HK1237363B - Method for manufacturing sugar-containing liquid - Google Patents

Description

Method for producing sugar-containing liquid

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for producing a sugar-containing liquid. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for producing a sugar-containing liquid suitable as a raw material for a beer-taste beverage, a sugar-containing liquid obtained by the production method, and a beer-taste beverage using the sugar-containing liquid.

Background Art

In beer-flavored beverages, raw materials such as malt and hops significantly influence their quality. For example, hops not only impart bitterness to beer-flavored beverages but also provide a refreshing hop aroma and body. These components contribute to bitterness through components such as alpha acids in hops, hop aroma through terpenes, and body through polyphenols. Consequently, the quality of beer-flavored beverages has traditionally been adjusted by screening the hops used.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that by increasing the weight ratio of hops to malt to a level higher than that which would result in an unbalanced flavor, specifically by adjusting the weight ratio of polyphenols to the total amount of extract components within a specific range, a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage can be provided with astringency without causing an unbalanced flavor that would otherwise appear astringent.

Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses, focusing on the effect of hop addition on beer head retention, that a hop solution obtained from at least one of hop pellets and hop extract, after solid-liquid separation and removal of hop lees (see paragraph 0037), is added to the boiled liquid of the raw material at a level of one or more after rotary separation (see paragraph 0048), cooling, and before filtration, thereby producing beer or a beer-like beverage with excellent head retention. It is believed that because the hop solution is prepared at a relatively dilute concentration of 25 to 100 liters of aqueous solvent per kg of hop pellets and added to the wort after cooling, the increase in turbidity caused by coagulation of hop-derived polyphenols and proteins is minimized. However, when using an aqueous solvent with a high hop content per unit solvent, the aforementioned precipitation process does not form in the subsequent steps, potentially impairing the turbidity stability of the product.

Furthermore, in Patent Document 3, a hop-processed liquid is added to the raw juice to reduce caloric consumption. However, since the hops whose components are extracted are not separated from the hop solution (see paragraph 0045), this does not contribute to reducing the loss of extract components in the raw juice.

Prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: WO2014/103011

Patent Document 2: JP2010-178628A

Patent Document 3: JP2009-077730A

Summary of the Invention

Hop processed products, obtained by subjecting hops to various processing steps, are commonly used in beer-flavored beverages. Examples of processed hop products include "dried hops," which are simply dried hops; "Type 90 hop pellets," which are granules made by crushing dried hops; "Type 45 hop pellets," which are granules made by freezing and crushing dried hops and concentrating the fractionated lupulin fraction; and "hop extracts," which are hops obtained by _CO₂ extraction of the bittering components from Type 90 hop pellets. Furthermore, highly purified processed products include "oil-rich extracts," which are ethanol-extracted hops to impart aroma; "polyphenol-rich pellets," a byproduct of hop extract production, or "polyphenol-rich extracts," which concentrate only the polyphenol components from these pellets; and products made by drying or crushing hop buds, which are the petal-like tissue on the outside of the hop head.

Among them, in order to impart bitterness and flavor from hops to beer-flavored beverages, hop pellets such as Type 90 or Type 45 are generally used. When such materials are used, it is necessary to process the hop grains after the boiling process. For example, when using them in large quantities as in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the processing burden increases.

On the other hand, when using extract-type processed products such as "oil-rich extracts" and "polyphenol-rich extracts", although there is no need to process hop grains, they are highly purified processed products and therefore expensive, and there are problems in their application in beer-flavored beverages.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a sugar-containing liquid having a high polyphenol content, a sugar-containing liquid obtained by the production method, and a beer-taste beverage using the sugar-containing liquid.

Therefore, the present inventors conducted repeated studies to solve the above-mentioned problems. As a result, they found that by adding a substance previously extracted from hops to the conventional raw material liquid, the content of hop-derived components in the sugar-containing liquid can be increased without increasing the processing burden of hop grains, and the desired beer quality can be produced with high precision. This has led to the completion of the present invention.

The present invention relates to the following [1] to [3].

[1] A method for producing a sugar-containing liquid, characterized by comprising the step of mixing a raw material liquid with hop extract water.

[2] A sugar-containing liquid, characterized in that it is produced by the production method described in [1].

