CARBONATED BEVERAGE

Abstract

The present invention provides a carbonated beverage containing 0.25 to 2.0 ppm of α-bisabolol, and a carbonated beverage containing 0.5 to 4.0 ppm of sabinene. Further, the present invention also provides a method for improving the carbonation sensation of a carbonated beverage, the method including adding at least one flavoring selected from the group consisting of α-bisabolol and sabinene to the carbonated beverage, and adjusting the α-bisabolol concentration in the beverage to a value within a range from 0.25 to 2.0 ppm, or adjusting the sabinene concentration in the beverage to a value within a range from 0.5 to 4.0 ppm.

Claims

1. A carbonated beverage containing 0.25 to 2.0 ppm of α-bisabolol.

2. The carbonated beverage according to claim 1, further containing 0.5 to 4.0 ppm of sabinene.

3. (canceled)

4. The carbonated beverage according to claim 1, wherein the beverage is a sugar-free beverage.

5. The carbonated beverage according to claim 1, having a citrus fruit flavor and aroma.

6. The carbonated beverage according to claim 5, wherein the citrus fruit is lemon.

7. A method for producing a carbonated beverage, the method comprising adding at least one flavoring selected from the group consisting of α-bisabolol and sabinene to the carbonated beverage, and adjusting the α-bisabolol concentration in the beverage to a value within a range from 0.25 to 2.0 ppm, or adjusting the sabinene concentration in the beverage to a value within a range from 0.5 to 4.0 ppm.

8. A method for improving a carbonation sensation or a refreshing feeling of a carbonated beverage, the method comprising adding at least one flavoring selected from the group consisting of α-bisabolol and sabinene to the carbonated beverage, and adjusting the α-bisabolol concentration in the beverage to a value within a range from 0.25 to 2.0 ppm, or adjusting the sabinene concentration in the beverage to a value within a range from 0.5 to 4.0 ppm.

9-10. (canceled)

Description

EXAMPLES

[0041] The present invention is described below in further detail using a series of examples and reference examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

<Sensory Evaluations of Carbonated Beverages>

[0042] The carbonation sensation, the refreshing feeling, the stimulus intensity, and the deliciousness (overall evaluation) of carbonated beverages were evaluated by 6 to 10 specialist panelists using an 11-step scale (in which 0 points represents the least sensation, and 10 points represents the greatest sensation). A base liquid prior to introduction of carbon dioxide gas (gas volume 0.0), and liquids in which carbon dioxide gas had been introduced under pressure into the base liquid to achieve gas volumes (GV) of 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5 respectively were prepared, and these liquids were used as evaluation standards. Specifically, as shown in Table 1, the evaluation for the base liquid having a carbon dioxide pressure of 0 GV was evaluated as 0 points, the base liquid at 3.5 GV was evaluated as 1 point, the base liquid at 4GV was evaluated as 5 points, and the base liquid at 4.5 GV was evaluated as 10 points, with a higher point value indicating a stronger sensation.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Gas volume (GV) 0.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 Evaluation points 0 1 5 10

[0043] Unless specifically stated otherwise, the base liquid used one of the compositions shown below in Table 2.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Base liquid 1 Base liquid 2 Base liquid 3 Base liquid 3 (sugar-free, (sugar free, (sugar-containing, (sugar-containing, no flavor) lemon flavor) no flavor) lemon flavor) High fructose corn syrup — — 6.8% 6.8% Anhydrous citric acid — — 0.1% 0.1% Trisodium citrate — — 0.05%  0.05%  Citral — 10 ppm — 10 ppm Water balance balance balance balance Total 100% 100% 100%  100% 

Example 1

[0044] Comprehensive screening of aroma components that exhibited a high correlation with stimulated carbonation sensation lead to the selection of α-bisabolol, sabinene, geranyl acetate, and γ-terpinene. The effects of these compounds on the carbonation sensation, the refreshing feeling, and the stimulus intensity obtained upon addition to the carbonated beverages were investigated.

