Abstract:
The invention described herein improves the suppression or the control of a flavor in sucralose-containing beverages by incorporating aspartame into the beverage. Thus the present invention provides a low-calorie beverage, containing at least one flavoring ingredient, aspartame and sucralose, where the aspartame:sucralose weight ratio is from 1:1 to 10:1.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to low-calorie beverages with an improved flavor containing sucralose and aspartame (APM).  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Background Art  
         [0004]     Sweeteners having high sweetness, such as APM, saccharin, stevioside, acesulfame K and sucralose have been widely used in dietary foods because of their intensive sweetness. Especially in the field of beverages which are consumed in huge quantities, they have found wide acceptance in low-calorie beverages such as reduced-calorie or non-calorie beverages and sugarless products.  
         [0005]     However, consumers have long been accustomed to tastes of the products (hereinafter referred to as regular products) using sugar or high fructose corn syrup (hereinafter abbreviated as HFCS), accordingly, consumers may feel the taste of products using high intensive sweeteners to be strange or unpleasant.  
         [0006]     In particular, products containing sucralose are weaker in flavor than regular products. Also, a strange taste and flavor which are suppressed by a flavoring ingredient incorporated, for example, bitterness ascribable to carbon dioxide gas in carbonated beverages, is sometimes enhanced. Alternatively, when low-calorie beverages are produced using sugar and sucralose in combination, the calorie content can be controlled, but the flavor strength is much lower than the strength of the flavor inherent in products prepared using sugar. Accordingly, even though this problem is mitigated by, for example, increasing the concentration of a flavoring ingredient, there is a delicate difference in the balance of flavor between the low-calorie beverages and the regular products. At any rate, in beverages for which the flavor is given much weight commercially value, the commercial value is spoiled by the decrease in flavor.  
         [0007]     Meanwhile, APM is known to enhance certain flavors, especially the fruit flavor of fruit products and fruit-tasting foods, and a fruit flavor is deemed to be enhanced and improved by adding APM to foods at an APM concentration of from 0.001 to 0.02% by weight based on the final products (JP-A-56-49542).  
         [0008]     It is however unknown that sucralose also has an intensive sweetness and does not enhance the flavor, but rather suppresses it. Needless to say, it is completely unknown that a flavor is improved by incorporating APM in such sucralose-containing products.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The present invention aims to improve the suppression or the decrease of the flavor in sucralose-containing beverages.  
         [0010]     The present inventors have assiduously conducted investigations to solve the foregoing problems, and have consequently found that the flavor of beverages, especially carbonated beverages using sucralose, can unexpectedly be improved and enhanced by incorporating APM therein. This finding has led to the completion of the invention.  
         [0011]     That is, the present invention relates to low-calorie beverages with an improved flavor containing a flavoring ingredient and sucralose, characterized in that the beverage contains APM at an APM:sucralose weight ratio of from 1:1 to 10:1.  
         [0012]     The present invention can improve the decrease in flavor of low- calorie beverages containing a flavoring ingredient and sucralose by incorporating APM and provide low-calorie beverages which stably maintain sweetness and flavor for a long period of time.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  shows the results of sensory evaluation on the strength of a cola flavor in Example 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]     The beverages of the present invention are carbonated beverages, isotonic drinks, fruit juice beverages, milk beverages, tea beverages and the like. Carbonated beverages are defined to be, according to the definition of JAS standards, “beverages obtained by incorporating carbon dioxide gas into water for beverages under pressure, and beverages obtained by adding thereto a sweetener, an acidulant, a flavoring ingredient and the like”.  
         [0015]     The flavoring ingredient in the present invention is not particularly limited. Examples thereof include cola-type flavoring ingredients such as cinnamon, caramel, ginger and cola, fruit flavoring ingredients such as apple, lemon, peach, berry, orange, grape, melon, pineapple, kiwifruit, cherry, mango, guava and grapefruit, herb-type flavoring ingredients and the like. However, these are not critical. The flavoring ingredients which are used either singly or in admixture of two or more as required can be used in order to improve the flavor according to the invention.  
         [0016]     The concentration of the flavoring ingredient can be determined depending on the desired beverages, and it is not particularly limited.  
         [0017]     APM is contained such that the APM:sucralose weight ratio is from 1:1 to 10:1. This range includes all specific values and subranges therebetween, such as 1.5:1, 2:1, 2.5:1, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1, 6:1, 7:1, 8:1 and 9:1. Outside this range, namely, when the weight of sucralose is larger than that of APM, the effect of improving the flavor is poor. When the weight ratio of APM is increased, the flavor is improved, and the single use of APM is best only from the flavor point of view. However, as far as sucralose is used in combination, products which favorably compare with the regular products in view of the balance of the sweetness and the flavor can be provided when weight ratio of sucralose and APM is in the foregoing range. Further, beverages containing APM and sucralose at an APM:sucralose ratio of from 1:1 to 10:1, preferably from 2:1 to 8:1, more preferably from 3:1 to 6:1 have sweetness and flavor of a satisfactory commercial value, i.e., the beverage is stable, after long-term storage for 3 to 9 months.  