[3] A beer-taste beverage characterized in that the sugar-containing liquid obtained by the production method described in [1] is used as a raw material.

The sugar-containing liquid obtained by the production method of the present invention has an excellent effect of high polyphenol content. In addition, since the production method of the present invention can suppress the amount of hop spent grains produced, the loss of the obtained sugar-containing liquid can be suppressed, thereby achieving excellent productivity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The method for producing a sugar-containing liquid of the present invention is characterized by including a step of mixing a raw material liquid with hop extract water. Specifically, the inventors discovered for the first time that, rather than adding the necessary amount of hops to impart flavor to the sugar-containing liquid and then boiling it, separately prepared hop extract water is mixed with the raw material liquid. This method reduces loss of the sugar-containing liquid and produces a sugar-containing liquid with a high polyphenol content. A major feature of the present invention is that hop extract water is added when a predetermined amount of hops is used to increase the polyphenol content.

Beer-flavored beverages in the present invention refer to carbonated beverages with a beer-like flavor. That is, unless otherwise specified, beer-flavored beverages in the present invention encompass any carbonated beverage with a beer flavor, regardless of whether or not a yeast fermentation process has been performed. Specifically, examples include beer, sparkling sake, other alcoholic beverages, liqueurs, and non-alcoholic beverages.

The raw material liquid in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it uses raw materials used in a known method for producing beer-taste beverages, and can be prepared, for example, through a saccharification step and a boiling step.

Examples of the raw materials include starchy raw materials, hops, and water.

Examples of starchy raw materials include wheat, rice, soybeans, peas, corn, sorghum, potatoes, starch, and sugars. Furthermore, wheat that is commonly used as a raw material for beer or sparkling sake can be used, such as malt, barley, polished barley, barley extract, barley flakes, wheat, coix seed, rye, and oats. Malt is preferably used, and the malt ratio in the sugar-containing liquid can be, for example, less than 50% or less than 25%. The malt ratio in this specification refers to the ratio of the weight of malt in the starchy raw material. "%" indicating a ratio means "% by weight." In the present invention, saccharified starch that has already been saccharified can also be used as the starchy raw material, in which case the saccharification step can be omitted.

Hops refers to a climbing perennial herbaceous plant of the Cannabaceae family, scientifically named Humulus lupulus. Hops used in the raw material liquid can be appropriately selected, depending on the desired flavor, from hops typically used in beer production, such as pelleted hops, powdered hops, and hop extracts. Hop processed products such as isomerized hops and reduced hops can also be used. The amount of hops used is not particularly limited. For example, when pelleted or powdered hops are used, a proportion of approximately 0.01% by weight or greater of the total hops typically used in beer or sparkling sake production is sufficient to impart an appropriate bitterness to the beer or sparkling sake.

In the present invention, other raw materials can be used in addition to the above ingredients. Other raw materials include spices, acidulants, sweeteners, dietary fiber, bittering agents, pigments, etc. Enzymes such as amylase can also be added as needed. The above usage amount can be appropriately set according to known techniques.

The raw material liquid can be obtained by placing the raw materials into a charging kettle or a charging tank, gelatinizing and saccharifying them, filtering to remove husks and other substances, adding hops, and boiling. Conventionally known conditions can be used in the saccharification and boiling steps. In this specification, the raw material liquid is not limited to the material after boiling (the raw material liquid after boiling); the liquid during boiling is also referred to as the raw material liquid.

From the viewpoint of increasing the polyphenol content while not excessively increasing tannins that cause astringency, the raw material liquid in the present invention is preferably, for example, first wort.

The polyphenol concentration of the raw material liquid cannot be determined uniformly depending on the amount of hops supplied to the raw material liquid. Although it may be 0 ppm, it is preferably 350 ppm or higher, more preferably 400 ppm or higher, and even more preferably 450 ppm or higher. Furthermore, it is preferably 650 ppm or lower, more preferably 600 ppm or lower, and even more preferably 550 ppm or lower. In this specification, the polyphenol concentration refers to the total polyphenol (T-PP) concentration, which can be measured according to the method described in "BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (November 1, 2004 Revised Edition) 7.11 Total Polyphenols" stipulated by the International Technical Committee of the Beer Brewers Association of Japan (BCOJ).

The obtained raw material liquid is subjected to a step of mixing with hop extract water.

