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 coffee-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 is a method for producing a taste improvement agent that is a taste improvement agent for coffee-containing food/beverage product and comprises a heat-treated product obtained by adjusting the extract of coffee raw material to pH 6 to pH 12, followed by heat-treating at 100°C to 180°C for 10 minutes to 5 hours, and in which the coffee raw material is selected from the group consisting of coffee bean unprocessed product and processed product, and in which said heat-treated product has a ratio of a value (A) obtained when the ODof a diluted solution thereof is measured to a corresponding value (B) of a pH non-adjusted heat-treated product, (A/B), of 0.88 or less. The extract of coffee raw material preferably is an enzyme-treated product treated with one or more enzymes.SELECTED DRAWING: None【課題】コーヒー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】コーヒー含有飲食品用呈味改善剤であって、コーヒーの原料の抽出液をpH6~pH12に調整した後、100℃~180℃にて10分~5時間加熱処理して得られる加熱処理物からなり、かつ、コーヒーの原料がコーヒー豆の未加工または加工物からなる群より選ばれ、前記加熱処理物が、その希釈液のOD680を測定したときの値(A)とpH未調整加熱処理物の相当する値(B)との比(A/B)が0.88以下である、呈味改善剤の製造方法。コーヒーの原料の抽出液が1種または2種以上の酵素により処理された酵素処理物であることが好ましい。【選択図】なし
