WO2023247997A1

WO2023247997A1 - Method and apparatus for manufacturing plant-based liquid beverages through extraction and treatment with pulsating electromagnetic waves

Info

Publication number: WO2023247997A1
Application number: PCT/IB2022/055860
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yong Chuan ONG
Original assignee: Waved Beverages Pte. Ltd.
Priority date: 2022-06-24
Filing date: 2022-06-24
Publication date: 2023-12-28

Abstract

The invention discloses a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a plant-based beverage with simultaneously produced consumer and commercial advantages. The plant-based beverages are manufactured through extraction and subsequent treatment using pulsating electromagnetic waves varied in time and within an ultra-low range of frequencies. The beneficial effects include increasing antioxidizing, promoting metabolism, improving taste, accelerating production, improving extraction efficacy, extending shelf-life and allowing customization of the beverage.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING PLANT-BASED LIQUID BEVERAGES THROUGH EXTRACTION AND TREATMENT WITH PULSATING ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES

Field of the Invention

The invention relates broadly to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing plant-based liquid beverages. Particularly, the plant-based liquid beverages are manufactured through extraction and subsequent treatment using pulsating electromagnetic waves varied in time and within an ultra-low range of frequencies. The manufacturing method and apparatus could yield multiple treatment benefits and commercial advantages simultaneously. The beneficial treatment effects include increasing antioxidizing, promoting metabolism, improving taste, accelerating production, improving extraction efficacy, extending shelf-life and allowing customization of the beverage.

Background of the Invention

Consumers’ buying habits are changing and businesses need to evolve accordingly to thrive. With increasing health consciousness and affluence in most populations, the requirement on the quality of beverages is now not limited to just taste. General public consumers want their beverages to also carry functional health and wellness benefits. One particular category of beverages that is in line with this consumer trend is known as plant-based beverages. Plant-based beverages are also commonly known as the original functional beverages, with specific health benefits tagged to its consumption.

Largely made from plant-based ingredients, with minimal processing and zero additives such as sugar, preservatives or other chemicals, these beverages are often called nature’s beverages. Plant-based ingredients include parts such as roots, flowers, fruits, leaves and seeds. Popular plant-based beverage categories include coffee, tea, juices made from purely fruits and vegetables and milks made from non-dairy ingredients such as nuts and seeds. These beverages, if manufactured properly, are inherently rich in vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients which have been touted by many credible sources to deliver health benefits to the human body.

For these popular plant-based beverage categories to be optimized in terms of nutrients and taste, apart from the raw ingredients used, the manufacturing method will have to be able to bring out the best from the ingredients without the use of additives such as artificial flavorings that are inherently unhealthy. In recent years, there has been a surge of more natural ways of manufacturing these beverages such as cold brewing for coffee and tea, and cold pressing for fruit and vegetable juices. These methods surround the central idea of non-thermal beverage manufacturing to extract and retain the highest amount of nutrients while attaining smoother and more desirable flavors.

More consumers are shifting from hot brew coffee to cold brew coffee for its richer flavor and lowered acidity that is gentler on digestive systems, with no compromise on the health benefits that its hot brew counterpart brings. Similarly, there is also a shift from hot brew tea to cold brew tea for its smoother taste and lowered caffeine to mitigate side effects from caffeine such as migraine, anxiety and risks of heart palpitations.

In the category of juices, also noticeable is a shift towards cold pressed juices made from unprocessed raw fruits and vegetables by hydraulic-operated cold press juicers. More consumers are shunning away from juices made by centrifugal or masticating juicers and high-speed blenders which may generate heat and speed up oxidation that will cause the juices to lose nutrients in the manufacturing process.

Cold press juicing process typically does not use preservatives or high-heat pasteurization. Hence, this juicing method retains the highest amounts of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients from the raw ingredients amongst all juice-making methods.

In the same cold-pressed category, more consumers are also shifting to plant-based milk alternatives such as pumpkin seed milks or almond nut milks so as to be more environmentally friendly by supporting plant-based diets without any compromise on the nutrient and protein intake as compared to their dairy counterpart.

However, there are still several gaps to the current plant-based beverage manufacturing process from both the commercial and consumer perspectives.

The gaps from business owners’ perspective are the following:

The making of cold brew coffee and tea is time-consuming and therefore hard to scale up; the process usually takes up to 24 hours for a flavorful serving. If the consumer’s demand for cold brew coffee or tea grows, this production process may not be able to feed the demand, thereby leading to loss of revenue and profit.

In cold brewing, baristas or brewers can only passively accept that there are very limited means to control the brewing process that influences taste and the amount of extracted content. Brewers can only control the type of water used for steeping and the steeping time. For a richer flavor and higher amount of extraction, brewers can only steep the coffee grounds for a longer time and vice versa.

Cold pressed juices or plant-based milks have very limited shelf lives of just 3 - 5 days if they are not made with preservatives, thermal pasteurization or high-pressure processing. Despite the health benefits brought to their consumers, businesses would have to grapple with spoiling juices, if they were left unsold, thereby leading to food wastage and ramifications on profitability.

Business owners would have to compromise and passively accept existing equipment in the market to make cold pressed juices and cold brew tea or coffee with no ability to improve the extraction efficacy even when the machinery’s extraction has not been optimized.

Business owners would also need to accept that any personalization or blend of recipes would have to be done manually with no taste controls or even health benefit controls such as increasing antioxidant value without chemicals added. This manual process is limited, time-consuming and less replicable.

The gaps from the consumers’ perspective include the following:

Cold pressed juices that contain more fruits than vegetables would also contain high amount of fructose, which could be harmful to our livers if consumed in large quantity and may lead to health complications such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Consumers today would have to passively accept that there is no way to mitigate health risks from excessive fructose other than limiting or avoiding the intake of these largely healthy and tasty nutrient-rich juices.

Cold brew coffee and tea or cold pressed juices are still showing oxidizing (positive) reading under an Oxidation/Reduction Potential (ORP) meter test, even though most of them contain natural antioxidants from polyphenols, phytonutrients or flavonoids. This means most of these beverages are still largely oxidizing, rather than anti-oxidizing to neutralize free radicals that will protect our cells and DNA.

