WO2018146593A1

WO2018146593A1 - Method and plant for the extraction of flavours

Info

Publication number: WO2018146593A1
Application number: PCT/IB2018/050728
Authority: WO
Inventors: Federico CHESINI
Original assignee: Finico Service S.R.L.
Priority date: 2017-02-10
Filing date: 2018-02-06
Publication date: 2018-08-16
Also published as: EP3580322A1; IT201700015050A1

Abstract

A plant (10) intended for the extraction of flavours for use in winemaking and/or food in general, comprising a tank (11) containing a liquid to be treated originating from an inlet pipe (19), wherein said tank (11) is connected by pipes (13, 14, 19, 21) to at least one extraction cylinder (12) intended to contain a flavour- imparting wood material in the form of chips or staves, and wherein there is at least one pump (18) along the pipe (14) which connects said tank (11) to said extraction cylinder (12) and at least one automatic valve (15) along the pipe which connects said extraction cylinder (12) to said tank (11), wherein said pump (18) and said automatic valve (15) interact so as to increase the pressure of the liquid to be imparted flavour to inside the extraction cylinder (12). Said automatic valve (15) is subject to opening and closing commands at time intervals to perform pressure pulses during the operation of said pump (18).

Description

"METHOD AND PLANT FOR THE EXTRACTION OF FLAVOURS"

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FIELD OF APPLICATION

The present invention relates to a plant for the extraction of flavours for use in winemaking and/or food in general and a method for the extraction of, said flavours through said plant.

More particularly the plant according to the invention provides important advantages in the methods of cold extraction of flavours and fragrances for use in winemaking and/or food in general, which are obtained through the extraction of tannins flavoured by wood chips or staves which are released in the circulating liquid in the extraction device enriching the liquid contained in the tank.

With respect to the known solutions, the plant according to the invention definitely enables to reduce considerably the extraction times of the flavours and the release in the liquid to be treated.

The present invention is advantageously applied in the sector of winemaking and/or food in general, and particularly in methods for the extraction of fine flavours which are released in liquids to be enriched circulating in the extraction device.

PRIOR ART

As known in the winemaking sector, the production of wine implies a series of steps starting from the harvest of grapes which are subject to crushing which transforms the whole in must which passes in vats wherein the fermentation starts during which saccharomyces transform the sugar of the must into ethyl alcohol, carbon dioxide and other secondary products.

Said raw liquid with a strong scent and not very clear has to be stored for a certain period of maturation in steel or cement tanks, but for obtaining a quality product the maturation absolutely must be performed in wooden barrels this because only wood is capable of transferring flavouring substances which, once mixed, enrich the wine with aromas and flavours greatly appreciated by costumers.

It is also known in the prior art that there are barrels capable of containing many tens of hectolitres or small barrels or barriques and that the choice, whether to use old barrels of the past or to barricade the wine, depends on the experience of the producers, the spaces available, the costs and the quality of wine to be obtained .

The barriques definitely enable to soften the wine contained by polymerising the tannins and creating a rounder wine, with flavours that remind of vanilla, or chocolate, or tobacco, or spices such as black pepper or cinnamon, obtained also through roasting of the barrique.

The wine matured in barriques, depending on the time and roasting of the wood, will be unique, with fine tannins, articulated and persistent fragrances, and will continue to evolve also during refinement in the bottle.

However, these traditional methods to impart flavour to the wine are expensive in terms of money but also of time and labour, and also because typically the thickness of the barrique staves is more than 5 centimetres and therefore the exchange of the internal air is very slow, which on the one hand ensures a slower transformation of the product and thus it is more natural, but on the other hand forces winemakers to make use of spaces dedicated to long wine maturation periods, with a consequent increase in costs.

In order to limit these disadvantages, it is also known the use of a technique which introduces in the wine in the maturation step the so called "chips" that is wood shavings to obtain a barricaded wine without introduction in barriques, as well as induced micro-oxygenation which introduces oxygen to speed up ageing.

These techniques on the one hand speed up, indeed, the maturation and ageing steps of the wine, with a net reduction of costs, but the product obtained is not a quality one and cannot be compared to the wine produced using natural barricade methods, with a consequent drop in market value.

US patent number US-A-2807547 discloses a plant having the characteristics according to the preamble of claim 1. Said document does not disclose a valve alternatively closed and opened at intermittent parameterisable times to increase the pressure within the extraction cylinder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention sets out to provide a plant for the extraction of flavours for use in winemaking and/or food in general and a method for the extraction of said flavours through said plant said plant thus creating a condition able to eliminate or at least reduce the drawbacks highlighted above.

The invention aims particularly to provide a plant for the extraction of flavours for use in winemaking and/or food in general and a method for the cold extraction of flavours and fragrances offering the possibility to obtain results that are very similar to those obtained with the traditional methods of maturation in barriques but, differently from them, in significantly reduced times.

