Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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BEVERAGE CONTAINING CATECHIN
Background of the Invention
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a catechin-containing beverage
improving the
taste, such as bitterness and astringency, and suppressing occurrence of
sediment and
cream down.
RELATED ART STATEMENT
[0002] Catechins contained in tea are reported to have many health effects,
such as
antioxidant action, blood cholesterol reducing action, hypotensive action, and
hyperglycemia inhibitory action. Catechins exist in ester form, such as (-)-
epigallocatechin
gallate (EGCg), (-)-gallocatechin-gallate (GCg), (-)-epicatechin gallate
(ECg), and (-)-
catechin gallate (Cg), and in free form, such as (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (-
)-
gallocatechin (GC), (-)-epicatechin (EC), (-)-catechin (C), and (+)-catechin
((+) C).
[0003] On the other hand, methylxanthines, in particular, caffeine, can be
cited as
components involved in the taste of tea beverages (in the present invention,
beverages
containing tea leaf extract are collectively referred to as tea beverages).
Caffeine is
believed to participate in bitter taste/harsh taste, and a high dose of
caffeine provides a
beverage with a strongly stimulating taste. Aiming for catechins' health
function, if a high
dose is ingested, a high concentration of this caffeine derived from tea ends
up contained.
Caffeine contained in high concentration cannot yield positive feeling from
the viewpoint
of side effects and bitter taste/harsh taste on the palate.
[0004] In recent years, with the expectation of catechins' functionality,
attention is
concentrated on ingesting catechins more actively, and tea beverages with
decreased
caffeine have been developed by testing combinations of catechins and
caffeine.
[00051 Patent Publication No. 3259758 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
No.
H10-004919) discloses a food and beverage containing caffeine in the amount of
0.1 mass
parts or less, and containing cyclodextrin, preferably [3-cyclodextrin, in the
amount of 0.1
to 20.0 mass parts, preferably 0.1 to 10.0 mass parts, with respect to 1 mass
part of
catechins.
[0006] Patent Publication No. 3162359 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
No. H3-
164136) discloses a beverage comprising (a) at least 80 mass percent of water,
(b) at least
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0.05 mass percent of flavanols selected from the group consisting of catechin,
catechin
derivative, epicatechin, epicatechin derivative, and mixture thereof, (c) at
least 0.2 mass
percent of flavor substance selected from the group consisting of fruit
flavor, plant flavor,
and mixture thereof, and (d) 0.002 to 1.0 mass percent of caffeine (with the
proviso that the
ratio of caffeine versus flavanols is 1:1 to 1:30).
[0007] Patent Publication No. 3507433 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open
No.
2001-197863) discloses a green tea extract, which is a green tea extract
having 1% of
soluble solid as a base, having (a) a mixture of catechins having a molecular
weight range
corresponding to an ultrafiltration membrane made from a polymer having a
nominal
cutoff molecular weight of 700 to 5000 daltons, the catechin mixture
containing (1) at least
130 ppm of epicatechin, (2) at least 300 ppm of epigallocatechin, (3) at least
350 ppm of
epigallocatechin gallate, and (4) at least 60 ppm of epicatechin gallate, (b)
at least 50 ppm
of theanine, (c) 10 ppm or less each of calcium, magnesium, manganese,
aluminum, zinc,
and iron ion, (d) an optical density of 0.06 or less when measured at 600 nm
and further
containing at least 450 ppm of caffeine.
[0008] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-129669 discloses a
containered
tea beverage containing (a) 320 mg/500 mL to 1300 mg/500 mL of non-polymeric
catechins and (b) caffeine, (c) the content ratio of non-epicatechins among
non-polymeric
catechins being 40 to 80 mass percent, (d) the mass ratio of non-polymeric
catechins over
caffeine being 5 to 8, (e) the mass ratio of non-polymeric catechins over
total polyphenol
being 0.88 to 1.0, and (f) turbidity being 0.7 or less, and containing high
concentrations of
non-polymeric catechins, with decreased bitter taste, harsh taste, and the
like, and
improved flavor.
[0009] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-180535 discloses a
method for
removing caffeine selectively from a caffeine and catechin-containing
component, in
which a caffeine and catechin-containing component is dissolved in a solution
of organic
solvent and water mixed with a mass ratio of 9/1 to 1/9 and contacted with
activated
charcoal.