Cold brew coffee still largely contains the same amounts of caffeine as its hot brew counterpart. This still presents the risks of caffeine side effects such as migraine, anxiety and risks of heart palpitations. Although there is decaffeinated options for coffee beans for cold brew coffee, this solution takes it to another extreme of stripping away caffeine completely. Most consumers still want caffeine when they drink cold brew coffee but they may want the option of not having too much caffeine per serving of coffee. Cold brew coffee and tea or cold pressed juices or milks may still taste sour or bitter depending on the raw ingredients and the making process. For example, cold pressed juices may still taste bitter if the rind on the citrus fruit had been added into the juicer. Cold brew tea could still taste astringent and bitter if the tea leaves were not steeped in cold water long enough. Consumers today would still have to accept that there is no means to improve the taste by enhancing the flavor profile or reducing the undesirable tastes such as sourness, bitterness and astringency.

Certain prior art technologies had been proposed to address the above-mentioned deficiencies in current plant-based beverages. Many technologies claim effects on improving the quality of non-alcoholic beverages. Certain ready-to-use equipment was proposed for the making of some of the beverages mentioned above, such as commercial-grade cold press juicers or cold brew makers. Nevertheless, each of them can achieve only one of the desirable properties instead of obtaining all in one go treatment. Moreover, all of them take a long time to produce just one of the effects. The technologies are briefly discussed as follows:

Ultrasound treatment such as in US patent no. 7220439 B2 utilized ultrasound mechanical wave to accelerate breaking down or increase the cell wall permeability of raw ingredients for faster extraction. But it does not have any function in antioxidizing the drinks or change the drink ORP from oxidizing to antioxidizing. This treatment is primarily used for fast extraction of content from ingredients in the drinks during the beverage manufacturing process but not after bottling. While the taste may be improved due to better extraction, the treatment is silent on reduction of astringency, sourness and bitterness.

Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) treatment such as in Chinese patent CN 1256421 C used high electrical voltage in kV level to increase the cell wall permeability of raw ingredients to faster extract the content in the drink ingredients. The effect is similar to ultrasound and sometimes these two methods are used together. The electric field so applied may be in a fixed frequency pulsating manner for improving the extraction efficacy. But it has no function or capability in changing the drink ORP from oxidizing to antioxidizing, either.

Electromagnetic coil field treatment such as in Chinese patent CN 2305406 Y used high frequency electromagnetic signal to produce a magnetic field emitter through emitting post. For enabling the emitter post to emit the signal, the frequency must be mega Hertz or higher order. The circuit drawing as depicted in the patent does not generate a time varying frequency signal. In this prior art, the drink is subjected to a weak external alternating AC fixed frequency field treatment. With this arrangement and according to the patent description, it can improve to some extent the taste of the drink, but it takes hour for the effect to become noticeable. This method is also unable to convert the drinks from oxidizing to antioxidizing. It is also silent on the astringency mouth feel reduction.

There are other technologies such as in US patent application no. 2017/02552439 A1 , which utilizes time varying electromagnetic wave instead of fixed frequency wave as above, but the treatment only uses inductor coils. Such method is unable to change the antioxidizing property although it improves the astringency feel reduction.

The cold pressed juicers out in the market, even the market-leading ones such as the ones produced by Goodnature - a company based in Buffalo, USA, are able to extract at least 75% of nutrients from the raw ingredients with their purely mechanical hydraulic-operated plates. This mechanical process however is still not the most ideal way for maximum extraction in terms of volume and nutrients because there could be cell walls within the fruits and vegetables that are not broken thoroughly by this mechanical process, thereby trapping unreleased vitamins and minerals within. Moreover, there are no juicers out in the market that have the ability to make their juices antioxidizing, metabolically energized to metabolize fructose better and last longer without the use of preservatives or pasteurization with heat or high-pressure processing.

In the area of cold brewing, there have been inventions amongst the cold brew makers that tout the speeding up of the extraction process such as Osma Pro which uses a microcavitation process to circulate cold water within its system through the coffee grounds multiple times in order to properly extract the cold brew coffee and to speed up the extraction process. There are also other cold brewing methods that use electrostatic means, high pressure, ultrasound or osmosis. However, all of these inventions focused on the extraction efficiency and efficacy. They are still unable to produce cold brew coffee that is antioxidizing and metabolically energizing while being able to have its flavor profile enhanced and undesired tastes such as sourness, bitterness or astringency reduced without the use of added sugar and artificial sweetener. Not to mention, they are also unable to prolong the shelf lives of the cold brew beverages that they are producing without the use of preservatives.

Therefore, there is no unitary beverage manufacturing apparatus or method that can provide these multiple consumer benefits and commercial advantages in a single one-go system. Most prior art technologies discussed were focused only on the extraction from ingredients and they presently do not produce additional beneficial effects in the beverages that are beyond what the ingredients provide.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention has been developed to solve the problems noted above and therefore has a principal object of the provision of a method and an apparatus of manufacturing a plant-based liquid beverage for simultaneously providing multiple treatment effects for the beverages in a single one-go system.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for simultaneously providing multiple treatment effects for the beverages which is significantly more economical and convenient than the processes and systems in the prior art.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method and an apparatus of manufacturing a plant-based liquid beverage, which provide multiple treatment effects for the beverages including but not limited to: additionally antioxidizing, beyond what raw ingredients could provide; promotes metabolism; richer aroma and enhanced flavor profile; reduced undesirable tastes such as astringency, bitterness and sourness; increased extraction efficacy from raw ingredients; extended shelf life without preservatives, high-heat or high-pressure processing; reduced harmful effects from fructose metabolism; ability to customize and personalize blends of beverages with desirable taste and antioxidant value; and efficient, modularized and scalable all-in-one method for commercial applications of all sizes from small juice bars to large restaurant chains.

The beverages herein include but not limited to cold brew coffee and tea, cold pressed fruits and vegetable juices and non-dairy milk alternatives, including nuts, seeds, grains milks such as oat milk.

A yet object of the invention is to provide a method and an apparatus of manufacturing a plant-based liquid beverage, which adopts a non-thermal mechanism of the extraction and treatment of the beverages that makes use of the balance between electric and magnetic fields produced by the pulsating electromagnetic waves varied in time and ultra-low ranges of frequencies. Throughout the manufacturing process, the strengths in both the electric field and magnetic field would be varied accordingly to produce the optimal effect in the extraction process and also the treatment process. A first aspect of the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a plant-based liquid beverage, the method comprising: generating a pulsating inductive electromagnetic field operating at a time-varying frequency, and subjecting a liquid beverage extracted in an extracting component to the pulsating inductive electromagnetic field; applying a time-varying frequency pulsating electromagnetic wave through a plurality of emitters arranged in a predetermined manner and in direct contact with the liquid beverage to produce a capacitive electromagnetic field between each emitter pair and subjecting the liquid beverage to treatment of the capacitive electromagnetic field under an oxygen-deprived condition, so as to induce an antioxidizing effect in the liquid beverage, preferably induce a negative oxidation reduction potential (ORP) shift in the liquid beverage; analyzing the liquid beverage in terms of concentration and volume of extracted ingredients present in the liquid beverage before and after the treatment of the capacitive electromagnetic field, and an antioxidant value indicating the antioxidizing effect, whereby to provide an activation signal when one or more of the concentration and the volume of the ingredients of interest as well as the antioxidant value in the treated liquid beverage attain respective predetermined thresholds; and dispensing the liquid beverage responsive to the activation signal.