A further object of the plant for the extraction of flavours according to the invention is that of using a plant that circulates wine, or another liquid to be imparted flavour, which cyclically passes from a collection tank to an extraction device, which contains wood chips or staves from which fine tannins can be extracted to enrich the flavour of the wine or its aroma.

This is obtained through a plant for the extraction of flavours for use in winemaking and/or food in general and a method for the cold extraction of flavours, the characteristics of which are described in the characterising part of the main claim.

The dependent claims of the present solution delineate advantageous embodiments of the invention.

Furthermore, claim 8 describes a method for the extraction of flavours for use in winemaking and/or food in general being performed inside said plant.

Substantially the method according to the invention introduces in said extraction device an increase in pressure for an established time performed regularly through the induction of pulses during operation.

With these pressure pulses which are induced inside the extraction device, the liquid extracts the flavours and fragrances not only by kinetic effect but also by effect of the penetration of the liquid in the porosities or gaps of materials such as for example wood, which at a constant pressure would not occur. ILLUSTRATION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be evident from reading the following description of an embodiment of the invention by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the drawings illustrated in the appended table of drawings, wherein: figure 1 represents a view of the plant for the extraction of flavours for use in winemaking and/or food in general with which a method for the extraction of said flavours can be implemented.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the appended figure, numeral 10 denotes generally a plant according to the invention intended for the extraction of flavours for use in winemaking and/or food in general able of implementing a method for the extraction of said flavours through said plant .

According to a first embodiment, the main components of the plant 10 are represented by a tank 11 which acts as an expansion tank for the liguid and an extraction cylinder 12, intended for the containment of the wood material for the extraction of flavours, where the liquid accumulated in the tank 11, typically wine, is pumped and circulated at an established standard pressure.

The extraction cylinder 12 comprises inside it a first perforated metal plate 30 installed in the lower part, provided with holes sufficiently small to prevent the exit of the flavour-imparting material but such as to allow the passage of the liquid from the bottom to the top .

The upper part of the extraction cylinder 12, similarly to the lower part, comprises inside it a second perforated metal plate equal to the lower one serving to prevent the exit of the flavour-imparting material and which allows only the passage of the flow of liquid towards the tank 11.

The tank 11 and the extraction cylinder 12 are connected to each other by means of an upper pipe 13 and a lower pipe 14 which enable the reciprocal circulation of the liquid passing between the tank 11 and the extraction cylinder 12 and vice versa.

Furthermore, the plant comprises an automatic valve 15 positioned along the upper pipe 13, which can be closed at regular time intervals to perform an increase of pulse pressure, and a pressure gauge 16 which allows the control of the operating pressures so that they are brought to the pulse pressures during the operation of the plant.

Furthermore, the plant comprises a level sensor 17 to control the reaching of the level of liquid during the filling step of the tank 11 and a series of valves serving to fill, process, empty the liquid from the tank 11 and from the extraction cylinder 12 when the desired flavour and fragrance characteristics, transferred from the base material have been reached.

According to the embodiment illustrated in figure 1, a pump 18 is positioned along the lower pipe 14, intended for the circulation of the liquid in the machine.

In correspondence of the lower part of the plant there is positioned an inlet pipe 19 for the wine to be imparted flavour associated to a valve 20 and a secondary pipe 21, connected to pipe 14, on which are positioned respectively a valve 22, placed in correspondence of the tank 11, and a valve 23 placed in correspondence of the extraction cylinder 12, to which an additional valve 24 is connected.

Furthermore, on the pipe 14 that connects the tank 11 to the extraction cylinder 12 is present a valve 25, positioned between the valve 24 and the pump 18 and an additional valve 26 which leads to a wine outlet pipe 27.

Finally, as illustrated in the figure the lower outlet pipe of tank 11 is connected to a discharge pipe 28 equipped with a valve 29.

The steps of operation of the plant according to the invention are briefly described herein.

The first step involves the loading of the machine with the material from which to extract flavours and fragrances, such as wood chips or shavings or staves typically in oak wood but also of a different origin. Said material is introduced in the cylinder 12 provided with a perforated metal plate 30 installed in the lower part and provided with holes sufficiently small to prevent the exit of the flavour-imparting wood material but such as to allow the passage of the liquid from the bottom to the top.

The second step envisages the loading of the tank 11 with the liquid to be enriched, typically wine, and in this step the valves 20, 25, 24, 15 are opened and the remaining valves are closed, in such a way to start-up the pump 18 and intake of the liquid from a connection of the inlet pipe 19, until the sensor 17 detects the presence of the liquid in the tank 11.

In the third step the method of enriching the liquid to be treated is started with the flavours contained in the flavour-imparting wood chips or staves present in the extraction cylinder 12. In this step the valves 22, 25, 24 and 17 are opened, the pump 18 is in operation and the valve 15 is alternatively closed and opened at intermittent parameterisable times.

The plant, which operates until the desired enrichment or saturation of the liquid to be treated, entails that the pump 18 pressurises the same liquid inside the extraction cylinder 12, because it is partially and cyclically stopped the outflow of the liquid towards the tank 11 by the valve 15.

