JP2024048064A - Flavoring Composition - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a novel flavor improver for a vanilla flavor imparting composition that improves the flavor of a vanilla flavor imparting composition to a good flavor with a natural, luxurious feel of vanilla and/or a vanilla extract feel, a flavor imparting composition for vanilla-flavored food or beverage having a good flavor with a natural, luxurious feel of vanilla and/or a vanilla extract feel, and a vanilla-flavored food or beverage containing said flavor imparting composition. [Solution] To provide a flavor improver for a vanilla flavor imparting composition comprising one or more compounds selected from the following Group A: (Group A) ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether [Selected Figure] None

Description

The present invention relates to a flavor improving agent, a flavor imparting composition, a food or drink, and a flavor improving method.

Vanilla is a vine plant of the Vanilla genus in the Orchid family that can grow up to 60 meters long. Its fruit is shaped like a kidney bean and is about 15 to 20 centimeters long. The green vanilla bean has no scent on its own, but it takes on a unique sweet scent after a long period of maturation on the tree and curing, which involves repeated fermentation and drying.

The flavoring extracted from vanilla beans (including both seeds and pods; the same applies below) after this curing process contains many aroma components (anisaldehyde, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillyl ethyl ether, etc.) including the main component vanillin, and has a unique sweet aroma that is a complex mix of these scents. For this reason, flavorings extracted from vanilla beans are widely used in high-end confectioneries, cosmetics, etc. that require an aroma that cannot be obtained from chemical synthesis using raw materials such as eugenol and guaiacol, or from inexpensive synthetic vanillin produced by decomposing lignin.

However, this curing process generally requires a long maturation time of 6 to 12 months, and is heavily influenced by weather, temperature, etc., making it difficult to maintain a stable quality of vanilla. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to efficiently obtain vanilla extract with a stable quality that has a natural, luxurious, and/or vanilla extract feel, and there is a demand for a stable supply of the aroma quality of a vanilla flavoring composition (vanilla flavor) by adding a fragrance compound to the vanilla extract.

In this regard, vanilla flavoring compositions mainly composed of synthetic compounds made from raw materials such as eugenol and guaiacol, or synthetic vanillin produced by fermenting lignin, are inexpensive and can be supplied steadily. Examples of such vanilla flavoring compositions include vanilla-based synthetic fragrances for which patent applications have been filed, as listed in Table 3 of Non-Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 also describes that 3-ethoxy-4-isobutyryloxy-benzaldehyde exhibits a more natural vanilla scent closer to real vanilla extract. Patent Document 2 further describes that methyl 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoate, methyl 4-hydroxy-3-ethoxybenzoate, and the like emit a very interesting, strong, spice-like or fruit-like vanilla scent that is completely different from the scent of vanillin itself. Patent Document 3 further describes that β-damascenone imparts a dried fruit-like scent to a vanilla fragrance composition.

Patent No. 3574744 Patent No. 3934694 JP 2014-169393 A

Japan Patent Office Gazette, Collection of Well-Known and Commonly Used Technology (Flavours), Part II, Food Flavors, p348-366.

However, the compounds described in Non-Patent Document 1 and Patent Documents 1 to 3 were not sufficient to improve the flavor of the vanilla flavor-imparting composition to a high-quality flavor that has a natural vanilla flavor, a luxurious feel, and/or a vanilla extract feel.

The object of the present invention is to solve the problems in the above-mentioned conventional technology and to provide a novel vanilla flavor improver that improves the flavor of a vanilla flavor imparting composition to a good flavor with a natural vanilla feel, a luxurious feel, and/or a vanilla extract feel, a flavor imparting composition for vanilla-flavored food and beverage products having a good flavor with a natural vanilla feel, a luxurious feel, and/or a vanilla extract feel, and a vanilla-flavored food and beverage product containing the flavor imparting composition.

The present inventors have conducted intensive research to solve the above-mentioned problems, and as a result, have found that a specific ether can impart to a vanilla flavoring composition a natural vanilla feel (examples include, but are not limited to, a feel encompassing the unique sweet aroma of vanilla, which is a complex intertwining of various aromas, including a ripe feel), a sense of luxury (examples include, but are not limited to, a feel as if high-quality vanilla beans have been used), and/or a vanilla extract feel (examples include, but are not limited to, the complex depth that is unique to natural products possessed by vanilla extract), and more specifically, a sense of Western liquor (examples include, but are not limited to, the complex depth that is unique to natural products possessed by vanilla extract), and The inventors have found that by using a vanilla flavor-imparting composition, it is possible to improve the flavor of the vanilla flavor-imparting composition by imparting or enhancing good flavors such as a sweet flavor, a ripe flavor (an example of which is a flavor reminiscent of vanilla liqueur, etc., but is not limited to this), a rich flavor (an example of which is a flavor reminiscent of vanilla beans that have been aged for a sufficient amount of time in a process such as curing, but is not limited to this), and/or a flavor of vanilla bean pods that have been cured (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "pod flavor"), and thus have completed the invention of the present application. The inventors have also discovered that a flavoring composition containing a specific ether as an active ingredient imparts or enhances a good flavor such as a natural vanilla feel, a luxurious feel, and/or a vanilla extract feel, more specifically a Western liquor feel, a sweet flavor, a ripe feel, a rich feel, and/or a feel of cured vanilla bean pods, to vanilla-flavored foods and beverages, thereby improving the flavor of vanilla-flavored foods and beverages, and have completed the invention of this application.

Thus, the following is a brief overview of the representative inventions disclosed in this application.

