ADSORPTION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING AN ADSORPTION SYSTEM

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an adsorption system for enriching flavorings from a flavoring-containing fluid, which is a foodstuff from the group of beer-containing foodstuffs and / or beverages, beer wort, hops, hop extract, malt water, malt beer, malt wort, and brewery-specific raw materials and products, and / or is obtained by means of a dealcoholization device from an ethanol-containing foodstuff from the group of beer-containing foodstuffs and / or beverages. The invention further relates to a method for operating such an adsorption system and to a beer obtained by blending an at least partially dealcoholized and / or fermentation-stopped beer with a flavoring concentrate.

[0002] In the brewing industry, various methods of producing beer and beer-based food and beverages with low alcohol content are known. The term "beer" generally refers to a food and beverage produced by partial or complete fermentation of saccharified starch, without the need for a distillation process. In the narrower sense, "beer" refers to a food and beverage obtained from malt and / or starchy raw grains, i.e., from malt substitutes, and not distilled. The term "beer-based food and beverage" therefore encompasses unadulterated beer as well as beer that has been blended or mixed with other food and / or beverages, such as fruit juices (beer mixes), spices, or the like.Since the terms "low-alcohol" and "alcohol-free" are defined differently in different countries, the term "low-alcohol" is used below if the beer or beer-containing food or beverage contains a maximum of 1% alcohol by volume, and preferably a maximum of 0.7% alcohol by volume. The term "alcohol-free" is used below if the beer-containing food or beverage contains a maximum of 0.5% alcohol by volume. In the context of this disclosure, the term "alcohol" generally refers to ethanol, unless otherwise stated.

[0003] Beer (both draft and full-strength) typically has an alcohol content between approximately 4 and 6% by volume, although light and single-strength beers with lower alcohol content and strong beers such as Bock, Doppelbock, or Trippelbock beers, sometimes with significantly higher alcohol content, are also known. Classification is usually based on the original wort content used in production.

[0004] There are currently two main processes used to dealcoholise beer, although combinations of these two processes are also known. In one process, a lower alcohol content is achieved by stopping fermentation prematurely, i.e. preventing or reducing the formation of alcohol. This generally gives the drink a sweet taste, as many carbohydrates are still present in their original form. Aromas that only develop during fermentation, on the other hand, are partially or completely absent. In the other process, after the fermentation process is complete, the alcohol is removed from the drink in a downstream physical process, for example by distillation, rectification, dialysis or reverse osmosis. In this process, aromatic substances are always removed along with the alcohol and are sometimes even altered by the process.In addition, there are other methods for reducing the alcohol content, such as mixing beer with water, blending non-alcoholic and alcoholic beer, etc., but these often lead to even more noticeable changes in taste and are therefore only very rarely used.

[0005] The disadvantage of all current processes is the comparatively strong change in the taste of the beverage, so that currently available non-alcoholic or reduced-alcohol beers have an aroma profile that deviates comparatively strongly from the aroma profile of the original beer or a full-bodied beer.

[0006] To improve the flavor profile, it is therefore known to add flavorings to beer-based foods and beverages to compensate for losses during dealcoholization. The simplest method is to add artificial or nature-identical flavorings. However, such additions are undesirable because, on the one hand, they are subject to mandatory labeling, and on the other hand, it is practically impossible to accurately recreate the original, complex flavor. Therefore, the flavor profile of such beer-based foods and beverages is generally perceived by consumers as artificial or lacking in beer-like qualities.

[0007] Another possibility is the extraction or recovery of flavorings from the brewery's own raw materials or products and the targeted addition of these flavorings to dealcoholized beer to create or recreate a typical beer flavor profile. In addition to beer, beer wort, hops, hop extract, malt water, malt beer, and malt wort are particularly suitable for extraction or recovery. However, this list is not exhaustive and includes other brewery-specific raw materials and products.

[0008] This has the advantage that the addition of flavorings obtained in this way is usually not subject to declaration, and that a less artificial and more beer-like flavor profile can be achieved compared to the addition of individual flavorings. The reason for this lies primarily in the high number and complex composition of flavorings contained in beer, which makes recovery from fluids generated during dealcoholization processes or from brewery-specific raw materials or products considerably more difficult.