[0010] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-35417 discloses an agent
for
increasing the total blood ketone concentration containing non-polymeric
catechins (A)
and caffeine (B) in which the content mass ratio [(A)/(B)] of non-polymeric
catechins (A)
over caffeine (B) is 0.3 or more.
[0011] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-187848 discloses a
Camellia
sinensis polyphenol fraction containing 50% to 65% epigallocatechin-3-O-
gallate, 13% to
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20% epicatechin-3-O-gallate, 2% to 4% epicatechin, and 1.5% to 3%
epigallocatechin, as
well as 0.2% or less caffeine, obtained by a method for extracting a
polyphenol fraction
from Camellia sinensis (tea) containing 0.2 mass percent or less caffeine.
Summary of the Invention
[0012] An object of the present invention is to provide a beverage that
maintains a high
concentration of catechin with high biological functionality, with improved
flavor and
product quality.
[0013] After earnest studies in view of the above problems, the present
inventors found
new observations that, by adjusting to a predetermined range the concentration
of catechin
in a beverage, the ratio of catechin in ester form and catechin in free form
in a beverage,
the ratio of catechin in ester form and caffeine, the original flavor of the
tea could be
obtained with decreased astringency, bitter taste and harsh taste, and
furthermore, the
occurrence of so-called sediment and cream down could be suppressed, and
devised the
present invention based on these observations.
[0014] That is to say, the present invention provides a beverage, which is a
beverage
containing catechin in ester form (A), catechin in free form (B), and caffeine
(C), the
contents thereof being
(1) (A) + (B) = 500 to 6000 mg/L
(2) (A)/[(A) + (B)] = 0.7 to 1.0
(3) (A)/(C) = 6 to 27.
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[0014a] The present invention may also provide a method for preparing a
beverage comprising the steps of extracting tea leaves of non-fermented tea,
semi-fermented tea, or fermented tea with water or hot water at 40 C to 100 C
and
removing from the obtained extract 50 to 100 mass percent of catechin in ester
form
and catechin in free form, then adding a tea extract to adjust the ratio of
the amount
of catechin in ester form and the amount of catechin in free form.
[0014b] The present invention may also provide a method for preparing a
beverage comprising the steps of extracting tea leaves of non-fermented tea,
semi-fermented tea, or fermented tea with water or hot water at 40 C to 100 C
and
removing from the obtained extract 50 to 100 mass percent of catechin in ester
form
and catechin in free form, adding a tea extract with an amount of catechin in
ester form with respect to the total amount of catechin in ester form and
catechin in
free form of not less than 0.7 to obtain a beverage in which the amount of
catechin in
ester form with respect to the total amount of catechin in ester form and
catechin in
free form is 0.7 to 1Ø
[0015] Catechins are major components constituting the taste of tea
beverages, among which catechin in free form is believed to contribute to the
astringency of tea beverages.
[0016] In addition, catechins in ester form (EGCg, GCg, ECg, and Cg)
compared to catechins in free form (EGC, GC, EC, C, (+) C) have stronger
reactivity
with other components, which is significant for health function.
[0017] Generally, the amount of catechin in ester form contained in a
tea extract is on the order of 50% with respect to the total amount of
catechin in
ester form and catechin in free form.
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[0018] The present invention is a beverage that allows, by increasing the
catechin content while elevating the ratio of catechin in ester form within a
predetermined range and adjusting the ratio between caffeine and catechin in
ester form, the original flavor of the tea
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to be obtained with decreased astringency, bitter taste and harsh taste, and
the catechin in
ester form to be selectively and effectively ingested. In addition, the so-
called sediment
and cream down can be suppressed, which makes it an excellent beverage as a
tea beverage.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a beverage of the present invention will
be
described. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the
embodiment
described below.
[0020] (Beverage)
[0021] This embodiment contains catechin in ester form (A), catechin in free
form (B),
and caffeine (C), the contents thereof being
(1) (A) + (B) = 500 to 6000 mg/L
(2) (A)/[(A) + (B)] = 0.7 to 1.0
(3) (A)/(C) = 6 to 27.
[0022] The amount of catechin in ester form (A) set in the present invention
means the
total amount of EGCg, GCg, ECg, and Cg, and the amount of catechin in free
form (B)
means the total amount of EGC, GC, EC, C, and (+) C. These amounts of catechin
in ester
form and amounts of catechin in free form are respectively determined by
measuring with
a method using high performance liquid chromatography detecting at ultraviolet
wavelength. In addition, the amount of caffeine (C) can be simultaneously
determined with
the same measurement method as for catechin in ester form and catechin in free
form.
