HK1190883B - Unfermented beer-taste beverage and manufacturing method therefor - Google Patents

Description

Non-fermented beer-taste beverage and method for producing same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a non-fermented beer-taste beverage having a fermented feeling and a method for producing the same.

Background

In recent years, soft drinks having a beer taste (so-called non-alcoholic beer-taste drinks) which have an alcohol content of less than 1 mass% and are not alcoholic beverages under the liquor tax law have been popular among consumers. Such a nonalcoholic beer-taste beverage is suitable for water replenishment and satisfies recent health targets because the total alcohol content is low even when a large amount of the beverage is taken for the sake of enjoying the beer taste (see, for example, japanese patent laid-open nos. 8-228753, 8-509855, and 5-068528).

Among such non-alcoholic beer-taste beverages, there are known beer-taste beverages produced by suppressing (insufficiently performing) alcoholic fermentation in the production process and reducing the content of alcohol produced by the fermentation; and a beer-taste beverage (non-fermented beer-taste beverage) produced by imparting a beer-like flavor to a beer by a method other than fermentation without performing fermentation at all. Here, in particular, a non-fermented beer-taste beverage has an advantage that a beer-taste beverage can be produced without a special fermentation apparatus at the time of production, and is widely sold at present as a beverage that can be drunk by consumers on the premise of driving in the process of strengthening the driving rules for drinking.

Disclosure of Invention

However, most of the flavors of beer are derived from aroma components generated in alcoholic fermentation with yeast. Therefore, it has been very difficult to impart a beer-like aroma to a non-fermented beer-taste beverage.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a non-fermented beer-taste beverage having a fermented feeling and a method for producing the same.

The present inventors have intensively studied in view of the above problems. As a result, they found that: the present inventors have completed the present invention by making it possible to produce a non-fermented beer-taste beverage having a good fermentation feeling by a production method comprising a step of adding a flavor composition containing a sulfur-containing compound to a non-fermented beer-taste beverage so that the content of the sulfur-containing compound reaches a predetermined concentration.

Specifically, the present invention provides the following.

A first aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage, comprising the steps ofAdding a flavor composition containing a sulfur-containing compound to a non-fermented beer-taste beverage so that the content of the sulfur-containing compound is 1 × 10²ppt or more and 1 × 10³ppt or less.

The second aspect of the present invention is a non-fermented beer-taste beverage containing 1 × 10²ppt or more and 1 × 10³Sulfur-containing compounds of ppt or less.

In the present invention, a flavor composition containing a sulfur-containing compound is added to a non-fermented beer-taste beverage so that the content of the sulfur-containing compound reaches a predetermined concentration, and therefore, a non-fermented beer-taste beverage having a favorable fermented feeling unique to beer can be provided.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below.

Production method of non-fermented beer-flavored beverage

The method for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage of the present invention comprises the step of adding a flavor composition containing a sulfur-containing compound to a non-fermented beer-taste beverage so that the content of the sulfur-containing compound is 1 × 10²ppt or more and 1 × 10³ppt or less.

Here, a general method for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage is first given.

In the present invention, a non-fermented beer-flavored beverage is basically produced as follows: carbon dioxide gas may be added to a liquid sugar solution prepared from malt or the like without fermentation with yeast, and the production may be performed as follows: carbon dioxide gas is added to an aqueous solution prepared without using malt or the like without performing fermentation with yeast.

In the production of a non-fermented beer-taste beverage from malt or the like, hot water and, if necessary, a starchy material such as rice or corn starch are usually added to a ground material of malt or the like, and the resultant is mixed and heated to saccharify the starchy material mainly with an enzyme of malt. The filtrate obtained by filtering the liquid sugar solution is added with side materials such as saccharides, grain syrup, grain extract, dietary fiber, fruit juice, bitter agent, pigment, and hops, and boiled.

The boiling of the hop-containing liquid sugar solution is preferably carried out at a temperature of 100 ℃ or higher for about 60 minutes to 90 minutes. Alpha acids in hops can be converted to iso-alpha acids by boiling at elevated temperatures for a period of time.

The raw materials used in the present invention, such as ground malt, starch such as rice or corn starch, liquid sugar containing a carbon source, and a nitrogen source as an amino acid-containing material other than wheat or malt, are not particularly limited, and those commonly used in the production of conventional beer-taste beverages can be used in a commonly used amount.

After boiling, precipitates such as hop lees are removed, and carbon dioxide gas is added to the solution to which the raw material is added, whereby the objective non-fermented beer-taste beverage can be obtained.

In the case of producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage without using malt or the like, a liquid sugar solution is prepared using a raw material of grains and/or beans and an enzyme agent capable of hydrolyzing starch and protein, and carbon dioxide gas is added to the solution to ferment the solution without using yeast. In the non-fermented beer-taste beverage prepared without using malt or the like, the same side materials as those used in the non-fermented beer-taste beverage prepared using malt or the like may be used.