Hop extract water can be obtained by adding hops to water, extracting the hops, and removing the residue.

As the hops for extraction, the same hops as those used in the raw material solution can be used. The types can be the same or different, and two or more types can be used in combination. In addition, when using a processed product, its shape is not particularly limited.

The water used for extraction is preferably warm water, and the temperature is preferably 60 to 100° C., more preferably 80 to 100° C. The pH is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 4.5 to 9.5.

The amount of hops used for extraction cannot be determined uniformly depending on the desired flavor. However, from the perspective of reducing the loss of sugar-containing liquid while increasing the polyphenol content, it is preferably 10% by weight or more, more preferably 15% by weight or more, and even more preferably 20% by weight or more of the total amount of hops used in the production of conventional beer or sparkling sake. While there is no particular upper limit, it is preferably 99.8% by weight or less.

The weight ratio of hops used for extraction to hops used in the raw material solution (hops for extraction/hops for raw material solution) is preferably 0.5/1 to 45/1, more preferably 0.6/1 to 40/1.

From the viewpoint of extraction efficiency and separation of hop lees, the weight ratio of hops (hop solids) to water used for extraction (hop solids/water) is preferably 22.2/500 to 66.6/500, more preferably 30/500 to 60/500, and even more preferably 35/500 to 55/500.

The above-mentioned extraction materials are filled in a known extraction device such as a stainless steel tank for extraction.

From the viewpoint of extraction efficiency, the extraction temperature is preferably 60°C or higher, more preferably 70°C or higher, and further preferably 80°C or higher. From the viewpoint of suppressing evaporation, the extraction temperature is preferably 100°C or lower, more preferably 99°C or lower, and further preferably 98°C or lower.

The extraction time cannot be determined uniformly depending on the amount and type of hops, the extraction apparatus, and the conditions, but is preferably 50 to 100 minutes from the viewpoint of extraction and isomerization of bitter components.

The hop extract water of the present invention can be obtained by removing the extraction residue after extraction. Examples of the extraction residue removal process include centrifugation, filtration, and ultrafiltration, with filtration methods suitable for large-scale production being particularly suitable. Furthermore, after filtration, concentration can be performed according to known techniques.

This yields hop extract water. The polyphenol concentration of the hop extract water is preferably 1000 ppm or higher, more preferably 1200 ppm or higher, and even more preferably 1500 ppm or higher. While the upper limit is not particularly set, it is, for example, approximately 5000 ppm. The polyphenol concentration of the hop extract water can be measured using the aforementioned measurement method after dilution to a predetermined concentration.

The obtained hops extraction water is mixed with the raw material liquid.

The hop extract water may be mixed with the raw material liquid by adding it all at once and stirring it, or by adding it in portions and stirring it. For example, the hop extract water may be mixed all at once after the raw material liquid is boiled, or may be mixed in portions while the raw material liquid is boiling.

From the perspective of protein and heat coagulation, the mixing temperature is preferably 75°C or higher, more preferably 80°C or higher, and even more preferably 85°C or higher. The upper limit is not particularly set, but is, for example, approximately 100°C. The mixing time cannot be determined uniformly depending on the amount of liquid, temperature, and equipment, but is preferably, for example, 10 to 60 minutes.

The resulting mixed liquid is referred to as a sugar-containing liquid in the present invention. The polyphenol concentration of the sugar-containing liquid is preferably 500 ppm or higher, more preferably 800 ppm or higher, and even more preferably 1200 ppm or higher. Furthermore, it is preferably 2200 ppm or lower, more preferably 2100 ppm or lower, and even more preferably 2050 ppm or lower.

Based on the total amount of hops used, the total amount of extract components in the sugar-containing liquid is preferably 3.5% by weight or greater, more preferably 5.0% by weight or greater, and even more preferably 6.5% by weight or greater. Furthermore, from the perspective of sugar-containing liquid preparation, it is preferably less than 17.0% by weight, and more preferably less than 16.0% by weight. As used herein, the term "extract components" refers to the non-volatile components derived from raw materials such as malt, rice, corn, sorghum, potatoes, starch, wheat other than malt, sugars, high-intensity sweeteners, acidulants, bittering agents, colorants, and flavorings, which may be increased or decreased.

From the viewpoint of imparting astringency to the taste, the weight ratio of the total amount of polyphenols to the total amount of extract components in the sugar-containing liquid (total amount of polyphenols/total amount of extract components) is preferably 2.1× ^10-2 /1 to 0.25× ^10-2 /1, more preferably 2.0× ^10-2 /1 to 0.3× ^10-2 /1, and still more preferably 1.9× ^10-2 /1 to 0.4× ^10-2 /1.

Furthermore, from the viewpoint of further suppressing the loss of the sugar-containing liquid, the weight ratio of the total amount of polyphenols in the hop extract water to the total amount of polyphenols in the raw material liquid (total amount of polyphenols in the hop extract water/total amount of polyphenols in the raw material liquid) is preferably 10,000/1 to 0.20/1, more preferably 12.10/1 to 0.20/1, further preferably 10/1 to 0.50/1, and further preferably 8.10/1 to 0.9/1.

From the perspective of further suppressing the loss of the sugar-containing liquid, the weight ratio of the total amount of polyphenols in the hop extract to the total amount of polyphenols derived from all hops used (total amount of polyphenols derived from the hop extract/total amount of polyphenols derived from all hops) is preferably 1/1 to 0.17/1, more preferably 0.91/1 to 0.17/1, even more preferably 0.90/1 to 0.32/1, and even more preferably 0.89/1 to 0.47/1. The total amount of polyphenols derived from all hops used refers to the value calculated by weight by measuring the polyphenol concentrations of the sugar-containing liquid and the hop extract, respectively, and multiplying them by the respective liquid volumes.

The mixed sugar-containing liquid can be clarified in a clarifier to remove solid components such as coagulated protein to produce a beer-flavored beverage. Alternatively, yeast can be added to the mixed sugar-containing liquid for fermentation, and the yeast can be removed using a filter or the like as needed to produce a beer-flavored beverage. Accordingly, the present invention also provides a sugar-containing liquid obtained by the production method of the present invention.

The sugar-containing liquid obtained by the production method of the present invention has a high polyphenol concentration and can suppress loss of raw materials, resulting in high productivity. It can be directly used in the production of beer-flavored beverages and can be stored or transported in cans. Furthermore, when yeast is directly added, the resulting sugar-containing liquid is preferably stored semi-frozen or in a cool place.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a beer-taste beverage using the sugar-containing liquid obtained by the production method of the present invention as a raw material.

Specifically, a beer-flavored beverage can be produced by removing solid components such as coagulated protein from the sugar-containing liquid of the present invention in a clarifier, then adding yeast for fermentation, and optionally removing the yeast using a filter, etc. Furthermore, the process can include storage (wine storage), filtration, container filling, and, if necessary, sterilization. The conditions in the solid component removal and fermentation steps described above, etc., can be generally known conditions.

The beer-taste beverage of the present invention has a high polyphenol content and can achieve an excellent effect of imparting kokumi.

Example

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following Examples.

Examples (Levels 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), Comparative Examples (Levels 1-2, 5)

First, 37.5 kg of malt was ground into an appropriate particle size and placed in a loading tank. 112.5 L of warm water was then added to create a mash at approximately 50°C. The saccharified mash was heated to 76°C and then transferred to a wort lauter tun for filtration to obtain a filtrate. The filtrate was boiled at 100°C for 80 minutes, 300 g of hops were added, and the wort was allowed to stand to obtain a supernatant.

Next, in Level 2, 6.92 g of hops were added to 100 mL of the supernatant. In Level 6, 50 mL of water was added to 50 mL of the supernatant. In Level 10, saccharified starch was diluted to prepare a solution with a total extract content of 18% by weight per 100 mL. The hops listed in Table 1 were added and mixed to each of these levels to obtain a raw material solution. The total extract content is the value measured using an extract analyzer (DMA4500M, manufactured by Anton Paar) using the diluted saccharified starch.

Subsequently, the hop extract water obtained below was added to Levels 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 in the amounts shown in Table 1 to prepare samples. In Level 5, a substance was added to the hop extract water without removing the residue, allowing it to be fully diffused. The hop extract water and the raw material solution were mixed at 90°C.

Hop extract water (polyphenol concentration: 4528 ppm) was prepared by adding 700 g of hops and 7 L of water (temperature: 97° C.) to a heating tank and heating at 97° C. for 80 minutes. The hop extract residue was then removed to prepare hop extract water.

