CZ306116B6 - Method of concentrating saturated alcoholic beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

In the present invention, there is disclosed a method of concentrating saturated alcoholic beverage characterized in that the saturated alcoholic beverage is partially freeze in a closed container by cooling below solidification temperature thereof such that the ratio of the extracted solid ice fraction is in the range of 5 to 99 percent by weight of the beverage total weight and subsequently the obtained liquid concentrate is discharged from the container due to gaseous phase overpressure.

Description

Method of concentrating a carbonated alcoholic beverage

Field of technology

The invention relates to a process for concentrating a carbonated alcoholic beverage prepared from a mixture of substances originally present in raw materials of plant origin, converted into an aqueous solution by physical, biochemical, chemical or microbiological operations.

Prior art

Various methods are used to concentrate the substances present in the plants, such as grinding, pressing, centrifuging, extraction, concentration, distillation, steaming and freezing. Sometimes the insoluble components originally present, eg starch, are brought into solution by the action of enzymes or is further modified by the action of microorganisms, such as yeast, whereby the beverage is enriched with alcohol. It is also possible to add alcohol to the beverage before concentrating.

When performing these processes at normal ambient temperatures above the solidification temperature of these solutions, or after heating them to boiling point, most valuable natural substances are subject to thermal decomposition, thereby degrading them. The taste and aroma of the original drink also change significantly.

Freezing is used to preserve natural substances as much as possible. This operation is used, for example, in the extraction and concentration of fruit juices or natural alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine. Freezing also concentrates the alcohol in fermented beverages prepared from plants or their fruits. Procedures for the preparation of alcohol concentrates and accompanying ingredients from beer or wine have been described.

The most common method of freezing is disturbed crystallization under cooling, in which the ice crystals formed are gradually removed from the solution. The process of producing so-called ice beer is known, which first increases the concentration of alcohol and beer extract by freezing and, after re-dilution, is put into circulation. Before freezing, the carbon dioxide content must first be reduced.

The disadvantage of these processes is the need for special technical equipment, such as freezing columns and crystallizers. The procedure for the preparation of the so-called beer spirit according to the patent CZ 296 393 is also described, which is prepared from beer by gradual growth of ice crystals and subsequent centrifugation.

Mechanical centrifugation and the time required to prepare the beverage concentrate by freezing are the main disadvantages of these processes. With current methods, it is not possible to prepare beverage concentrate directly in consumer packaging. It is often also necessary to saturate the finished concentrate with carbon dioxide and dilute it to resemble the original carbonated beverage as much as possible.

The essence of the invention

These disadvantages are solved by the method of concentrating an alcoholic beverage containing a high concentration of dissolved gases according to the present invention. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to concentrate a carbonated alcoholic beverage in which the carbonated alcoholic beverage is partially frozen in a closed vessel by cooling below its freezing point so that the proportion of precipitated solid ice fraction is 5 to 99% by weight. of the total weight of the beverage and then the liquid concentrate formed is drained from the container by overpressure of the gas phase.

Increased gas concentration is achieved by fermentation under overpressure, or additional saturation of the beverage with gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, etc. When lowering the temperature of the beverage, saturated, or

- 1 CZ 306116 B6 supersaturated with gases and enclosed in a container with a free neck space, at first the solubility of the gas in the liquid increases significantly, but on the contrary, when the ice is formed, the dissolved gas is released. The gas bubbles are partially trapped in the ice formed and the rest passes into the throat space, where the pressure increases. The pressure in the package also increases as the volume of ice increases as it expands. Residues of 5 initially dissolved substances can also remain in liquid residues, gas bubbles, enclosed in ice, or remain bound to ice crystals.

When the pressure in the container is released, e.g. by opening or piercing it, the gas bubbles expand, disrupting the ice structure and releasing the released gas into a previously unfrozen concentrated solution of the original beverage ingredients 10, which can result in a violent outflow of solution from the container. The rapid release of pressure speeds up this process. In doing so, it is necessary to maintain a sufficient proportion of the liquid phase in the frozen beverage so that it can flow out at the required time.

The beverage container can also be closed with a stopper with a tap, the sudden opening of which allows the gas 15 inside the container to expand. By opening the package, the concentrate escapes, which can be collected and subsequently consumed.

The advantage of this process is the rate of formation and separation of the liquid concentrate, which is significantly higher than when separating ice from a partially frozen solution in the absence of gases. The effect 20 of this process can be enhanced by using a gas mixture where microbubbles of sparingly soluble gases, e.g. nitrogen, form nucleation centers to release more soluble gases, e.g. carbon dioxide.

The concentration of gases in the beverage may increase before or during its cooling. By varying the process parameters, such as temperature and cooling rate, or the concentration of the substance lowering the solidification temperature of the solution as well as the concentration of the other components of the solution, concentrates of different composition and sensory properties can be prepared.

thu,; Examples of embodiments of the invention

3H &

S '1. Special beer with an extract of the original wort 16.5% by weight. containing 5 g / l of carbon dioxide was filled into plastic bottles with a total content of 2100 ml so that the volume of liquid after filling the container was 1700 ml and the neck space was 400 ml. The bottle was placed in a vertical position in a freezer at a temperature of minus 20 ° C for 24 hours, after removing from the freezer the bottle was opened and 35 liquid phase of 350 ml of beer concentrate with the original wort extract was collected within 5 minutes.

2. Sparkling wine containing 3 g of extract, 10% by weight ethanol and 6 g / hl of carbon dioxide were filled in a volume of 450 ml into a plastic bottle with a total volume of 550 ml and the filled closed bottle was placed in a freezer at minus 60 ° C for 8 hours, after removing from the freezer the bottle 40 was opened and The liquid phase of a volume of 100 ml of wine concentrate with a content of 30% by weight was collected for 5 minutes. ethanol and 5% extract.

Industrial applicability

The process according to the invention can be used for the isolation of natural substances subject to thermal decomposition from aqueous solutions of complex mixtures of these substances and for the preparation of new types of beverages.

Claims (1)

PATENT CLAIMS 5. A method of concentrating a carbonated alcoholic beverage by partially freezing it and separating the resulting liquid concentrate from precipitated ice, characterized in that the freezing is performed in a closed vessel, from which the resulting liquid concentrate is discharged by gas phase overpressure spontaneously forming in the closed vessel. when freezing. End of document