In one embodiment of the invention, the method may further comprise cooling the liquid beverage while the liquid beverage is receiving the treatment of the capacitive electromagnetic field.

In one embodiment of the invention, the pulsating inductive electromagnetic field may be generated by an extraction multiplier unit comprising a plurality of coils coupled to the extracting component in a non-intrusive manner prior to or simultaneous with the extraction of the liquid beverage by the extracting component. The plurality of emitter pairs may be closely arranged from one another such that the capacitive electromagnetic fields generated by each two adjacent emitter pairs overlap.

In one embodiment of the invention, the step of analyzing the liquid beverage may comprise analyzing a pre-treatment sampling and a post-treatment sampling of the liquid beverage to ensure that the concentration or volume of the ingredients attain the pre-determined the respective predetermined thresholds. The step of analyzing the liquid beverage may further comprise performing time-interval-regulated auto sampling of the liquid beverage to ensure that the antioxidant value attain the predetermined threshold to produce a desired antioxidizing effect.

Advantageously, the method of the invention may comprise the step of utilizing at least one parameter as a feedback control signal for controlling the treatment of the liquid beverage under the capacitive electromagnetic field, wherein the parameter is selected from the group consisting of concentration and volume of the ingredients, the antioxidant value of the liquid beverage, a temperature of the liquid beverage, and electrical conductivity of the liquid beverage. The feedback control signal may be used to control one or more of the following: switch on/off the extraction multiplier unit; dispense a volume of the liquid beverage extracted in the extracting component into the treatment chamber; cool the liquid beverage in the treatment chamber; stir the liquid beverage in the treatment chamber; and activate or deactivate the dispenser to dispense the treated liquid beverage.

Alternatively, the method may also comprise the step of inputting personal preference data and/or parameter in relation to the liquid beverage for controlling the treatment of the liquid beverage under the capacitive electromagnetic field.

A second aspect of the invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a plant-based liquid beverage, the apparatus comprising: an extraction multiplier unit configured to generate and apply a time-varying frequency pulsating electromagnetic wave to an extracting component adapted for extracting a liquid beverage, such that the liquid beverage is subject to a pulsating inductive electromagnetic field generated by the extraction multiplier unit; a treatment chamber configured to receive the liquid beverage treated using the pulsating inductive electromagnetic field, wherein the treatment chamber comprises a plurality of emitter pairs arranged in a predetermined manner to come into direct contact with the liquid beverage; an electromagnetic wave generator electrically connected to the plurality of emitter pairs to apply a time-varying frequency pulsating electromagnetic wave through the plurality of emitters to produce a capacitive electromagnetic field between each emitter pair, whereby subjecting the liquid beverage to treatment of the capacitive electromagnetic field so as to induce an antioxidizing effect in the liquid beverage, preferably induce a negative oxidation reduction potential (ORP) shift in the liquid beverage; an oxygen deprivation device for depriving the treatment chamber of at least a part of oxygen to prevent oxidation of the liquid beverage before the liquid beverage contained in the treatment chamber is treated using the capacitive electromagnetic field, and a dispenser comprising an analyzing device configured to perform analysis of the liquid beverage in terms of concentration and volume of extracted ingredients present in the liquid beverage before and after the treatment, and an antioxidant value indicating the antioxidizing effect, wherein the dispenser is activated to dispense the liquid beverage responsive to an activation signal transmitted from the analyzing device when one or more of the concentration and the volume of the ingredients of interest as well as the antioxidant value in the treated liquid beverage attain respective predetermined thresholds.

Preferably, the apparatus of the invention may comprise a cooling unit connected to the treatment chamber or within the treatment chamber for cooling the liquid beverage while the liquid beverage is receiving the treatment.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the extraction multiplier unit may comprise a plurality of coils coupled to the extracting component in a non-intrusive manner to generate and apply the time-varying frequency pulsating electromagnetic wave prior to or simultaneous with the extraction of the liquid beverage by the extracting component. The plurality of emitter pairs may be closely arranged from one another such that the capacitive electromagnetic fields generated by each two adjacent emitter pairs overlap.

In one specific embodiment of the invention, the oxygen deprivation device may adopt a vacuum pump for removing air from the treatment chamber to create an oxygen-deprived environment.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the analyzing device may comprise a E-Tongue analyzer configured to perform a pre-treatment sampling and a post-treatment sampling of the liquid beverage to ensure that the concentration or volume of the ingredients attains the pre-determined the respective predetermined thresholds. The analyzing device may also comprise an antioxidant value analyzer configured to perform time-interval-regulated auto sampling of the liquid beverage to ensure that the antioxidant value attains the predetermined threshold to produce a desired antioxidizing effect.

Preferably, a central programmable logic controller (PLC) programmed is provided for controlling one or more of the following: switch on/off the extraction multiplier unit and dispense a volume of the liquid beverage extracted in the extracting component into the treatment chamber responsive to the analysis of concentration and volume of the ingredients and/or the antioxidant value; control the cooling unit to maintain a temperature of the liquid beverage within a predetermined temperature range responsive to a real-time feedback of the temperature; adjust an optimal treatment time of the liquid beverage in the treatment chamber according to an electrical conductivity of the liquid beverage; stir the liquid beverage in the treatment chamber; and activate or deactivate the dispenser to dispense the treated liquid beverage responsive to an extraction and treatment completion signal.

Additionally, an input device may be included in the apparatus to be in connection to the PLC for inputting personal preference data and/or parameter in relation to the liquid beverage.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a plant-based liquid beverage, having modular configurations for allowing a large number of different product configurations to be custom built/manufactured and used from a number of modular components.

