PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a taste improvement agent that can, by adding an extremely small amount to a food material such as cereal-containing food/beverage product, greatly enhance the taste thickness, body feeling and the like which said food material possesses, and that is free from unpleasant taste, can achieve improvement in balance, and in addition is improved in the state of the product, and can easily and inexpensively be prepared.SOLUTION: Provided are: a production method which is a method for producing taste improvement agent for cereal-containing food/beverage product comprising a step in which the extract of roasted cereal unprocessed product or processed product is adjusted to pH 6 to 12, followed by heat-treatment at 100 to 180°C for 10 minutes to 5 hours to obtain a heat-treated product； and use of a taste improvement agent obtained by said production method. Said production method in which, preferably, the extract of cereal raw material has, in refraction sugar-content (20°C), a Bx of 1 to 80° as a solid content concentration, the extract of cereal raw material is an enzyme-treated product treated with one or more enzymes, and one or more kinds selected from a monosaccharide, a disaccharide or an oligosaccharide are added to the extract, followed by heat treatment.SELECTED DRAWING: None【課題】穀物をはじめとする食品素材含有飲食品に極微量添加することで、当該食品素材が有する味の厚み、ボディー感などを大幅に増強し、雑味がなく、バランスの改善をはかることのでき、しかも製品の状態が改善され、簡便に、安価に調製することのできる呈味改善剤の製造方法の提供。【解決手段】穀物含有飲食品用呈味改善剤の製造法であって、焙煎穀物の未加工または加工物の抽出液をｐＨ６～１２に調整した後、１００～１８０℃にて１０分～５時間加熱処理して加熱処理物を得る工程を含んでなる、製造方法、及び該製造方法によって得られる呈味改善剤の使用。好ましくは、穀物の原料の抽出液が固形分濃度として屈折糖度（２０℃）でＢｘ１～８０°であり、穀物の原料の抽出液が１種又は２種以上の酵素により処理された酵素処理物であり、前記抽出液に単糖、二糖又はオリゴ糖から選ばれる１種又は２種以上を添加して加熱処理する、該製造方法。【選択図】なし