[1] A flavor improving agent for a vanilla flavor imparting composition, comprising one or more compounds selected from the following Group A:
(Group A) ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether [2] A flavoring composition for vanilla-flavored food or beverage, comprising one or more compounds selected from the following Group A as an active ingredient:
(Group A) Ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether [3] A vanilla-flavored food or beverage comprising the flavor-imparting composition for vanilla-flavored food or beverage according to [2].
[4] The vanilla-flavored food or beverage according to [3], wherein the concentration of the compound is in the range of 0.01 ppt or more and less than 10 ppm, based on the total mass of the vanilla-flavored food or beverage.
[5] A method for improving the flavor of a vanilla flavor-imparting composition, comprising the step of adding one or more compounds selected from the following Group A to the vanilla flavor-imparting composition:
(Group A) ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether [6] A method for improving the flavor of a vanilla flavor imparting composition according to [5], wherein in the step, the compound is added to the vanilla flavor imparting composition so that the concentration of the compound is in the range of 0.01 ppb or more and less than 1%, based on the total mass of the vanilla flavor imparting composition.
[7] A method for improving the flavor of a food or beverage, comprising the step of adding a flavor-imparting composition containing, as an active ingredient, one or more compounds selected from the following Group A to a food or beverage, wherein the flavor-imparting composition is a vanilla flavor-imparting composition and/or the food or beverage is a vanilla-flavored food or beverage:
(Group A) Ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether [8] The method for improving the flavor of a food or beverage described in [7], wherein in the step, the flavor-imparting composition is added to the food or beverage so that the concentration of the compound is in the range of 0.01 ppt or more and less than 10 ppm, based on the total mass of the food or beverage.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a novel vanilla flavor improver that improves the flavor of a vanilla flavor imparting composition to a good flavor with a natural, luxurious, and/or vanilla extract feel, a flavor imparting composition for vanilla-flavored food and beverage products having a good flavor with a natural, luxurious, and/or vanilla extract feel, and vanilla-flavored food and beverage products containing the flavor imparting composition.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. In this specification, "~" means a range including a lower limit and an upper limit, and "concentration (ppm, ppb, ppt, %)" means "mass concentration" unless otherwise specified. In addition, in this specification, "flavor" means one or more senses that can be changed by aroma (aroma), typically including the sense of smell and/or taste. In this specification, the term "flavoring (imparting flavor)" includes adding a new flavor and/or enhancing a flavor, and also includes those that improve the flavor as a result of imparting or enhancing a flavor. Furthermore, the term "flavoring (imparting flavor)" also includes those that enhance, suppress, or improve sensations other than the sense of smell and/or taste as a result of imparting flavor, such as coolness, warmth, texture (also called texture, such as smoothness, hardness, viscosity, etc.), and stimulating sensations such as carbonation and spiciness. In this specification, the flavor of food and drink is sometimes called flavor. In addition, in this specification, "adding" includes at least one of simply adding to an object by spraying, dripping, etc., and mixing with an object.

(Flavor improver)
The flavor improving agent for a vanilla flavor imparting composition according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, may be referred to as the present flavor improving agent) comprises one or more compounds selected from the following Group A:

(Group A) Ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether.

The flavor improver of the present invention can improve the flavor of various vanilla flavor imparting compositions by adding it to the various vanilla flavor imparting compositions, as shown in the examples below. More specifically, the flavor improver of the present invention can impart or enhance a natural feel, a luxurious feel, and/or a vanilla extract feel, more specifically a Western liquor feel, a sweet flavor, a matured feel, a rich feel, and/or a feel of vanilla bean pods that have undergone curing, to the various vanilla flavor imparting compositions to which it is added, thereby improving the flavor of the vanilla flavor imparting composition. Here, the "vanilla flavor imparting composition" refers to a flavor imparting composition having a vanilla flavor, and examples of the flavor imparting composition include vanilla extract (extract, oleoresin, etc.), which is a natural flavoring material, and vanillin, ethyl vanillin, etc., which are synthetic flavoring materials, as well as vanilla flavor compositions (flavors), vanilla flavor imparting compositions, etc., which contain either one or both of these.

All of the compounds constituting Group A above are ethers, specifically ethyl furfuryl ether represented by the following formula (1), benzyl ethyl ether represented by formula (2), sec-butyl ethyl ether represented by formula (3), prenyl ethyl ether represented by formula (4), dibenzyl ether represented by formula (5), furfuryl methyl ether represented by formula (6), and benzyl methyl ether represented by formula (7).

The above compounds can be obtained by any method that can be performed by a person skilled in the art, for example, by purchasing them as food flavoring compounds or reagents, extracting them from natural products, or synthesizing them according to standard methods. Examples of the synthesis of the above compounds include a method in which the raw material alcohol (2-butanol (sec-butyl alcohol), 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol (prenyl alcohol), benzyl alcohol, furfuryl alcohol) is converted into an alkoxide using a base, and then the alkoxide is reacted with an alkyl halide (methyl iodide, ethyl iodide, benzyl iodide, methyl bromide, ethyl bromide, benzyl bromide, etc.) to synthesize the above-mentioned various ethers (Williamson's ether synthesis), or a method in which the raw material alcohol is subjected to dehydration condensation. The obtained compounds may be further purified using means such as column chromatography or reduced pressure distillation as necessary.

The flavor improver of the present invention may be composed of only one compound selected from Group A, or may be composed of two or more compounds selected from Group A in combination, and will achieve the above-mentioned effects. As shown in the examples below, it has been found that, among the flavor improvers of the present invention, ethyl furfuryl ether has a particularly excellent flavor improving effect.

The concentration of the present flavor improving agent in the vanilla flavor-imparting composition to which it is to be added (when one type of compound is used, this refers to the concentration of that compound, and when two or more types of compounds are used in combination, this refers to the total concentration; the same applies below) can be determined arbitrarily depending on the aroma characteristics of the vanilla flavor-imparting composition and/or the object to which the vanilla flavor-imparting composition is to be added, but is preferably in the range of 10 ppt (0.01 ppb) or more and less than 1%, and more preferably 100 ppt (0.1 ppb) to 0.1%, relative to the total mass of the vanilla flavor-imparting composition. More specifically, the lower limit can be any of 10 ppt, 100 ppt, 1 ppb, 10 ppb, 100 ppb, 1 ppm, 10 ppm, 100 ppm, and 0.1%, and the upper limit can be any of 1% (or less), 0.1%, 100 ppm, 10 ppm, 1 ppm, 100 ppb, 10 ppb, 1 ppb, and 100 ppt, and the range can be any combination of these lower and upper limits, but is not limited to these.

The products to which the vanilla flavor imparting composition containing the present flavor improving agent can be added are not particularly limited, but examples include consumer goods such as food and beverages, cosmetics, medicines, and health and hygiene products.