[0023] (Requirement (1))
[0024] In the beverage of the embodiment, an amount of catechin in ester form
(A) of
not less than 350 mg/L is preferred, and not less than 500 mg/L is in
particular preferred.
In addition, an amount of 6000 mg/L or less is preferred, 3000 mg/L or less is
more
preferred, 2000 mg/L or less is in particular preferred, among which 1500 mg/L
or less is
especially more preferred.
[0025] In addition, in the beverage of the embodiment, a total amount of
catechin in
ester form (A) and catechin in free form (B) of not less than 500 mg/L is
adequate, and a
content of not less than 700 mg/L is more preferred. In addition, an amount of
6000 mg/L
or less is adequate, 3000 mg/L or less is preferred, and 2800 mg/L or less is
more preferred.
[0026] (Requirement (2))
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[0027] In addition, a ratio of the amount of catechin in ester form (A) with
respect to the
total amount of catechin in ester form (A) and catechin in free form (B), that
is (A)/[(A) +
(B)], of not less than 0.7 is adequate, not less than 0.75 is preferred, and
not less than 0.8 is
more preferred. In addition, an amount of 1.0 or less is adequate.
[0028] If (A) + (B) is 500 to 6000 mg/L and (A)/[(A) + (B)] is 0.7 to 1.0 as
indicated
above, a beverage can be obtained which allows catechin with strong biological
functionality to be ingested easily and inhibits excessive astringency.
[0029] (Requirement (3))
[0030] In addition, a ratio of the amount of catechin in ester form (A) with
respect to the
amount of caffeine (C), that is (A)/(C), of not less than 6 is adequate, and
not less than 7 is
preferred. In addition, a ratio of 27 or less is adequate, 26.6 or less is
preferred, 20 or less is
more preferred, among which 15 or less is in particular preferred. If (A)/(C)
is 6 to 27, the
bitter taste and harsh taste due to caffeine can be decreased; furthermore,
the development
of sediment and cream down can be suppressed, and the visual quality can also
be positive.
[0031] (Preparation of Beverage)
[0032] In regard to the preparation of the beverage of the embodiments, (1)
total amount
and (2) mass ratio of catechin in ester form and catechin in free form,
furthermore, (3)
mass ratio of catechin in ester form and caffeine, may be adjusted by
dissolving in water
catechin in ester form (A), catechin in free form (B), and caffeine (C), so as
to obtain a
predetermined concentration, respectively; in particular, in the case of a tea
beverage,
extracting with water or hot water a non-fermented tea, a semi-fermented tea,
a fermented
tea, or a blend thereof, and then adding a tea extract to adjust the amount of
catechin in
ester form and catechin in free form allows natural tea flavor that can be
drawn out, which
is more preferred.
[0033] In addition, to prepare the beverage of the embodiment, extracting tea
leaves of
non-fermented tea, semi-fermented tea, or fermented tea with water or hot
water at 40 C to
100 C and removing from the obtained extract 50 to 100 mass percent of
catechin in ester
form and catechin in free form, then adding the tea extract to adjust the
ratio of the amount
of catechin in ester form and the amount of catechin in free form is also
preferred.
[0034] Hereinafter the preparation of the beverage will be explained in
detail.
[0035] Tea leaves to be used as source include green teas, such as Sen-cha,
Ban-cha,
Gyokuro, Kamairi-cha, and Ten-cha as non-fermented tea; Oolong teas, such as
Tie Guan
Yin, Huang Jin Gui, and Shui Xian as semi-fermented tea; black teas, such as
Darjeeling
and Uva as fermented tea; or two or more kinds thereof blended. Water, warm
water, or
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hot water, among which warm-hot water at 40 C to 100 C is preferred for the
extraction of
non-fermented tea, semi-fermented tea, fermented tea, or tea blend thereof,
and in
particular, hot water at 60 C to 100 C is more preferred.
[0036] (Removal of Catechin in Ester Form and Catechin in Free Form during
Beverage
Preparation)
[0037] Next, from the tea extract obtained as described above, a portion or
the entirety,
preferably 50% to 100%, more preferably 70% to 100%, of catechin in ester form
and
catechin in free form is removed temporarily to obtain an intermediate with a
portion or the
entirety of catechin in ester form and catechin in free form removed.