The fourth step entails the emptying of the tank 11 after the enrichment, and in this step the valves 22 and 26 are opened and the pump 18 is in operation.

Since the machine entails a multiple series of cycles until all the material from which to extract flavours and fragrances is used up, all the steps are repeated except for the first one, until the desired concentration of flavours is reached in the liquid to be treated .

The fifth and last step entails the final emptying of the liquid and of the enrichment material potentially used up and the end of the method.

This last step envisages the emptying of the tank 11 and cylinder 12 from the residual liquid operating as follows: emptying of the extraction cylinder 12 with the valves 23, 24 and 26 opened, with the pump 18 in operation until complete emptying of the tank 11 while the valves 22 and 26 are opened and the pump 18 in operation until complete emptying.

According to a possible and preferred embodiment the machine and the automations are controlled by a PLC, the automatic valves are pneumatically operated, and all the liquid in circulation, typically wine, is constantly closed-circuit protected by nitrogen.

As it is possible to note, with the use of the extraction method according to the invention it is possible to achieve the aforementioned results, in particular the pressure pulses exercised by the pump 18 and contrasted by the intermittent valve 15 which are induced inside the extraction device 12, enable the extraction of flavours and fragrances that diffuse in the liquid not only by kinetic effect but also by effect of the penetration of the same liquid in the porosities or gaps of flavour-imparting materials resulting in a finished product of high quality which cannot be obtained through the traditional constant pressure methods.

The invention has been described in the above with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof. However, it is clear that the invention is susceptible to numerous variants which fall within the scope thereof, and which are technically equivalent.

Claims

1. A plant (10) intended for the extraction of flavours for use in winemaking and/or food in general, comprising a tank (11) containing a liquid to be treated originating from an inlet pipe (19), wherein said tank (11) is connected by pipes (13, 14, 19, 21) to at least one extraction cylinder (12) intended to contain a flavour-imparting wood material in the form of chips or staves, and wherein there is at least one pump (18) along the pipe (14) which connects said tank (11) to said extraction cylinder (12) and at least one automatic valve (15) along the pipe which connects said extraction cylinder (12) to said tank (11), wherein said pump (18) and said automatic valve (15) interact so as to increase the pressure of the liquid to be imparted flavour to inside the extraction cylinder (12), characterised in that said automatic valve (15) is subject to opening and closing commands at time intervals to perform pressure pulses during the operation of said pump (18) and in that it comprises at least one level sensor (17) positioned on the tank (11) to control the reaching of the level of liquid during the filling step.

2. The plant (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that said extraction cylinder (12) comprises inside it a first perforated metal plate (30) installed in the lower part, provided with holes serving to prevent the exit of the flavour-imparting material but such as to allow the passage of the liquid.

3. The plant (10) according to claim 2, characterised in that said extraction cylinder (12) comprises inside it and at the top a second perforated metal plate (31) serving to prevent the exit of the flavour-imparting material and which allows only the passage of the flow of liquid towards the tank (11).

4. The plant (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said tank (11) and said extraction cylinder (12) are connected to each other by means of an upper pipe (13) and a lower pipe (14) which enable the reciprocal circulation of the liquid passing between the tank (11) and the extraction cylinder (12) and vice versa.

5. The plant (10) intended for the extraction of flavours for use in winemaking and/or food according to claim 1, according to any one of the preceding claims characterised in that said automatic valve (15) is positioned along the upper pipe (13).

6. The plant (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it also comprises a pressure gauge (16) which determines the control of the operating pressures so that they are brought to the pulse pressures of the pump (18) during the operation of the plant.

7. The plant (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it also comprises a series of valves (20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26) serving to fill and empty the liquid from the tank (11) and from the extraction cylinder (12).

8. A method for the extraction of flavours for use in winemaking and/or food in general, said method being performed inside a plant (10) having a tank (11) and an extraction cylinder (12) in which flavour- imparting wood material in the form of chips or staves is contained, a pump (18) and an automatic valve (15), characterised in that it comprises the following steps:

a) loading of said extraction cylinder (12) with the flavour-imparting material;

b) loading of the tank (11) with the liquid to be enriched, start-up of the pump (18) and intake of liquid from a connection of an inlet pipe (19), until a sensor (17) detects the presence of liquid in the tank (11);

c) starting of the method of enriching the liquid to be treated with the flavours contained in the flavour-imparting material present in the extraction cylinder (12), the pump (18) being kept running and the automatic valve (15) being alternatively closed and opened at intermittent parameterisable times, so that in this step the pump (18) places the liquid inside the extraction cylinder (12) under pressure, since the outflow of the liquid towards the tank (11) is partially and cyclically stopped by the automatic valve (15);

d) emptying of the tank (11) after the enrichment of the liquid with the pump (18) running;

e) emptying of the tank (11) and the cylinder (12) from the residual liquid with the pump (18) running until emptying has been completed and the tank (11) emptied.