The flavors of foods and beverages to which the vanilla flavor imparting composition containing the flavor improving agent of the present invention can be added are not particularly limited, but examples include various citrus flavors such as lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime, mandarin, mandarin orange, kabosu, sudachi, hassaku, iyokan, yuzu, shikuwasa, and kumquat; various fruit flavors such as strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, apple, cherry, plum, apricot, peach, pineapple, banana, melon, mango, papaya, kiwi, pear, grape, muscat, and Kyoho; dairy flavors such as milk, yogurt, and butter; vanilla flavor; various tea flavors such as green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and herbal tea; coffee flavor; cola flavor; cacao flavor; cocoa flavor; various mint flavors such as spearmint and peppermint; cinnamon, chamomile, cardamom, caraway, cumin, clove, pepper, coriander, Japanese pepper, shiso, ginger, star Various spice or herb flavors such as anise, thyme, chili pepper, nutmeg, basil, marjoram, rosemary, laurel, garlic, and wasabi; various nut flavors such as almond, cashew nut, and walnut; various alcohol flavors such as wine, brandy, whiskey, rum, gin, liqueur, sake, shochu, and beer; vegetable flavors such as onion, celery, carrot, tomato, and cucumber; various meat flavors such as chicken, duck, pork, beef, lamb, and horse meat. Examples of foods and beverages that have one or more of the following flavors include livestock meat flavors; various seafood and seaweed flavors, such as red fish such as tuna, white fish such as mackerel, sea bream, salmon and horse mackerel, freshwater fish such as sweetfish, trout and carp, shellfish such as turban shells, clams, Japanese mussels and mussels, various crustaceans such as shrimp and crab, and various seaweeds such as wakame seaweed and kelp; various grain flavors such as rice, barley, wheat and malt; and various oil and fat flavors, such as fats and oils from livestock meats such as beef tallow, chicken oil and lard, and various fish oils. That is, the food or drink may be one that gives the impression of only one of the above flavors, or may be one that gives the impression of two or more flavors, and the multiple flavors may be the same or different. For example, an example of the former is a food or drink that gives the impression of multiple fruit flavors such as banana, peach, and apple flavors (so-called mixed fruit flavors), and an example of the latter is one that gives the impression of a citrus flavor such as lemon and a milk flavor (such as a citrus-flavored lactobacillus drink), or one that gives the impression of a mint flavor, a citrus flavor, and a cola flavor (such as a mint or lemon-flavored cola drink).

Among the foods and beverages to which the vanilla flavor imparting composition containing the flavor improving agent of the present invention can be added, vanilla-flavored foods and beverages are the most suitable examples. Vanilla-flavored foods and beverages refer to foods and beverages imparted with vanilla flavor using vanilla beans, or foods and beverages imparted with vanilla flavor using a vanilla flavor imparting composition, and examples thereof include vanilla-flavored frozen desserts (ice cream, ice milk, lacto ice cream, frozen desserts) such as vanilla ice cream, vanilla popsicles, and vanilla sorbet, vanilla-flavored milk (sweetened or unsweetened, with or without sweeteners), vanilla-flavored pudding (general custard pudding), vanilla-flavored yogurt, vanilla-flavored caramel, vanilla-flavored chocolate, vanilla-flavored whipped cream, vanilla-flavored custard cream, vanilla-flavored protein (powder), vanilla-flavored protein beverages, vanilla-flavored syrup, vanilla-flavored cookies, and vanilla-flavored cakes. In addition, even if (a) a vanilla flavor imparting composition that does not contain the compound in question is added to a food or drink that does not originally have a vanilla flavor to make a vanilla flavored food or drink, and then the flavor imparting composition in question is added, (b) a vanilla flavor imparting composition that does not contain the compound in question is added after the flavor imparting composition in question is added, or (c) a vanilla flavor imparting composition that does not contain the compound in question and the flavor imparting composition in question are added simultaneously, the purpose of the vanilla flavored food or drink remains the same. Therefore, when the flavor imparting composition in question is a vanilla flavor imparting composition, vanilla flavored food or drink also includes food or drink that does not originally have a vanilla flavor, which becomes a vanilla flavored food or drink by adding the flavor imparting composition in question (the same applies hereinafter in this specification).

In addition to vanilla-flavored foods and beverages, suitable examples of foods and beverages to which the vanilla flavor-imparting composition containing the flavor improving agent of the present invention can be added include foods and beverages that do not have a vanilla flavor but to which the vanilla flavor-imparting composition is added as a so-called secret ingredient, such as matcha ice cream, chocolate ice cream, caramel, and coffee milk.

More specific examples of food and drink include confectioneries such as rice crackers, arare, okoshi, mochi, manju, uirou, bean paste, yokan, mizuyokan, kingyoku, jelly, castella, candy, biscuits, crackers, potato chips, cookies, pies, puddings, butter cream, custard cream, cream puffs, waffles, sponge cakes, donuts, chocolate, chewing gum, caramel, candy, peanut paste or other pastes; breads, noodles, rice dishes, and other grains such as bread, udon, ramen, Chinese noodles, sushi, gomoku-han, fried rice, pilaf, gyoza wrappers, shumai wrappers, okonomiyaki, and takoyaki; pickles such as rice bran pickles, pickled plums, fukujin-zuke, bettara-zuke, senma-zuke, rakkyo, miso-zuke, and takuan-zuke, as well as the bases for these pickles; fish such as mackerel, sardines, pacific saury, salmon, tuna, bonito, whale, flounder, sand lance, and sweetfish; Seafood such as squid, spear squid, crested squid, firefly squid, and other squids; octopus such as common octopus and Japanese octopus; shrimp such as kuruma shrimp, button shrimp, spiny lobster, and black tiger prawn; crabs such as king crab, snow crab, blue crab, and hairy crab; shellfish such as clams, mussels, scallops, oysters, and mussels; canned goods, boiled fish, tsukudani, surimi, fish paste products (chikuwa, kamaboko, fried kamaboko, crab leg kamaboko, etc.), fries, tempura, and other seafood processed foods and beverages; livestock meats such as chicken, pork, beef, lamb, and horse meat; processed foods and beverages using livestock meats such as curry, stew, beef stew, hayashi rice sauce, meat sauce, mapo tofu, hamburger steak, dumplings, kamameshi seasonings, soups (corn soup, tomato soup, consommé soup, etc.), meatballs, braised pork, and canned meat; table salt, seasoning salt, soy sauce, powdered soy sauce, miso, powdered miso, moromi, hishio, furikake, seasonings for ochazuke, margarine, mackerel, etc. Condiments such as mayonnaise, dressings, vinegar, vinegared vinegar, powdered sushi vinegar, Chinese seasonings, tempura sauce, noodle sauce (kelp stock or bonito stock, etc.), sauces (medium-thick sauce, tomato sauce, etc.), ketchup, yakiniku sauce, curry roux, stew stock, soup stock, dashi stock (kelp stock or bonito stock, etc.), compound seasonings, new mirin, mixed flours such as fried chicken flour and takoyaki flour, and animal or vegetable dashi-flavored foods and beverages to which these seasonings have been added Dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and butter; various yeasts such as beer yeast and baker's yeast, and lactic acid bacteria; simmered vegetables, Chikuzenni, oden, hotpots, and other simmered dishes; take-out bento box ingredients and side dishes; fruit juice drinks and soft drinks containing fruit juice, such as apples, grapes, and citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, lemons, etc.), fruit pulp drinks, and fruit drinks containing fruit pieces; tomatoes, bell peppers, celery, melons, bitter melons, carrots, potatoes, and almonds. Examples include vegetables such as sparagus, bracken, and fern, vegetable drinks containing these vegetables, and vegetable-containing foods and beverages such as vegetable soup; luxury drinks such as coffee, cocoa, green tea, black tea, oolong tea, soft drinks, cola drinks, carbonated drinks (ciders with various flavors such as citrus flavors), and lactobacillus drinks; beverages containing herbal medicines and herbs; functional drinks such as cola drinks, fruit juice drinks, milk drinks, sports drinks, honey drinks, vitamin supplement drinks, mineral supplement drinks, nutritional drinks, nutritious drinks, and lactobacillus drinks; non-alcoholic luxury drinks such as alcohol-flavored drinks with various alcoholic beverages (beer flavored, plum wine flavored, chuhai flavored, etc.); other brewed alcoholic drinks (sparkling) or liqueurs (sparkling) such as wine, shochu, awamori, sake, beer, chuhai, cocktail drinks, happoshu, fruit wine, condiment wine, and so-called "third beer", or alcoholic drinks containing these; etc.