[0009] A process for obtaining flavor concentrates is known, for example, from EP 2 075 321 A1. In this adsorption process, an aqueous aroma containing one or more flavorings is first provided as a fluid. The flavor-containing fluid is then passed through a sorbent arranged in a working chamber, which can also be referred to as a sorbent or adsorption material. In this process, at least some of the flavoring(s) contained in the fluid adsorb onto the sorbent. The adsorbed flavorings can then be desorbed from the sorbent with the aid of a suitable desorption agent and collected as a flavor concentrate in which the flavorings are present at a higher concentration than their initial concentration.

[0010] However, this adsorption process or adsorption system does not allow for the most uniform recovery and enrichment of typical beer aroma compounds. In particular, only a relatively low concentration of polar aroma compounds is possible, so that non-polar aroma compounds are enriched relatively strongly compared to polar aroma compounds. This makes it impossible to obtain authentic aroma concentrates—that is, aroma concentrates in which both polar and non-polar aroma compounds are present as evenly as possible and with the highest possible concentration factors.

[0011] WO 2015 / 104357 A1 discloses a process for producing a dealcoholized beverage from its alcoholic beverage starting material and a plant for carrying out the process. The process comprises the following steps: separating the beverage starting material into an alcoholic and aromatic permeate and an aromatic and virtually alcohol-free retentate in a permeation module by non-thermal permeation, dealcoholizing the permeate in a module designed for this purpose, and finally mixing the dealcoholized permeate with the virtually alcohol-free retentate in a final mixing module.Before dealcoholization, flavor compounds are removed from the aromatic and alcoholic permeate by cold adsorption in an aroma adsorber, resulting in both an aroma phase and an aroma-free permeate, from which the alcohol has been removed by alcohol separation, resulting in an aqueous, largely dearomatized and dealcoholized permeate water phase. The final mixing of the aroma phase, permeate water phase, and retentate takes place in a final mixing module to produce a dealcoholized beverage.

[0012] US Pat. No. 5,077,061 A discloses a process for producing a non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beer. The process comprises thermally crushing malt slurry to obtain a malt slurry from a substrate selected from the group consisting of a full-strength or high-alcohol brewer's base or a protein fraction derived therefrom.

[0013] The object of the present invention is to create an adsorption system that enables a particularly high concentration of aromatic substances while maintaining an authentic aroma profile as far as possible. Further objects of the invention are to provide a method for operating such an adsorption system that enables a high and uniform concentration of typical beer aroma substances and to create a beer with the lowest possible alcohol content and a beer-like aroma profile.

[0014] The objects are achieved according to the invention by an adsorption system for enriching flavorings having the features of patent claim 1, by a method according to patent claim 13 for operating such an adsorption system, and by a beer having the features of patent claim 20. Advantageous embodiments with expedient further developments of the invention are specified in the respective subclaims, wherein advantageous embodiments of each aspect of the invention are to be regarded as advantageous embodiments of any other aspect of the invention.

[0015] A first aspect of the invention relates to an adsorption system according to claim 1 for the enrichment of flavorings, comprising at least one working space in which at least one sorbent is arranged as a stationary phase and can be acted upon as a mobile phase for the deposition of flavorings with a flavoring-containing fluid that can be conducted through the working space, wherein the flavoring-containing fluid is a foodstuff from the group of beer-containing foodstuffs and / or luxury items, beer wort, hops, hop extract, malt water, malt beer, malt wort and brewery-specific raw materials and / or brewery-specific products and / or is obtained by means of a dealcoholization device from an ethanol-containing foodstuff from the group of beer-containing foodstuffs and / or luxury items.According to the invention, it is provided that a ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length of the at least one working space is at most 0.3 and the total length of a flow path for the fluid provided through the at least one working space is at least 4.0 m, wherein the adsorption system comprises a control device which is designed to operate the adsorption system in an absorption mode, in which the at least one sorbent is acted upon by the flavoring-containing fluid in order to adsorb flavorings on the sorbent, and in a desorption mode, in which the at least one sorbent is acted upon by a fluid desorbent from the group of ethanol and ethanol-water mixture in order to desorb flavorings adsorbed on the sorbent as flavoring concentrate.In other words, the invention provides that the adsorption system has at least one working chamber in which the sorbent(s) through which the aroma-containing fluid is to flow can be arranged. The geometry of the at least one working chamber is selected such that the ratio of the average cross-sectional thickness to the total length of the working chamber(s) is at most 0.3. A ratio of 0.3 or less is understood to mean ratios of average cross-sectional thickness to total length of, for example, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1, 0.09, 0.08, 0.07, 0.06, 0.05, 0.04, 0.03, 0.02, 0.01, 0.009, 0.008, 0.007, 0.006, 0.005, 0.004, 0.003, 0.002, 0.001, 1.0 * 10 -4< , 1.0 * 10 -5< or less, whereby corresponding intermediate values ​​are generally to be regarded as disclosed.This provides the longest and most narrow sorbent bed possible, making it possible to adsorb both polar and non-polar aroma substances as evenly as possible onto the sorbent, depending on the binding characteristics of the sorbent(s) used and the aroma molecules present in the fluid. Accordingly, the adsorption system makes it possible to produce particularly authentic aroma substance concentrates, i.e., aroma substance concentrates in which all aroma substances present in the original fluid are at least predominantly or essentially uniformly enriched and with little loss. Furthermore, very high enrichment factors can be achieved with the aid of the adsorption system according to the invention. It can generally be provided that the ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length of all working spaces is at least 1.0 * 10 -7<.

