Preparation method of acerola cherry fruit flavored alcoholic drink

Abstract

The invention discloses a preparation method of acerola cherry fruit flavored alcoholic drink. The preparation method comprises the following steps: 1) treating acerola cherry fruits; (2) preparing acerola cherry fruit flavored base wine; (3) blending alcoholic drink; and 4) performing multi-stage cooling, freezing and filtering on the wine body to obtain the acerola cherry fruit flavored liqueur. The method solves the problems that in the production process of acerola cherry fruit flavored liqueur in the industry, acerola cherry fruit extraction needs additional auxiliary materials, the efficiency is low, and the stability and flavor are poor, the production cost is further reduced, and meanwhile the flavored liqueur which is elegant in fruity flavor and has a nutritional effect is produced; a liqueur product which is unique in style and good in taste is provided for consumers, and the liqueur has a wide industrial application prospect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food processing technology, specifically to a method for preparing acerola cherry flavored liqueur. Background Technology

[0002] Acerola cherries are hailed as the "King of Natural Vitamin C," with a vitamin C content far exceeding that of common cherries and lemons. They are also rich in flavonoids, anthocyanins, and various minerals, making them highly nutritious and beneficial to health. Currently, products made from acerola cherries on the market mainly include juice, fruit powder, and health supplements. However, the development of acerola cherry-flavored alcoholic beverages is relatively limited, especially liqueurs made with baijiu (Chinese white liquor) as a base, which are particularly scarce.

[0003] Existing methods for preparing fruit-flavored wines mostly employ fermentation or maceration. Fermentation has a long production cycle and complex processes, and the fermentation process consumes some of the original nutrients and aromas of the fruit. Traditional maceration methods typically involve cutting or crushing the fruit before soaking, but acerola cherry pulp is soft, and heat-sensitive nutrients such as vitamin C are easily lost due to oxidation and enzymatic reactions during room-temperature crushing, leading to a darker color, deteriorated flavor, and reduced nutritional value. Secondly, methods using fruit juice concentration require the addition of auxiliary materials to maintain the viscosity of the juice. This process introduces non-natural components into the wine, negatively impacting its quality and stability.

[0004] Therefore, developing an alcoholic beverage product and its preparation method that can retain the natural nutrients, color, and flavor of acerola cherries to the greatest extent possible has significant market value and application prospects. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a liqueur that can retain the natural vitamin C, color and flavor of acerola cherries to the maximum extent, as well as its preparation method, to provide consumers who like the flavor of baijiu with more nutritious and flavorful baijiu products and meet the growing health demands of the market.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A method for preparing an acerola cherry flavored liqueur includes the following steps: (1) Acerola cherry processing: Select fresh, unrotten acerola cherry fruits, wash them with clean water and drain the surface water; (2) Acerola cherry fruit freeze-pulverization: The drained acerola cherry fruit is placed in an ultra-low temperature environment for quick freezing treatment. The frozen acerola cherry fruit is then quickly transferred to a freeze pulverizer for pulverization to obtain frozen acerola cherry pulp. (3) Base liquor preparation: Select high-quality light aroma, strong aroma and sauce aroma base liquors with sufficient aging period in earthenware jars and combine them in proportion. Circulate nitrogen gas for 5-10 minutes to ensure uniformity and control the pH value at 3.2-4.2. (4) Preparation of acerola cherry flavored base wine: The frozen acerola cherry pulp obtained in step 3) is mixed with the base wine obtained in step 2) at a product ratio of (0.2-1):5. The mixture is then placed in an insulated tank and mixed at 5-20℃. Nitrogen gas is introduced and stirred for 5-10 minutes every 4-6 hours. The mixture is stirred continuously for 3-5 days. (5) First filtration of base liquor: The base liquor obtained in step 4) is filtered and clarified using a diatomaceous earth filter to obtain clarified base liquor, which is then stored at a temperature below 20°C. (6) Blending of semi-finished products: According to the style of the base liquor obtained in step (5), it is transferred to the blending tank, high-quality flavoring liquor is added, and water is added to reduce the alcohol content to the target level. Nitrogen gas is used for ventilation and circulation to ensure uniformity. (7) Finished product filtration: The semi-finished wine obtained in step (6) is quickly transferred to a freeze filter for freeze filtration to obtain a clear finished wine; (8) Bottling and storage: Transfer the finished wine obtained in step 8) to a thermal storage tank for low-temperature storage. After passing the test, it is bottled and stored in a cool warehouse for 30 days. After passing the test, it can be put on the market for sale.

[0007] Preferably, step (1) includes the following steps: select high-quality acerola cherry fruits, pour them into a drainer, use clean water 2 to 3 times, rinse with purified water 1 to 2 times, and then blow dry under high pressure for later use.

[0008] Preferably, step (2) includes the following steps: placing the air-dried acerola cherry fruit obtained in step 1) in an ultra-low temperature environment of -18℃ to -40℃ for quick freezing treatment until the core temperature of the fruit reaches below -18℃. The frozen acerola cherry fruit is then quickly transferred to a cryogenic grinder and ground under inert gas protection, with the grinding temperature controlled below -5℃, to obtain frozen acerola cherry pulp.

[0009] Preferably, step (3) includes the following steps: selecting the strong, light and soy sauce-flavored base wines aged in earthenware jars, combining and blending them in proportion, controlling the alcohol content to above 60% vol, and passing nitrogen gas for 5 to 10 minutes to ensure uniform circulation of the base wine, and controlling the pH value range to 3.5 to 4.2.

[0010] Preferably, step (4) includes the following steps: the base wine obtained in step 3) and the frozen acerola cherry pulp obtained in step 2) are mixed in a volume ratio of 5:(0.2-1) and transferred into a heat preservation tank. The temperature is controlled at 5-20°C, the alcohol content is controlled at 50-60%vol, the pH value is controlled in the range of 3-4, and nitrogen gas is introduced and stirred for 5-10 minutes every 4-6 hours for 3-5 days.

[0011] Preferably, in step (6), 0.5-1% of strong-aroma double-boil flavoring wine and 0.5-1% of aged flavoring wine are added to the base wine obtained in step (5) by total volume, and water is added to reduce the alcohol content to 35-45% vol. Nitrogen gas is circulated evenly, and the blended wine is transferred to a heat preservation tank, cooled to 0-10°C, and circulated with nitrogen gas for 5 minutes, and then kept warm for 7-15 days.

[0012] Preferably, in step (7), the semi-finished wine sample obtained in step (6) is quickly transferred into a freeze filter, cooled to -10 to -5°C, and then freeze filtered to obtain a clarified finished wine.

[0013] Preferably, in step (8), the finished wine obtained in step (7) is quickly transferred to a heat preservation tank and kept at 0-5°C. After passing the test, it is quickly filled and sealed, and stored in a cool warehouse for 30 days. After passing the test, it can be put on the market for sale.

[0014] The present invention has the following advantages over the prior art: 1. This invention uses baijiu (Chinese white liquor) as a base and acerola cherry fruit as the herbal raw material. The key is the "freeze-pulverization" process, which involves ultra-low temperature flash freezing to form ice crystals within the acerola cherry fruit cells. During pulverization, these ice crystals pierce the cell walls, making the contents easier to dissolve. Simultaneously, the low temperature effectively inhibits the activity of oxidases (such as polyphenol oxidase) and the oxidative decomposition of vitamin C, maximizing the preservation of natural vitamin C, polyphenols, and the original natural fruit aroma of the acerola cherry. Production using this process can produce acerola cherry-flavored liqueur with a unique fruity aroma and rich nutrients. The liqueur contains ≥15mg / L of vitamin C and ≥3mg / L of total flavonoids, exhibiting a delicate fragrance, a smooth and sweet taste, and a long finish.

[0015] 2. Because the invention avoids oxidative browning by controlling the temperature throughout the crushing and blending process, the resulting wine exhibits the natural red or orange-red color of acerola cherries, with a bright hue and excellent sensory quality.

[0016] 3. This invention uses baijiu (Chinese white liquor) as the base spirit. At an alcohol content of 50-60% vol, the vitamin C and flavonoids in the frozen acerola cherry pulp exhibit good solubility, while also ensuring that components such as cellulose can fully precipitate. Acerola cherry flavored base spirit prepared under these base spirit conditions exhibits the best flavor. Furthermore, by utilizing the pH differences among the three aroma types of base spirits, the pH of the base spirit is controlled within the pH range where vitamin C is most stable, avoiding the adverse effects of adding external ingredients to adjust the pH and the resulting flavor.