Cosmetics to which the vanilla flavor-imparting composition containing the flavor improving agent of the present invention can be added are not particularly limited, but examples include perfumes such as eau de cologne, eau de toilette, eau de parfum, and parfum; hair care products such as shampoo, rinse, and hair styling products (hair cream, pomade, etc.); cosmetics such as foundation, lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss, lotion, cosmetic emulsion, cosmetic cream, cosmetic gel, beauty serum, and pack; deodorants such as antiperspirant spray, deodorant sheet, deodorant cream, and deodorant stick. products; bath additives such as inorganic salts, cooling agents, carbon dioxide gas, skin care agents, enzymes, and herbal medicines; tanning cosmetics such as suntan products and sunscreen products; health and hygiene detergents such as face soap and face wash cream, body soap, laundry soap, laundry detergent, disinfectant detergent, deodorant detergent, fabric softener, kitchen detergent, and cleaning detergent; health and hygiene materials such as toothpaste, tissue paper, and toilet paper; aromatic products such as deodorizers for indoor and car use, and room fragrances; etc.

Furthermore, the vanilla flavor imparting composition containing the present flavor improving agent can be added to various flavor compositions to impart a flavor to the flavor composition and improve the flavor of the flavor composition. Specific examples of various flavor compositions include flavor compositions for food and beverages (also called flavor compositions) and flavor compositions for cosmetics (also called fragrance compositions). As mentioned above, examples of products to which the composition can be added include consumer goods such as food and beverages, cosmetics, medicines, and health and hygiene products. The form of the various flavor compositions is not particularly limited, and examples include water-soluble flavor compositions, oil-soluble flavor compositions, emulsion flavor compositions, and powder flavor compositions.

Flavoring Composition
A flavor-imparting composition for vanilla-flavored food or beverage according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter may be referred to as "the flavor-imparting composition") contains, as an active ingredient, one or more compounds selected from Group A below (hereinafter may be referred to as "the compound"):

(Group A) Ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether.

As shown in the Examples below, the present flavor-imparting composition can impart a good flavor to various vanilla-flavored foods and beverages by adding it to the various vanilla-flavored foods and beverages. More specifically, the present flavor-imparting composition imparts or enhances the natural vanilla feel, luxury feel, and/or vanilla extract feel, more specifically the feel of Western liquor, sweet flavor, aged feel, rich feel, and/or the feel of vanilla bean pods that have undergone curing, to the various vanilla-flavored foods and beverages to which it is added, thereby improving the flavor of the vanilla-flavored foods and beverages.

The flavoring composition of the present invention may be composed of only the compound of the present invention, or may contain other ingredients as long as it contains a predetermined amount of the compound of the present invention as an active ingredient. That is, the compound of the present invention (which may contain other ingredients) obtained by any method that can be performed by a person skilled in the art, such as purchasing it as a flavoring compound or reagent for food, extracting it from a natural product, or synthesizing it according to a standard method, can be used as the flavoring composition of the present invention as it is, or can be added to a solvent or another flavoring composition to be used as the flavoring composition of the present invention. In addition, when the flavoring composition of the present invention contains a solvent and/or other aroma components as ingredients other than the compound of the present invention, the flavoring composition of the present invention itself can also be used as a flavoring composition.

The concentration of the compound in the flavor imparting composition can be determined arbitrarily depending on the aroma characteristics of the flavor imparting composition and/or the object to which the flavor imparting composition is added, but is preferably in the range of 10 ppt (0.01 ppb) or more and less than 1%, more preferably 100 ppt (0.1 ppb) to 0.1%, based on the total mass of the flavor imparting composition. More specifically, the lower limit can be any of 10 ppt, 100 ppt, 1 ppb, 10 ppb, 100 ppb, 1 ppm, 10 ppm, 100 ppm, and 0.1%, and the upper limit can be any of 1% (or less), 0.1%, 100 ppm, 10 ppm, 1 ppm, 100 ppb, 10 ppb, 1 ppb, and 100 ppt, and the range can be any combination of these lower and upper limits, but is not limited to these.

There is no limitation on the aroma tone that can be used with the present flavor imparting composition, and any aroma tone that can impart, enhance, or improve a good aroma to a vanilla-flavored food or drink by the present flavor imparting composition may be used. However, since the present flavor imparting composition suitably imparts the natural feel of vanilla, a sense of luxury, and/or a sense of vanilla extract to a vanilla-flavored food or drink, it is preferable to configure the present flavor imparting composition as a vanilla flavor imparting composition, a rum flavor imparting composition, a whiskey flavor imparting composition, a brandy flavor imparting composition, a cream flavor imparting composition, a chocolate flavor imparting composition, a milk flavor imparting composition, an egg flavor imparting composition, a coffee flavor imparting composition, a sugar flavor imparting composition, a burnt butter flavor imparting composition, or the like.

