JP2023100067A - Aqueous ethanol liquid composition having citrus aroma - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an aqueous ethanol liquid composition that has gorgeous aroma like citrus fruit.SOLUTION: The aqueous ethanol liquid composition having citrus aroma is obtained by reduced-pressure distilling an immersion liquid obtained using a specified portion of citrus peel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing a citrus flavored aqueous ethanolic liquid composition, and the resulting composition.

Many beverages with citrus flavor are on the market. For example, RTD beverages, such as canned chuhai, cocktails, etc., are widely accepted.
For such beverages, methods are known for producing essential oils and aqueous alcohol solutions containing aromatic components such as fruits and pericarp. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a method for producing distilled liquor, which is characterized by immersing the peel of raw citrus fruits or apples in alcohol and distilling the alcohol under reduced pressure. Further, Patent Document 2 describes an alcohol-containing flavor liquid containing a liquid component produced when flavedo parts obtained from citrus peel are crushed in hydrous alcohol.

As used herein, the term "alcohol" means ethanol unless otherwise defined.

Japanese Patent No. 4302871 JP-A-2000-350571

The spirits and alcohol-containing flavor liquids described in the above documents achieve certain effects in terms of aroma and flavor. However, as for alcoholic beverages with citrus flavor, there is a need for those with a different taste as the times change.

An object of the present invention is to provide an aqueous ethanol liquid composition having a gorgeous citrus-like fragrance.

As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found that an aqueous ethanol liquid composition having a gorgeous citrus-like fragrance can be obtained by vacuum distillation of an immersion liquid obtained using a specific portion of citrus peel.

The present invention relates to, but is not limited to:
1. A method for producing an aqueous ethanol liquid composition having a citrus aroma, comprising:
immersing a piece or pieces of citrus peel pieces in a mixture of ethanol and water to obtain an infusion, and vacuum-distilling the infusion;
The above method, wherein the portion in the region of less than 5 mm from the outside along the thickness direction of the raw material pericarp accounts for 50% or more of the total amount of the pericarp fragments.
2. 2. The method according to 1, wherein the portion in the region of 3 mm or less from the outside along the thickness direction of the raw material pericarp accounts for 50% or more of the total amount of the pericarp fragment.
3. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein multiple pieces of the pericarp fragment are used.
4. The citrus fruit as a raw material for the pericarp fragment is at least one selected from the group consisting of oranges, mandarin oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, yuzu, iyokan, natsumikan, hassaku, ponkan, shikuwasha, and kabosu. 4. The method of any one of 3.
5. Process according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vacuum distillation is carried out at a pressure of 5 kPa to 40 kPa.
6. 6. The method according to any one of 1 to 5, wherein the ethanol content in the mixed liquid in the immersion step is 43 to 95 v/v%.
7. A process according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the distillation temperature is 30°C to 60°C.
8. 1. The mixed liquid is at least one kind of distilled liquor selected from the group consisting of vodka, rum, tequila, gin, aquavit, cologne, brewing alcohol, neutral spirits, liqueurs, whiskey, brandy, and shochu. 8. The method according to any one of items 1 to 7.
9. An aqueous ethanolic liquid composition produced according to the method of any one of 1-8.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to produce an aqueous ethanol liquid composition having a high level of bright citrus scent.
In the present specification, the term “glamorous citrus-like fragrance” means a fragrance that is different from the freshness of the fruit juice itself, and that has both the sweet and full-bodied fragrance inherent in the fruit and a refreshing feeling. Different from the fresh scent typical of

FIG. 1 shows a portion (shaded area) in a region of 4 mm or less from the outside along the thickness direction of the raw material peel contained in the citrus peel fragment used in the present invention.

The production method of the present invention and the aqueous ethanolic liquid composition obtained thereby are described below.
(Aqueous ethanol liquid composition)
As used in connection with the present invention, the term "aqueous ethanolic liquid composition" means a liquid composition based on water and ethanol, including, for example, solutions, suspensions, dispersions, and the like.

The aqueous ethanolic liquid composition obtained by the present invention contains citrus flavor components in addition to ethanol and water.
(citrus peel fragment)
In the production method of the present invention, one or more pieces of citrus peel fragments are used.

The citrus fruit that is the raw material for the pericarp fragment is not particularly limited. For example, the citrus fruit is at least one kind selected from the group consisting of oranges, mandarin oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, yuzu, iyokan, natsumikan, hassaku, ponkan, shikuwasha, and kabosu. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more. In the present invention, it is preferred to use lemon peel fragments.