[0038] Examples of methods for removing catechin in ester form and catechin in
free
form that can be used include tea extract treatment processes, such as resin
adsorption on a
synthetic adsorption resin or the like, membrane separation by ultrafiltration
membrane or
reverse osmosis membrane, gel filtration chromatography method, and solvent
extraction.
[0039] Among them, since resin adsorption using PVPP, which is a synthetic
adsorption
resin, can selectively adsorb catechin in ester form and catechin in free
form, it is an
excellent method for removing catechin in ester form and catechin in free
form. In addition,
the method for removing catechin in ester form and catechin in free form by
adding PVPP
in the course of extracting tea leaves of non-fermented tea, semi-fermented
tea, or
fermented tea in water or hot water, an invention by the present inventors
(Japanese Patent
No. 3315304), is particularly excellent. In so doing, the amount of synthetic
adsorption
resin PVPP can be selected suitably according to the amount or concentration
of tea extract
subjected to the treatment process.
[0040] (Adjustment of the Amount of Catechin during Beverage Preparation)
[0041] Next, the ratio of the amount of catechin in ester form and the amount
of
catechin in free form is adjusted by adding a tea extract to the intermediate
in which a
portion or the entirety of catechin in ester form and catechin in free form
has been removed,
as described above.
[0042] Herein, the tea extract may be a tea extract obtained by a method
different from
the method for the intermediate. For example, the tea extract is obtained by
extracting tea
leaves of non-fermented tea, semi-fermented tea, fermented tea with water, hot
water, or
water soluble organic solvent, further performing a predetermined purification
and
concentrating the product, a ratio of the amount of catechin in ester form
with respect to
the total amount of catechin in ester form and catechin in free form of not
less than 0.7
being preferred, not less than 0.8 being more preferred. Adding this tea
extract allows a
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beverage in which the amount of catechin in ester form with respect to the
total amount of
catechin in ester form and catechin in free form is 0.7 to 1Ø
[0043] In addition, commercialized tea extract concentrate can also be used;
for instance,
THEA-FLAN 30E, THEA-FLAN 30A, THEA-FLAN W, THEA-FLAN 90S (all
manufactured by ITO EN), SUNFLAVONE HG (Taiyo Kagaku Co., Ltd.),
POLYPHENON 70A, POLYPHENON E (Mitsui Norin Co., Ltd.), Theacalone 90S
(Tokiwa Phytochemical Co., Ltd.), CTP-95 (Citimex), Greenselect (Indena), Tea-
Fresh
80S (Japan Chlorophyll Co., Ltd.), TEAVIGO (DMS), or the like can be used.
[0044] In particular, THEA-FLAN 90S is excellent for elevating the amount of
catechin
in ester form with respect to the total amount of catechin in ester form and
catechin in free
form contained in the beverage of the embodiment since the amount of catechin
in ester
form with respect to the total amount of catechin in ester form and catechin
in free form is
0.99.
[0045] Note that the ratio of the amount of catechin in ester form and the
amount of
catechin in free form can also be adjusted by adding one kind or more of each
of the
purified catechins, in particular, catechin in ester form EGCg, GCg, ECg, and
Cg, when
adding the tea extract or instead of adding the tea extract. In addition,
water or hot water
can be added to dilute.
[0046] As described above, by adding a tea extract with a predetermined
composition to
an intermediate obtained after extracting tea leaves of non-fermented tea,
semi-fermented
tea, or fermented tea with water or hot water and removing 50% or 100% of
catechin in
ester form and catechin in free form, the amount of catechin and the amount of
caffeine,
such as the total amount (Requirement 1) and mass ratio (Requirement 2) of
catechin in
ester form and catechin in free form, furthermore, the mass ratio of catechin
in ester form
and caffeine (Requirement 3), can be adjusted more easily and, in particular,
the amount of
catechin in ester form.
100471 In addition, a beverage adjusted as described above is a beverage that
allows
catechin with a strong biological functionality, in particular, catechin in
ester form, to be
selectively and effectively ingested, and excessive astringency to be
inhibited, while
continuing to have a natural tea flavor.