The objects, characteristics, advantages and technical effects of the invention will be further elaborated in the following description of the concepts and structures of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings illustrate the invention by way of examples without limitation to the invention in any manner.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings. Dimensions in the drawings may be exaggerated and not in scale for the convenience of description.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary arrangement of a plant-based beverage manufacturing apparatus which is constructed in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary arrangement of a plant-based beverage manufacturing apparatus which is constructed in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an exemplary modular extraction multiplier unit useful in the apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of Fig. 3 depicting different types of coils installed in the modular extraction multiplier unit.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the emitter plates useful in the treatment chamber of the invention. Detailed Description of Embodiments

While this invention is illustrated and described in preferred embodiments, the apparatus for manufacturing a plant-based liquid beverage using time-varying frequency electromagnetic waves may be produced in many different configurations, sizes, forms and materials.

The present invention is capable of simultaneously and instantly producing various desirable treatment effects in one go irrespective of the types of beverages, which will be discussed herein below.

According to the invention, the method for manufacturing a plant-based beverage comprises three procedural steps which include extraction, treatment and dispensing.

The step of extraction comprises extracting from raw ingredients to manufacture the beverage and is implemented by attaching a modularized extraction multiplier unit in a non-intrusive manner to the beverage maker’s key extracting component such as a cold-pressed juicer’s press chamber or a cold-brew maker’s steel strainer; and applying ultra-low ranges of electromagnetic waves that is varied in time to produce a mix of electric field strength and magnetic field strength.

The modular extraction multiplier unit in an embodiment of the invention comprises a beverage-containing tray, a pipe that connects from the outlet of the beverage maker to the inlet of the treatment chamber and a plurality of coils that produce pulsating electromagnetic waves.

The step of treatment comprises treating the liquid beverage from the extraction step and is implemented by applying a vacuum pump onto the treatment chamber to ensure an oxygen-deprived environment so as to prevent oxidation of the liquid beverage within the treatment chamber for the extension of shelf-life, maximum nutrient retention and optimal taste and flavor; circulating the liquid beverage from the step of raw ingredient extraction through the treatment chamber comprising a plurality of emitter plates arranged in a predetermined manner, wherein the liquid beverage is in direct contact with the emitter plates; applying the pulsating electromagnetic waves through the plurality of emitter plates to produce a pulsed capacitive field between the plurality of emitter pairs which are arranged to have a standardized predetermined spacing between the emitter plates for optimal treatment effects such as antioxidizing and metabolically energizing yet with no noticeable heat generation; and applying a beverage cooling unit within the treatment chamber for simultaneous cooling of the liquid beverage while treating so as to optimize nutrient retention with gradual decrease in temperature.

The step of dispensing comprises dispensing the treated liquid beverage and is implemented by: applying a digital volume control onto an dispense valve which is configured to only be activated for dispensing when the treatment has been completed, for example, through a 2-way feedback control system from an E-tongue analyzer and an antioxidant value analyzer; and allowing for the dispense valve to be precisely controlled in terms of the volume dispensed with a volume control valve attached thereto.

The E-tongue analyzer is configured to perform pre-treatment sampling and post-treatment sampling to ensure that the desired concentration and volume of chemical compounds are obtained prior to sending a signal to the dispense valve for dispense activation. The antioxidant value analyzer is configured to perform time-interval-regulated auto sampling of the liquid beverage to ensure that the antioxidant value is minimally at the targeted level to produce the desired antioxidizing strength. After the sampling shows that the target level has been attained, the signal will then be sent to the dispense valve for dispense activation.

Figs. 1 to 5 and the corresponding following description relate to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a plant-based liquid beverage to produce various treatment effects as mentioned above.

Now turning to the figures, Fig. 1 illustrates an apparatus 100 constructed consistent with a first embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus 100 is applicable for commercial applications of all sizes from small made-to-order operations like juice bars and coffee houses to large chains of cafes and restaurants. This apparatus 100 can be used as an integrated system for the end-to-end production of plant-based beverages or in parts as modularized commercial applications to be applied to existing production lines, depending on the most pressing needs.

In this embodiment, the apparatus 100 comprises a power supply unit 110, a modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 electrically coupled to the power supply unit for generating a time-varying frequency pulsating electromagnetic wave, and an extracting component adapted for extracting a liquid beverage, such as the one included in a cold press juicer or cold brew maker 130. The modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 may work with a thermal extraction process, if needed.

The modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 is attached to the extracting component of the cold press juicer or cold brew maker 130 in a non-intrusive manner to enhance the extraction efficacy during and/or before the beverage extraction operation. The modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 comprises a plurality of coils 121 for generating an electromagnetic wave having a time-varying frequency, preferably 100 to 2,000 Hz, at a desired sweeping time to induce a pulsating inductive electromagnetic field to treat the beverage in the extraction step. In the illustrated embodiment, the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 is positioned in the downstream of the cold press juicer or cold brew maker 130 so that raw ingredients of the beverage are being treated by the pulsating inductive electromagnetic field while the raw ingredients are extracted by the extracting component. It is also possible that the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 is positioned in the upstream of the cold press juicer or cold brew maker 130 so that the raw ingredients of the beverage are treated by the pulsating inductive electromagnetic field before the raw ingredients are extracted by the extracting component (see Fig. 2).

Figs. 3 and 4 show an exemplary arrangement of the coils 121 in the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120. The plurality of coils 121 may be selected from different types of coils which can generate different combinations of magnetic fields and electric fields and include the following: high magnetic field I low electric field, low magnetic field I high electric field, and moderate magnetic field I moderate electric field.

Pulsating electric and magnetic fields are able to penetrate the non-metallic or non-ferrous materials but they are not able to penetrate any ferrous metallic material. Depending on the material of the extracting component, the placement of the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 would vary. If the extracting component’s material is a ferrous metallic material, the extraction multiplier unit needs be placed inside the extracting component of the beverage maker 130. If the material is non-metallic or non-ferrous, the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 may be placed on the external wall of the extracting component. Regardless of the placement of the extraction multiplier unit, the desirable electromagnetic effects generated by the coils can be selected from one of selectors (not show) mounted within the power supply unit 110, which connect a different frequency PCB board to the plurality of coils 121 placed within the extraction multiplier unit 120. The selectors may be accessed and manually operated from the power supply unit or controlled by a central PLC included in the apparatus 100, which will be discussed herein below. The PCB board is powered by the power supply unit 100. The frequency range of the PCB can be programmed to suit the requirement for different applications, and it may be divided into high, middle and low frequency ranges or finer divisions, depending on the different types of plant-based beverages being treated and extracted.

The extracting component could, for example, be the press chamber of a cold press juicer or the stainless steel mesh strainer of the cold brew maker. The number of juicers or beverage makers connected to the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 can be scaled up or down to just one as illustrated. It would be appreciated that the beverage maker can be any beverage maker and not limited to cold press juicer or cold brew coffee/tea maker. The beverage maker could also be a food processor, blender, centrifugal or masticating juicer, drip coffee pot or even a French press coffee maker and the like.

The apparatus 100 further comprises a treatment chamber 140 and a pulsating wave generator 150 operably in connection with the treatment chamber 140. The treatment chamber 140 contains the liquid beverage flowing out of the cold press juicer or cold brew maker 130, which receives the treatment in the treatment chamber 140 for the purposes of yielding various treatment effects. The pulsating wave generator 150 is configured to generate a high voltage time-varying frequency pulsating electromagnetic wave, which preferably have a frequency in the range of 2,000 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Inside the treatment chamber 140, a plurality of pair of capacitive emitters in the form of emitter plates 141 , 142 are connected in parallel with the pulsating wave generator 150 so that a capacitive electromagnetic field is generated between each emitter pair, whereby the liquid beverage is subject to treatment of the capacitive electromagnetic field to induce an antioxidizing effect in the liquid beverage. Fig. 5 shows an arrangement of the emitter plates 141 , 142 which are in direct contact with the liquid beverage contained in the treatment chamber 140. The emitter plates 141 , 142 are preferably spaced closely with each other, e.g. in a gap in the range from 1 to 6 mm, to achieve the antioxidizing effect. With the close gap between the emitter plates, the capacitance effect is generated in the electronic components and the electromagnetic fields between two adjacent emitter plates overlap each other with high electric current achieved in the closed loop, making it suitable for treating the beverage having a relatively lower conductivity, for example low conductivity water. This is essential for the antioxidizing effect and/or other treatment effects.

With reference to Fig. 1 again, the apparatus 100 further comprises a 2-way feedback control system 160, a central Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) 170 operably coupled to the 2-way feedback control system 160, and a dispenser for dispensing the beverage. The dispenser is for example a digital volume control dispense valve 180. The 2-way feedback control system 160 comprises an E-tongue analyzer 161 and an antioxidant value analyzer 162 as a control feedback in order to obtain the best and most optimum treatment of the beverage. The E-tongue analyzer 161 is configured to perform pre-treatment sampling and post-treatment sampling of the beverage to ensure that the desired concentration and volume of extracted ingredients from the raw materials and present in the beverage are obtained prior to sending a signal to dispense the beverage. In particular, the E-tongue analyzer 161 is used to interpret the extraction efficacy and also taste through the analysis of the concentration and volume of extracted ingredients, the interpreted data would be sent from the E-tongue analyzer 161 to the PLC 170 to compare with the pre-treatment sampling’s reading. When the desired readings are achieved from the perspectives of extraction efficacy and taste, the PLC 170 would send the signal to the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 to stop the inductive electromagnetic field treatment, and a valve 122 arranged between the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 and the treatment chamber 140 is activated to dispense the extracted liquid beverage extracted into the treatment chamber 140. The valve 122 may be a manual valve or a control dispense valve controlled by the PLC.

Alternatively, apart from using the E-tongue analyzer 161 to determine whether the liquid beverage is treated to a desirable extent for dispensing, manual tasting may be utilized for the desired tastes, and also conductivity readings may be measured to see if the conductivity of the liquid beverage after the treatment by the coils 121 in the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 has increased. If the conductivity of the treated liquid beverage following the treatment of the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 is higher than the pre-treatment reading, more ingredient compounds have been extracted, thereby signifying increased extraction efficacy.

The antioxidant value analyzer 162 is arranged for real-time monitoring and measuring the antioxidant value of the liquid beverage. Preferably, the antioxidant value analyzer 162 is configured to automatically perform time-interval-regulated sampling of the liquid beverage to ensure that the antioxidant value is minimally at the targeted level to produce the desired antioxidizing strength. In general, the sampling data would be sent from the antioxidant value analyzer 162 to the PLC 170. After the sampling shows that the target level has been attained, the PLC 170 would send the signal to the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 to stop the inductive electromagnetic field treatment, and the valve 122 arranged between the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 and the treatment chamber 140 is activated to dispense the extracted liquid beverage extracted into the treatment chamber 140.

The antioxidizing beneficial effect according to the invention is characterized by the antioxidant value. In certain cases, the oxidation reduction potential (ORP) is used as the antioxidant value to be analyzed. The ORP readings are used as the feedback control for the treatment effect. More negative ORP shift, better antioxidizing and metabolic effects. For low conductivity water, there is less efficient for the negative ORP shift and the emitter plates 141 , 142 are arranged in closed gap as discussed above, so as to achieve an efficient ORP negative shift rate. A feature of the invention is that the antioxidant value analyzer 162 can be used with any other standard measuring methods such as, but not limited to, oxygen radical absorbance capacity and etc. Furthermore, this analyzer 162 can also be used with in-house measuring methods that are tested and verified against standard measuring methods in working principle and outcomes from similar parameters.

The PLC 170 is electrically coupled with the power supply unit 110 and operably coupled to the valve 122 mounted in the upstream of the treatment chamber 140, the pulsating wave generator 150, the 2-way feedback control system 160, and the digital volume control dispense valve 180 for dispensing the ultimately treated liquid beverage for consumption. The dispense valve 180 is activated to dispense the beverage after the extraction and treatment completion signal transmitted from the PLC 170 to release the dispense valve 180 is received.

The power supply unit 110 may be powered ON or OFF manually or through the PLC 170. The PLC 170 is also programmed to send the signal to the power supply unit 110 to switch on or off the extraction multiplier unit 120 depending on whether the desired extraction efficacy and tastes have been achieved.

An input device 190 with a memory may be provided to be connected with the PLC 170 to allow for data and control signals to the PLC 170, such as a computer. Through the input device 190, personal preference data/parameters for the beverage treatment may be entered for quick access by the PLC 170 to process.

In the illustrated embodiment shown in Fig. 1 , the apparatus 100 further comprises a vacuum pump device 142 and a colling unit 143 (e.g. thermo-electric cooling device) connected with the treatment chamber 140.

The vacuum pump device 142 is provided to ensure an oxygen/air-deprived environment so as to prevent oxidation of the liquid beverage within the treatment chamber 140 for extension of shelf-life of the liquid beverage, maximum nutrient retention and optimal taste and flavor. It has been shown that the vacuum pump 142 is able to create a more negative ORP shift when used in combination with the pulsating capacitive electromagnetic field. This exhibits a synergistic effect in the vacuuming process in parallel to the emitter treatment.