In addition, when the non-fermented beer-taste beverage of the present invention is prepared, a non-fermented beer-taste beverage can be prepared by a method of adding carbonated water after preparing a thick raw material solution, instead of a method of adding carbon dioxide gas in a gaseous state to a raw material solution. The above method is carried out in a usual process for producing a soft drink, and therefore a non-fermented beer-taste beverage can be easily produced without using a fermentation apparatus.

(perfume composition containing a sulfur-containing Compound)

In the method for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage of the present invention, a flavor composition containing a sulfur-containing compound is added to a non-fermented beer-taste beverage so that the content of the sulfur-containing compound becomes a predetermined content. Conventionally, in beer and beer-taste beverages, sulfur-containing compounds have been responsible for unpleasant odors ("skunk odor", "solar odor", and odor due to sunstroke ") generated when exposed to sunlight (see, for example, japanese patent laid-open No. sho 59-179058). Therefore, in general beer and beer-taste beverages, attempts have been made to reduce the content of sulfur-containing compounds such as 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol as low as possible in order to improve the flavor.

However, the inventors of the present invention found that: in contrast to conventional wisdom, addition of a sulfur-containing compound can impart an excellent beer-like fermented feeling to a non-fermented beer-taste beverage. That is, unexpectedly, the inventors of the present invention and the like found that: by adding a sulfur-containing compound such as 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol and 3-methyl-2-butanethiol to a non-fermented beer-taste beverage to a predetermined concentration, the generation of unpleasant odor can be suppressed and a good fermented feeling can be imparted to a beer-taste beverage that is not subjected to fermentation.

Here, the flavor composition may be added to the non-fermented beer-taste beverage at any stage. For example, the flavor composition may be added before saccharification of a raw material solution such as wort, or may be added before, during, or after boiling of a liquid sugar solution, and is particularly preferably added immediately before filling of a product. In the method for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage of the present invention, when hops are added, the flavor composition may be added simultaneously with the hops or may be added separately from the hops.

In the present invention, the sulfur-containing compound contained in the flavor composition added to the non-fermented beer-taste beverage is preferably a volatile substance having a mercapto group. The volatile substance having a mercapto group is not particularly limited as long as it is a sulfur-containing compound contained in beers and the like, and examples thereof include compounds such as 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, 3-methyl-2-butanethiol, 3-methyl-1-butanethiol, and 2-methyl-1-butanethiol. Among these, 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol and 3-methyl-2-butanethiol are preferably used as the sulfur-containing compound, from the viewpoint of suppressing the generation of unpleasant odor and imparting a good fermented feeling to a non-fermented beer-taste beverage. These sulfur-containing compounds may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The perfume composition may be a mixture of a sulfur-containing compound and another component other than the sulfur-containing compound, or may contain only the sulfur-containing compound.

In the method for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage of the present invention, the amount of the sulfur compound-containing flavor composition added is such that the concentration of the sulfur compound in the non-fermented beer-taste beverage becomes 1 × 10²ppt or more and 1 × 10³The amount of addition of the compound (C) is preferably 2 × 10 or less²ppt or more and 5 × 10²An amount of addition of not more than ppt. By adding the flavor composition to the non-fermented beer-taste beverage within the above-mentioned addition amount range, a non-fermented beer-taste beverage having excellent beer-like properties and good fermented feeling and excellent palatability can be provided.

In the method for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage of the present invention, the copper ion concentration in the non-fermented beer-taste beverage is preferably adjusted to 0.1ppm or less.

In general, in order to form a suitable hot residue in the production of beers, the pH is adjusted to about 5 using a pH adjuster such as lactic acid after boiling. When organic acids such as lactic acid are produced by yeast in the fermentation step, the pH of the beer is lowered to about 4. However, in the method for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage without a fermentation step, since an organic acid is not produced by using yeast, the pH of beer is usually lowered to about 4 until the end of boiling in order to realize a beer-like flavor and improve microbial durability.

The boiling apparatus used for producing beers includes a case where copper having high thermal conductivity is used for a heating portion. It is known that copper is eluted in a solution at a low pH, and this tendency is particularly remarkable in an acidic solution having a pH of 4 or less. In general, copper is not eluted even when a solution having a pH of about 5 is brought into contact with a vessel containing copper, but when a solution having a pH of 4 or less is brought into contact with a vessel containing copper, copper is easily eluted. Since the sulfur-containing compound is removed from the non-fermented beer-taste beverage by reacting with copper ions, when a vessel containing copper is used in a boiling vessel, it is preferable to adjust the pH after the boiling step.