[0048] (Other Formulations)
[0049] The beverage of the embodiment may have mixed in additives, such as
oxidation
inhibitor, emulsifying agent, preservative, pH adjuster, flavorant, seasoning,
edulcorant,
acidulant, and quality stabilizer, alone or in combination. For instance,
vitamin C, vitamin
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E, cysteine, and the like can be used as oxidation inhibitor, and in
particular, content of
0.005 to 0.05 mass percent in vitamin C is preferred. In addition, for
instance, glucose,
fructose, isomerized liquid sugar syrup, fructo-oligosaccharide, emulsified-
oligosaccharide,
soybean-oligosaccharide, cyclodextrin, Aspartame, Momordica grosvenori
extract, and the
like can be used as edulcorant, and in particular, a content of 0.05 to 1.5
mass percent in
cyclodextrin is adequate. By mixing these additives alone or in combination,
more
excellent beverage can be provided. In addition, the concentration can be
adjusted by
suitably diluting with water, such that catechin, caffeine, and each component
are at the
drinking concentration.
[0050] (Intermediate and Utilization Thereof during Beverage Preparation)
[0051] Enough taste component (theanine, various amino acids, organic acids,
and the
like), aroma component (various esters, terpenes, alcohols, aldehydes, and the
like),
pigment (chlorophyll, carotenoids), and saccharide (various monosaccharides,
oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, water soluble macromolecules, and the like)
that the tea
extract originally has remain in the intermediate obtained after extracting a
portion or the
entirety of catechin in ester form and catechin in free form from the tea
extract, as
described above. Consequently, the intermediate has flavor and taste the tea
extract
originally had and can be used as a taste composition with decreased
astringency due to
catechin.
[0052] In addition, the intermediate can be diluted by suitably using water or
hot water.
In addition, it can also be concentrated or solidified by removing solvent
completely. As
the concentration of various components, such as the taste component, of the
diluted,
concentrated, or solidified intermediate can be adjusted, it can be used
preferably as an
intermediate in the preparation of the beverage of the present invention;
furthermore, it can
also be used preferably as a taste composition.
Example
[0053] In the following, examples according to the present invention will be
shown;
however, the scope of the invention is not limited to the examples.
[0054] (Measurement of Catechin in Ester Form, Catechin in Free Form, and
Caffeine)
[0055] A high performance liquid chromatography apparatus manufactured by
Waters
Co. fitted with a column with an internal diameter of 4.6 mm and a length of
250 mm
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(J'sphere ODS-H80, YMC Co. Ltd.) was used to perform a gradient elution (flow
rate 1.0
mL/min) with a mobile phase A solution: 5% acetonitrile (containing 0.1%
phosphoric
acid) and mobile phase B solution: 50% acetonitrile (containing 0.1%
phosphoric acid) for
separation at a column temperature of 40 C, and quantitation was performed
using a pre-
constructed calibration curve. A sample sampled from a beverage immediately
after heat
sterilization was carried out was subjected to a 0.45 m filter, then, 10 L
of the filtrate
thereof was injected to the high-performance liquid chromatography. The
detection
wavelength was set to UV 230 nm.
[0056] (Panelist Examination)
[0057] Four panelists were used to carry out an evaluation of the taste of the
beverage.
A portion of the beverage was placed in the mouth, and the degree of bitter
taste and harsh
taste was noted by the visual analog scale method (the higher the number, the
stronger the
degree). In addition, the occurrence of sediment and cream down and
suitability as a tea
beverage from the viewpoint of the balance of taste (suitable as tea beverage
if suitability
>5) were also evaluated similarly.
[0058] (Evaluation of Occurrence of Sediment and Cream Down)
[0059] Occurrence of sediment and cream down was evaluated visually.
[0060] (Example 1)
[0061] Green tea leaves made in Japan in the amount of 1.5 g were added to 60
mL of
hot water (70 C), extracted by stirring for 5 minutes to obtain a green tea
extract;
furthermore, 1 g of synthetic adsorption resin (PVPP) was introduced, stirred
for 10
minutes, then the tea leaves and the synthetic adsorption resin were removed
along with
the adsorbed catechin in ester form and catechin in free form by filtration.
To this extract,
0.5 g of cyclic oligosaccharide (manufactured by Nihon Shokuhin Kako Co.,
Ltd.), 0.345 g
of tea extract (THEA-FLAN 90S: manufactured by Ito En Co., Ltd.; see Table 1
for
composition), and a suitable amount of vitamin C were added, the pH was
adjusted with
sodium bicarbonate, then pure water was added to obtain a total volume of 250
mL. This
solution was ultra-filtered; furthermore, heat sterilization (135 C, 30
seconds) was carried
out to prepare Beverage 1. In addition, a 250 mL paper container was filled
with this
Beverage 1. The paper-containered beverage was conserved for one year at room
temperature. Immediately before evaluation, the container was unsealed, and
the beverage
was transferred to a transparent bottle container.