[0016] The concentration or enrichment factor of at least one flavoring in the flavoring concentrate compared to the original fluid can in principle be at least 1.01, in particular at least 10, preferably at least 100, preferably at least 1000 and in particular at least 15000. For example, the concentration factor of at least one flavoring substance can be at least 2, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 3500, 4000, 4500, 5000, 5500, 6000, 6500, 7000, 7500, 8000, 8500, 9000, 9500, 10000, 10500, 11000, 11500, 12000, 12500, 13000, 13500, 14000, 14500, 15000, 15500, 16000, 16500, 17000, 17500, 18000, 18500, 19000, 19500, 20000, 20000, 25000, 30000, 35000, 40000, 45000, 50000, 55000, 60000, 65000, 70000, 75000, 80000, 85000, 90000, 95000, 100000 or more, whereby corresponding intermediate values ​​are generally to be regarded as disclosed.In other words, the flavoring concentrate must be diluted again by a corresponding factor so that the flavoring is present again in its original concentration as in the fluid. The higher the concentration factor, the smaller the storage and transport space required and the easier the further processing of the flavoring concentrate. Furthermore, the proportion of solvent(s) decreases with concentration, so that, for example, ethanol-free flavoring concentrates can also be produced which comply with Halal regulations. Alternatively or additionally, it is provided within the scope of the present disclosure for ethanol-containing fluids that the concentration orThe enrichment factor of at least one flavoring in the flavoring concentrate is determined based on an ethanol content of the fluid, that is to say that for at least one flavoring other than ethanol, the ratio of the concentrations c (in mol / l or in g / l) C flavoring :C ethanol in the fluid and in the flavoring concentrate is formed and compared with one another, wherein the ratio c flavoring :c ethanol in the concentrate is greater than the ratio c flavoring :c ethanol in the fluid and for at least one flavoring is at least 1.01, in particular at least 10, preferably at least 100, preferably at least 1000 and in particular at least 15000.As a result, it can generally happen that the total volume of the first flavoring concentrate decreases only insignificantly compared to the fluid, remains essentially the same or even increases, but that the ratio of flavoring concentration to ethanol concentration is nevertheless greater in the flavoring concentrate than in the fluid, since ethanol is depleted relative to the at least one other flavoring. For the purposes of this definition of the concentration factor, ethanol is not understood as a flavoring, although ethanol can in principle also contribute to the overall flavor of the fluid. In other words, it is intended that the concentration of at least one flavoring in the flavoring concentrate is higher than in the fluid and / or that at least one flavoring is enriched in the flavoring concentrate relative to ethanol relative to the fluid, i.e. that ethanol in the flavoring concentrate is depleted at least relative to the concentration of the at least one flavoring.It can be provided that at least two flavorings, a plurality of flavorings, a large number of flavorings, a predominant number of flavorings or all flavorings contained in the fluid have a respective concentration factor of at least 1.01.

