, the evaluation was based on a rating of "1" for "sweet potato shochu with an alcohol content of 38%" and a rating of "5" for Comparative Example 1.

The "fishy smell" was also rated on a five-point scale from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong). Potato shochu with an alcohol content of 38% was given a score of "1," and Comparative Example 1 was given a score of "5."

"Umami" was rated on a five-point scale from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong).

The "flavor balance" was rated on a five-point scale from 1 (bad) to 5 (good).

<Measurement of 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration>
In addition, the concentration of 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine in each alcoholic beverage was measured by the following method.
A 20 mL sample was weighed out, and 200 μL of an internal standard mixture (2-methyl-3-propylpyrazine 1.0 mg/L, 13C 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline; 1.2 mg/L) was added. The sample was loaded onto an anion exchange column (InertSep SAX 2 g/12 mL, GL Science) that had been sequentially conditioned with methanol and Milli-Q water, and the flow-through liquid was collected. 20 g of the flow-through liquid was adjusted to pH 4.5-5.0 using 1 M sodium citrate buffer (pH 4.8). 5 mL of dichloromethane and 5 g of NaCl were added, and the mixture was subjected to shaking extraction for 10 minutes (200 rpm). The mixture was then centrifuged for 10 minutes (3000 rpm), and the lower dichloromethane layer was collected. This procedure was repeated twice. The collected dichloromethane fraction was dehydrated by adding 5 g of anhydrous sodium sulfate. It was then concentrated to 100-300 μl under a nitrogen stream and subjected to GC/MS analysis. The GC/MS conditions were as follows. Quantitation was performed using a calibration curve prepared by adding a standard sample.
Gas chromatography:
GC 6890 Agilent Technologies
・Detector:
MS 5973 Agilent Technologies
·column:
DB 17 (length: 30 m, inner diameter: 0.25 mm, film thickness: 0.5 μm, Agilent Technologies)
Oven temperature rise conditions:
40°C (5 minutes) → 5°C/minute → 220°C (0 minutes) → 10°C/minute → 280°C (5 minutes)
・Inlet temperature: 230℃
・Injection conditions: Injection amount:
1 μl, pulsed splitless mode Flow rate:
1.0 ml/min (carrier gas: He)
Ionization condition: 70 eV
Measurement mode: single ion monitoring (SIM) mode

<Measurement of trimethylamine concentration>
In addition, the trimethylamine concentration of each alcoholic beverage was measured according to the following procedure.
The samples were analyzed by solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS), and quantification was performed using a calibration curve prepared by adding standards.
Column: amine analysis column Column thermostatic bath temperature: 40°C (3 min) - 10°C/min - 150°C - 20°C/min - 240°C (2 min)

(About the results)
The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

In Comparative Example 1, although there was a savory taste, there was a strong fishy smell and the flavor balance was poor.
On the other hand, in Examples 1 to 6, the fishy smell tended to be reduced and the fragrant flavor increased compared to Comparative Example 1. In addition, the umami sensation also tended to be reduced, but the umami sensation was greater than that of the control "sweet potato shochu with an alcohol content of 38% (rating 1)." Furthermore, the balance of flavors was greater in Examples 1 to 6 than in Comparative Example 1. In other words, it can be seen that by performing distillation, it is possible to remove the fishy smell, enhance the fragrant flavor, and improve the balance of flavors without significantly impairing the umami sensation.

Comparing Example 1 with Examples 2 to 6 (especially Example 3), Examples 2 to 6 had a significantly reduced fishy smell. As a result, the flavor balance was further improved. This shows that the fishy smell can be further reduced by using reduced-pressure distillation instead of atmospheric distillation.

Furthermore, in Examples 4 to 6, similar to Examples 2 and 3, the fishy smell was suppressed and the fragrant aroma was enhanced without significantly impairing the umami flavor. Therefore, it was found that the effects of distillation can be obtained even when shochu is used instead of raw material alcohol.

The concentration of trimethylamine, which is the cause of the fishy smell, was significantly reduced in Examples 1 to 6 compared to Comparative Example 1. The concentration of 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine was also reduced, but the degree of reduction was smaller than that of trimethylamine.
Specifically, in Examples 1 to 6, the 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration was 0.3 ppb or more in terms of pure alcohol, and the trimethylamine concentration was 200 ppb or less in terms of pure alcohol.

Claims (11)

a step of adding a food containing trimethylamine or a trimethylamine-generating substance to an alcohol-containing liquid and extracting components contained in the food with the alcohol-containing liquid;
After the extracting step, distilling the alcohol-containing liquid and recovering at least a portion of the distillate;
preparing an alcoholic beverage using the recovered distillate;
A method for producing an alcoholic beverage comprising the steps of: The manufacturing method described in claim 1, wherein the food contains 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine. The manufacturing method described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the food contains ingredients derived from natural products. The manufacturing method described in claim 3, wherein the food contains ingredients derived from fish. The manufacturing method described in claim 4, wherein the food product is bonito flakes or bonito flakes extract. The manufacturing method described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the recovery step includes a step of distilling the alcohol-containing liquid under reduced pressure. The manufacturing method described in claim 6, wherein the vacuum distillation step is carried out under a pressure of 100 mmHg to 750 mmHg. The manufacturing method described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the alcohol-containing liquid is raw material alcohol or shochu. The alcoholic beverage has an alcohol content of 10% or more,
The alcoholic beverage has a 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration of 0.3 ppb or more in terms of pure alcohol,
The trimethylamine concentration of the alcoholic beverage is 500 ppb or less in terms of pure alcohol.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The alcohol content is 10% or more,
The 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration is 0.3 ppb or more in terms of pure alcohol,
The trimethylamine concentration is 73 ppb to 500 ppb in terms of pure alcohol.
Alcoholic beverage. A method for improving the flavor of an alcoholic beverage containing 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine and trimethylamine or a trimethylamine-producing substance, comprising:
adjusting the 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine concentration of the alcoholic beverage to 0.3 ppb or more in terms of pure alcohol;
a step of adjusting the trimethylamine concentration of the alcoholic beverage to 500 ppb or less in terms of pure alcohol by a distillation step;
adjusting the alcohol content of the alcoholic beverage to 10% or more;
The method for improving the flavor of an alcoholic beverage comprises: