JP2012217356A - Container-packed beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a green tea flavor beverage containing non-polymer catechins, which has a taste of green tea, does not instantly cause a discoloration while having a relish even when packed in a thinned container (bottle).SOLUTION: The container-packed beverage comprises a container and a beverage packed in the container. The beverage contains 10-600 ppm of non-polymer catechins and ≥65 mass% of the non-polymer catechins is a gallate.

Description

  The present invention relates to a packaged beverage containing non-polymer catechins, and more particularly to a packaged beverage of green tea flavor.

  In recent years, in order to reduce the burden on the environment and reduce costs, it has been studied to reduce the weight and thickness of containers (such as PET bottles) for packaged beverages. A thin-walled plastic bottle is also known (Patent Document 1, etc.).

  By the way, as a packaged beverage, in recent years, a green tea-based beverage has been widely used. Such green tea-based beverages contain a large amount of catechins, but catechins-containing beverages have a problem that the catechins are oxidized during storage and turn brown to reduce the commercial value. Such discoloration is more likely to occur when the container is lighter and thinner, and the oxygen transmission amount and ultraviolet transmission amount of the container increase, making it difficult to ensure a long-term expiration date.

In order to prevent discoloration, catechins may be removed, but the flavor and taste unique to green tea such as astringency and bitterness are attributed to catechins. Absent.
Therefore, so far, no container-packed beverages in which green tea beverages are packed in lightweight, thin-walled bottles with high transparency are not known.

JP 2010-106064 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has a taste and flavor as green tea, and can be stored for a long period of time even when packed in a thin-walled container (bottle) (immediately discolored). An object of the present invention is to provide a catechin-containing green tea flavored beverage that does not occur.

As a result of diligent research on discoloration of non-polymer catechins, the present inventors have found that non-polymer catechins (catechin (C), gallocatechin (GC), epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin, which are the origins of green tea flavor, have been obtained. (EGC), catechin gallate (Cg), gallocatechin gallate (GCg), epicatechin gallate (ECg) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), etc.) gallate (gallate ester) (catechin gallate, gallocatechin gallate) It has been found that discoloration of epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin gallate, etc.) hardly occurs and can maintain a clear color even when stored in a thin-walled container for a long period of time, thus completing the present invention.
That is, the present invention is as follows.
A container-packed beverage comprising a container and a beverage filled in the container,
A packaged beverage in which the beverage contains 10 to 600 ppm of non-polymer catechins, and 65% by mass or more of the non-polymer catechins is a gallate body.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a catechins-containing beverage with a clear hue that does not change color immediately after being packed in a thin-walled container and stored for a long period of time.

It is a graph which shows the relationship between the gallate body rate of the non-polymer catechins contained in a drink, and discoloration.

The present invention is a packaged beverage containing 10 to 600 ppm of non-polymer catechins, and 65% by mass or more of the non-polymer catechins is a gallate body.
Since the beverage of the present invention is not a so-called high-concentration tea catechin beverage that is ingested for the purpose of specific health, but a beverage for enjoying green tea flavor, the concentration of non-polymer catechins (non-polymer catechins) Is preferably a value close to or less than that of normally roasted green tea, for example, 10 to 300 ppm or 10 to 100 ppm.

In the beverage of the present invention, 65% by mass or more of the non-polymer catechins is a gallate body. When the gallate body ratio ([mass of gallate body among non-polymer catechins contained in beverage / mass of all non-polymer catechins contained in beverage] × 100) exceeds 65 mass%, the aging of the beverage Discoloration increases.
The gallate body ratio is more preferably 90% by mass or more, further preferably 98% by mass or more, and most preferably 100% by mass. When the gallate body ratio is in such a range, the non-polymer catechins are less likely to be oxidized over time, and the degree of discoloration is small even if the beverage is stored for a long period of time.

There is no limitation in the preparation method of the non-polymer catechins containing drink of this invention, For example, you may prepare by removing non-gallate catechins from a green tea extract. At that time, the green tea extract can be obtained, for example, by extracting leaves of an evergreen tree (green tea leaves) belonging to the camellia family Camellia according to a conventional method.
In addition, the non-polymer catechins-containing beverage of the present invention may be prepared by adding a preparation of a non-polymer catechins gallate body (separately prepared / purified) to water. This method is preferable because it is easy to control the gallate body fraction.

  When the non-polymer catechins-containing beverage of the present invention is prepared by adding a catechin preparation (separately prepared / purified) to water, and further adding a green tea aroma, it has a taste closer to that of a green tea extract. This is preferable. Here, the green tea aroma refers to a substance (gas, liquid or solid) having a green tea scent (similar scent to green tea) derived from or obtained by synthesis, for example, tea leaves or green tea extract with water vapor. It can be obtained by distillation. As a method for recovering green tea aroma from tea leaves or green tea extract, a conventionally known method can be adopted, and specifically, the method disclosed in JP-T-2011-508034 can be preferably adopted. it can.

In addition, non-polymer catechins-containing beverages of the present invention include green tea-containing components such as amino acids and caffeine, antioxidants, preservatives, pH adjusters, quality stabilizers, emulsifiers, sweeteners, acidulants, pigments, Various additives generally added to flavors, astringency inhibitors, and other packaged beverages may be included within a range that does not hinder the effects of the present invention.
Moreover, there is no limitation in pH of the non-polymer catechins containing drink of this invention, For example, it can be set as 5.0-7.0.

  The non-polymer catechins-containing beverage of the present invention is filled in various containers such as glass containers (bottles), metal can containers, paper containers, plastic containers (bottles), pouch containers, BIB (bag-in-box) containers. Prior to filling or after filling, sterilization may be performed as necessary. The sterilization treatment is not limited, and a conventionally employed method can be employed.