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[0062] [Table 1 ]
EGC EGCg EC ECg GC GCg (+)C Cg Total Total
catechin polyphenol
n.d. 43.14 0.82 16.30 n.d. 4.16 n.d. 1.40 65.82 99.20
Unit for the numbers in the tab] e: %
n.d.: not detected
[0063] (Example 2)
[0064] Beverage 2 was prepared similarly to Example 1, except that 2.5 g of
cyclic
oligosaccharide (manufactured by Nihon Shokuhin Kako Co., Ltd.) was added. A
250 mL
paper container was filled with this Beverage 2.
[0065] (Example 3)
[0066] Beverage 3 was prepared similarly to Example 1, except that the amount
of the
tea extract (THEA-FLAN 90S: manufactured by Ito En Co., Ltd.) was changed to
1.035 g.
A 250 mL paper container was filled with this Beverage 3.
[0067] Regarding the beverages of Examples 1 to 3, concentration of catechin
in ester
form (A) (mg/L), concentration of catechin in free form (B) (mg/L),
concentration of
caffeine (C) (mg/L), panelist examination result and visual evaluation result
after long-
term conservation are shown for each beverage in Table 2.
[0068] No bitter taste and harsh taste was identified in all the Beverages 1
to 3, which,
in addition, were excellent beverages as tea beverages. In addition, no
occurrence of
sediment and cream down due to long-term conservation could be identified
visually.
[0069] (Comparative Example 1)
[0070] Green tea leaves (heavily-steamed tea, Chinese product) in the amount
of 10 g
was added to 1 L of warm water at 60 C and extracted by stirring for 10
minutes. After the
extraction, the tea leaves were removed, tea extract was cooled to below 25 C,
and the
entirety was filtered by nylon filtration cloth. Thereafter, a 190 g can
container was filled
with the filtrate, heat sterilized (120 C, 10 minutes) to prepare a beverage
(Comparative-1).
The can-containered beverage was conserved at room temperature for one year.
Immediately before evaluation, the container was unsealed, and the beverage
was
transferred to a transparent bottle container.
[0071] (Comparative Example 2)
[0072] A beverage (Comparative-2) was prepared similarly to Comparative
Example 1,
except that instead of adding 10 g of green tea leaves (heavily-steamed tea,
Chinese
product), 10 g of green tea leaves (Kabuse-cha, Chinese product) was added.
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[0073] (Comparative Example 3)
[0074] A beverage (Comparative-3) was prepared similarly to Comparative
Example 1,
except that instead of adding 10 g of green tea leaves (deep-steamed tea,
Chinese product),
40 g of green tea leaves (Sen-cha, Japanese product) was added.
[0075] (Comparative Example 4)
[0076] The content of Beverage 3 conserved for one year at ordinary
temperature was
transferred to a transparent bottle container, commercial caffeine
(manufactured by Wako
Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd) was further added so that the caffeine
concentration became
2000 mg/L to prepare a beverage (Comparative-4). The beverage was let to sit
overnight at
refrigeration temperature; the next day, after returning to room temperature,
panelist
examination and visual evaluation were carried out.
[0077] Regarding the beverages of Comparative Examples 1 to 4, concentration
of
catechin in ester form (A) (mg/L), concentration of catechin in free form (B)
(mg/L),
concentration of caffeine (C) (mg/L), panelist examination result and visual
evaluation
result are shown for each beverage in Table 2.
[0078] Bitter taste and harsh taste were strongly identified in Comparative-1
to
Comparative-4, which were inappropriate beverages as tea beverages. In
addition, due to
the influence of long-term conservation or high caffeine ratio, notable
occurrences of
sediment and cream down were visually observed.
[0079] Note that, as cream down occurs more easily by cooling, in Comparative
Example 4, a predetermined amount of caffeine was added to Beverage 3 after
long-term
conservation to prepare a beverage (Comparative-4), which was then conserved
under
refrigeration, and the next day, the beverage (Comparative-4) was returned to
room
temperature, and panelist examination and visual evaluation were carried out.
11
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