WO2015090855A1

WO2015090855A1 - A liquid concentrate tea product

Info

Publication number: WO2015090855A1
Application number: PCT/EP2014/075470
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vijay Ramchandra Gadgil; Ravi Kant Shukla
Original assignee: Unilever N.V.; Unilever Plc; Conopco, Inc., D/B/A Unilever
Priority date: 2013-12-17
Filing date: 2014-11-25
Publication date: 2015-06-25

Abstract

The present invention relates to a liquid concentrate tea product and process for producing the same. More particularly it relates to a liquid concentrate tea product comprising: a) 1 - 10 % by weight of soluble tea solids, b) 10 - 25 % by weight of honey, c) 35 - 55 % by weight of a solubilizer, d) 1 - 6 % by weight of acidulant, e) 0.05 - 5% by weight of glycyrrhizic acid or a salt thereof; and f) 5 - 50% by weight of water.

Description

A LIQUID CONCENTRATE TEA PRODUCT

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a tea product and more particularly to a liquid concentrate tea product and process for producing the same.

Background of the invention

Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Teas with different natural additives are also quite popular. Honey is one of those naturally available materials that is believed to provide various health benefits.

Different kinds of beverages with honey or its essence are disclosed in the art.

CN1954682 (JIN ZHONGYING NANO SCIENCE, 2007) discloses a health-care plum- honey-green tea-vinegar beverage with improved taste and rich nutrients for patients of hepatocirrhosis and anorexia. It is prepared from plum, green tea, vinegar, honey, citric acid and essence.

CN1 185285 (CHUNDU GROUP CO LTD LUOGANG, 1998) discloses the production method of jasmine honey tea comprising (wt%) jasmine tea juice (10-90), sophora flower honey (0.5-15) and cane sugar (5-15), and in the course of production the antioxidant Vc and VcNa are added, and the citric acid is used to regulate its pH value to protect its natural pH value. WO2008/1 12846 (THE CONCENTRATE MANUFACTURING COMPANY OF

IRELAND, 2008) discloses beverage products including at least a tea component, a natural nutritive sweetener present in an amount of at least 8% by weight and Lo Han Guo. Beverage concentrates including at least a tea component, a natural nutritive sweetener present in an amount of at least 48% by weight and Lo Han Guo are also provided. Different formats of tea products are also available in the market. Liquid concentrate tea product being one of them. Liquid concentrate products usually diluted at consumer end to produce consumable beverage. After dilution consumer tends store it under refrigeration and consume the beverage within a period of 2-5 days.

We have found out that liquid tea concentrate product with honey, when diluted at consumer end, forms flock and/or haziness when storing the diluted beverage for 2-5 days. Consumers tend to waste/abandon the product when there is flock formation and/or haziness.

Therefore there is a need to provide a concentrated tea product with honey which substantially reduces flock formation and/or haziness when diluting and storing the beverage. Objects of the invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a liquid concentrate tea product with honey.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a process for producing a liquid concentrate tea product with honey which substantially reduces flock formation and/or haziness when diluted and stored.

The present inventors have surprisingly found that addition of a particular amount of glycyrrhizic acid or a salt thereof in the formulation substantially reduces flock formation and/or haziness when diluted and stored and thereby satisfies one or more of the aforesaid objects.

Summary of the invention

In a first aspect the present invention provides a liquid concentrate tea product comprising: a) 1 -10 % by weight of soluble tea solids,

b) 10 - 25 % by weight of honey,

c) 35 - 55 % by weight of a solubilizer,

d) 1 - 6 % by weight of acidulant,

e) 0.05 - 5% by weight of glycyrrhizic acid or a salt thereof; and f) 5 - 50% by weight of water.

In a second aspect the present invention provides a process of producing a liquid concentrate tea product comprising the steps of:

a) adding soluble tea solids and acidulant in water at a temperature in the range of 50 to 95°C;

b) mixing the solution for 5 to 45 minutes;

c) adding honey, solubilizer and glycyrrhizic acid or a salt thereof

followed by mixing the solution for 5 to 45 minutes at a temperature of 50 to 95°C to obtain the product.