The cooling unit 143 may be arranged within the treatment chamber 140 for simultaneous cooling of the liquid beverage while the beverage is receiving treatment of the pulsating inductive electromagnetic field, so as to optimize the nutrient retention with gradual decrease in temperature. The cooling unit 143 may be selected from a thermoelectric cooling device which follows Peltier effect or any other cooling device that can help to achieve the same cooling effect. This could ensure an ideal environment for plant-based beverage making for the preserving of live enzymes, nutrients, flavour and maximising of shelf-life. The cooling unit 143 may be implemented as a feedback control to the PLC 170 to ensure that the temperature of the liquid beverage in the treatment chamber 140 stays within the ideal range of below 5 degrees Celsius for an inhospitable environment for pathogens.

In reality, the beverage treatment with the extraction multiplier unit 120 could be varied to suit different types of plant-based beverages using the plurality of coils. In general, the following guidelines may be adopted:

To reduce astringency and improve the smoothness in mouthfeel for beverages such as tea, the selector may use the treatment path of low frequency PCB with the combination of high magnetic / low electric field load path.

To reduce undesirable levels of bitterness such as from certain coffee beans, the beverages may be treated with high frequency range PCB with the combination of low magnetic / high electric field load path.

To increase levels of natural sweetness without added sugar or artificial sweetener, the beverages may be treated with low frequency range PCB with the combination of high magnetic I low electric field load path, similar to the selector that removes astringency.

To increase the aroma levels of the beverages, the beverages may be treated with medium frequency PCB with the combination of low magnetic / high electric field load path, similar to the selector that reduces bitterness.

As taste and flavor are complex and subjective at times, the above remains a general guideline for the effect on tastes. It should be appreciated that there are many other variables that would influence the taste and the treatment effects of the liquid beverage, such as ingredient’s quality, type of water used and so on. Nevertheless, the apparatus 100 of the invention can enhance or alter tastes beyond usual factors such as ingredients or standard manufacturing process known from the state of prior art. More importantly, the extraction efficacy would also improve with the extraction multiplier unit 120. Treatment time of the extraction multiplier unit required would vary according to how the liquid beverage responds to the treatment and also the feedback controls in the form of e-tongue analyzers or manual tasting. According to the invention, it is possible to use different raw materials to produce different beverages from different beverage makers connected one from another. The blending of the different liquid beverages can also be achieved by the apparatus of the invention. This will be set according to the users’ preferred blending ratio, which can be preset within a remote controller that is connected to the PLC 170. The blending process could be in batched or continuous processes. The batched process could be used in made-to-order operations such as juice bars or small coffeehouses, while the continuous process could be used in large beverage processing or manufacturing plants or central commissaries or kitchens for bulk recipe production. It is possible that the different liquid beverages are individually extracted and treated in different chambers, while the liquid beverages are blended immediately before dispensing. Such approach provides more flexibility and possibility of adjustment of the beverage according to personal needs.

For the blending of different extracted contents to produce as per recipes, the volume released into the treatment chamber 140 can be controlled via a manual valve or the PLC 170. If blending is done manually, it is done by opening the dispensing valve or cock manually. If PLC control is preferred, the dispense valve 122 shall be solenoid-operated or other operating actuator controllable by the PLC signal. Other type of controllers may be used to control the operation according to the input data/information given through the remote controller. With the correct PLC control or equivalent set up, the plant-based beverages can be personalized by recipes through the input to the PLC with the remote controller that has memory functions to remember specific blending ratios as part of digital recipes stored in the PLC 170.

The PLC-control dispensed or manually dispensed liquid beverage is then dispensed into the treatment chamber 140 for receiving the treatment of the pulsating capacitive electromagnetic field. The liquid beverage in the treatment chamber 140 is advantageously thoroughly mixed by stirring, shaking or other mixing means. In the embodiments shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the beverage is stirred by a rotating magnetic stirrer 145 having a stirring bar insertable into the liquid beverage.

In the extraction step carried out in the cold press juicer or cold brew maker, the following beneficial effects are produced: richer aroma and enhanced flavor profile; reduced undesirable tastes such as astringency, bitterness and sourness; increased extraction efficacy from raw ingredients; modular solution that can fit most beverage makers such as but not limited to cold press juicers and cold brew makers; and ability to customize extracted content completeness and flavor profile. In the treatment step carried out in the treatment chamber 140, the following beneficial effects are produced: additionally antioxidizing, beyond what the raw ingredients could provide; promotion of metabolism; extended shelf life of the beverage with no preservatives, high-heat or high-pressure processing; and reduced harmful effects from fructose metabolism.

In the dispensing step carried out through the dispensing valve 18, the invention revolves how the plant-based beverages are being dispensed and bottled. It is crucial for the beverages to be dispensed precisely in terms of volume so as to minimize the amount of air pockets or gaps within the bottles. The existence of air pockets would allow for quicker oxidation of the beverages, thereby leading to a decrease in antioxidant value and shelf-life of the beverages. Hence, the volume control dispense valve 180 can be controlled manually or digitally via the central PLC 170. Volume settings will be made available for precise dispensing of beverages in accordance to the volumes of the containers.

The invention can extend the shelf life of the plant-based beverages manufactured without the use of thermal treatment through the disinfection using the pulsating electromagnetic waves of a selected range of timing and frequencies. Furthermore, it can also reduce the harmful effects from excessive fructose intake by promoting a healthier fructose metabolizing pathway within the body. The prior art was silent on this aspect.

In the prior art, very closely packed emitter pairs are used, immersing them directly into the drinks to induce the beneficial effects. However, a disadvantage of the prior art methods is that there may be possible “over-treatment” issues with the treatment due to the different conductivity values of the beverages. These issues include changing the intended flavor of the beverages or generating heat that may ruin the nutrients or vitamins and minerals within the plant-based beverages. Unlike the prior art, the treatment chamber of the invention is specifically designed to create a “paradise” for plant-based beverages to retain their optimal level of nutrients and also benefit from the extended shelf-life for the reasons discussed below.

Firstly, the treatment chamber 140 is specially designed for temperature control which would ensure the treatment chamber 140 is always cooled by the cooling unit 144 within a range of low temperatures, thereby protecting against heat generation from the direct emitter treatment. Secondly, the vacuum pump 143 is attached to the treatment chamber to extract oxygen out of the treatment chamber before the treatment begins. This not only allows for a steady maintenance of antioxidant value, but also further allows for the extension of optimal shelf life. Finally, to protect against over-treating any type of plant-based beverage that is being manufactured, a maximum treatment time for each recipe of beverages to be manufactured has been preset for different tiers of conductivity levels. The beverage would be tested on conductivity with an electrical conductivity sensor as a form of feedback control to the central PLC which would activate the maximum treatment time. This would therefore prevent the issue of over-treating the beverages, hence optimizing the antioxidant value and the beverage quality in terms of taste and nutrients.