         [0018]     The concentrations of APM and sucralose in the beverages can properly be determined depending on the desired sweetness. For example, in beverages having sweetness of 10% (% by weight, which applies to the following) calculated as sugar, the concentrations of APM and sucralose range from 0.0125% of APM and 0.0125% of sucralose to 0.0385% of APM and 0.00385% of sucralose. The strength of sweetness somewhat varies depending on a balance with a sour taste or a quality of a flavoring ingredient, but the concentrations are within what those skilled in the art can properly adjust.  
         [0019]     The combined use of low intensive sweeteners, for example, saccharides such as sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), sugar alcohols such as maltitol, sorbitol and lactitol, lactose, trehalose and dextrin can allow, along with the inherent effect in the invention, the improvement in mouth-fullness or the control of calorie.  
         [0020]     Further, fruit juices, caramel, acidulants and the like can also be incorporated in the beverages of the present invention. Especially in carbonated beverages such as cola, when sucralose is solely used as a sweetener a cola flavor is suppressed. As a result, there is a defect that bitterness due to carbon dioxide gas is enhanced. However, this defect can be dissolved by incorporating APM.  
       EXAMPLES  
       [0021]     The invention is illustrated in more detail below by reference to the Examples. However, the scope of the invention is not limited by these Examples.  
       Example 1  
     Half-Calorie Cola  
       [0022]     A half-calorie cola was prepared according to a formulation shown in Table 1 below, and strength of the cola flavor was evaluated by the sweetener expert panelists (n=8). The evaluation was performed by the paired comparison method of Scheffe. The strength of the flavor was evaluated with 7 grades: −3/(very weak)/−2 (weak)/−1 (slightly weak)/0 (equal)/1 (slightly strong)/2 (strong)/3 (very strong). An average value of scores of each panelist was shown ( FIG. 1 ). As a result of the evaluation, the strength of the cola flavor was in the order of regular product (only saccharides)&gt;invention product&gt;control product (saccharides and sucralose) ( FIG. 1 ). This result means that sucralose is incorporated along with saccharides to suppress the cola flavor, and APM is further incorporated to release the suppression of the cola flavor, whereby the formulation is rendered closer to the formulation of saccharides alone. In addition, it was confirmed that the invention product was maintained in sweetness, flavor and other qualities for more than 9 months, which is the period of time which is commonly used to measure the stability of half-calorie cola.  
                                                   TABLE 1                           Formulation table (half-calorie cola)                Regular product   Invention product   Control product                        Sugar   58.5   29.3   29.3       HFCS   39.0   19.5   19.5       APM   —   0.112   —       Sucralose   —   0.035   0.087       Cola base (*)   2.0   2.0   2.0       Citric acid   0.25   0.25   0.25       Sodium citrate   0.1   0.1   0.1       80% Phosphoric   0.3   0.3   0.3       acid       Cola flavor (**)   1.0   1.0   1.0       Treated water   Balance   Balance   balance       Total   1000   1000   1000                 (*) Manufactured by Takasago Koryo Kogyo K.K.            (**) Manufactured by Takasago Koryo Kogyo K.K.             
 
       Example 2  
     Zero-Calorie Cola  
       [0023]     A calorie-zero cola was prepared according to a formulation shown in Table 2 below, and strength of a cola flavor was evaluated by the sweetener expert panelists (n=8). As a result of the evaluation, the strength of the cola flavor was in the order of regular product (only saccharides)&gt;invention product&gt;comparison product&gt;control product (only sucralose). The comparison product was nearly equal to the control product. This result means that sucralose is incorporated to suppress the cola flavor, and a suitable amount of APM is further incorporated to release the suppression of the cola flavor, whereby the formulation is rendered closer to the formulation of saccharides alone. In addition, it was confirmed that the invention product was maintained in sweetness, flavor and other qualities for more than 6 months, which is the period of time which is commonly used to measure the stability of zero-calorie cola.  
                                                           TABLE 2                           Formulation table (zero-calorie cola)                Regular   Invention   Comparison   Control           product   product   product   product                        Sugar   58.5   —   —   —       HFCS   39.0   —   —   —       APM   —   0.300   —   0.05       Sucralose   —   0.07   0.167   0.15       Cola base (*)   2.0   2.0   2.0   2.0       Citric acid   0.25   0.25   0.25   0.25       Sodium citrate   0.1   0.1   0.1   0.1       80% Phosphoric acid   0.3   0.3   0.3   0.3       Cola flavor (**)   1.0   1.0   1.0   1.0       Treated water   balance   balance   balance   balance       Total   1000   1000   1000   1000                 (*) Manufactured by Takasago Koryo Kogyo K.K.            (**) Manufactured by Takasago Koryo Kogyo K.K.             
 
         [0024]     The present application is based on Japanese patent application No. 129758/2004, filed on Apr. 26, 2004, and incorporated herein by reference.