Patent Application
20230016781
The following disclosure relates to systems and methods for processing juice obtained from grapes or other fruit or plant products and, in certain examples, to systems and methods for performing a separation process on grape juice and deriving various food and beverage products from the separated constituents.
The production of juice can begin by crushing and pressing harvested grapes or fruit. For the production of wine, a grape juice can be subjected to a fermentation process in which yeast converts sugar in the juice into alcohol. The resulting wine can be clarified (e.g., using filters) and aged (e.g., in wooden barrels) before the wine is bottled for consumption.
The final alcohol concentration in wine can depend on various factors, including an initial sugar concentration, fermentation time, and temperature. There is a need, however, for improved systems and methods for controlling the alcohol concentration in wine products.
The foregoing discussion, including the description of motivations for some embodiments of the invention, is intended to assist the reader in understanding the present disclosure, is not admitted to be prior art, and does not in any way limit the scope of any of the claims.
In certain examples, this disclosure relates to systems and methods for producing low-alcohol wine products. A grape juice can be separated into a high-sugar grape juice and a low-sugar grape juice using a continuous separation process, which can be or include a simulated moving bed (SMB) ion-exchange process. The low-sugar grape juice can be fermented to produce a low-alcohol wine. The high-sugar grape juice can be used to produce one or more beverage products.
In other examples, this disclosure relates to systems and methods for producing fructose and glucose materials. A grape juice can be separated into a fructose stream and a glucose stream using a continuous separation process, which can be or include an SMB ion-exchange process. The fructose and glucose streams can be subjected to evaporation and/or drying processes to produce fructose crystals and glucose crystals, respectively. The fructose and glucose crystals can be used as additives in a variety of food and beverage products.
In general, in one aspect, the subject matter of this disclosure relates to a method of processing grape juice. The method includes: providing as inputs to a simulated moving bed (SMB) ion-exchange device (alternatively referred to herein as “SMB device”) a feed stream and an eluent stream, the feed stream including a grape juice; receiving as outputs from the SMB device an extract stream and a raffinate stream, the extract stream including a high-sugar grape juice and the raffinate stream including a low-sugar grape juice; and providing the low-sugar grape juice to a process for making low-alcohol wine.
In another aspect, the subject matter of this disclosure relates to a system for processing grape juice. The system includes: a simulated moving bed (SMB) ion-exchange device configured to receive a feed stream and an eluent stream as inputs and provide an extract stream and a raffinate stream as outputs, the feed stream including a grape juice, the extract stream including a high-sugar grape juice, and the raffinate stream including a low-sugar grape juice; and fermentation equipment configured to produce a low-alcohol wine from the low-sugar grape juice.
In another aspect, the subject matter of this disclosure relates to a wine product. The wine product includes: a low-alcohol wine produced by fermentation of a low-sugar grape juice obtained from a simulated moving bed (SMB) process having (i) a feed stream including a grape juice and (ii) a raffinate stream including the low-sugar grape juice.
In another aspect, the subject matter of this disclosure relates to a method of processing grape juice. The method includes: providing as inputs to a simulated moving bed (SMB) ion-exchange device a feed stream and an eluent stream, the feed stream including a grape juice; receiving as outputs from the SMB device an extract stream and a raffinate stream, the extract stream including a high concentration of fructose and a low concentration of glucose and the raffinate stream including a high concentration of glucose and a low concentration of fructose; and removing water from the extract stream to produce fructose crystals and from the raffinate stream to produce glucose crystals.
In another aspect, the subject matter of this disclosure relates to a system for processing grape juice. The system includes: a simulated moving bed (SMB) ion-exchange device configured to receive a feed stream and an eluent stream as inputs and provide an extract stream and a raffinate stream as outputs, the feed stream including a grape juice, the extract stream including a high concentration of fructose and a low concentration of glucose, and the raffinate stream including a high concentration of glucose and a low concentration of fructose; at least one evaporator and at least one dryer for removing water from the extract stream and the raffinate stream to produce fructose crystals from the extract stream and glucose crystals from the raffinate stream.
These and other objects, along with advantages and features of embodiments of the present invention herein disclosed, will become more apparent through reference to the following description, the figures, and the claims. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the features of the various embodiments described herein are not mutually exclusive and can exist in various combinations and permutations.