Any feature of one aspect of the present invention may be utilized in any other aspect of the invention. The word "comprising" is intended to mean "including" but not necessarily "consisting of or "composed of." In other words, the listed steps or options need not be exhaustive. Except in the operating and

comparative examples, or where otherwise explicitly indicated, all numbers in this description indicating amounts of material or conditions of reaction, physical properties of materials and/or use are to be understood as modified by the word "about". Numerical ranges expressed in the format "from x to y" are understood to include x and y. When for a specific feature multiple preferred ranges are described in the format "from x to y", it is understood that all ranges combining the different endpoints are also contemplated. Detailed description of the invention

Tea product of the invention:

The present invention provides a liquid concentrate tea product comprising: a) 1 -10 % by weight of soluble tea solids,

b) 10 - 25 % by weight of honey,

c) 35 - 55 % by weight of a solubilizer,

d) 1 - 6 % by weight of acidulant,

e) 0.05 - 5% by weight of glycyrrhizic acid or a salt thereof; and f) 5 - 50% by weight of water. Liquid concentrate tea product preferably means a tea product in dense liquid form which is diluted at the consumer end to obtain a beverage. The beverage is preferably a cold beverage.

Cold beverage preferably means a beverage that is obtained and/or obtainable by diluting the liquid concentrate tea product of the present invention with cold (~ 0°C to 10°C) water.

The viscosity of the liquid concentrate tea product of the invention is preferably in the range of 35 to 70 Centipoise and more preferably in the range of 40 to 60 Centipoise at room temperature (~25°C).

The liquid concentrate tea product of the invention comprises 1 -10 %, preferably 2 - 10% and more preferably 3 - 10% by weight of soluble tea solids. Soluble tea solids refer to tea solids that are readily soluble in water and more preferably in cold water (~ 0°C to 10°C). The soluble tea solids may be prepared by extracting tea leaf using water as an extraction medium.

Commercially available tea soluble solids may also preferably be used. Alternatively tea soluble solids are obtained by extracting the leaf tea in hot water (-80° to 95° C) for 30 minutes to 2 hours followed by cooling the solution to ~2C to 8°C. After that the solution is filtered and spray dried to obtain the soluble solids.

Preferably the soluble tea solids are obtained and/or obtainable by processing Camellia sinensis plant. The preferable variety is Camellia sinensis var. sinensis and/or Camellia sinensis var. assamica. Especially preferred is material from var. assamica.

The liquid concentrate tea product of the invention comprises 10 - 25 % by weight of honey. It is a well known natural sweet food (highly viscous) made by bees using nectar from flowers. The nectar collected by bees is naturally broken down into simple sugars (fructose and glucose) and stored in

honeycomb. Evaporation takes place inside the honeycombs and thus produces a thick liquid known as honey. After this, the beekeepers collect the honey from the honeycomb by separating the wax and the honey. Honey also contains small amounts of polysaccharides, flavonols and proteins. Honey has a unique taste which is preferred by a lot of people. It is also believed to be of high nutrition value with a number of health benefits. A number of people refer it as a natural energy booster. Consumption of honey regularly is believed to improve the immune system within human body. The composition of the present invention preferably comprises 12 - 25%, more preferably 15 - 25% and most preferably 17 to 25% by weight of honey.

The liquid concentrate tea product of the invention further comprises 35 - 55 %, preferably 40 - 55 % and more preferably 45 - 55 % by weight of a solubilizer. The present inventors have found that honey, when combined with water and the other ingredients of the composition tends to phase separate. The

advantage of addition of solubilizer is that it tends to prevent this phase separation. Any solubilizer that may be used for food application may preferably be used. The more preferable solubilizer may be selected from ethanol, propan- 1 , 2-diol, glycerin (glycerol), propelyne glycol, polyphthylene glycol (PEG). The most preferred solubilizer is glycerin.

