JP2011019460A - Method for producing flavor of teas and extract of teas - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prepare a tea flavor having a higher titer than that by a conventional method from a material of teas by a simple method. <P>SOLUTION: In the method for distilling and obtaining a flavor component from a material of teas by steam distillation, when the material of teas is contacted with steam, a tea flavor having a high titer is prepared by using steam generated from an aqueous alkali solution as the steam. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a tea flavor from tea materials such as green tea, black tea and oolong tea, and a tea flavor obtained by the method. More specifically, the present invention has an extremely high potency (strong fragrance) while the flavor of the tea material used as a raw material is expressed honestly by a very simple method compared to the conventional method for producing tea flavors. The present invention relates to a method for producing a tea flavor, a tea flavor obtained by the method, and a tea extract containing the tea flavor.

  In recent years, consumer preferences for food and beverages have diversified, and a large number of tea beverages such as green tea, black tea, and oolong tea are lined up in stores. In general, the taste and aroma of these tea beverages occupy the main part that determines the quality. In particular, tea beverages with excellent taste and strong aroma can emphasize the original impression of tea and tend to be favored by consumers as characteristic products. For this reason, the supplier of tea beverages is required to develop a food having a good taste and a strong aroma in order to meet consumer preferences.

  As a method for imparting a strong aroma as described above to tea beverages, it has been common to adjust the extraction conditions for producing beverages from tea materials according to the purpose. However, the taste and fragrance components contained in the tea material cannot be sufficiently extracted, and furthermore, the taste and fragrance may be deteriorated by processing during the manufacturing process such as sterilization. The scent was not satisfactory enough.

  In addition to the above-mentioned method, flavors and extracts contained in tea materials are obtained by selectively extracting aroma components and taste components from tea materials, which are added to the final beverage product. There are methods to mix and enhance the aroma and taste of the beverage. Tea flavors or extracts prepared by the method should fully collect the flavoring and aroma components in tea materials and add them to beverages to give them an excellent taste and strong aroma. As a result, there is an advantage that problems such as deterioration in the above-described method can be solved.

  As a method for preparing such tea flavors or extracts, flavors obtained by steam distillation of raw materials for palatable beverages, and flavors obtained by supplying raw materials for palatable beverages to a gas-liquid countercurrent contact device In which a flavor for beverages is produced by adding a specific ratio (Patent Document 1), steam distillation is applied to tea leaves, the residue obtained by steam treatment is extracted, and the extract is appropriately used. After concentration, a method of producing a tea extract with high potency by mixing the extract and a distillate obtained by steam distillation (Patent Document 2), steam distillation is performed on a fragrance-derived material containing a tea-based material, After adsorbing exhausted aroma gas to an organic synthetic adsorbent, a method of eluting aroma components with a solvent (Patent Document 3), a tea obtained by bringing tea distilled into contact with tea leaves by steam distillation Flavor It has been proposed a method of obtaining a (Patent Document 4).

JP 2003-33137 A JP 2007-295921 A JP 2007-321017 A JP-A-8-116882

  Conventional methods for producing tea flavors have not been able to prepare flavors that are so high in strength that they can respond to consumer demands that have been increasing in recent years. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to prepare a high-titer tea flavor from a tea material by a simple method as compared with a conventional method.

  As a result of diligent research to solve the above-described problems, the inventors of the present invention have obtained a method in which an aromatic component is distilled from a tea material by steam distillation, and the water vapor that is brought into contact with the tea material is alkaline. It has been found that a high-titer tea flavor can be prepared by using a solution generated from an aqueous solution.

That is, this invention relates to the manufacturing method of the tea flavor which has the following aspects.
Item 1. A method obtained by distilling aroma components from tea materials by steam distillation, wherein the water vapor is generated from an alkaline aqueous solution when the tea materials are brought into contact with water vapor. A method for producing flavors.
Item 2. Item 2. The method for producing a tea flavor according to Item 1, wherein the tea material is at least one selected from green tea, black tea, and oolong tea.
Item 3. Item 3. The method for producing a tea flavor according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the alkaline aqueous solution has a pH of 7.5 to 12.
Item 4. Item 4. A tea flavor produced by the method according to any one of Items 1 to 3.
Item 5. Item 5. A tea extract comprising the tea flavor according to Item 4.
Item 6. Item 6. A food or drink using the tea flavor according to Item 4 or the tea extract according to Item 5.