There is no limitation on the type of containers filled with beverages. However, the non-polymer catechins-containing beverages of the present invention are less susceptible to discoloration due to oxidation, making them suitable for filling into lightweight and thin plastic containers (bottles). ing.
Specifically, a container comprising a resin composition containing polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, or the like as a main component (“containing as a main component” means containing 50 mass% or more, preferably 70 mass% or more). (Bottle) is preferred. At this time, you may add a plant-derived component to a resin composition 1-50 mass%, Preferably about 5-30 mass%.
As a resin usage-amount of a container, it can be set as about 1.5g-5g / 100ml, for example.

There is no limitation on the thickness of the container, but if it is a general non-polymer catechin-containing beverage, it will turn brown immediately when placed in a thin plastic container with a minimum thickness of less than 300 μm. Even if the catechin-containing beverage is stored in such a container, it does not change color in a short period of time. Therefore, the catechins-containing beverage of the present invention can be advantageously combined with such a container.
If it is a catechins containing drink of this invention, even if the minimum thickness of a filling container is 250 micrometers or less, 200 micrometers or less, and also 100 micrometers or less, it hardly changes color in a short period of time. Therefore, from the viewpoint of discoloration of the catechin-containing beverage, there is no limitation on the lower limit value of the minimum thickness of the container. However, from the viewpoint of the strength of the container, the minimum thickness of the container is preferably 10 μm or more, more preferably 50 μm or more, and further preferably 75 μm or more.

On the other hand, the maximum thickness of the container body (the container neck (including the cap), the portion excluding the shoulder and the bottom) is preferably 500 μm or less, more preferably 450 μm from the viewpoint of weight reduction. Hereinafter, it is more preferably 400 μm or less. However, from the viewpoint of the strength of the container, the maximum thickness of the body portion of the container is preferably 250 μm or more, and more preferably 350 μm or more.
Of the surface area of the body portion of the container, the ratio of the portion having the maximum thickness as described above, that is, the thick portion having a thickness of 250 μm to 500 μm, is 5 from the viewpoint of balance between strength and weight reduction of the container. It is preferably ˜50 area%, more preferably 10 to 40 area%, and still more preferably 15 to 30 area%.

The oxygen permeability of the container is not limited, but if it is a drink containing general catechins, it will turn brown as soon as it is placed in a container with an oxygen permeability of 0.008cc / day · 100ml · atm or more. Therefore, the catechins-containing beverage of the present invention does not change color in a short period of time even when stored in such a container. Therefore, the catechins-containing beverage of the present invention can be advantageously combined with such a container.
In the case of the catechins-containing beverage of the present invention, the oxygen permeability of the filled container is 0.01 cc / day · 100 ml · atm or more, 0.015 cc / day · 100 ml · atm or more, and further 0.02 cc / day · 100 ml. -Even if it is atm or higher, there is almost no discoloration in a short period of time.

Furthermore, the ultraviolet transmittance of the container is not limited, but if it is a general catechin-containing beverage, discoloration easily proceeds when placed in a container having an ultraviolet transmittance (wavelength of 360 nm) of 70% or more. Even if the catechin-containing beverage is stored in such a container, it does not change color in a short period of time. Therefore, the non-polymer catechins-containing beverage of the present invention can be advantageously combined with such a container.
With the catechins-containing beverage of the present invention, there is no problem even if the ultraviolet ray (wavelength 360 nm) transmittance of the filled container is 75% or more, and even if it is 80% or more, it hardly changes color in a short period of time. Absent.

Hereinafter, the container-packed beverage of the present invention will be described in more detail using the following examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
[Examples AC, Comparative Examples D and E]
Add the non-polymer catechin composition having the composition shown in Table 1 to the reverse osmosis membrane treated water so that the total concentration (non-gallate equivalent concentration) is 50 ppm, and stir well to dissolve the water (catechin-containing) Drink).
Prepare 280 ml of the resulting dissolved water in polyethylene terephthalate bottles (capacity: 280 ml, oxygen permeability: 0.025 cc / day · 280 ml · atm), and prepare 4 bottles of each dissolved water at 80 ° C. for 10 minutes. After sterilization, refrigerated for 1 week or stored at 58 ° C. for 1, 2 or 3 weeks.
The color tone of each dissolved water after storage was measured using a Lab color difference meter (Nippon Denshoku Industries Co., Ltd. Spectro Color Meter SQ2000), and the difference ΔE from the value of the refrigerated storage was determined. In addition, it means that discoloration is so large that (DELTA) E is large.
The results are shown in Table 1 and FIG.

  From Table 1 and FIG. 1, it was confirmed that the discoloration (ΔE) was small when the proportion of the gallate body was 65 mass% or more, particularly 98 mass% or more.

  Since the present invention can provide a beverage with reduced discoloration due to long-term storage while containing non-polymer catechins, the present invention can be preferably used for green tea beverages and green tea flavored beverages such as green tea flavored water. In particular, it can be preferably used for a light-weighted / thin-walled container and a container-packed beverage filled in a container having a high oxygen permeability and a high ultraviolet permeability.

Claims (5)

A container-packed beverage comprising a container and a beverage filled in the container,
A packaged beverage in which the beverage contains 10 to 600 ppm of non-polymer catechins, and 65% by mass or more of the non-polymer catechins is a gallate body.   The container-packed drink of Claim 1 whose said container is a plastic container whose minimum thickness is less than 300 micrometers.   The container-packed drink of Claim 1 or 2 whose oxygen permeability of the said container is 0.008cc / day * 100ml * atm or more.   The container-packed drink of any one of Claims 1-3 whose ultraviolet-ray (wavelength 360nm) transmittance | permeability of the said container is 70% or more.   The container-packed drink of any one of Claims 1-4 in which the said drink contains a green tea aroma further.

Images