The non-fermented beer-taste beverage of the present invention is non-fermented and contains no alcohol, but may be made into an alcoholic beverage by adding alcohol. The alcohol that can be added to the non-fermented beer-taste beverage is not limited, and examples thereof include raw material alcohol, beer, shochu, chongguzhuo shochu, whisky, brandy, vodka, rum, tequila, gin, spirits, and the like. The amount of alcohol to be added can be appropriately adjusted by estimating the final alcohol concentration of the non-fermented beer-taste beverage. Adding into non-fermented beer-taste beverage

< non-fermented beer-flavored beverage >

The non-fermented beer-taste beverage of the present invention contains 1 × 10²ppt or more and 1 × 10³Sulfur-containing compounds of ppt or less. As described above, by containing the sulfur-containing compound in the non-fermented beer-taste beverage in the above-described content, it is possible to provide a non-fermented beer-taste beverage having excellent palatability with excellent beer-like properties and good fermentation feeling.

The content of sulfur-containing compound is 1 × 10²ppt or more and 1 × 10³ppt or less, more preferably 2 × 10²ppt or more and 5 × 10²ppt or less. Further, as the sulfur-containing compound, a volatile substance having a mercapto group is preferably used, and for example, compounds such as 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, 3-methyl-2-butanethiol, 3-methyl-1-butanethiol and 2-methyl-1-butanethiol can be used. Among these, from the viewpoint of suppressing the generation of unpleasant odor and imparting a good fermented feeling to a non-fermented beer-taste beverage,as the sulfur-containing compound, 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol and 3-methyl-2-butanethiol are preferably used.

The non-fermented beer-taste beverage of the present invention may or may not use malt or the like, and when malt or the like is used, for example, a saccharified solution obtained by saccharifying starch such as rice or corn starch is preferably added in addition to a pulverized product of malt or the like, and various auxiliary materials are further added as necessary. Examples of the auxiliary material to be added to the saccharified solution include dietary fiber, hops, and/or a bittering agent. The non-fermented beer-taste beverage contains hops or a bittering agent, thereby imparting a proper bitterness to the non-fermented beer-taste beverage and exhibiting a beer-like taste and flavor.

As the bittering agent, conventionally known bittering agents selected from bitter substances derived from hops, caffeine, gentian extract, peptides, theobromine, naringin, quassia extract, wormwood extract, quinine extract, and the like can be used.

Examples

< example 1; unfermented beer-taste beverage containing 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol (MBT)

30kg of ground malt and 100L of hot water were put into a charging tank, and protein inactivation and saccharification were carried out at a temperature in the range of 50 ℃ to 76 ℃. The saccharified solution was filtered using a filter vat (lautertun) of a filter tank, and then transferred to a boiling kettle, 10kg of auxiliary raw materials including liquid sugar and 50g of hops were added thereto, and the solution was boiled for 60 minutes while maintaining the solution volume at 160L. After boiling, an additional amount of hot water was added to the wort in an amount of evaporation, and the hot residue was removed in a vortex tank, followed by cooling to 3 ℃ using a plate cooler to obtain 170L of cold wort. The cold wort was diluted with deaerated water and then filtered with celite to obtain a clear wort, and carbon dioxide gas was dissolved in the obtained wort so that the gas volume became 2.9, thereby obtaining an alcohol-free non-fermented beer-taste beverage.

To the non-fermented beer-flavored beverage, a flavor composition containing a sulfur-containing compound, 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, was added so that the concentration thereof in the non-fermented beer-flavored beverage became 25ppt, 50ppt, 100ppt, 200ppt, 500ppt and 1000ppt, and the sensory evaluation was carried out by 5 subjects by a blind method.

Note that, in the sensory evaluation, beer-like properties, fermented feeling, and palatability were evaluated based on 5-level evaluation criteria shown below. The results are shown in Table 1. The numerical values in the table show the average values of the evaluation data of each group.

[ evaluation standards ]

5: very strongly feel

4: strongly feel

3: feel to

2: slightly feel

1: is not felt

[ Table 1]

< example 2; unfermented beer-taste beverage containing 3-methyl-2-butanethiol

A non-fermented beer-taste beverage was produced in the same manner as in example 1 except that 3-methyl-2-butanethiol was used as the sulfur-containing compound instead of 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, and the functionality evaluation was performed. The results are shown in Table 2. The numerical values in the table show the average values of the evaluation data of each group.

[ Table 2]

The results in tables 1 and 2 show that 1 × 10 was added²The evaluation of beer-like properties and fermentation feeling was improved for sulfur-containing compounds of ppt or more, and as a result, the palatability was greatly improved.