The liquid concentrate tea product of the invention also comprises 1 - 6%, preferably 2 - 5% and more preferably 3 - 5% by weight of acidulant. This is added for maintaining the desired pH of the product. The pH of the liquid concentrate tea product preferably is in the range of 2.5 to 4, more preferably 3 - 3.5. Any suitable food grade acidulants may be added for this purpose. The most preferable acidulant is citric acid.

The tea product of the present invention further comprises glycyrrhizic acid or a salt of it. Glycyrrhizic acid is a triterpenoid saponin glycoside from the roots and rhizomes of licorice (Yashtimadhu/ Giycyrrhiza glabra), and is used in traditional and modern medicine for the treatment of numerous medical conditions including skin diseases. In food and drug industry it is also used as natural sweetener. It has the following structure:

The concentrate tea product of the invention comprises 0.05 - 5%, preferably 0.08 - 5%, more preferably 0.1 - 5% and most preferably 0.2- 5% by weight of glycyrrhizic acid or a salt thereof. Preferably the glycyrrhizic acid or the salt thereof is substantially free of any other substances (impurities and/or any other compounds). The purity of the glycyrrhizic acid or the salt thereof is preferably greater than 95 %, more preferably greater than 99 % and most preferably greater than 99.9%. It is preferred that the glycyrrhizic acid or salt thereof is not added to the

composition in the format of a licorice extract.

The most preferred salt of glycyrrhizic acid is monoammonium glycyrrhizate.

The concentrate tea product of the invention further comprises 5 - 50%, preferably 10 -45 %, more preferably 20 - 40% and most preferably 25 - 35% by weight of water.

The liquid concentrate tea product of the invention further preferably comprises 0.01 - 1 %, more preferably 0.03 to 1 % and most preferably 0.05 to 0.5% by weight of a preservative. The preservative may be selected from sorbic acid and its derivatives, sodium benzoate, benzoic acid or mixtures thereof.

The liquid concentrate tea product also preferably comprises other additives e.g. fortificants, colour, flavour and any other additives suitable to be used for beverage composition.

Process to produce tea product of the invention:

The present invention also provides a process of producing a liquid concentrate tea product comprising the steps of: a) adding soluble tea solids and acidulant in water at a temperature in the range of 50 to 95°C;

b) mixing the solution for 5 to 45 minutes;

c) adding honey, solubilizer and glycyrrhizic acid or a salt thereof,

In the first step the soluble tea solids and acidulant are added in water in their respective amounts at a temperature in the range of 50 to 95°C, preferably 60 to 95°C and more preferably 70 to 95°C.

After that, the solution of soluble tea solids and acidulants is mixed, preferably by agitation or stirring for 5 to 45 minutes, preferably 10 to 30 minutes. After that honey, solubilizer and glycyrrhizic acid or a salt of it are added to the solution in their respective amounts. This solution is then mixed, preferably by agitation or stirring for 5 to 45 minutes, preferably 10 to 30 minutes at a temperature in the range of 50 to 95°C, preferably 60 to 95°C and more preferably 70 to 95°C.

The tea product obtained may pasteurized before packing.

Now the invention will be demonstrated in terms of examples. The following examples are just for illustration and in no way limits the scope of the present invention.

Examples:

Preparing the liquid concentrate tea product:

The liquid concentrate tea product was prepared as per the following Table 1 : Table 1

For this purpose: soluble tea solids were obtained from Plantextrakt GmbH & Co. KG (Article No: 285260), citric acid was obtained from Sigma (Catalogue No: C0759), glycerin was obtained from Mediplus Pharma Lab Bangalore (IP grade), sorbic acid was obtained from Sigma (Catalogue No: S1626), honey was obtained from Dabur India Pvt. Ltd, monoammonium glycyrrhizate (HPLC grade, Purity > 95%) and licorice extract (water extract) were obtained from Natural Remedies Ltd. Bangalore, India.