[0017] 4. The core innovation of this invention lies in its multi-stage freezing and filtration process, which ensures the full extraction of components such as cellulose and pectin from acerola cherries. No processing aids or excipients are required during preparation, effectively guaranteeing the product's naturalness and purity, and ensuring the reliability and safety of its flavor. Simultaneously, the multi-stage freezing process effectively ensures efficient filtration during wine production, as well as the clarity and stability of the wine. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the preparation process of an acerola cherry flavored liqueur according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments of this invention pertain. If any definition stated in this section is contrary to or otherwise inconsistent with a definition stated in a patent, patent application, published patent application, or other publication incorporated herein by reference, the definitions listed here shall prevail over those incorporated herein by reference.

[0022] Unless otherwise specified, the methods used in the following embodiments are conventional methods. Unless otherwise specified, the materials, reagents, and instruments used are conventional materials, reagents, and instruments in the art, and can be obtained commercially by those skilled in the art.

[0023] Example 1 like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a preparation process for a strong-aroma-dominant acerola cherry flavored liqueur (40% vol), including the following steps: 1) Acerola cherry fruit treatment Take 8 kg of fresh, unrotten acerola cherry fruit, place them in an ultrasonic cleaning tank, add water to cover the fruit by 1.5 cm, and ultrasonically clean for 5 minutes; drain, then inject purified water and repeat the cleaning once, drain again. Transfer to a stainless steel sieve plate and spread flat, then blow dry the surface moisture with 0.3 MPa high-pressure air.

[0024] The fruit was quickly immersed in liquid nitrogen and pre-cooled to -18°C. Then, under liquid nitrogen protection, it was sent to a cryogenic grinder, with the chamber temperature controlled at -10°C, and ground to a particle size of about 150 mesh, yielding about 6L of frozen fruit pulp.

[0025] 2) Preparation of acerola cherry flavored base wine Base liquor preparation: Take 120 L of raw liquor aged for more than 5 years in earthenware jars, including 60% strong aroma type, 30% light aroma type and 10% sauce aroma type. After mixing, circulate nitrogen gas for 8 minutes and measure the alcohol content as 62.6% vol and pH as 3.7.

[0026] Flavor extraction: Take 6 L of the above-mentioned frozen fruit pulp and 120 L of base wine (volume ratio 0.25:5), mix them, the alcohol content is 59.5% vol, pH 3.7, and transfer to a 10℃ insulated tank. Nitrogen gas is introduced and stirred for 5 min every 6 hours, and the treatment is continued for 4 days. Coarsely filter using a diatomaceous earth filter to obtain approximately 125 L of clarified flavor base wine, which is stored in a 4℃ cold storage.

[0027] 3) Wine blending and filtration Add 0.8% strong-aroma double-boiled flavoring liquor and 0.8% aged flavoring liquor to the flavor base liquor, and dilute with purified water to 40% vol. After uniform nitrogen circulation, transfer to an insulated tank to cool to 5°C, then purge with nitrogen for another 5 minutes, and let stand for 12 days. After standing, directly transfer to a freeze filter and cool to -5°C for freeze filtration.

[0028] 4) Filling and storage The finished wine is transferred to an insulated tank and kept at a temperature of 3°C. After passing the inspection, it is immediately bottled and sealed. It is then stored in a cool warehouse (≤20°C) for 30 days. After a normal sensory re-inspection, it is released to the market. The finished product has the following characteristics: color: bright orange-red; flavor: mellow and sweet with a slightly refreshing cherry aroma; initial taste: sweet and smooth; finish: slightly acidic and sweet. See Table 1 for relevant testing indicators.

[0029] Example 2 This embodiment provides a preparation process for a 35% vol acerola cherry flavored liqueur, including the following steps: 1) Acerola cherry fruit treatment Take 40 kg of fresh, unrotten acerola cherry fruit, place them in an ultrasonic cleaning tank, add water to cover the fruit by 1.5 cm, and ultrasonically clean for 5 minutes; after draining, inject purified water and repeat the cleaning once, then drain again. Transfer to a stainless steel sieve plate and spread flat, then blow dry the surface moisture with 0.3 MPa high-pressure air.

[0030] The fruit was quickly immersed in liquid nitrogen and pre-cooled to -18°C. Then, under liquid nitrogen protection, it was sent into a cryogenic grinder, with the chamber temperature controlled at -10°C, and ground to a particle size of about 150 mesh, yielding about 30L of frozen fruit pulp.

[0031] 2) Preparation of acerola cherry flavored base wine Base liquor preparation: Take 150 L of raw liquor aged for more than 5 years in earthenware jars, including 70% light aroma type, 15% strong aroma type and 15% sauce aroma type. After mixing, circulate nitrogen gas for 8 minutes and measure the alcohol content as 61.8% vol and pH as 4.0.