The vanilla-flavored food and beverage to which the present flavoring composition can be added is not particularly limited as long as it is a vanilla-flavored food and beverage as defined in the above section on "flavor improving agent." Suitable examples of vanilla-flavored food and beverage include vanilla ice cream, vanilla popsicles, vanilla sorbet and other vanilla-flavored frozen desserts (ice cream, ice milk, lacto ice cream, frozen desserts), vanilla-flavored milk (sweetened or unsweetened, with or without sweeteners), vanilla-flavored pudding (general custard pudding), vanilla-flavored yogurt, vanilla-flavored caramel, vanilla-flavored chocolate, vanilla-flavored whipped cream, vanilla-flavored custard cream, vanilla-flavored protein (powder), vanilla-flavored protein drink, vanilla-flavored syrup, vanilla-flavored cookies, vanilla-flavored cake and other vanilla-flavored foods and beverages. In addition, even if (a) a vanilla flavor imparting composition that does not contain the compound in question is added to a food or drink that does not originally have a vanilla flavor to make a vanilla flavored food or drink, and then the flavor imparting composition in question is added, (b) a vanilla flavor imparting composition that does not contain the compound in question is added after the flavor imparting composition in question is added, or (c) a vanilla flavor imparting composition that does not contain the compound in question and the flavor imparting composition in question are added simultaneously, the purpose of the vanilla flavored food or drink remains the same. Therefore, when the flavor imparting composition in question is a vanilla flavor imparting composition, vanilla flavored food or drink also includes food or drink that does not originally have a vanilla flavor, which becomes a vanilla flavored food or drink by adding the flavor imparting composition in question (the same applies hereinafter in this specification).

(Fragrance composition)
A flavor composition according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the present flavor composition) is one aspect of the present flavor-imparting composition, contains the present compound as an active ingredient, and can be added to various vanilla-flavored foods and beverages for the purpose of imparting flavor. The present flavor composition imparts or enhances the natural vanilla feel, luxury feel, and/or vanilla extract feel, more specifically, the feel of Western liquor, sweet flavor, aged feel, rich feel, and/or the feel of vanilla bean pods that have been cured, to the various vanilla-flavored foods and beverages to which it is added, thereby improving the flavor of the vanilla-flavored foods and beverages.

The concentration of the compound in the fragrance composition can be determined arbitrarily depending on the fragrance characteristics of the fragrance composition and/or the object to which the fragrance composition is added, but is preferably in the range of 10 ppt (0.01 ppb) or more and less than 1%, and more preferably 100 ppt (0.1 ppb) to 0.1%, based on the total mass of the fragrance composition. More specifically, the lower limit can be any of 10 ppt, 100 ppt, 1 ppb, 10 ppb, 100 ppb, 1 ppm, 10 ppm, 100 ppm, and 0.1%, and the upper limit can be any of 1% (or less), 0.1%, 100 ppm, 10 ppm, 1 ppm, 100 ppb, 10 ppb, 1 ppb, and 100 ppt, and the range can be any combination of these lower and upper limits, but is not limited to these.

The flavor composition of the present invention may be added to vanilla-flavored food or beverage by itself, or may be added to vanilla-flavored food or beverage in combination with one or more of water-soluble flavors, emulsified flavor compositions, any flavor compounds, and natural essential oils (for example, flavor compounds described in "Japan Patent Office Gazette, Collection of Well-Known and Commonly Used Technologies (Flavors) Part II Food Flavors (published January 14, 2000)", "Survey on the Actual Use of Food Flavor Compounds in Japan", and "Synthetic Flavors: Chemistry and Product Knowledge (revised and expanded edition published December 20, 2016, edited by the Synthetic Flavors Editorial Committee, Chemical Daily Co., Ltd.)").

(Method for improving the flavor of a vanilla flavor-imparting composition)
A method for improving the flavor of a vanilla flavor imparting composition according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the step of adding one or more compounds selected from the following Group A (the present compound) to the vanilla flavor imparting composition:

(Group A) Ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether.

As will be shown in the Examples below, the addition of the compound of the present invention to a vanilla flavor-imparting composition can improve the flavor of the vanilla flavor-imparting composition. More specifically, the compound of the present invention imparts or enhances a natural feel, a luxurious feel, and/or a vanilla extract feel, more specifically a feel of Western liquor, a sweet flavor, a ripe feel, a rich feel, and/or a feel of vanilla bean pods that have undergone curing, to the various vanilla flavor-imparting compositions to which it is added, thereby improving the flavor of the vanilla flavor-imparting composition.

The concentration of the compound in question when added to a vanilla flavor-imparting composition can be determined arbitrarily depending on the aroma characteristics of the vanilla flavor-imparting composition and/or the target of the vanilla flavor-imparting composition, but is preferably in the range of 10 ppt (0.01 ppb) or more and less than 1%, and more preferably 100 ppt (0.1 ppb) to 0.1%, relative to the total mass of the vanilla flavor-imparting composition. More specifically, the lower limit can be any of 10 ppt, 100 ppt, 1 ppb, 10 ppb, 100 ppb, 1 ppm, 10 ppm, 100 ppm, and 0.1%, and the upper limit can be any of 1% (or less), 0.1%, 100 ppm, 10 ppm, 1 ppm, 100 ppb, 10 ppb, 1 ppb, and 100 ppt, and the range can be any combination of these lower and upper limits, but is not limited to these.

In the flavor improving method for a vanilla flavor imparting composition according to the present embodiment, the method for adding the present compound to the vanilla flavor imparting composition is not particularly limited. In addition, the time (timing) for adding the present compound to the vanilla flavor imparting composition is not particularly limited.

(Vanilla-flavored food and drink)
A vanilla-flavored food or drink according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the present vanilla-flavored food or drink) contains a predetermined amount of the present flavor-imparting composition. As an example will be described later, the present vanilla-flavored food or drink contains an effective amount of the present flavor-imparting composition containing the present compound as an active ingredient, and thus has an improved flavor. More specifically, the present vanilla-flavored food or drink contains the present flavor-imparting composition, and thus the natural feel of vanilla, the luxurious feel and/or the vanilla extract feel, more specifically the feel of Western liquor, the sweet flavor, the aged feel, the rich feel and/or the feel of vanilla bean pods that have been cured, are imparted or enhanced, and the flavor of the vanilla-flavored food or drink is improved. The present vanilla-flavored food or drink has an improved flavor, particularly the top to middle flavor, among one or more of the top, middle and last flavors.