Various components of the apparatus of the invention provides a synergistic effect of extraction and treatment which is beneficial to the manufacturing of plant-based beverages. It has been verified experimentally that tea drinks prepared according to the invention exhibit a higher conductivity level, which suggests greater phytochemical compounds extracted as compared to control samples of tea drinks; and a lower pH level, which suggests more tannic acid extracted as compared to the control samples.

The prior art methods of manufacturing plant-based beverages suffer from the problems associated with heat generation and oxygenated environment. The invention provides a method and an apparatus specific to the manufacturing of any plant-based beverage that is best made without heat in order to preserve the maximum amount of live enzymes, nutrients and flavour, while achieving the maximum shelf-life possible in an oxygen-deprived environment for prevention of oxidation, and the beneficial effects discussed above in an all-in-one plant-based beverage manufacturing system.

Preferences and options for a given aspect, feature or parameter of the invention should, unless the context indicates otherwise, be regarded as having been disclosed in combination with any and all preferences and options of all other aspects, features and parameters of the invention.

Assays

Primary antioxidants in plant foods are mainly phenolic antioxidants, and polyphenol-rich extracts may be obtained from a variety of plant sources e.g. fruits and vegetables.

Assays were carried out on the beverages for measuring polyphenols (total polyphenols) derived from the fruits and vegetables. The total polyphenols of the beverage is determined by the spectrometry method, which is based on oxidation in base medium of the hydroxyl groups of phenols by Folin-Ciocalteu (F-C) reagent, with gallic acid as the standard. The F-C reaction method is an antioxidant assay based on electron transfer, which measures the reductive capacity of an antioxidant and is widely applied in determination of the total phenol/polyphenol content of plant derived in food and biological samples.

In order to evaluate the efficacy of the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 alone, the key component in the system of the invention, on the total polyphenols of the beverage, the assays were not performed in a deoxygenating environment and without automatic volume control dispensing. It would be appreciated that the deoxygenation and automatic volume control dispensing do not affect the total polyphenols because it depends on the amount of polyphenols extracted from the fruits and vegetables and the storage in a chilled environment to sustain the polyphenols without destroying.

Specifically, a cold-pressed juice containing apple, lemon and ginger was prepared by subjecting the fruits and vegetables to the pulsating inductive electromagnetic field treatment applied by the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120 during extraction or before extraction for a first period of time, for instance about between 15 and 60 minutes, preferably about between 45 and 60 minutes, and subsequently subjecting the extracts to the pulsating capacitive electromagnetic field treatment in the treatment chamber 140 for a second period of time, for instance about between 7 and 20 minutes depending on volume of the test beverage (for example about 14 minutes for 6 litres of the beverage), according to the method and apparatus of the invention as described above. As a control, a beverage was prepared by extracting the same fruits and vegetables but received no pulsating inductive electromagnetic field treatment applied by the modularized extraction multiplier unit 120. Still the control sample was under the same pulsating capacitive electromagnetic field treatment in the treatment chamber 140. The treated sample and the control sample were bottled precisely to minimise air pockets for maximal preservation of shelf-life and antioxidizing and metabolic energy strength. The bottled samples were used in the antioxidant assay and measured for the total polyphenols and shelf-life. The treated sample and the control sample were read at visible light by the spectrometry set at a wavelength of about 500 nm.

Antioxidant Assay on Treated Beverages

Below table 1 is the results of antioxidant assay, showing the total polyphenols in the test samples. Table 1

*Total polyphenols are expressed in mg of gallic acid equivalent/100 ml of beverage.

The data shown in the above table reveals that the total polyphenols are increased by about 4.5% after the juice beverage received the inductive electromagnetic field treatment in the extraction step of the method of the invention, when compared to the control sample. This suggests that the extraction multiplier unit 120 of the invention is effective in increasing the extraction of healthful plant bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds or other phytonutrients present in the raw plant ingredients.

Assay on Shelf-Life of Treated Beverages

The treated samples prepared as described above, which received both the inductive and capacitive electromagnetic field treatments, were evaluated for several control parameters with reference to Singapore Food Agency (SFA)’s Microbiological Standards For Ready-To-Eat-Food.

Specifically, the treated samples were tested for the control parameters by an accredited laboratory in Singapore, STATS ASIA PACIFIC PTE LTD, using the methods from US FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) or ISO or AOAC on the treatment day when the sample received the treatment of the method of the invention (Day 0), 6 days after the treatment (Day 6), 12 days after the treatment (Day 12), 21 days after the treatment (Day 21). The test methods are known as industry standard test methods for microbiological food safety indicators and therefore not elaborated herein. The test results are shown in the following tables.

Table 2: Shelf-life Test - Day 0

Table 3: Shelf-life Test - Day 6

Table 4: Shelf-life Test - Day 12

Table 5: Shelf-life Test - Day 21

The typical shelf-life from raw fruit and vegetable juices is 3 to 5 days (see https://www. aoodnature.com/bloa/understandina-shelf-life-of-cold-Dressed-iuice/).