[0032] Flavor extraction: Take 30 L of the above-mentioned frozen fruit pulp and 150 L of base wine (volume ratio 1:5), mix them, the alcohol content is 51.5% vol, pH 3.7, and transfer to a 10℃ insulated tank. Nitrogen gas is introduced and stirred for 5 min every 6 hours, and the treatment is continued for 4 days. Coarsely filter using a membrane filter to obtain approximately 175 L of clarified flavor base wine, which is stored in a 4℃ cold storage.

[0033] 3) Wine blending and filtration Add 0.8% strong-aroma double-boiled flavoring liquor and 0.8% aged flavoring liquor to the flavor base liquor, and dilute with purified water to 40% vol. After uniform nitrogen circulation, transfer to an insulated tank to cool to 5°C, then purge with nitrogen for 5 minutes, and let stand for 12 days. After standing, directly transfer to a freeze filter and cool to -10°C for freeze filtration.

[0034] 4) Filling and storage The finished wine is transferred to an insulated tank and kept at a temperature of 3°C. After passing the inspection, it is immediately bottled and sealed. It is then stored in a cool warehouse (≤20°C) for 30 days. After a normal sensory re-inspection, it is released to the market. The finished product has the following characteristics: color: bright orange-red; flavor: mellow and sweet with a slightly refreshing cherry aroma; initial taste: sweet and smooth; finish: slightly acidic and sweet. See Table 1 for relevant testing indicators.

[0035] Comparative Example 1 After juicing acerola cherries directly at room temperature, immediately mix them with light-aroma baijiu at a volume ratio of 1:5 and extract for 3-4 days. After adding water to reduce the alcohol content, stir directly at room temperature and then freeze-filter at -10℃. The remaining steps are the same as above. See Table 1 for relevant testing indicators.

[0036] Comparative Example 2 The juice of conventional acerola cherries was extracted, and the pH was adjusted by adding calcium hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide. Pectinase was added for enzymatic hydrolysis, followed by membrane filtration. The resulting solution was then concentrated using nanofiltration and added to a light-aroma baijiu (Chinese liquor) at a ratio of 0.2:5. The liquor was then diluted to 42% vol and frozen at -10℃ for filtration. The remaining steps were the same as above. Relevant testing indicators are shown in Table 1.

[0037] The pressed wines obtained from Examples 1, 2, 1, and 2 were sampled and tested. The specific data are shown in Table 1.

[0038] Table 1 Physicochemical properties of each embodiment

[0039] Note: Total flavonoids in Table 1 are calculated as rutin.

[0040] As shown in Table 1, using a base spirit primarily of strong aroma (Example 1), the vitamin C content is 32 mg / L. The spirit has a rich aroma with a slight fruity note and a smooth, sweet taste. When the amount of acerola cherry pulp used is increased (Example 2), the vitamin C content can reach 120 mg / L. The spirit has a richer fruity aroma, a reddish-brown color, and a pronounced sweet and sour taste. Compared to traditional direct extraction without low-temperature preservation (Comparative Example 1), the overall vitamin C content is lower, and the stability of vitamin C cannot be guaranteed. Furthermore, the spirit's color is more yellowish-brown, and flocculent precipitates still form at low temperatures. Therefore, under the process conditions of this invention, compared to the traditional simple room-temperature extraction process, the vitamin C content of the spirit is more stable, and the spirit exhibits good stability. Directly concentrating the fruit juice (Comparative Example 2) before adding it to the liquor requires the addition of pH-adjusting additives. While this can appropriately improve the stability of vitamin C, it introduces a large amount of calcium and magnesium ions from the additives. Furthermore, concentration results in the loss of some flavor components, affecting not only the stability of the liquor but also causing the blended liquor to lack the natural aroma and taste of acerola cherry. This invention, through the coordinated steps of freeze-pulverization, optimal pH buffering protection with three base spirits, low-temperature extraction, nitrogen protection, and multi-stage cooling followed by thorough settling of the liquor, ensures that the final acerola cherry-flavored liqueur retains the active ingredients of the acerola cherry to the maximum extent, avoiding losses caused by high temperatures and concentration, and ensuring that the liquor possesses the aroma and sweet-sour taste of acerola cherry.