The degree of loss was calculated for the obtained samples of levels 1 to 10 as follows. The results are shown in Table 1.

First, the solid content concentration when a predetermined amount of dried hops is added to warm water is separately measured for each weight of dried hops, thereby determining a relationship between the amount of pre-dried hops and the solid content concentration. The method for determining the solid content concentration will be described later. Next, the amount of loss when a predetermined amount of dried hops is added to warm water is separately measured for each weight of dried hops, thereby determining a relationship between the amount of pre-dried hops and the loss. The method for determining the loss will be described later. Thereafter, the solid content concentration of the samples at levels 1 to 10 is determined, and the loss is calculated based on the amount of dry hops calculated using the relationship described above.

<Solid Content Concentration>

After extracting dried hops with hot water, homogenize the extract and collect 50g. For the sample, collect 50g of the sugar-containing liquid itself. Then, stir at 10,000 rpm for 10 minutes and measure the amount of the supernatant. Next, calculate the solids concentration (weight %) by (50g - supernatant volume) / 50 × 100. Simply by calculating the solids concentration, the amount of dried hops to be added can be calculated.

<Deduction>

After dispersing a predetermined amount of dried hops in hot water to extract the hop components, solid-liquid separation was performed using an 80 μm sieve. The amount of recovered liquid was measured and the loss (g) was calculated. The loss (%) was then calculated by dividing the weight of hot water used (g) by the amount of loss (g) × 100. The loss (%) can be calculated as long as the amount of dried hops charged can be determined.

The total amount of extract components was measured according to "Beer Analysis Methods (November 1, 2004 Revised Edition) 7.2 Extracts" specified by the International Technical Committee of the Beer Brewers Association of Japan (BCOJ). The polyphenol content can be measured by any commonly known method according to "BCOJ Beer Analysis Methods (November 1, 2004 Revised Edition) 7.11 Total Polyphenols" specified by the International Technical Committee of the Beer Brewers Association of Japan (BCOJ).

Table 1

As a result, the loss of levels 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 as examples was equivalent to that of level 1 as a comparative example using a conventional production method, and it was confirmed that the loss can be suppressed by the production method of the present invention.

Furthermore, even when the polyphenol content per unit extract in the sample (total amount of polyphenols in the sugar-containing liquid/total amount of extract components) was confirmed, it was confirmed that the polyphenol content was higher than that in Level 1.

Industrial applicability

The production method of the present invention can produce a sugar-containing liquid with a high polyphenol concentration with excellent productivity, and can provide a beer-taste beverage imparted with rich taste.

Claims (7)

1. A method for manufacturing a sugar-containing liquid used as a raw material for beer-flavored beverages, characterized in that it includes a step of mixing the raw material liquid with hop extract water, wherein, The raw material liquid is obtained by adding hops, and the hop extract water is a liquid component obtained by extracting hops with water and then removing solid residue from the solid-liquid mixture. The weight ratio of the total polyphenols in the sugar solution to the total extract components, i.e., total polyphenols/total extract components, is 2.1× ^10⁻²/ 1 to 0.25× ^10⁻² /1. The raw material liquid is mixed with hop extract water so that the weight ratio of the total amount of polyphenols in the hop extract water to the total amount of polyphenols in the raw material liquid, i.e., the total amount of polyphenols from the hop extract water / the total amount of polyphenols in the raw material liquid, is greater than 0.20. The raw material liquid is mixed with hop extract water so that the weight ratio of the total amount of polyphenols in the hop extract water to the total amount of polyphenols from all hops used, i.e., the total amount of polyphenols from hop extract water / the total amount of polyphenols from all hops, is 1/1 to 0.17/1. 2. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the polyphenol concentration of the sugar solution is 600-2200 ppm. 3. The manufacturing method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that hop extract water extracted with warm water is used. 4. The manufacturing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the raw material liquid is the first wort. 5. The manufacturing method according to claim 3, wherein the raw material liquid is the first wort. 6. A sugar-containing liquid, characterized in that it is manufactured by the manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. A beer-flavored beverage, characterized in that a sugar-containing liquid obtained by any one of claims 1 to 5 is used as a raw material.