The cold-pressed juices containing apple, lemon and ginger and receiving the treatment according to the method and apparatus of the invention were found to have the amounts of pathogenic and harmful bacteria significantly smaller than the legitimate amounts (100 or 200 cfu/per ml for liquid food) specified by the SFA, even 21 days after the treatment have passed. In other words, up until Day 21 , the treated beverage is still safe for human consumption. The above shelf-life test results confirm that the method and apparatus of the invention represent a notable progress with respect to the prior art technologies requiring typically heat pasteurization or high pressure processing in order to lengthen shelf-life of raw cold-pressed juices. Both heat pasteurization and high pressure processing methods would result in the loss of nutrients, live enzymes and plant bioactive compounds that exist in the plant ingredients. Unlike the prior art methods, the present invention can not only increase the bioactive compounds extracted and make them healthier with anti-oxidizing and metabolic energy infused, but also offer safe drinking for a longer time period. This clearly solves an industry pain point. While the embodiments described herein are intended as an exemplary apparatus and method, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated. Those skilled in the art will envision many other possible variations and modifications by means of the skilled person's common knowledge without departing from the scope of the invention, however, such variations and modifications should fall into the scope of this invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a plant-based liquid beverage, the method comprising: generating a pulsating inductive electromagnetic field operating at a time-varying frequency, and subjecting a liquid beverage extracted in an extracting component to the pulsating inductive electromagnetic field; applying a time-varying frequency pulsating electromagnetic wave through a plurality of emitters arranged in a predetermined manner and in direct contact with the liquid beverage to produce a capacitive electromagnetic field between each emitter pair and subjecting the liquid beverage to treatment of the capacitive electromagnetic field under an oxygen-deprived condition, so as to induce an antioxidizing effect in the liquid beverage, preferably induce a negative oxidation reduction potential (ORP) shift in the liquid beverage chamber; analyzing the liquid beverage in terms of concentration and volume of extracted ingredients present in the liquid beverage before and after the treatment of the capacitive electromagnetic field, and an antioxidant value indicating the antioxidizing effect, whereby to provide an activation signal when one or more of the concentration and the volume of the ingredients of interest as well as the antioxidant value in the treated liquid beverage attain respective predetermined thresholds; and dispensing the liquid beverage responsive to the activation signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising cooling the liquid beverage to be within a predetermined temperature range while the liquid beverage is receiving the treatment of the capacitive electromagnetic field.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pulsating inductive electromagnetic field is generated by an extraction multiplier unit comprising a plurality of coils coupled to the extracting component in a non-intrusive manner prior to or simultaneous with the extraction of the liquid beverage by the extracting component.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of emitter pairs are closely arranged from one another such that the capacitive electromagnetic fields generated by each two adjacent emitter pairs overlap.

5. The method according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein analyzing the liquid beverage comprises analyzing a pre-treatment sampling and a post-treatment sampling of the liquid beverage to ensure that the concentration or volume of the ingredients attain the pre-determined the respective predetermined thresholds.

6. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein analyzing the liquid beverage comprises performing time-interval-regulated auto sampling of the liquid beverage to ensure that the antioxidant value attain the predetermined threshold to produce a desired antioxidizing effect.

7. The method according to any of claims 1 to 6, further comprising the step of utilizing at least one parameter as a feedback control signal for controlling the treatment of the liquid beverage under the capacitive electromagnetic field, wherein the parameter is selected from the group consisting of concentration and volume of the ingredients, the antioxidant value of the liquid beverage, a temperature of the liquid beverage, and electrical conductivity of the liquid beverage.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the feedback control signal is used to control one or more of the following: switch on/off the extraction multiplier unit; dispense a volume of the liquid beverage extracted in the extracting component into the treatment chamber; cool the liquid beverage in the treatment chamber; stir the liquid beverage in the treatment chamber; and activate or deactivate the dispenser to dispense the treated liquid beverage.

9. The method according to any of claims 1 to 8, further comprising the step of inputting personal preference data and/or parameters in relation to the liquid beverage for controlling the treatment of the liquid beverage under the capacitive electromagnetic field.

10. An apparatus for manufacturing a plant-based liquid beverage, the apparatus comprising: an extraction multiplier unit configured to generate and apply a time-varying frequency pulsating electromagnetic wave to an extracting component adapted for extracting a liquid beverage, such that the liquid beverage is subject to a pulsating inductive electromagnetic field generated by the extraction multiplier unit; a treatment chamber configured to receive the liquid beverage treated using the pulsating inductive electromagnetic field, wherein the treatment chamber comprises a plurality of emitter pairs arranged in a predetermined manner to come into direct contact with the liquid beverage; an electromagnetic wave generator electrically connected to the plurality of emitter pairs to apply a time-varying frequency pulsating electromagnetic wave through the plurality of emitters to produce a capacitive electromagnetic field between each emitter pair, whereby subjecting the liquid beverage to treatment of the capacitive electromagnetic field so as to induce an antioxidizing effect in the liquid beverage, preferably induce a negative oxidation reduction potential (ORP) shift in the liquid beverage; an oxygen deprivation device for depriving the treatment chamber of at least a part of oxygen to prevent oxidation of the liquid beverage before the liquid beverage contained in the treatment chamber is treated using the capacitive electromagnetic field, and a dispenser comprising an analyzing device configured to perform analysis of the liquid beverage in terms of concentration and volume of extracted ingredients present in the liquid beverage before and after the treatment, and an antioxidant value indicating the antioxidizing effect, wherein the dispenser is activated to dispense the liquid beverage responsive to an activation signal transmitted from the analyzing device when one or more of the concentration and the volume of the ingredients of interest as well as the antioxidant value in the treated liquid beverage attain respective predetermined thresholds.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a cooling unit connected to the treatment chamber or within the treatment chamber for cooling the liquid beverage while the liquid beverage is receiving the treatment.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10 or 11 , wherein the extraction multiplier unit comprises a plurality of coils coupled to the extracting component in a non-intrusive manner to generate and apply the time-varying frequency pulsating electromagnetic wave prior to or simultaneous with the extraction of the liquid beverage by the extracting component.

13. The apparatus according to any of claims 10 to 12, wherein the oxygen deprivation device is a vacuum pump for removing air from the treatment chamber to create an oxygen-deprived environment.

14. The apparatus according to any of claims 9 to 13, wherein the analyzing device comprises a E-tongue analyzer configured to perform a pre-treatment sampling and a post-treatment sampling of the liquid beverage to ensure that the concentration or volume of the ingredients attain the pre-determined the respective predetermined thresholds.

15. The apparatus according to any of claims 9 to 14, wherein the analyzing device comprises an antioxidant value analyzer configured to perform time-interval-regulated auto sampling of the liquid beverage to ensure that the antioxidant value attain the predetermined threshold to produce a desired antioxidizing effect.

16. The apparatus according to any of claims 9 to 15, further comprising a central programmable logic controller (PLC) programmed for controlling one or more of the following: switch on/off the extraction multiplier unit and dispense a volume of the liquid beverage extracted in the extracting component into the treatment chamber responsive to the analysis of concentration and volume of the ingredients and/or the antioxidant value; control the cooling unit to maintain a temperature of the liquid beverage within a predetermined temperature range responsive to a real-time feedback of the temperature; adjust an optimal treatment time of the liquid beverage in the treatment chamber according to an electrical conductivity of the liquid beverage; stir the liquid beverage in the treatment chamber; and activate or deactivate the dispenser to dispense the treated liquid beverage responsive to an extraction and treatment completion signal.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising an input device connected to the PLC for inputting personal preference data and/or parameter in relation to the liquid beverage chamber.

18. The apparatus according to any of claims 9 to 17, wherein the apparatus is made modularly to provide modular configurations to be custom built and used.