According to the method for producing tea flavors of the present invention, it is possible to prepare tea flavors that exhibit a good flavor of tea ingredients and have a very high potency compared to conventional methods.
Moreover, by adding the tea flavor obtained or the tea extract containing the tea flavor to the food and drink, the food flavor can be characterized by the good flavor and strong aroma of the tea flavor. It is particularly effective to add tea flavors to beverages prepared by extracting from the same tea raw materials.

Tea materials that can be used in the present invention are tea leaves made from buds, leaves, and stems from Camellia family Camellia genus Camellia ( Camellia genus C. sinensis var. Sinensis and C. sinensis var. Assamica or hybrids thereof) Is. The tea materials have different names, appearances, flavors, tastes, and the like depending on the cultivation method, processing method, and fermentation method, and can be appropriately selected according to the desired flavor. In addition, specific methods for fermentation of tea materials include green tea (including Sencha, Gyokuro, Kabusecha, Jade green tea, strawberry tea, bancha and roasted tea), black tea, oolong tea, puer tea, etc. Although it can be used regardless of fermentation methods such as semi-fermentation and post-fermentation, green tea, black tea and oolong tea are preferred, and green tea is more preferred. In addition, tea materials are slightly different in flavor and taste of tea flavors finally obtained depending on their varieties, brands, and production areas, so select the quality, brand, and production area according to the desired flavor. You can also.

In the present invention, a high-titer tea flavor can be obtained by subjecting the tea material to a steam distillation method using an alkaline aqueous solution.
The steam distillation method is a method of volatilizing and recovering aroma components contained in plants by distillation, and has been conventionally used as a well-known and commonly used technique (Japanese Patent Office Gazette Standard Technology Collection “Fragrance” (2006) , 2-1-2-2 Steam distillation _{http://www.jpo.go.jp/shiryou/s_sonota/hyoujun_gijutsu/kouryou/2-1-2.pdf} ).

  The steam distillation method carried out in the present invention is characterized in that steam generated from an alkaline aqueous solution is brought into contact with a tea material. The aqueous solution from which the steam is generated is not particularly limited as long as it is alkaline. The solute used in this alkaline aqueous solution is preferably used as a food additive in consideration of the use of the obtained flavor in foods and drinks. Specifically, sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, hydroxide Sodium, trisodium citrate, sodium gluconate, disodium succinate, sodium acetate, sodium L-tartrate, DL-sodium tartrate, sodium polyphosphate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium hydroxide, Examples include alkaline agents such as potassium gluconate, potassium polyphosphate, tripotassium phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, and calcium carbonate. The pH of the alkaline aqueous solution may be alkaline, but it is preferably adjusted to pH 7.5 to 12, more preferably pH 8 to 10, using one or more of the above-mentioned alkaline agents. The amount of the alkaline aqueous solution can be appropriately changed according to the performance of the apparatus for performing the steam distillation method, the kind of tea material, and the strength of the desired aroma component, but is alkaline with respect to 1 part by mass of the tea material. The amount of aqueous solution can be 0.5-50 mass parts.

In addition to the former stage, a conventionally used conventional method can be adopted as the method of steam distillation. Specifically, a method of passing steam through a column filled with tea materials, a method of filling tea materials into a sealed container and passing water vapor, etc. can be exemplified, such as pressurized steam distillation, atmospheric steam distillation, reduced pressure Any method of steam distillation can be employed. The tea material may be steam distilled as it is, or may be distilled in a wet state by adding water or an alkaline aqueous solution in advance. In general, about 0.5 to 50 parts by mass of water or an alkaline aqueous solution is added to 1 part by mass of the tea material. When moistened in an alkaline aqueous solution, a high strength tea flavor can be prepared by using water vapor generated from water.
Although the time which makes it contact with water vapor | steam can be adjusted arbitrarily, for example, about 10 minutes-about 5 hours can be mentioned.

  As described above, the aromatic component volatilized together with water vapor by steam distillation can be recovered as a distillate by liquefying after cooling. This distillate is most preferably used as it is as a tea flavor because it can be used in the state of being collected without volatilizing aroma components, but other uses include dextrin, lactose, Known excipients such as gum arabic can be added as appropriate, and powdered by a method such as spray drying or freeze drying. Moreover, the tea extract which has both a high-quality aroma and taste can also be prepared by mixing the tea extract prepared by the conventional method and the tea flavor prepared by the present invention. For example, by mixing an extract obtained by extracting tea residues after steam distillation and the tea flavor, a tea extract that is not only fragrant but also excellent in taste is prepared. Can do.