The pericarp fragment is a portion of the pericarp that has been separated from the rest of the pericarp and removed. The pericarp fragment contains a large amount of a specific part of the pericarp. The specific portion is a portion that is less than 5 mm, preferably 4 mm or less, more preferably 3 mm or less, and more preferably 2 mm or less from the outside along the thickness direction of the raw material peel. For a clearer understanding of the specific portion, FIG. 1 shows, as an example of the pericarp fragment, a portion in a region of 4 mm or less from the outside along the thickness direction of the raw material pericarp. In the present invention, the specific portion is 50% by weight or more, preferably 60% by weight or more, more preferably 70% by weight or more, more preferably 80% by weight or more, preferably 90% by weight of the total amount of the pericarp fragment. occupy more than When only one piece of pericarp fragment is used, for example, "the specific part accounts for 50% by weight or more of the total amount of the pericarp fragment" means that the pericarp fragment itself is 50% by weight or more of the Means containing a specific part. In addition, when the peel fragments used are multiple pieces, the ratio of the portion to the total amount of the fragments can be calculated from the ratio of the portion contained in each fragment and the weight of each fragment. is required to be within the above range. In a more preferred embodiment, said specified portion comprises 100% by weight of the total amount of said pericarp fragment, ie all of said pericarp fragment is said portion. If a large amount of other parts of the peel is included, it is not preferable because it may impair the gorgeous fragrance typical of citrus fruits.

The form of the pericarp fragment is not particularly limited, and may be in any form such as flaky, granular, cubic, shredded, chopped, and pasty. When the size is reduced, such as in the form of granules, cubes, julienne, mince, or paste, the bright citrus-like aroma of the resulting composition becomes stronger.

Also, the method for producing the pericarp fragment is not limited. For example, by slicing the pericarp and cutting out said portion, or by cutting or scraping the unnecessary portion from the pericarp, the required portion can be taken out as a pericarp fragment. Furthermore, the pericarp may be frozen before producing the pericarp fragments, and the obtained pericarp fragments may be frozen before the steeping step.

(Immersion process)
In the soaking step, multiple pieces of citrus peel fragments are soaked in a mixture of ethanol and water. The order in which the ingredients are added is not important as long as the three ingredients are combined in the end. For example, ethanol and water may be separately added to the citrus peel fragments, ethanol and water may be mixed to prepare a mixed solution, and then the mixed solution may be added to the citrus peel fragments, or ethanol, water, Alternatively, citrus peel fragments may be added to the mixture.

The mixture may contain only water and ethanol, but may contain other components. Such mixtures are, for example, at least selected from the group consisting of spirits (e.g., vodka, rum, tequila, gin, aquavit, corun), brewer's alcohol, neutral spirits, liqueurs, whiskey, brandy, and shochu. It is a kind of distilled liquor. A preferred distilled liquor is shochu.

The immersion conditions such as the ethanol content of the mixture, the immersion temperature and the immersion time are not particularly limited as long as the effects of the present invention can be obtained.

The ethanol content is preferably 43-95% v/v%, more preferably 46-95% v/v%, still more preferably 60-95% v/v%, still more preferably 70-95% v/v %, most preferably 80-95 v/v %. The immersion temperature is preferably 10-35°C, more preferably 18-30°C. The immersion time is preferably 8 to 48 hours, more preferably 14 to 24 hours. The volume of said mixture used in the soaking step is preferably 2 to 30 times the total weight of the citrus peel pieces, more preferably 2 to 18 times.

The ethanol content in this specification can be measured by any known method, and can be measured, for example, with a vibrating density meter. Specifically, the sample was subjected to direct-fire distillation, the density of the resulting distillate was measured at 15 ° C, and the attached table of the National Tax Agency prescribed analysis method (19 National Tax Agency Instruction No. It can be obtained by converting using "Table 2 Alcohol Content and Density (15°C) and Specific Gravity (15/15°C) Conversion Table".
After obtaining the dipping liquid in the steeping step, the citrus peel fragments may be removed from the dipping liquid before distillation, or the dipping liquid may be directly distilled. The removal method is not limited, and known methods such as filtration and centrifugation can be used.

(Reduced pressure distillation process)
Following the soaking step, the resulting soaking liquid is vacuum distilled. Conditions for vacuum distillation are not limited as long as the effects of the present invention can be obtained.

Distillation pressure (distiller internal pressure) is preferably 5 kPa to 40 kPa, more preferably 5 kPa to 15 kPa. The distillation temperature is preferably 30-60°C, more preferably 30-50°C. Distillation time may be appropriately adjusted according to the scale of distillation.

(Other ingredients and steps)
The aqueous ethanol liquid composition of the present invention may also contain additives normally added to beverages, such as vitamins, pigments, antioxidants, preservatives, seasonings, and extracts, as long as they do not impair the effects of the present invention. , pH adjusters, quality stabilizers, etc. can be added.