In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the following description, various embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:
It is contemplated that apparatus, systems, methods, and processes of the claimed invention encompass variations and adaptations developed using information from the embodiments described herein. Adaptation and/or modification of the apparatus, systems, methods, and processes described herein may be performed by those of ordinary skill in the relevant art.
It should be understood that the order of steps or order for performing certain actions is immaterial so long as the invention remains operable. Moreover, two or more steps or actions may be conducted simultaneously.
In various examples, “degrees Brix” (or ° Brix) can refer to a sugar content of an aqueous solution. The sugar can be or include glucose, fructose, sucrose, or any combination thereof. For example, 5 degrees Brix (5° Brix) can correspond to a total sugar concentration (e.g., including glucose, fructose, sucrose, or combinations thereof) of 5 grams per 100 mL. In examples involving juice derived from grapes or other fruit or plant materials, as described herein, the sugar in the juice is typically glucose and/or fructose, with little or no sucrose (e.g., typically 0.5% or less, by weight).
In various examples, the eluent stream 22 can be or include water and/or a low brix juice, which can have a sugar content of about 1° Brix, or from about 0° Brix to about 3° Brix. The low brix juice can be a juice for fermentation. For example, the low brix juice can resemble or be associated with wine or grape juice or can otherwise have a vinous character or a juice character. For example, the low brix juice can be derived from grapes or grape juice, which can be the same as or similar to the grapes 12 or the grape juice 16, respectively. In some instances, the low brix juice and the grape juice 16 can be derived from a common grape variety (e.g., Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) or combinations thereof. The low brix juice can be obtained by processing a grape juice in a thermal gradient process and/or a separation process, which can involve evaporation, condensation, and/or filtration, as described herein.
Referring to
Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the high-sugar grape juice from the extract stream 24 (or a portion thereof) can be combined or blended with the alcoholic beverage 39. This can increase a sugar content of the alcoholic beverage 39 and/or can introduce certain flavors, aromas, and/or colors to the alcoholic beverage 39.
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Each column in the SMB device 50 can include or be packed with a bed of resin particles 52 having one or more surface-active compounds. As liquid flows through the columns 1, 2, 3, and 4, constituents within the liquid can travel through the columns 1, 2, 3, and 4 at different velocities or flowrates, depending on an affinity each constituent has for the particles. In general, constituents (e.g., chemical compounds) that have a high affinity for the particles travel more slowly through the column, while constituents that have a low affinity for the particles travel more quickly through the column. In various examples, the resin particles can be or include DOWEX 99 MONOSPHERE resin, BAYER LEWATIT MDS 1368 resin, MITSUBISHI UBK 520M resin, MITSUBISHI UBK 522M resin, MITSUBISHI UBK 530 resin, MITSUBISHI UBK 532 resin, and/or MITSUBISHI UBK 535 resin. The resin particles can have surfaces or volumes that are functionalized with ions, such as potassium or calcium ions (K+ or Ca2+), that bond to glucose and/or fructose or can otherwise have a high affinity for sugar constituents, such as glucose and/or fructose. This can cause glucose and/or fructose constituents within the liquid to flow through the columns more slowly, while other constituents (e.g., water) can flow through the columns more quickly. This difference in flowrate or velocity through the columns can result in a separation of the glucose and/or fructose constituents from the other constituents. The inputs and outputs to the SMB device 50 are positioned such that the extract steam 24 can have a high sugar concentration (e.g., a high glucose and/or high fructose concentration), while the raffinate stream 26 can have a low sugar concentration. Techniques for sugar juice purification are described in U.S. Pat. No. RE36,361, reissued on Nov. 2, 1999, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. A simulated moving bed process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,553, issued on Apr. 7, 1992, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
To simulate a movement of the particles through the columns, the inputs and outputs can be advanced or rotated to different locations over time (e.g., at periodic intervals). For example,
Referring to
The separation process 66 can use or include one or more of a variety of separation techniques, such as, for example, evaporation, condensation, distillation, and/or filtration. In some instances, for example, the separation process 66 utilizes a filter (e.g., a membrane, a membrane system, or a spinning cone filter) that prevents or restricts passage of sugar, such as glucose and/or fructose. The filter can be used to produce the low brix juice 62 as a permeate and the high brix juice 68 as a retentate. A sugar content of the low brix juice 62 and the high brix juice 68 obtained by filtration can be, for example, less than about 7° Brix and greater than about 30° Brix, respectively.
Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the separation process 66 can utilize an evaporator and/or a condenser. For example, the separation process 66 can use a vacuum and/or heat to evaporate water (and other volatile constituents) from the grape juice 64. The evaporated water can be condensed (e.g., in a condenser) and collected to form a condensate, which can have little or no sugar (e.g., 0° Brix). Constituents from the grape juice 64 that did not evaporate can form a grape juice concentrate having a high sugar concentration, such as about 50° Brix to about 80° Brix, or about 70° Brix. The low brix juice 62 in this example can be formed from the condensate and/or the high brix juice 68 can be formed from the concentrate. A portion of the concentrate (e.g., the high brix juice 68) can be added to the condensate (e.g., the low brix juice 62) to form the eluent stream 22 having a desired sugar concentration. For example, the eluent stream 22 can be or include a low brix juice and/or can have a total sugar concentration (e.g., fructose and/or glucose) of at least about 1° Brix.
In general, the separation process 66 can utilize one or more separation techniques described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,990,748, issued Jan. 31, 2006, titled “Method and Apparatus for Evaporating Liquid from a Product,” and/or U.S. Pat. No. 8,790,717, issued Jul. 29, 2014, titled “Natural Crystalline Colorant and Process for Production,” the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein. When an evaporator is used in the separation process 66, the evaporator can be or include, for example, an L&A evaporator (e.g., manufactured by L&A PROCESS SYSTEMS), a thermally accelerated short time evaporator (T.A.S.T.E.), or a mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) evaporator. The separation process 66 preferably does not introduce any water, steam, or other materials to the grape juice 64, such that the low brix juice 62, the high brix juice 68, and the eluent 22 can be derived entirely from the grape juice 64.
Referring to
In certain examples, the separation process 76 can utilize an SMB device and method, such as the SMB device 50 and corresponding methods, described herein. The SMB device can have a bed of resin particles that are or include DOWEX 99 MONOSPHERE resin, BAYER LEWATIT MDS 1368 resin, MITSUBISHI UBK 520M resin, MITSUBISHI UBK 522M resin, MITSUBISHI UBK 530 resin, MITSUBISHI UBK 532 resin, and/or MITSUBISHI UBK 535 resin. The resin particles can have surfaces that are functionalized with ions (e.g., potassium, K+, calcium, or Ca2+ ions) that bond to fructose or otherwise have a high affinity for fructose. This can cause fructose molecules within the liquid to flow through the columns of the SMB device more slowly, while other constituents (e.g., glucose and water) can flow through the columns more quickly. This difference in flowrate or velocity through the columns can result in a separation of the fructose from the glucose or other constituents. The inputs and outputs to the SMB device can be positioned such that the extract steam 80 can have a high fructose concentration and the raffinate stream 82 can have a high glucose concentration. In other examples, resin particles can be chosen that have a high affinity for glucose, such that the extract steam 80 has a high glucose concentration and the raffinate stream 82 has a high fructose concentration.