The amount of the present flavoring composition added to the present vanilla-flavored food or drink can be determined arbitrarily depending on the degree of flavor improving effect of the present compound contained as an active ingredient, the degree of flavor imparted by the present flavoring composition, and/or the flavor of the vanilla-flavored food or drink itself. However, it is preferable that the concentration of the present compound contained in the present flavoring composition is 0.01 ppt or more and less than 10 ppm, more preferably within the range of 0.1 ppt to 1 ppm, relative to the total mass of the vanilla-flavored food or drink. More specifically, the lower limit can be any of 0.01 ppt, 0.1 ppt, 1 ppt, 10 ppt, 100 ppt, 1 ppb, 10 ppb, 100 ppb, and 1 ppm, and the upper limit can be any of 10 ppm (or less), 1 ppm, 100 ppb, 10 ppb, 1 ppb, 100 ppt, 10 ppt, 1 ppt, and 0.1 ppt, and the range can be any combination of these lower and upper limits, but is not limited to these.

(Method of imparting flavor to vanilla-flavored food and drink)
A method for imparting flavor to a vanilla-flavored food or beverage according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the step of adding a flavor imparting composition containing, as an active ingredient, one or more compounds (the present compound) selected from Group A below to a vanilla-flavored food or beverage.

(Group A) Ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether.

As will be shown in the Examples below, the flavor of vanilla-flavored food or drink can be improved by adding the flavor-imparting composition to the vanilla-flavored food or drink. More specifically, the flavor-imparting composition imparts or enhances a natural feel, a luxurious feel, and/or a vanilla extract feel, more specifically a feel of Western liquor, a sweet flavor, a ripe feel, a rich feel, and/or a feel of vanilla bean pods that have been cured, to the vanilla-flavored food or drink to which it is added, thereby improving the flavor of the vanilla-flavored food or drink.

When the present flavoring composition is added to a vanilla-flavored food or drink, the concentration of the present flavoring composition can be determined as desired depending on the flavor characteristics of the present flavoring composition and/or the vanilla-flavored food or drink. However, it is preferable to add the present flavoring composition so that the concentration of the present compound contained in the present flavoring composition is 0.01 ppt or more and less than 10 ppm, more preferably within the range of 0.1 ppt to 1 ppm, relative to the total mass of the vanilla-flavored food or drink. More specifically, the lower limit can be any of 0.01 ppt, 0.1 ppt, 1 ppt, 10 ppt, 100 ppt, 1 ppb, 10 ppb, 100 ppb, and 1 ppm, and the upper limit can be any of 10 ppm (or less), 1 ppm, 100 ppb, 10 ppb, 1 ppb, 100 ppt, 10 ppt, 1 ppt, and 0.1 ppt, and the range can be any combination of these lower and upper limits, but is not limited to these.

In the method for improving the flavor of vanilla-flavored food or beverage according to the present embodiment, the method for adding the present flavor-imparting composition to the vanilla-flavored food or beverage is not particularly limited. In addition, the time (timing) for adding the present flavor-imparting composition to the vanilla-flavored food or beverage is not particularly limited.

As described above, vanilla-flavored foods and beverages include those in which a vanilla flavor-imparting composition is added to a food or beverage that does not originally have a vanilla flavor to produce a vanilla-flavored food or beverage. Therefore, the flavor-imparting method for vanilla-flavored foods and beverages according to the second embodiment of the present invention can include (a1) a step of adding a vanilla flavor-imparting composition to a food or beverage that does not have a vanilla flavor, and (b1) a step of adding a flavor-imparting composition containing the present compound as an active ingredient either before the step (a1), simultaneously with the step (a1), or after the step (a1). In addition, the flavor-imparting method for vanilla-flavored foods and beverages according to the third embodiment of the present invention can include a step of adding a vanilla flavor-imparting composition containing the present compound as an active ingredient to a food or beverage that does not have a vanilla flavor, converting the food or beverage into a vanilla-flavored food or beverage, and improving the vanilla flavor.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to examples. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1 Effect of Addition of the Present Flavor Improving Agent to Vanilla Flavor (1) An example will be described in which the present flavor improving agent is added to vanilla flavor (1), which does not contain natural vanilla, as a vanilla flavor, which is an example of a vanilla flavor-imparting composition.

A vanilla base (basic blended flavoring), which is the raw material for vanilla flavor (1), was prepared according to recipe 1 in Table 1 below (this vanilla base will hereafter be referred to as "Reference Product 1").

Next, vanilla flavor (1) was prepared according to recipe 2 shown in Table 2.

1% ethanol solutions of commercially available ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether and benzyl methyl ether (hereinafter collectively referred to as "various compounds") were prepared, and the various compounds were added as flavor improvers to vanilla flavor (1) at the concentrations shown in Table 3 below to prepare vanilla flavors of the present invention 1-1 to 1-77.

On the other hand, 1% ethanol solutions of 2-phenylethyl methyl ether represented by the following formula (91), p-cresyl methyl ether represented by the following formula (92), and diphenyl ether represented by the following formula (93) (collectively referred to as "comparative compounds") were prepared as compounds having structures similar to the above-mentioned various compounds, and the comparative compounds were added to vanilla flavor (1) to the respective concentrations shown in Table 3 below, to prepare vanilla flavor comparative products 1-1 to 1-3.

The vanilla flavors of the obtained products of the present invention 1-1 to 1-77 and the comparative products 1-1 to 1-3 were subjected to a sensory evaluation by 15 well-trained panelists (with 10 years or more of experience). The sensory evaluation was performed by having the panelists comment on the aroma of Examples 1-1 to 1-77 and the comparative products 1-1 to 1-3 in comparison with the vanilla flavor (1) to which no above-mentioned compounds were added, which was used as the control product 1, and by averaging the scores given by the panelists for the feeling of alcohol (defined as above) compared with the control product 1 according to the following evaluation criteria.

<Evaluation criteria for Western liquor taste>
Significantly increased compared to control 1: 5 points Largely increased compared to control 1: 4 points Somewhat increased compared to control 1: 3 points Slightly increased compared to control 1: 2 points Same as control 1: 1 point

The results of the sensory evaluation are shown in Table 3 below.

