GB2492074A

GB2492074A - Whey based spirit beverage

Info

Publication number: GB2492074A
Application number: GB1110308.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Alexander Iain Dowie; Jason Barber
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-06-20
Filing date: 2011-06-20
Publication date: 2012-12-26
Also published as: GB201110308D0

Abstract

A process for producing a consumer spirit beverage such as vodka is disclosed comprising the production of ethyl alcohol and polished water from whey permeate from a cheese making process. The spirit (vodka) is therefore made from the milk originally used in the cheese making process. The process involves the conversion of whey into whey permeate via sieving, separation, pasteurisation, filtration and reverse osmosis, followed by fermentation of the whey permeate, and addition of the polished water (obtained by filtering the whey permeate by reverse osmosis) to produce the spirit.

Description

I

Title: The production of a new milk based spirit beverage.

Background:

The processes of extracting fats from to create cheese, by utilising additives and filtration create the by products Whey Permeate and Polished Water. The nature of the Whey Permeate make it impossible to dispose of into the water system or on the land, this product can be fermented and distilled to produce a potable ethyl alcohol or have further fat extraction processes applied in order to maximise productivity and leave a residual water that meets European Standards in order to permit disposal into the water system.

The process described herein utilises both of these by products to create a milk based consumer spirit, with the aspiration of creating a market for the polished water.

Statement of Invention:

The process resolves the issue of creating a saleable product from compounding potable ethyl alcohol derived directly from Whey Permeate and Polished Water produced directly from the same cheese manufacturing process. . Water, which is a majority component of the original milk whey component, that has to be purified to meet European Environmental Legislation, to create Polished Water, before being disposed of in the drainage system. This patent describes the processes that creates the polished water will that is then compounded (as the largest component) with Potable Ethyl Alcohol created from the fermentation and distillation of the same Permeate to create a unique consumer product of a sipping spirit uniquely made totally from milk.

The advantages of this product are that it creates a new commercial process that results in the unique consumer product of a Sipping Spirit made totally from Milk. The process and product also enables cheese manufacturers to generate a market for the Polished Water created. The product has the environmental benefit of reducing the volume of waste Polished water being added to the water system.

Description:

The following description provides detail of the process and sub processes applied to Permeate in order to create the consumer sipping spirit. Drawings and definitions referred to here in are listed below. The steps detailed in this section are directly referenced in Figure 1: Milk vodka manufacturing process.

Drawing: Figure 1: Milk Vodka Manufacturing Process Definitions: Whey: (also known as Milk Plasma) the liquid that remains after milk has been curdled and strained.

Whey Permeate: Whey that has passed through osmosis and / or ultra filtration Polished Water: Water that has remaining microscopic particles removed from it.

Pure Milk Vodka: A vodka product that meets this definition by wholly derived from Milk as its majority constituent source.

Ultra-filtration: Membrane filtration in which hydrostatic pressure forces a liquid against a semi-permeable membrane.

Description

Bullet point sections refer directly to process chart in Figure 1 (page 1 of 1) 1. Convert Whey into Whey Permeate: Basic Ingredient of Whey is converted into Whey permeate through the following stages: 1.1. Sieving: Whey is sieved to remove remaining Curd particulate matter, to produce sieved Whey 1.2. Separation: The sieved whey is separated in a centrifuge to remove remaining fats from the sieved whey.

1.3. Pasteurisation: The sieved and separated whey is then pasteurised at a minimum of 72oC for 20 seconds.

1.4. Ultra Filtration: The pasteurised sieved and separated Whey is passed through UF membranes, which extract the Protein fraction of the whey utilising hydrostatic pressure to produce Whey Permeate.

1.5. Reverse Osmosis: The sieved, separated, pasteurised and UF permeate is passed through RO membranes which concentrate the permeate solids from 5% up to 18% by removing water.

2. Produce Potable Ethyl Alcohol from Whey Permeate This section describes the basic process of converting the clarified Whey Permeate into Potable Ethyl Alcohol.

2.1. Fermentation: The clarified whey permeate is fermented in vessels with the yeast Sacromyces fragilis, to produce an intermediate product called a "Beer Wash".

2.2. Distillation: The beer wash is distilled and rectified to produce potable ethyl alcohol at 96% volume.

3. Produce Polished Water from Whey Permeate This section describes the basic process of converting the clarified whey permeate into polished water.

3.1. Reverse Osmosis: The clarified whey permeate is filtered by reverse osmosis to remove molecular impurities.

3.2. Water polishing: The remaining water is passed through an RO membrane in order to remove any remaining particles to further purifç the water. Which is then cooled to ambient temperature.

4. Produce Consumer Sipping Spirit 5. This section describes the process of converting producing milk vodka from Potable Ethyl Alcohol and polished water both created from Whey.

5.1. Compounding: Mix the polished water and potable ethyl alcohol to desired alcohol volume. Quality testing that meets appropriate National and European Legislation.