Suntory Holdings Limited

Suntory Beverage & Food Limited

Hiroki Furuta

Hiroaki Shimizu

Yoshiaki Yokoo

Yoshihiro Nakao

Makoto Nakajima

Hideki Maki

Morio Mitsuhashi

Daigo Ibusuki

Kitaro Oka

Yoshinori Senga

Chiseko Sakuma

Shinichi Kobayashi

A roasted plant extraction apparatus is provided which is capable of selectively reducing excessive bitterness in an extract liquid obtained by water extraction from a roasted plant raw material while preserving desirable flavor ingredients and body. A beverage extraction apparatus includes a granule containing part adapted to contain granules for extraction of a beverage, a pouring device for pouring an extraction solvent into the granule containing part from a first direction, and a collecting device for collecting an extract liquid extracted by means of the extraction solvent. The granule containing part comprises a detachable restraining member for placing the granules in a substantially sealed state. The beverage extraction apparatus further comprises a rotary mechanism for rotating the granule containing part.

Beverage extraction apparatus

A roasted plant extraction apparatus is provided which is capable of selectively reducing excessive bitterness in an extract liquid obtained by water extraction from a roasted plant raw material while preserving desirable flavor ingredients and body. A beverage extraction apparatus includes a granule containing part containing granules for extraction of a beverage, first pouring device for pouring an extraction solvent into the granule containing part from a first direction, and collecting device for collecting a coffee extract liquid extracted by device of the extraction solvent at the side of layers of the coffee granules corresponding to the first direction. The granule containing part is provided with a detachable restraining member for placing the granules for extraction of a beverage in a substantially sealed state.

The present invention provides an agent for improving taste of tea drinks, comprising at least one glyceroglycolipid, preferably monogalactosyl diacylglycerol or digalactosyl diacylglycerol, as an active ingredient. The agent of the present invention is for use to enhance kokumi, to mask astringent taste, and to prevent precipitates. The agent of the present invention is effective especially in improving tea drinks containing ground tea leaves. The present invention also provides a method for producing tea drinks containing ground tea leaves and at least 1.0 &#x3bc;g/ml of glyceroglycolipids and having an absorbency of 0.25 or below at 680 nm, and tea drinks containing glyceroglycolipid, which method comprises grinding tea leaves into an average particle size of 1-100 &#x3bc;m (preferably 1-50 &#x3bc;m, more preferably 1-20 &#x3bc;m), and mixing the resulting ground tea leaves with neutral (pH 5-7, preferably 5.5-7, especially preferably 6-7) water to elute the glyceroglycolipids into the water.

Taste-improving agents and tea drinks containing thereof

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Kawasaki, Japan

Hiroki Furuta