[0017] In the context of the present invention, the average cross-sectional thickness is understood to be the arithmetic mean of the cross-sectional thicknesses over the entire length of the working chamber or chambers. In the simplest case, the working chamber is circular in cross-section, so that the cross-sectional thickness corresponds to the inner diameter of the working chamber. In general, however, the cross-sectional geometry is not restricted to specific designs and can, for example, also be rectangular, polygonal, elliptical, irregular, etc. The overall length results in the case of a single working chamber from its length or height (in the direction of flow) or, in the case of two or more working chambers, from the addition of the lengths or heights of all working chambers. The at least one working chamber is preferably filled to at least 50 vol.% with one or more sorbents. For example, each working chamber can be filled to at least 50 vol.%, 55 vol.%, 60 vol.%, 65 vol.%, 70 vol.%, 75 vol.%, 80 vol.-%, 85 vol.%, 90 vol.%, 95 vol.%, 98 vol.%, 99 vol.% or more with a sorbent or a mixture of two or more sorbents.

[0018] In the context of the present invention, a flavoring agent is generally understood to mean flavors and / or fragrances. The fluid is preferably in liquid and / or gaseous form, at least under standard conditions (SATP, Standard Ambient Temperature and Pressure, 25 °C / 1.013 bar). The total content of flavoring agents in the fluid can be between approximately 99 vol.% and 0.0001 vol.% or 1 ppb (1 µg / kg) or less, whereby all ingredients of the fluid naturally always and exclusively add up to 100%. In the context of the present invention, percentages are generally to be understood as volume percent, unless otherwise stated. The flavoring agents can generally be dissolved and / or suspended or dispersed in the fluid. The fluid can optionally have an ethanol content of between 0.0001 vol.% and 99 vol.%. This means that the fluid has a total content of flavorings or an ethanol content of, for example, 0.0001 vol.%, 0.001 vol.%, 0.01 vol.-%, 0.1 Vol.-%, 0.2 Vol.-%, 0.3 Vol.-%, 0.4 Vol.-%, 0.5 Vol.-%, 0.6 Vol.-%, 0.7 Vol.-%, 0.8 Vol.-%, 0.9 Vol.-%, 1 Vol.-%, 2 Vol.-%, 3 Vol.-%, 4 Vol.-%, 5 Vol.-%, 6 Vol.-%, 7 Vol.-%, 8 Vol.-%, 9 Vol.-%, 10 Vol.-%, 11 Vol.-%, 12 Vol.-%, 13 Vol.-%, 14 Vol.-%, 15 Vol.-%, 16 Vol.-%, 17 Vol.-%, 18 Vol.-%, 19 Vol.-%, 20 Vol.-%, 21 Vol.-%, 22 Vol.-%, 23 Vol.-%, 24 Vol.-%, 25 Vol.-%, 26 Vol.-%, 27 Vol.-%, 28 Vol.-%, 29 Vol.-%, 30 Vol.-%, 31 Vol.-%, 32 Vol.-%, 33 Vol.-%, 34 Vol.-%, 35 Vol.-%, 36 Vol.-%, 37 Vol.-%, 38 Vol.-%, 39 Vol.-%, 40 Vol.-%, 41 Vol.-%, 42 Vol.-%, 43 Vol.-%, 44 Vol.-%, 45 Vol.-%, 46 Vol.-%, 47 Vol.-%, 48 Vol.-%, 49 Vol.-%, 50 Vol.-%, 51 Vol.-%, 52 Vol.-%, 53 Vol.-%, 54 Vol.-%, 55 Vol.-%, 56 Vol.-%, 57 Vol.-%, 58 Vol.-%, 59 Vol.-%, 60 Vol.-%, 61 Vol.-%, 62 Vol.-%, 63 Vol.-%, 64 Vol.-%, 65 Vol.-%, 66 Vol.-%, 67 Vol.-%, 68 Vol.-%, 69 Vol.-%, 70 Vol.-%, 71 Vol.-%, 72 Vol.-%, 73 Vol.-%, 74 Vol.-%, 75 Vol.-%, 76 Vol.-%, 77 Vol.-%, 78 Vol.-%, 79 Vol.-%, 80 Vol.-%, 81 Vol.-%, 82 Vol.-%, 83 vol.%, 84 vol.%, 85 vol.%, 86 vol.%, 87 vol.%, 88 vol.%, 89 vol.%, 90 vol.%, 91 vol.%, 92 vol.%, 93 vol.%, 94 vol.%, 95 vol.%, 96 vol.%, 97 vol.%, 98 vol.% or 99 vol.%, whereby corresponding intermediate values ​​are to be regarded as disclosed. Likewise, it can be provided that the fluid is free of ethanol. Furthermore, it can be provided that the fluid contains between 0.0001 vol.% and 99.9999 vol.% water. Furthermore, it can generally be provided that the fluid contains, as an alternative or in addition to ethanol, one or more alcohols such as, for example, C 1 -C 5 alcohols, in particular methanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, isobutanol and / or tert-butanol, and optionally one or more higher alcohols from the group C 6 -C 20 or more. The sorbent can consist of a single chemical compound or compound class (pure) or of a mixture of two or more chemical compounds orCompound classes (mixture) exist. In principle, several sorbents can be exposed to the fluid together or arranged together in the same working space. It can also be provided that several sorbents are arranged one after the other in the direction of flow or are exposed to the fluid one after the other. In the context of the present invention, the term "sorption" is understood to mean all physical and chemical types of deposition of aromatic substances on the sorbent, in particular adsorption and / or absorption processes. Accordingly, in the context of the present invention, the term "desorption" is understood to mean all reversal processes in which aromatic substances leave the sorbent.