As shown in Table 3, it was confirmed that the above-mentioned various compounds effectively impart a liquor-like flavor, sweet flavor, aged flavor, rich flavor, and/or cured vanilla bean pod flavor to the vanilla flavor-imparting composition (not containing natural vanilla extract), and improve the natural vanilla flavor, luxurious flavor, and/or vanilla extract flavor of the vanilla flavor-imparting composition, and thus the above-mentioned various compounds are useful as flavor improvers. Among them, it was confirmed that ethyl furfuryl ether has the greatest flavor-improving effect on the vanilla flavor-imparting composition. On the other hand, comparative compounds having a structure similar to the above-mentioned various compounds did not provide the same flavor-improving effect as the above-mentioned various compounds, confirming the usefulness of the above-mentioned various compounds.

Example 2 Effect of Addition of the Present Flavor Improving Agent to Vanilla Flavor (2) An example will now be described in which the present flavor improving agent is added to vanilla flavor (2) containing natural vanilla extract as an example of a vanilla flavor imparting composition.

Example 2-1: Method for producing vanilla extract 400 g of Madagascar vanilla beans cut to about 1 cm, 1160 g of 95% ethanol, and 840 g of water were placed in a 5 L four-neck flask, and extraction was carried out with stirring for 4 hours at a temperature of 60 to 65°C in the flask, and after extraction was completed, the mixture was cooled to 25°C and allowed to stand overnight. This extract was decanted using bleached cloth to obtain 1500 g of vanilla extract (hereinafter, this vanilla extract is referred to as "Reference Product 2").

Example 2-2 Preparation of Vanilla Flavor (2) (Vanilla Flavor-Imparting Composition) Next, vanilla flavor (2) was prepared according to formulation 3 shown in Table 4.

Example 2-3: Example of Addition to Vanilla Flavor (2) The 1% ethanol solutions of the above-mentioned various compounds prepared in Example 1 were added to the vanilla flavor (2) prepared in Example 2-2 so that the above-mentioned various compounds as flavor improvers reached the respective concentrations shown in Table 5 below, thereby preparing vanilla flavors of the present invention 2-1 to 2-7.

The vanilla flavors of the present invention products 2-1 to 2-7 thus obtained were subjected to a sensory evaluation by 15 well-trained panelists (with 10 years or more of experience). The sensory evaluation was carried out by having the panelists comment on the aroma of the present invention products 2-1 to 2-7 compared to control product 2, which was vanilla flavor (2) to which none of the above-mentioned compounds had been added, and averaging the scores given by the panelists for the vanilla liquor feel compared to control product 2 according to the following evaluation criteria.

<Evaluation criteria for vanilla liquor flavor>
Significantly increased compared to control 2: 5 points Largely increased compared to control 2: 4 points Somewhat increased compared to control 2: 3 points Slightly increased compared to control 2: 2 points Similar to control 2: 1 point

The results of the sensory evaluation of the vanilla flavor of the present invention products 2-1 to 2-7 are shown in Table 5.

As shown in Table 5, it was confirmed that the above-mentioned various compounds effectively impart a liquor-like flavor, sweet flavor, aged flavor, rich flavor, and/or cured vanilla bean pod flavor to a vanilla flavor-imparting composition (containing natural vanilla extract), and improve the natural vanilla flavor, luxurious flavor, and/or vanilla extract flavor of the vanilla flavor-imparting composition, and thus the above-mentioned various compounds were found to be useful as flavor improvers. Among them, it was confirmed that ethyl furfuryl ether has the greatest flavor-improving effect on vanilla flavor-imparting compositions.

Example 3 Effect of Adding the Flavor-Imparting Composition to Vanilla-Flavored Sweetened Milk (Vanilla-Flavored Food or Drink) Vanilla-flavored sweetened milk was prepared according to recipe 4 shown in Table 6 below. In Table 6, "Invention Products 1-1 to 1-77" and "Control Product 1" refer to Invention Products 1-1 to 1-77 and Control Product 1 prepared in Example 1, and "Vanilla Flavor (2)" refers to vanilla flavor (2) prepared in Example 2-2. The vanilla-flavored sweetened milks prepared by adding Invention Products 1-1 to 1-77 according to recipe 4 shown in Table 6 were designated as vanilla-flavored sweetened milks of Inventive Products 3-1 to 3-77, respectively, and the vanilla-flavored sweetened milks prepared by adding Control Product 1 according to recipe 4 were designated as vanilla-flavored sweetened milks of Control Product 3.

The vanilla-flavored sweetened milks of the present invention, Products 3-1 to 3-77, were then subjected to a sensory evaluation by 15 well-trained panelists (with 10 years or more of experience). The sensory evaluation was carried out by having the panelists comment on the flavor of Products 3-1 to 3-77 of the present invention compared to Control Product 3, and averaging the scores given by the panelists on the vanilla liquor feel compared to Control Product 3 according to the following evaluation criteria.

<Evaluation criteria for vanilla liquor flavor>
Significantly increased compared to control 3: 5 points Largely increased compared to control 3: 4 points Somewhat increased compared to control 3: 3 points Slightly increased compared to control 3: 2 points Similar to control 3: 1 point

The results of the sensory evaluation of vanilla-flavored sweetened milk for products 3-1 to 3-77 of the present invention are shown in Table 7.

As shown in Table 7, sweetened milk to which a flavoring composition containing the above-mentioned various compounds as active ingredients has been added is well imparted with a Western liquor flavor, sweet flavor, aged flavor, rich flavor, and/or the flavor of cured vanilla bean pods, and it has been confirmed that the natural vanilla flavor, luxurious flavor, and/or vanilla extract flavor are improved. As a result, it was found that the flavoring composition containing the above-mentioned various compounds is useful. In particular, it was confirmed that the flavoring composition containing ethyl furfuryl ether has the greatest effect on improving the flavor of vanilla-flavored food and beverages.

[Example 4] Effect of adding the present flavoring composition to vanilla ice cream (vanilla-flavored food and beverage) An example of adding vanilla flavor, which is an example of the present flavoring composition, to vanilla ice cream, which is an example of a vanilla-flavored food and beverage, is described below.

Vanilla flavors of the present invention products 2-1 to 2-7 (each containing 10 ppm of each compound) prepared in Example 2-3, which is an example of the flavoring composition of the present invention, were added to commercially available vanilla ice cream at a flavoring rate (ratio of vanilla flavor to vanilla ice cream) of 0.1%, to prepare vanilla ice creams of the present invention products 4-1 to 4-7 (each containing 10 ppb of each compound). In addition, vanilla flavor (2) prepared in Example 2-3 (Reference product 4; not containing the above-mentioned various compounds) was added to the above commercially available vanilla ice cream at a flavoring rate of 0.1%, to prepare vanilla ice cream of control product 4.