< reference example 1; MBT content in commercially available non-fermented alcohol-free beer

For 3 products (A, B, C) and 7 products (D, E, F, G, H, I, J) of the commercially available non-fermented alcohol-free beer, the content of 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol (MBT) was determined according to the method of shoreside et al (Kishimoto, T.et. al., Odorandsist composinghopraofaber: hop-derivedordordsequenceaseinter-hop with reagents, proceedingsofter 31 stedbccogras, Venice 2007). The results are shown in Table 3.

[ Table 3]

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J
											MBT(ppt)	9.3	13.3	0.6	4.3	4.9	3.1	5.6	8.6	2.4	8.6

As shown in Table 3, the content of 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol in the non-fermented alcohol-free beer product and the beer product was less than 1 × 10²ppt。

< example 3; relationship between copper ion and concentration of sulfur-containing compound in non-fermented beer-taste beverage

30kg of ground malt and 100L of hot water were put into a charging tank, and protein inactivation and saccharification were carried out at a temperature in the range of 50 ℃ to 76 ℃. The saccharified solution was filtered through a filter drum of a filter tank, and then transferred to a boiling kettle, to which 10kg of auxiliary materials including liquid sugar and 50g of hops were added, and the solution was boiled for 60 minutes while maintaining the solution volume at 160L. After boiling, an evaporating amount of hot water was added to the mixture, and lactic acid was added to adjust the pH to 3.8. After removal of the hot residue in the vortex tank, the wort was cooled to 3 ℃ using a plate cooler to obtain 170L of cold wort. The cold wort was diluted with deaerated water and then filtered with celite to obtain a clear wort, and carbon dioxide gas was dissolved in the obtained wort so that the gas volume became 2.9, thereby obtaining an alcohol-free non-fermented beer-taste beverage.

MBT was added to the non-fermented beer-taste beverage to 400ppt, and copper sulfate was added as copper ions to 0.01ppm, 0.03ppm, 0.05ppm, 0.1ppm, and 0.5ppm, respectively, and the concentrations of MBT and copper ions after mixing were measured. The copper ion concentration after addition to the non-fermented beer-taste beverage was measured by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS method). The results are shown in Table 4.

[ Table 4]

Cu(ppm)	0.0	0.0	0.05	0.1	0.5
						MBT(ppt)	420.6	356.5	250.2	130.6	3.9

As shown in Table 4, when the concentration of copper ions reached 0.5ppm or more, the MBT concentration was significantly reduced, and the effect of the present invention could not be obtained.

< example 4; timing of pH adjustment and concentration of copper ions in solution >

30kg of ground malt and 100L of hot water were put into a charging tank, and protein inactivation and saccharification were carried out at a temperature in the range of 50 ℃ to 76 ℃. The saccharified solution was filtered through a lauter tub of a filter tank, and then transferred to a boiling vessel containing copper in a heating part, and 10kg of auxiliary raw materials mainly containing liquid sugar and 50g of hops were added to the vessel to make the solution amount 160L and boiled for 60 minutes. After boiling, an evaporating amount of hot water was added, (a) lactic acid was added to the boiling vessel to adjust the pH to 3.8, or (b) lactic acid was added to the vortex tank to adjust the pH to 3.8. After removal of the hot residue in the vortex tank, it was cooled to 3 ℃ using a plate cooler to give 170L of cold wort. Diluting the cold wort with deaerated water, filtering with diatomaceous earth to obtain clear wort, and dissolving carbon dioxide gas in the clear wort to make the gas volume reach

2.9, thereby obtaining a non-fermented beer-taste beverage free of alcohol. The copper ion concentrations in the non-fermented beer-taste beverages (a) and (b) are shown in Table 5.

[ Table 5]

Wort	(a) pH adjustment in a boiling kettle	(b) pH adjustment in vortex tanks
			Cu(ppm)	0.48	0.04

Claims (6)

1. A method for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage, comprising the step of adding a flavor composition containing a sulfur-containing compound to a non-fermented beer-taste beverage so that the content of the sulfur-containing compound becomes 1 × 10²ppt or more and 1 × 10³(ii) a value of ppt or less,

the sulfur-containing compound is 3-methyl-2-butylene-1-mercaptan and/or 3-methyl-2-butanethiol.

2. The method of producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage according to claim 1A method wherein the sulfur compound content in the non-fermented beer-taste beverage is 2 × 10²ppt or more and 5 × 10²ppt or less.

3. The method for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the concentration of copper ions in the non-fermented beer-taste beverage is adjusted to 0.1ppm or less.

4. A non-fermented beer-taste beverage contains 1 × 10²ppt or more and 1 × 10³A sulfur-containing compound of less than ppt, said sulfur-containing compound being 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol and/or 3-methyl-2-butanethiol.

5. The non-fermented beer-taste beverage according to claim 4, wherein the concentration of copper ions is adjusted to 0.1ppm or less.

6. The non-fermented beer-taste beverage according to claim 4 or 5, which is added with alcohol.