[0019] With the aid of the adsorption system according to the invention, various flavor-containing fluids from the brewing sector can be processed. The fluid can be a fluid medium (gas phase and / or liquid phase) or a mixed phase of these. The fluid can also comprise proteins and enzymes in solution and / or suspension, as well as sugars (monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides and / or polymeric sugars (starch)) in solution and / or suspension. The fluid can also comprise plant material (e.g., lignin, polyphenols) in solution and / or suspension. The fluid can also comprise or be a gas from drying (spray dryers, freeze dryers, belt dryers, roller dryers), concentration, roasting (drum roasters, belt roasters, fluidized bed roasting), defoaming, gassing or degassing of liquids, deodorization (e.g., plate evaporators, falling-film evaporators, steam distillation, steaming, vacuum steaming).The fluid may also originate from gas scrubbing, exhaust air from production plants (fermenters, fermentation, bottling plants), exhaust air from production facilities (hop storage, malt storage), ambient air from production facilities, and the like, and / or be pump water from vacuum pumps. The fluid may further comprise or be a water phase from a freeze dryer and / or a condensate after evaporation, gassing, or drying.

[0020] The sorbent can basically be selected from the group of ion exchangers, normal phases, polar bonded phases and reversed phases or any mixture thereof, in particular polyaromatics, polystyrenes, poly(meth)acrylates, polypropylenes, polyesters, polytetrafluoroethylene and crosslinked polystyrenes, in particular copolymers of ethylvinylbenzene and divinylbenzene, of vinylpyrrolidone and divinylbenzene, of vinylpyridine and divinylbenzene and / or of styrene and divinylbenzene. Advantageous sorption characteristics are also achieved by the use of sorbents that comprise monomers with functional groups. Sulfonic acid groups, ternary (e.g., methacrylic diethylamine) and quaternary ammonium groups (e.g., phenyltrimethylammonium), amides (e.g.,Benzamides), amines and halogen-modified aromatics, heterocycles such as 3-pyrrolidone, 2-pyrrolidone, 2-pyrroline, 3-pyrroline, pyrrole and / or piperazine, as well as halogenated aliphatic side chains have proven successful. Gel-like polymers can also be used. In principle, modified polyacrylates can also be used, in particular those containing the following monomers: acrylic acid, acrylonitrile and alkyl acrylates such as methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate and butyl methacrylate. Alternatively or additionally, CMS sorbents (CMS: carbon molecular sieve) are available, which are formed from the pyrolysis of polymeric precursors and themselves have a highly porous carbon structure. SGPC sorbents (SGPC: spherical graphitized polymer carbon) and GCB sorbents (GCB: graphitized carbon black) can also be used. Alternatives include polymers based on 2,6-diphenylene oxide, e.g.Poly(2,6-diphenyl-p-phenylene oxide), or those with iminodiacetate functionality. The sorbent(s) can be used, for example, as bulk material, thus creating appropriate sorbent beds in the workspace. Alternatively or additionally, the sorbent can be present monolithically in the workspace, allowing the flow to pass through it.