The vanilla ice creams of the invention products 4-1 to 4-7 thus obtained were subjected to a sensory evaluation by 15 well-trained panelists (with 10 years or more of experience). The sensory evaluation was carried out by having the panelists comment on the differences in flavor between the invention products 4-1 to 4-7 and the control product 4, and by averaging the scores given by the panelists on the vanilla liquor flavor compared to the control product 4 according to the following evaluation criteria.

<Evaluation criteria for vanilla liquor flavor>
Significantly increased compared to control 4: 5 points Largely increased compared to control 4: 4 points Somewhat increased compared to control 4: 3 points Slightly increased compared to control 4: 2 points Similar to control 4: 1 point

The results of the sensory evaluation of vanilla ice cream for products 4-1 to 4-7 of the present invention are shown in Table 8 below.

As shown in Table 8, vanilla ice cream to which a flavoring composition containing the above-mentioned various compounds as active ingredients was added was imparted with a good liquor flavor, sweet flavor, aged flavor, rich flavor, and/or cured vanilla bean pod flavor, and it was confirmed that the natural vanilla flavor, luxurious flavor, and/or vanilla extract flavor were improved. As a result, it was found that a flavoring composition containing the above-mentioned various compounds is useful. In particular, it was confirmed that a flavoring composition containing ethyl furfuryl ether has the greatest effect on improving the flavor of vanilla-flavored food and beverages.

Example 5 Effect of Adding the Present Flavor-Imparting Composition to Chocolate (Vanilla-Flavored Food or Beverage) This example describes an attempt to improve the vanilla flavor by adding a vanilla flavor, which is an example of the present flavor-imparting composition, to chocolate to prepare vanilla-flavored chocolate, which is an example of a vanilla-flavored food or beverage.

Vanilla flavor (3) was prepared according to recipe 5 shown in Table 9. In Table 9, "MCT" means neutral fat (medium-chain triglyceride) consisting of fatty acids with 8 to 12 carbon atoms (the same applies below), and "vanilla base (reference product 1)" refers to the vanilla base (reference product 1) prepared in Example 1.

1% MCT solutions of commercially available ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, and benzyl methyl ether (hereinafter collectively referred to as "various compounds") were prepared, and the 1% MCT solutions of the various compounds were added to vanilla flavor (3) so that the various compounds were present at 10 ppm, thereby preparing vanilla flavors of the present invention 5-1 to 5-7.

Then, vanilla flavors of the present invention products 5-1 to 5-7, which are examples of the flavor-imparting composition of the present invention, were added to commercially available chocolate at a flavoring rate (ratio of vanilla flavor to chocolate) of 0.1%, to prepare vanilla-flavored chocolates of the present invention products 5-8 to 5-14 (each containing 10 ppb of each compound). In addition, vanilla flavor (3), which does not contain the various compounds, was added to the commercially available chocolate at a flavoring rate of 0.1%, to prepare vanilla-flavored chocolate of control product 5.

The vanilla-flavored chocolates of the present invention, products 5-8 to 5-14, were then subjected to a sensory evaluation by 15 well-trained panelists (with 10 years or more of experience). The sensory evaluation was carried out by having the panelists comment on the differences in flavor between products 5-8 to 5-14 of the present invention and control product 5, and by averaging the scores given by the panelists on the vanilla liquor feel compared to control product 5 according to the following evaluation criteria.

<Evaluation criteria for vanilla liquor flavor>
Significantly increased compared to control 5: 5 points Largely increased compared to control 5: 4 points Somewhat increased compared to control 5: 3 points Slightly increased compared to control 5: 2 points Similar to control 5: 1 point

The results of the sensory evaluation of the vanilla-flavored chocolates of the present invention, products 5-8 to 5-14, are shown in Table 10 below.

As shown in Table 10, it was confirmed that the chocolate to which the flavoring composition containing the above-mentioned various compounds as active ingredients was added had a good liquor flavor, sweet flavor, aged flavor, rich flavor, and/or cured vanilla bean pod flavor, and that the natural vanilla flavor, luxurious flavor, and/or vanilla extract flavor were improved, and as a result, it was found that the flavoring composition containing the above-mentioned various compounds is useful. In particular, it was confirmed that the flavoring composition containing ethyl furfuryl ether has the greatest effect on improving the flavor of vanilla-flavored food and beverages.

Claims (8)

A flavor improving agent for a vanilla flavor-imparting composition, comprising one or more compounds selected from the following Group A:
(Group A) Ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether A flavoring composition for vanilla-flavored foods and beverages, comprising as an active ingredient one or more compounds selected from the following Group A:
(Group A) Ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether A vanilla-flavored food or beverage containing the flavor-imparting composition for vanilla-flavored food or beverage described in claim 2. The vanilla-flavored food or drink according to claim 3,
The vanilla-flavored food or drink has a concentration of the compound in the range of 0.01 ppt or more and less than 10 ppm, based on the total mass of the vanilla-flavored food or drink. A method for improving the flavor of a vanilla flavor-imparting composition, comprising the step of adding one or more compounds selected from the following Group A to the vanilla flavor-imparting composition:
(Group A) Ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether The method for improving the flavor of a vanilla flavor imparting composition according to claim 5,
In the step, the compound is added to the vanilla flavor imparting composition so that the concentration of the compound is in the range of 0.01 ppb or more and less than 1%, based on the total mass of the vanilla flavor imparting composition. The method includes adding a flavoring composition containing one or more compounds selected from the following Group A as an active ingredient to a food or drink,
The method for improving the flavor of a food or drink, wherein the flavor imparting composition is a vanilla flavor imparting composition and/or the food or drink is a vanilla-flavored food or drink.
(Group A) Ethyl furfuryl ether, benzyl ethyl ether, sec-butyl ethyl ether, prenyl ethyl ether, dibenzyl ether, furfuryl methyl ether, benzyl methyl ether The method for improving the flavor of a food or beverage according to claim 7,
In the step, the flavor-imparting composition is added to the food or beverage so that the concentration of the compound is in the range of 0.01 ppt or more and less than 10 ppm, based on the total mass of the food or beverage.