Moreover, the production method of the present invention may include other steps as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. Examples of such additional steps are the steps of adding the additional ingredients described above.
(Use of aqueous ethanol liquid composition)
The resulting aqueous ethanol liquid composition can be used as it is as a beverage or food, or can be used as a component such as a flavoring agent in a beverage or food. In those cases, additional ingredients such as liquid sugar and acidulant may be added as necessary.

(numerical range)
For clarity, numerical ranges expressed herein by lower and upper values, ie, "lower to upper", include those lower and upper values. For example, a range represented by "1-2" includes 1 and 2.

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below based on examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.
(Test example 1)
Lemon peel (about 6 mm thick) was sliced, and 1850 g of lemon peel fragment A was prepared by cutting out a portion up to 4 mm from the outside along the thickness direction of the peel. In a similar manner, 1850 g of lemon peel fragment B was prepared by cutting out a portion up to 2 mm from the outside along the thickness direction of the lemon peel.

Lemon peel, lemon peel fragment A, and lemon peel fragment B are separately soaked in a water-ethanol mixture (neutral spirits containing 95 v/v% ethanol: NS) and a distillation step (normal pressure or reduced pressure). Then, sample beverages (Comparative Example 1, Comparative Example 3, Examples 1 to 3) were prepared. Also, a sample beverage of Comparative Example 2 was prepared under conditions different from those of Example 2 only in that no distillation was performed.

The immersion was carried out at 25° C. for 16 hours using an ethanol mixture having a volume 3.4 times the weight of the peel, and the distillation conditions were 10 kPa and 32 to 45° C.
Three trained panelists performed a sensory evaluation of the aroma of each sample drink to evaluate the strength of the bright lemon-like aroma. Evaluation criteria are as follows. This evaluation criterion was also used in other test examples.

5 points: Strong lemon-like gorgeous scent 4 points: Slightly strong lemon-like gorgeous scent 3 points: Slightly lemon-like gorgeous scent 2 points: Slightly lemon-like gorgeous scent 1 point: Lemon-like The following table shows the average score obtained by the evaluation. A sample serving as an evaluation standard was used to confirm the relationship between the intensity of fragrance and the score corresponding to it, and the evaluation test was carried out after making the scores of all panelists as common as possible.

As can be seen from the above table, steeping using specific parts of the pericarp, followed by vacuum distillation, resulted in a more intense fragrant aroma. In addition, the smaller the amount of the inner part of the lemon peel fragment, the stronger the tendency. Furthermore, the lower the pressure of the distillation process, the higher the effect.

(Test example 2)
Some of the conditions of Example 2 of Test Example 1 were changed, and the influence thereof was examined. Specifically, the water-ethanol mixture used for immersion was changed to shochu containing 43 v/v% ethanol to obtain the sample beverage of Example 4. Also, the soaking step and the distillation step were performed after the lemon peel fragment B of Example 2 was shredded or minced to obtain sample beverages of Examples 5 and 6. The same sensory evaluation as in Test Example 1 was performed on the obtained sample beverages.

The results are shown below.

A high effect was observed even when the size of the pericarp fragments was reduced by shredding or chopping.

Claims (9)

A method for producing an aqueous ethanol liquid composition having a citrus aroma, comprising:
immersing a piece or pieces of citrus peel pieces in a mixture of ethanol and water to obtain an infusion, and vacuum-distilling the infusion;
The above method, wherein the portion in the region of less than 5 mm from the outside along the thickness direction of the raw material pericarp accounts for 50% or more of the total amount of the pericarp fragments. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the portion in the region of 3 mm or less from the outside along the thickness direction of the raw material pericarp accounts for 50% or more of the total amount of the pericarp fragments. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein multiple pieces of the pericarp fragment are used. The citrus fruit used as the raw material for the pericarp fragment is at least one selected from the group consisting of orange, mandarin orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, yuzu, iyokan, natsumikan, hassaku, ponkan, shikuwasha, and kabosu. The method according to any one of 1-3. Process according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vacuum distillation is carried out at a pressure of 5 kPa to 40 kPa. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the ethanol content in the mixed liquid in the immersion step is 43 to 95 v/v%. Process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distillation temperature is between 30°C and 60°C. The mixed liquid is at least one kind of distilled liquor selected from the group consisting of vodka, rum, tequila, gin, aquavit, cologne, brewing alcohol, neutral spirits, liqueurs, whiskey, brandy, and shochu. Item 8. The method according to any one of Items 1 to 7. An aqueous ethanolic liquid composition produced according to the method of any one of claims 1-8.