[0041] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of preparing a needle cherry fruit-flavored liqueur, characterized in that, It comprises the following steps: (1) needle cherry processing: select fresh, no rotten needle cherry fruit, wash with clean water and drain surface moisture; (2) needle cherry fruit frozen and crushed: the drained needle cherry fruit is placed in an ultra-low temperature environment for quick freezing treatment, and the frozen needle cherry fruit is quickly transferred to a frozen crusher for crushing to obtain needle cherry frozen fruit pulp; (3) base liquor preparation: select high-quality clear, strong and sauce-flavor base liquor aged in pottery jars for a sufficient period of time, combine them in proportion, circulate evenly for 5-10 minutes with nitrogen gas, and control the pH value to be 3.2-4.2; (4) preparation of needle cherry flavored base liquor: mix the needle cherry frozen fruit pulp obtained in step 3) with the base liquor obtained in step 2) at a volume ratio of (0.2-1):5, pour into a heat preservation tank, mix at 5-20℃, every 4-6 hours, circulate and stir for 5-10 minutes with nitrogen gas, and continuously stir for 3-5 days; (5) first filtration treatment of base liquor: filter the extracted base liquor obtained in step 4) using a diatomite filter to obtain clear base liquor, and store it at a temperature below 20℃; (6) semi-finished product blending: according to the style of the base liquor obtained in step (5), transfer it into a blending tank, add high-quality flavoring liquor, and add water to reduce the degree to the target degree, and circulate evenly using nitrogen gas; (7) finished product filtration treatment: quickly transfer the semi-finished liquor obtained in step (6) into a frozen filter for frozen filtration to obtain clear finished liquor; (8) filling and storage: transfer the finished liquor obtained in step 8) into a heat preservation tank for low-temperature storage, after passing the detection, fill it, and store it in a cool warehouse for 30 days, and then it can be sold on the market after passing the detection.

2. A method of preparing a needle cherry fruit flavor liqueur according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step (1) comprises the following steps: select high-quality needle cherry fruit, pour into a draining machine, use clean water 2-3 times, use pure water for washing 1-2 times, high-pressure blow dry, and reserve.

3. A process for the preparation of a needle cherry fruit flavor liqueur according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step (2) comprises the following steps: place the dried needle cherry fruit obtained in step 1) in an ultra-low temperature environment of -18℃ to -40℃ for quick freezing treatment until the center temperature of the fruit reaches below -18℃. Quickly transfer the frozen needle cherry fruit to a frozen crusher for crushing under the protection of inert gas, control the crushing temperature below -5℃, and obtain needle cherry frozen fruit pulp.

4. A process for the preparation of a needle cherry fruit flavor liqueur according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step (3) comprises the following steps: select strong, clear and sauce-flavor base liquor aged in pottery jars, combine them in proportion, control the alcohol content to be above 55%vol, and circulate evenly for 5-10 minutes with nitrogen gas, and control the pH value to be in the range of 3.5-4.

0.

5. A method of preparing a needle cherry fruit flavor liqueur according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step (4) comprises the following steps: mix the base liquor obtained in step 3) with the needle cherry frozen fruit pulp obtained in step 2) at a volume ratio of 5:(0.2-1), transfer into a heat preservation tank, control the temperature to be 5-20℃, the alcohol content to be 50-60%vol, and the pH value to be in the range of 3-4, every 4-6 hours, circulate and stir for 5-10 minutes with nitrogen gas, and continuously stir for 3-5 days.

6. A method of preparing a needle cherry fruit flavor liqueur according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (6), 0.5-1% of the strong-flavor double-wheel base liquor and 0.5-1% of the aged-flavor liquor are added into the base liquor obtained in step (5), and water is added to reduce the degree to 35-45% vol, nitrogen is circulated to make the liquor uniform, the prepared liquor is transferred into a holding tank, cooled to 0-10°C, and circulated with nitrogen for 5 min, and then held for 7-15 days.

7. A method of preparing a needle cherry fruit flavor liqueur according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (7), the semi-finished liquor sample obtained in step (6) is quickly transferred into a refrigerated filter, cooled to -10--5°C, and then subjected to refrigerated filtration to obtain the clear finished liquor.

8. A method of preparing a needle cherry fruit flavor liqueur according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (8), the finished liquor obtained in step (7) is quickly transferred into a holding tank and held at 0-5°C, and after the detection is qualified, the liquor is quickly filled and sealed, stored in a cool warehouse for 30 days, and then sold on the market after the detection is qualified.

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