Ito En, Ltd.

Hitoshi Kinugasa

Masami Sasame

Kazunori Okanoya

Kenji Shimaoka

Hitoshi Niino

Nobuo Matsumoto

Fumio Ito

Hitoshi Iryo

Yoko Ueno

Izumi Kobayashi

Takanobu Takihara

Yuko Sagesaka

Akio Sugimoto

Toshio Kawasaki

Yoko Haraguchi

Takashi Yamamoto

Izumi Awano

Motomu Takamatsu

Takashi Soeda

Shuhei Kuribayashi

Tsutomu Tsukamoto

Takayuki Ochi

Mitsuo Yashiro

Provided are tea leaves for green tea beverage extraction. A green tea beverage that can be stored without sediments precipitating and without turning brown, and also tastes good chilled, can be extracted from said leaves. Said leaves are characterized in that the relationship between X and Y fulfills condition (1), where X is the weight fraction of theanine content with respect to the total weight of dried tea leaves, and Y is the weight fraction of monosaccharide content with respect to caffeine content.&#x2212;0.1360.35&#x2266;0.1360.46.&#x2003;&#x2003;(1)

Tea leaves for extraction of green tea beverage

Disclosed is a novel green tea beverage packed in a container which shows a good aroma release in the mouth and a lingering aftertaste, has a richness and concentration feeling in the flavor, and can be drunk delectably even in a cold state. Specifically disclosed is a green tea beverage packed in a container characterized in that: the concentration of saccharides, i.e., the sum of monosaccharides and disaccharides, is 150-500 ppm; the ratio by concentration of the disaccharides to the monosaccharides (disaccharides/monosaccharides) is 2.0-8.0; the ratio by concentration of electron-localized catechins to the aforesaid saccharides (electron-localized catechins/saccharides) is 1.8-4.0; and the ratio by content of furfural to geraniol (furfural/geraniol) is 0.5-3.0. It is preferred that the ratio by concentration of the aforesaid saccharides to soluble solid matters originating in tea leaves (saccharides/(soluble solid matters originating in tea leaves&#xd7;100)) is 5.0 to 10.0.

Green tea beverage packed in container

Provided is a tea leaves for extraction of a low-caffeine green tea beverage, which is not susceptible to folding or browning during storage, and which enables the extraction of a green tea beverage which can be enjoyed hot or cold. Specifically provided is a tea leaves for extraction of a green tea beverage having a caffeine content with respect to the total mass of the dried leaves that falls within the range of 0.2 to 2.5 mass %, and the relation between the ratio of the mass content of theanine to the entire mass of dried leaves X (%) and the mass ratio of the content of monosaccharides to the fiber content Y satisfies the following condition: &#x2212;0.007X+0.024&#x2266;Y&#x2266;&#x2212;0.011X+0.039.

Tea leaves for extraction of a green tea beverage

To provide a new manufacturing method of containered green tea beverage suited for selling hot. A step of eliminating silica was introduced in the manufacturing process, wherein the silica is eliminated after adding silica to a tea extract obtained by extracting green tea leaves to adsorb the sediment component present in tea extract to the silica. By adding silica to the tea extract and bringing them into contact, the proteins and polysaccharides causing secondary sediment can be selectively adsorbed and decreased, allowing the occurrence of sediment to be prevented, even when selling the beverage hot. Furthermore, it allows a large amount of flavor component to be left. Further more, a large amount of catechins can be left in the beverage, allowing the growth of heat-resistant bacteria to be inhibited by the antibacterial action of catechins.

Method for manufacturing containered green tea beverage

The oolong tea beverage is produced by a cold water treatment step of bringing raw material oolong tea leaves into contact with water adjusted at pH about 4 to 6 and 25&#xb0; C. or lower, eluting and removing about 11 to 26% caffeine from the raw material oolong tea leaves by carrying out solid-liquid separation, and recovering the treated tea leaves; and a hot water extraction step of recovering hot water extract to be a beverage raw material containing nerolidol by extracting the treated tea leaves with hot water at about 90 to 95&#xb0; C. containing vitamin C and adjusted at pH about 4 to 6 and then carrying out solid-liquid separation. The cold water treatment step enables eluting and removing caffeine and the hot water extraction step enables extracting more nerolidol, which is a flow scent component particular in high quality oolong teas.

Oolong tea beverage and process of producing the same

Manufacturing process of tea beverages

In order to produce green tea beverages which have a good flavor and a good balance of the fragrant components and do not form unpleasant precipitates, such green tea beverage are produced by a method including an extracting step consisting of two extraction steps, a first step in which green tea leaves are extracted at an applied pressure to obtain a pressure extract (step 1) and a second step in which green tea leaves are extracted under atmospheric pressure, followed by microfiltration to obtain an atmospheric extract (step 2), and a mixing step in which the pressure extract and the atmospheric extract obtained in the respective step are mixed at a mixing ratio determined on the basis of the weight of the raw tea leaves (step 3). This method can provide the production of drinks which have a good flavor and a good balance of the fragrant components and in addition, do not result in formation of deposits, and are suitable for beverages, in particular, for packing into PET bottles by mixing, at a predetermined ratio, the pressure extract from step 1, which is rich in suitable fragrance but short in astringency and tastiness, and the atmospheric extract from step 2, which is intense in astringency and tastiness and provided with a good color tone.

Green tea beverages manufacturing process

Tea leaves are extracted in warm or hot water, and the obtained extract is contacted with a cation exchange resin ionically bonded to potassium ion. The potassium ion is ionically bonded to the cation exchange resin in advance. Divalent ions in the tea beverage are replaced with the potassium ions from the cation exchange resin. The electrical conductivity of the extract is controlled in this whole process. The natural flavor and quality of the tea are thereby maintained more certainly, since metal ions that cause muddiness or precipitation are effectively removed.

Tea manufacturing process

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Shizuoka, Japan

Hitoshi Kinugasa