  The tea flavors prepared by the production method of the present invention have a strong fragrance and are added to foods and drinks, seasonings, etc., while the flavor and taste peculiar to tea materials are expressed in a natural form. The aroma and taste of tea materials can be imparted impressively. In addition, by adding the tea flavor to a tea beverage prepared from the same tea material, a beverage with a more impressive aroma and taste is prepared as compared to a conventional tea beverage. be able to.

  As foods and drinks to which tea flavors prepared by the production method of the present invention can be added, tea beverages, grain tea beverages or blended beverages mixed with these, cocktails, other alcoholic beverages, fruit juice beverages, vegetable beverages, carbonic acid Beverages such as beverages, soft drinks and milk beverages; seasonings such as dressing, mayonnaise, sauce, sauce, curry powder; Examples include, but are not limited to, processed foods such as cakes, Japanese confectionery, rice confectionery, snack confectionery, biscuits, rice cakes, gum, chocolate, jam and the like. In addition to food and drink, it can also be used in daily necessities such as fragrances, deodorants and toiletry products, and is not particularly limited as long as it is for perfume.

  The blending amount of the tea flavors according to the present invention into products such as the above-mentioned food and drink products can be appropriately adjusted according to the use object, purpose and the strength of the obtained flavor. 10 mass%, Preferably 0.01-1 mass% can be illustrated.

  Hereinafter, the content of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the following examples and comparative examples, but the present invention is not limited to these. Unless otherwise specified, “parts” means “parts by mass” and “%” means “% by mass”.

(Experimental example 1) Preparation of sencha flavor using aqueous solutions of different pHs 50 kg of domestic sencha tea leaves under normal pressure and steam flow rate of 330 kg / h by steam generated from 500 kg of alkaline aqueous solution whose pH was adjusted in advance as shown in Table 1 below. Steam distillation was carried out under the above conditions to obtain 25 kg of distilled Sencha flavor.

  In order to compare the sencha flavors obtained, each sencha flavor was diluted to 0.5%, and sensory evaluation of the “scent intensity” of the flavor was conducted by 7 well-trained evaluators. Furthermore, the characteristics of the fragrance of each flavor were evaluated. Regarding sensory evaluation, three points of Sencha tea flavor of Comparative Example 1 prepared by a general method (steam distillation method using tap water whose pH is not adjusted), five points when the fragrance was felt very strongly The average score was calculated from the total score of the seven evaluators. In addition, the said evaluation was performed in the state in which the evaluator faced down what kind of manufacture the flavor added to the drink to test was prepared. The results are shown in Table 1.

  As is apparent from the results in Table 1, the sencha flavors prepared according to the present invention (flavors of Examples 1 to 5) have a strong fragrance compared to the sencha flavor of Comparative Example 1 prepared by the conventional method, yet the raw materials The high-quality flavor of Sencha tea leaves was emphasized and stimulated palatability.

(Experimental example 2) Preparation of sencha flavor using different pH adjusting agents at the same pH 50 kg of domestic sencha tea leaves under normal pressure with steam generated from 500 kg of alkaline aqueous solution whose pH was adjusted in advance as shown in Table 2 below. Steam distillation was performed under the conditions of 330 kg / h to obtain 25 kg of distilled Sencha flavor.

  Comparative evaluation of each obtained sencha flavor was performed in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1 described above. The results are shown in Table 2.

  From the results in Table 2, all of the sencha flavors of Examples 1, 6 and 7 prepared by the steam distillation method using aqueous solutions adjusted to pH 7.5 with different pH adjusting agents were prepared by the conventional method. The scent was stronger than the Sencha flavor of Comparative Example 1. In addition, as a result of using different pH adjusters, no difference in fragrance intensity was observed between the different sencha flavors when using any pH adjuster, but the difference in fragrance tone was adjusted by pH adjustment. It was found that it differs depending on the agent. Therefore, when it is desired to prepare a flavor having a high titer and a desired fragrance, this can be achieved by appropriately selecting a pH adjuster.