[0045] Specifically, using water to which a lemon flavoring (0.5 g/L) had been added (namely, lemon-flavored water) as the base liquid, a liquid prepared by injecting carbon dioxide gas into this base liquid under pressure to achieve a gas volume of 4.0 GV was used as a control sample. Samples were then prepared by adding α-bisabolol (1.0 ppm), sabinene (2.0 ppm), geranyl acetate (2.0 ppm), and γ-terpinene (1.0 ppm) respectively to this control sample, and each sample was subjected to the sensory evaluations described above. The results are shown in Table 3. The amounts added of these aroma components were set at concentrations that were markedly higher than the concentrations typically included in commercially available beverages, but of a level that had no effect on the inherent flavor and aroma of the control sample.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 Test compound — α-bisabolol sabinene geranyl γ-terpinene acetate Amount added [ppm] — 1.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 Gas volume [GV] 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 Deliciousness 5.0 6.0 5.5 5.2 4.6 Refreshing feeling 5.0 6.3 6.3 5.5 4.7 Intensity of 5.0 6.2 6.2 5.0 5.5 carbonation sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 6.3 6.3 5.5 5.5

[0046] These results revealed that in the samples containing added α-bisabolol or sabinene, the carbonation sensation, the refreshing feeling and the stimulus intensity all improved. In other words, it was evident that α-bisabolol and sabinene had the effects of improving the carbonation sensation, the refreshing feeling and the stimulus intensity. In contrast, these improvements could not be confirmed in the samples containing geranyl acetate and γ-terpinene.

Example 2

[0047] The effects of α-bisabolol and sabinene on sugar-free unflavored carbonated beverages were investigated. Specifically, using the base liquid 1 shown in Table 1 as the base liquid, a liquid prepared by injecting carbon dioxide gas into this base liquid under pressure to achieve a gas volume of 4.0 GV was used as a control sample. Samples were then prepared by adding 0.25 to 2.0 ppm of α-bisabolol or 0.5 to 4.0 ppm of sabinene to this control sample, and each sample was subjected to the sensory evaluations described above. The results are shown in Tables 4 and 5.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 5 Amount of added — 0.25 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 α-bisabolol [ppm] Deliciousness 5.0 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.0 5.7 Refreshing feeling 5.0 6.4 7.4 7.4 7.1 7.4 Intensity of 5.0 6.4 7.1 7.6 7.9 7.9 carbonation sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 6.9 7.4 7.9 8.1 8.1

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 5 Amount of added — 0.5 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 sabinene [ppm] Deliciousness 5.0 5.5 6.4 6.2 5.7 5.7 Refreshing feeling 5.0 6.0 6.7 7.1 6.9 6.4 Intensity of 5.0 6.2 6.9 7.4 7.1 6.7 carbonation sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 6.4 6.9 7.4 7.1 6.9

[0048] In these sugar-free unflavored carbonated beverages, in those samples containing 0.25 to 2.0 ppm of added α-bisabolol and those samples containing 0.5 to 4.0 ppm of added sabinene, the carbonation sensation, the refreshing feeling and the stimulus intensity all improved. Further, the improvement effects in the carbonation sensation and the like due to the α-bisabolol and sabinene were stronger than those observed for the sugar-containing unflavored carbonated beverages described below in Example 4.

Example 3

[0049] The effects of α-bisabolol and sabinene on sugar-free lemon-flavored carbonated beverages were investigated. Specifically, using the base liquid 2 shown in Table 1 as the base liquid, a liquid prepared by injecting carbon dioxide gas into this base liquid under pressure to achieve a gas volume of 4.0 GV was used as a control sample. Samples were then prepared by adding 0.25 to 2.0 ppm of α-bisabolol or 0.5 to 4.0 ppm of sabinene to this control sample, and each sample was subjected to the sensory evaluations described above. The results are shown in Tables 6 and 7.