Example A:

This is a control example. In this example soluble tea solids, citric acid, sorbic acid was added in water (~95°C) in their respective amount as per Table 1 . This mixture was taken in a beaker and placed on a hot plate maintained at a temperature of 70 ± 2 °C with constant stirring for 10 minutes. After that Honey and glycerin was added into the beaker and then again stirred for another 10 minutes on the same hot plate and transferred in a bottle as a product. Example B:

This is another control example. In this example soluble tea solids, citric acid, and sorbic acid were added in water (~95°C) in their respective amounts as per Table 1 . This mixture was taken in a beaker and placed on a hot plate maintained at a temperature of 70 ± 2 °C with constant stirring for 10 minutes. After that honey, licorice extract and glycerin were added into the beaker and then again stirred for another 10 minutes on the same hot plate and transferred to a bottle as a product.

Example 1 :

This is an example within the scope of the present invention. In this example soluble tea solids, citric acid, sorbic acid was added in water (~95°C) in their respective amount as per Table 1 . This mixture was taken in a beaker and placed on a hot plate maintained at a temperature of 70 ± 2 °C with constant stirring for 10 minutes. After that Honey, glycerin and monoammonium glycyrrhizate was added into the beaker and then again stirred for another 10 minutes on the same hot plate and transferred in a bottle as a product. Turbidity measurement:

The liquid concentrate tea products as prepared above was taken and diluted with Milli Q water (Millipore® India) at a level of 1 :10, 1 :20, 1 :30 and 1 :60. After that all the solutions were stored under refrigerated condition (~4°C) for 2 days (-48 hours). After 2 days the solutions were taken out and kept it in ambient temperature (~25°C) till it attains the ambient temperature (to avoid

condensation outside the cell). Then the turbidity was measured. The turbidity was measured using a turbidity meter (HACH, 2100N).

The results of the experiment are summarized below in Table 2. Table 2:

From the above Table 2, it is evident that liquid concentrate tea products prepared according to the process of the present invention (Example 1 ) produces products that are having much less turbidity value which means the solutions are appearing significantly clear when compared to the control examples (Example A and B) when storing the beverage after dilution. The liquid concentrate tea product prepared according to the present invention also visually appears clear when compared with the respective control.

Claims

Claims:

1 ) A liquid concentrate tea product comprising:

a) 1 -10 % by weight of soluble tea solids,

b) 10 - 25 % by weight of honey,

c) 35 - 55 % by weight of a solubilizer,

d) 1 - 6 % by weight of acidulant,

e) 0.05 - 5% by weight of glycyrrhizic acid or a salt thereof; and

f) 5 - 50% by weight of water.

2) A liquid concentrate tea product as claimed in 1 wherein the salt is Mono ammonium glycyrrhizate.

3) A liquid concentrate tea product as claimed in claims 1 or 2 further

comprising 0.01 - 1 % by weight of a preservative.

4) A liquid concentrate product as claimed in any of the preceding claims

further comprising flavors. 5) A liquid concentrate product as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the soluble tea solids are obtained and/or obtainable by processing Camellia sinensis plant.

6) A liquid concentrate tea product as claimed in any one of the preceding

claims wherein the solubilizer is selected from glycerin, propylene glycol and mixtures thereof.

7) A liquid concentrate tea product as claimed in claim 6 wherein the solubilizer is glycerin. 8) A liquid concentrate tea product as claimed any one of the preceding claims wherein the acidulant is citric acid.

9) A liquid concentrate tea product as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which further comprises a preservative selected from sorbic acid and its derivatives, sodium benzoate, benzoic acid and mixtures thereof.

10) A process of producing a liquid concentrate tea product comprising the steps of:

b) mixing the solution for 5 to 45 minutes;

c) adding honey, solubilizer and glycyrrhizic acid or a thereof, followed by mixing the solution for 5 to 45 minutes at a temperature of 50 to 95°C to obtain the product.