(Experimental example 3) Preparation of black tea flavor <Example 8>
50 kg of Sri Lankan black tea (BOP) was steam distilled under normal pressure and a steam flow rate of 330 kg / h with water vapor generated from 500 kg of an aqueous solution whose pH was adjusted to 8 with sodium hydrogen carbonate in advance and distilled. 25 kg of tea flavor was obtained.

<Comparative Example 3>
The steam generated from 500 kg of tap water (pH 6.8) whose pH is not adjusted is steam-distilled with 50 kg of Sri Lankan black tea leaves (BOP) under normal pressure and a steam flow rate of 330 kg / h. 25 kg of flavor was obtained.

  Comparative evaluation of the obtained black tea flavor of Example 8 was performed in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1 except that the black tea flavor of Comparative Example 3 was used as a reference (three points). The results are shown in Table 3.

  From the results shown in Table 3, the tea flavor of Example 8 prepared according to the present invention was stronger in fragrance than the tea flavor of Comparative Example 3 prepared by the conventional method. In particular, when the two were sniffed and compared, the intensity of the scent of the tea flavor of Example 8 was clear, and the flavor of the tea leaf as a raw material was also emphasized.

(Experimental example 4) Preparation of oolong tea flavor <Example 9>
Steamed oolong tea was obtained by steam-distilling 50 kg of oolong tea leaves (iron kannon) under normal pressure and steam flow rate of 330 kg / h with steam generated from 500 kg of aqueous solution whose pH was adjusted to 8 with sodium hydrogen carbonate in advance. 25 kg of flavor was obtained.

<Comparative example 4>
50kg of oolong tea leaves (iron kannon) with steam generated from 500kg of tap water (pH 6.8) whose pH is not adjusted is steam distilled under normal pressure and steam flow rate of 330kg / h, and 25kg of oolong tea flavor is distilled. Got.

  The comparative evaluation of the obtained oolong tea flavor of Example 9 was performed in the same manner as in Experimental Example 1 except that the oolong tea flavor of Comparative Example 4 was used as a reference (three points). The results are shown in Table 4.

As is apparent from the results in Table 4, the oolong tea flavor of Example 9 prepared according to the present invention has a stronger scent compared to the oolong tea flavor of Comparative Example 4 prepared by the conventional method, yet the raw oolong tea leaves. The flavor was emphasized.

(Experimental Example 5) Application of Flavor <Example 10> Preparation of green tea extract and green tea drink containing green tea extract By the same method as in Example 1 above, 257.5 kg of sencha flavor was obtained from tea leaves, The column type extractor was filled, and 250 kg of 90 ° C. hot water was added. After soaking for 50 minutes, 227.3 kg of sencha extract was recovered from below the extractor. The recovered sencha flavor (25 kg) and sencha extract (227.3 kg) were mixed, then the mixture was filtered through diatomaceous earth and sterilized by heating at 85 ° C. for 30 minutes to obtain a green tea extract (Brix 5.3 °, pH 5.3). .

  A green tea beverage was prepared by extracting domestic sencha leaves at 50 ° C. and adjusting the Brix to 0.14 ° as a green tea beverage raw material liquid and sterilizing at 135 ° C. for 5 seconds according to the following formulation.

<Prescription of green tea beverage>
Green tea extract of Example 10 0.1 part L-sodium ascorbate 0.03 part
Sodium bicarbonate 0.003 parts Total green tea beverage raw material solution 100.000 parts

  The green tea beverage that is the product of the present invention expresses the aroma of the tea leaves of the raw material very strongly as compared to the green tea beverage raw material liquid, has good flavor and taste, and stimulates palatability. It was. Therefore, it was found that the green tea extract of the present invention and the green tea flavor mixed with the green tea extract can enhance the flavor and taste of a general green tea beverage.

Claims (6)

  A method obtained by distilling aroma components from tea materials by steam distillation, wherein the water vapor is generated from an alkaline aqueous solution when the tea materials are brought into contact with water vapor. A method for producing flavors.   The method for producing a tea flavor according to claim 1, wherein the tea material is at least one selected from green tea, black tea, and oolong tea.   The method for producing a tea flavor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pH of the alkaline aqueous solution is 7.5 to 12.   A tea flavor produced by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   A tea extract comprising the tea flavor according to claim 4.   A food or drink using the tea flavor according to claim 4 or the tea extract according to claim 5.