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 5 Amount of added — 0.25 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 α-bisabolol [ppm] Deliciousness 5.0 6.0 6.2 6.2 6.4 6.4 Refreshing feeling 5.0 6.2 6.9 7.1 7.1 7.6 Intensity of 5.0 5.7 6.9 7.1 7.1 7.6 carbonation sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 5.7 6.9 7.4 7.1 7.9

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 5 Amount of added — 0.5 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 sabinene [ppm] Deliciousness 5.0 5.0 5.5 5.7 5.5 5.2 Refreshing feeling 5.0 5.2 5.2 5.7 6.9 6.9 Intensity of 5.0 5.2 5.5 6.2 6.4 6.9 carbonation sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 5.2 5.7 6.7 6.9 7.1

[0050] In these sugar-free lemon-flavored carbonated beverages, in those samples containing 0.25 to 2.0 ppm of added α-bisabolol, the carbonation sensation, the refreshing feeling and the stimulus intensity all improved, and particularly superior improvement effects were confirmed in those samples containing 0.5 to 2.0 ppm of added ca-bisabolol. On the other hand, in those samples containing added sabinene, improvement effects in the carbonation sensation, the refreshing feeling and the stimulus intensity were observed when the amount of added sabinene was within a range from 2.0 to 4.0 ppm. Further, the improvement effects in the carbonation sensation and the like due to the α-bisabolol and sabinene were stronger than those observed for the sugar-containing lemon-flavored carbonated beverages described below in Example 5. Further, in each of the samples, no aroma of the α-bisabolol or sabinene itself was detected.

Example 4

[0051] The effects of α-bisabolol and sabinene on sugar-containing unflavored carbonated beverages were investigated. Specifically, using the base liquid 3 shown in Table 1 as the base liquid, a liquid prepared by injecting carbon dioxide gas into this base liquid under pressure to achieve a gas volume of 4.0 GV was used as a control sample. Samples were then prepared by adding 0.25 to 2.0 ppm of α-bisabolol or 0.5 to 4.0 ppm of sabinene to this control sample, and each sample was subjected to the sensory evaluations described above. The results are shown in Tables 8 and 9.

TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 5 Amount of added — 0.25 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 α-bisabolol [ppm] Deliciousness 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.2 6.0 5.5 Refreshing feeling 5.0 5.5 6.2 6.2 6.2 6.4 Intensity of carbonation 5.0 5.7 6.2 6.2 6.4 6.4 sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 5.5 6.2 6.2 6.4 6.9

TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 5 Amount of added — 0.5 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 sabinene [ppm] Deliciousness 5.0 5.5 5.7 6.0 6.2 5.7 Refreshing feeling 5.0 5.5 5.7 6.7 6.4 6.4 Intensity of 5.0 5.7 5.7 6.7 6.7 6.4 carbonation sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 5.7 6.0 6.7 7.1 6.9

[0052] In these sugar-containing unflavored carbonated beverages, in those samples containing 0.5 to 2.0 ppm of added α-bisabolol, the carbonation sensation, the refreshing feeling and the stimulus intensity all improved. On the other hand, in those samples containing added sabinene, improvement effects in the carbonation sensation, the refreshing feeling and the stimulus intensity were observed when the amount of added sabinene was within a range from 2.0 to 4.0 ppm. Further, in each of the samples, no aroma of the α-bisabolol or sabinene itself was detected.

Example 5

[0053] The effects of α-bisabolol and sabinene on sugar-containing lemon-flavored carbonated beverages were investigated. Specifically, using the base liquid 4 shown in Table 1 as the base liquid, a liquid prepared by injecting carbon dioxide gas into this base liquid under pressure to achieve a gas volume of 4.0 GV was used as a control sample. Samples were then prepared by adding 0.25 to 2.0 ppm of α-bisabolol or 0.5 to 4.0 ppm of sabinene to this control sample, and each sample was subjected to the sensory evaluations described above. The results are shown in Tables 10 and 11.

TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 5 Amount of added — 0.25 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 α-bisabolol [ppm] Deliciousness 5.0 5.2 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 Refreshing feeling 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.2 6.2 6.0 Intensity of carbonation 5.0 5.7 6.0 6.2 6.2 6.0 sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.2 6.2 5.7

TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 11 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 5 Amount of added — 0.5 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 sabinene [ppm] Deliciousness 5.0 5.5 5.5 5.7 6.0 6.0 Refreshing feeling 5.0 5.7 5.7 6.0 6.7 6.7 Intensity of 5.0 5.7 5.7 6.0 6.4 6.7 carbonation sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 5.7 6.0 6.2 6.4 6.7

[0054] In these sugar-containing lemon-flavored carbonated beverages, in those samples containing 0.5 to 2.0 ppm of added ax-bisabolol, the carbonation sensation, the refreshing feeling and the stimulus intensity all improved. On the other hand, in those samples containing added sabinene, improvement effects in the carbonation sensation, the refreshing feeling and the stimulus intensity were observed when the amount of added sabinene was within a range from 2.0 to 4.0 ppm. Further, in each of the samples, no aroma of the α-bisabolol or sabinene itself was detected.

Example 6

[0055] The effects of α-bisabolol and sabinene on sugar-free unflavored carbonated beverages were investigated. Specifically, using the base liquid 1 shown in Table 1 as the base liquid, a liquid prepared by injecting carbon dioxide gas into this base liquid under pressure to achieve a gas volume of 4.0 GV was used as a control sample. Samples were then prepared by adding 0 to 1.5 ppm of α-bisabolol and 0 to 3.0 ppm of sabinene to this control sample, and each sample was subjected to the sensory evaluations described above. The results are shown in Table 12.

TABLE-US-00012 TABLE 12 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Amount of added — 1.5 1.25 1 0.75 0.5 0.25 0 α-bisabolol [ppm] Amount of added — 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 sabinene [ppm] Deliciousness 5.0 6.0 6.4 6.7 7.2 7.5 6.4 5.7 Refreshing feeling 5.0 7.1 6.9 6.7 7.5 7.5 6.9 6.9 Intensity of 5.0 7.9 7.5 8.3 8.6 8.1 7.2 7.1 carbonation sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 8.1 7.5 8.1 8.6 8.1 7.5 7.1

[0056] Based on comparison with the results of Example 2, it was evident that the samples containing a combination of α-bisabolol and sabinene exhibited a superior carbonation sensation and refreshing feeling to samples containing only one of the added compounds, indicating that superior improvement effects could be obtained by using a combination of both compounds. In particular, samples 3 to 5 which contained the two compounds in a ratio within a range from α-bisabolol:sabinene=1:1 to 1:4 exhibited excellent carbonation sensation and refreshing feeling. Further, the improvements observed due to the α-bisabolol and sabinene were stronger than those observed for the sugar-containing unflavored carbonated beverages described below in Example 8. Furthermore, in each of the samples, no aromas inherent to the α-bisabolol and sabinene were detected.

Example 7

[0057] The effects of α-bisabolol and sabinene on sugar-free lemon-flavored carbonated beverages were investigated. Specifically, using the base liquid 2 shown in Table 1 as the base liquid, a liquid prepared by injecting carbon dioxide gas into this base liquid under pressure to achieve a gas volume of 4.0 GV was used as a control sample. Samples were then prepared by adding 0 to 1.5 ppm of α-bisabolol and 0 to 3.0 ppm of sabinene to this control sample, and each sample was subjected to the sensory evaluations described above. The results are shown in Table 13.