The extract steam 80 and the raffinate stream 82 can be further processed to produce fructose crystals 84 and glucose crystals 86, respectively. For example, the extract stream 80 can be processed in an evaporator 88, which can remove water and/or other volatile constituents and output a high-fructose stream 90. Compared to the extract stream 80, the high-fructose stream 90 can have a fructose concentration that is higher by about a factor of 3 or 4. The high-fructose stream 90 can then be dried in a dryer 92 to remove additional water and/or other volatile constituents and output the fructose crystals 84. Likewise, the raffinate stream 82 can be processed in an evaporator 94, which can remove water and/or other volatile constituents and output a high-glucose stream 96. Compared to the raffinate stream 82, the high-glucose stream 96 can have a glucose concentration that is higher by about a factor of 3 or 4. The high-glucose stream 96 can then be dried in a dryer 98 to remove additional water and/or other volatile constituents and output the glucose crystals 86. The dryer 92 and/or the dryer 98 can be or include a refractive window dryer. Additionally or alternatively, the dryer 92 and/or the dryer 98 can utilize freeze drying in which the high-fructose stream 90 and the high-glucose stream 96 (or portions thereof) can be frozen and subjected to low pressure, such that ice is removed by sublimation. Other drying techniques can be used. Drying and evaporation techniques and equipment are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,990,748, issued Jan. 31, 2006, titled “Method and Apparatus for Evaporating Liquid from a Product,” and U.S. Pat. No. 8,790,717, issued Jul. 29, 2014, titled “Natural Crystalline Colorant and Process for Production,” the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The fructose crystals 84 and the glucose crystals 86 produced using the method 70 can be used for a variety of purposes. In some instances, for example, the fructose crystals 84 and/or the glucose crystals 86 can be added to a fermentation process for producing an alcoholic beverage. The addition of the fructose crystals 84 and/or the glucose crystals 86 can increase an alcohol content of the alcoholic beverage. Additionally or alternatively, the fructose crystals 84 and/or the glucose crystals 86 can be added to one or more food or beverage products, alcoholic beverages (e.g., seltzers), non-alcoholic beverages, flavored water, pharmaceutical formulations, pet foods, ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, soft drinks, candy, dessert products, and/or other culinary recipes. The addition of the fructose crystals 84 and/or the glucose crystals 86 can improve or enhance a flavor, aroma, or feel of the food or beverage products. Advantageously, production of the fructose crystals 84 and the glucose crystals 86 produced using the method 70 can give food and beverage producers greater control over the flavor, smell, feel and other characteristics of food and beverage products.
Table 1 includes low, high, and typical values for various parameters associated with the systems and methods described herein for producing low-alcohol wine (e.g., the method 10), in accordance with certain examples. Each listed value can be a minimum, maximum, or average value. Various embodiments include any parameter value (e.g., integer or decimal value) within the cited ranges. For example, the sugar concentration (e.g., combined glucose and fructose concentration) of the feed stream can be greater than, less than, or equal to 12, 13, 14, . . . , 29, or 30 g/100 mL (° Brix). Express support and written description of these values for each parameter are hereby represented.
Table 2 includes low, high, and typical values for various parameters associated with the systems and methods described herein for producing glucose and fructose crystals (e.g., the method 70), in accordance with certain examples. Each listed value can be a minimum, maximum, or average value. Various embodiments include any parameter value (e.g., integer or decimal value) within the cited ranges. For example, the glucose concentration of the feed stream can be greater than, less than, or equal to 5, 6, 7, . . . , 49, or 50 g/100 mL (° Brix). Express support and written description of these values for each parameter are hereby represented.
The phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The term “approximately”, the phrase “approximately equal to”, and other similar phrases, as used in the specification and the claims (e.g., “X has a value of approximately Y” or “X is approximately equal to Y”), should be understood to mean that one value (X) is within a predetermined range of another value (Y). The predetermined range may be plus or minus 20%, 10%, 5%, 3%, 1%, 0.1%, or less than 0.1%, unless otherwise indicated.
The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” The phrase “and/or,” as used in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc.
As used in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.
As used in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.
The use of “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and additional items.
Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed. Ordinal terms are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term), to distinguish the claim elements.
Each numerical value presented herein, for example, in a table, a chart, or a graph, is contemplated to represent a minimum value or a maximum value in a range for a corresponding parameter. Accordingly, when added to the claims, the numerical value provides express support for claiming the range, which may lie above or below the numerical value, in accordance with the teachings herein. Absent inclusion in the claims, each numerical value presented herein is not to be considered limiting in any regard.
The terms and expressions employed herein are used as terms and expressions of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof. In addition, having described certain embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments incorporating the concepts disclosed herein may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The features and functions of the various embodiments may be arranged in various combinations and permutations, and all are considered to be within the scope of the disclosed invention. Accordingly, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as only illustrative and not restrictive. Furthermore, the configurations, materials, and dimensions described herein are intended as illustrative and in no way limiting. Similarly, although physical explanations have been provided for explanatory purposes, there is no intent to be bound by any particular theory or mechanism, or to limit the claims in accordance therewith.