TABLE-US-00013 TABLE 13 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Amount of added — 1.5 1.25 1 0.75 0.5 0.25 0 α-bisabolol [ppm] Amount of added — 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 sabinene [ppm] Deliciousness 5.0 6.4 6.7 6.9 7.2 7.2 6.4 5.5 Refreshing feeling 5.0 7.1 7.2 6.9 6.9 6.9 6.4 6.9 Intensity of 5.0 7.1 7.2 7.5 7.8 8.1 7.2 6.4 carbonation sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 7.1 7.2 7.5 7.8 7.8 6.9 6.9

[0058] Based on comparison with the results of Example 3, it was evident that the samples containing a combination of α-bisabolol and sabinene exhibited a superior carbonation sensation and refreshing feeling to samples containing only one of the added compounds, indicating that superior improvement effects could be obtained by using a combination of both compounds. In particular, samples 3 to 5 exhibited excellent carbonation sensation and refreshing feeling. Further, the improvements observed due to the α-bisabolol and sabinene were stronger than those observed for the sugar-containing lemon-flavored carbonated beverages described below in Example 9. Furthermore, in each of the samples, no aromas inherent to the α-bisabolol and sabinene were detected.

Example 8

[0059] The effects of α-bisabolol and sabinene on sugar-containing lemon-flavored carbonated beverages were investigated. Specifically, using the base liquid 3 shown in Table 1 as the base liquid, a liquid prepared by injecting carbon dioxide gas into this base liquid under pressure to achieve a gas volume of 4.0 GV was used as a control sample. Samples were then prepared by adding 0 to 1.5 ppm of α-bisabolol and 0 to 3.0 ppm of sabinene to this control sample, and each sample was subjected to the sensory evaluations described above. The results are shown in Table 14.

TABLE-US-00014 TABLE 14 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Amount of added — 1.5 1.25 1 0.75 0.5 0.25 0 α-bisabolol [ppm] Amount of added — 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 sabinene [ppm] Deliciousness 5.0 6.0 6.7 6.7 7.8 6.9 6.4 6.2 Refreshing feeling 5.0 6.2 6.9 6.7 7.2 7.2 6.9 6.4 Intensity of 5.0 6.4 7.2 7.5 7.8 7.8 7.2 6.7 carbonation sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 6.4 7.2 7.5 8.1 7.8 7.2 7.1

[0060] Based on comparison with the results of Example 4, it was evident that the samples containing a combination of α-bisabolol and sabinene exhibited a superior carbonation sensation and refreshing feeling to samples containing only one of the added compounds, indicating that superior improvement effects could be obtained by using a combination of both compounds. In particular, samples 3 to 5 exhibited excellent carbonation sensation and refreshing feeling. Further, in each of the samples, no aromas inherent to the α-bisabolol and sabinene were detected.

Example 9

[0061] The effects of α-bisabolol and sabinene on sugar-containing lemon-flavored carbonated beverages were investigated. Specifically, using the base liquid 4 shown in Table 1 as the base liquid, a liquid prepared by injecting carbon dioxide gas into this base liquid under pressure to achieve a gas volume of 4.0 GV was used as a control sample. Samples were then prepared by adding 0 to 1.5 ppm of α-bisabolol and 0 to 3.0 ppm of sabinene to this control sample, and each sample was subjected to the sensory evaluations described above. The results are shown in Table 15.

TABLE-US-00015 TABLE 15 Sample Control 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Amount of added — 1.5 1.25 1 0.75 0.5 0.25 0 α-bisabolol [ppm] Amount of added — 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 sabinene [ppm] Deliciousness 5.0 6.0 6.9 7.2 7.2 6.7 6.7 6.0 Refreshing feeling 5.0 6.2 7.2 7.2 7.2 6.7 6.7 6.7 Intensity of 5.0 6.2 6.9 7.5 7.5 7.2 6.9 6.4 carbonation sensation Stimulus intensity 5.0 6.2 6.9 7.5 7.5 6.9 6.9 6.4

[0062] Based on comparison with the results of Example 5, it was evident that the samples containing a combination of α-bisabolol and sabinene exhibited a superior carbonation sensation and refreshing feeling to samples containing only one of the added compounds, indicating that superior improvement effects could be obtained by using a combination of both compounds. In particular, samples 3 to 5 exhibited excellent carbonation sensation and refreshing feeling. Further, in each of the samples, no aromas inherent to the α-bisabolol and sabinene were detected.