[0021] These sorbents, individually or in any combination, ensure particularly high adsorption of the flavorings and thus a particularly high recovery rate. Furthermore, the sorbent can be optimally selected depending on the respective fluid and the flavor molecules it contains. Preferably, the polymers mentioned are additionally functionalized using suitable reagents during the polymerization of the base polymer or by post-treating the base polymer with appropriate reagents to achieve the desired sorption characteristics.

[0022] In general, "a" / "an" in this disclosure should be read as an indefinite article, i.e., unless expressly stated otherwise, always as "at least one" / "at least one".

[0023] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the adsorption system comprises at least two fluidically coupled working chambers and at least one pumping device for conveying the fluid through the working chambers. This fluidic coupling of the two or more working chambers in conjunction with the at least one pumping device achieves significantly higher flow rates during loading, particularly compared to a single working chamber with the same volume. In addition, the overall length of the adsorption system increases, allowing a correspondingly higher recovery rate and a high final concentration in the flavor concentrate to be achieved.

[0024] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one pumping device is arranged between two working chambers. This represents an advantageous possibility for compensating for a pressure drop downstream of a working chamber and ensuring a high flow velocity of the fluid through the working chamber located downstream of the pumping device. It can also be provided that at least one of the pumping devices is pulsation-free and / or explosion-proof and / or enables reversible delivery.

[0025] Further advantages arise if the adsorption system comprises at least one valve device by means of which a flow through at least one working chamber can be controlled and / or regulated. This allows the flow through one or more working chambers to be released, reduced or interrupted in a particularly variable and needs-based manner. The at least one valve device can in principle be designed so that it can be actuated or controlled and / or regulated manually and / or mechanically. In the context of the present invention, valve devices are also understood to mean pure shut-off devices which can either stop or allow a volume flow to pass, but do not allow a partial reduction in the volume flow. For example, in some embodiments the at least one valve device can be a check valve orBall valve or similar, since these shut-off devices do not need to be actively controlled and are therefore very cost-effective and reliable.

[0026] According to the invention, the adsorption system comprises a control device configured to operate the adsorption system in an absorption mode, in which the at least one sorbent is exposed to the flavoring-containing fluid to adsorb flavorings on the sorbent, and in a desorption mode, in which the at least one sorbent is exposed to a fluid desorption agent to desorb flavorings adsorbed on the sorbent as a flavoring concentrate. This allows a high degree of automation or at least partial automation of the adsorption system, so that flavoring concentrates can be produced continuously or at least semi-continuously.The expression "designed to" in the context of the present invention generally refers to objects that not only have a basic suitability for something, but also actually achieve the specified effect during their intended operation through appropriately configured hardware and / or software. The control device can, for example, have a processor device that is configured to carry out the aforementioned steps and in particular an embodiment of the method according to the second aspect of the invention. For this purpose, the processor device can have at least one microprocessor and / or at least one microcontroller. Furthermore, the processor device can have program code that is configured to carry out the embodiment of the aforementioned steps and in particular an embodiment of the method according to the second aspect of the invention when executed by the processor device.to control and / or regulate corresponding devices of the adsorption system accordingly. The program code can be stored in a data memory of the processor device.

[0027] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the control device is configured to adjust a flow direction of the desorbent in desorption mode such that the flow direction of the desorbent is opposite to a flow direction of the flavoring-containing fluid in adsorption mode. For this purpose, the control device is preferably coupled to at least one pump device and / or at least one valve in order to actuate them in a controlling and / or regulating manner.

[0028] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the control device is designed to conduct the flavoring-containing fluid in parallel through at least two working chambers in absorption mode. This enables particularly rapid loading of the sorbent arranged in the working chambers with a high concentration of the flavoring(s) contained in the fluid. Furthermore, instead of one long working chamber with a correspondingly high pressure loss, two or more shorter working chambers can be used, the combined total length of which corresponds to that of a particularly long working chamber. Furthermore, in this way, the number and geometry of the working chambers can be optimally adapted to the respective boundary conditions, such as the fluid quantity, the fluid flow, and the composition of the fluid and the flavorings contained therein.Alternatively or additionally, it is provided that the control device is designed to conduct the desorbent serially through at least two working chambers in desorption mode. This enables at least substantially complete recovery of the adsorbed aroma substances using a minimal volume of desorbent. Alternatively or additionally, it is provided that the control device is designed to transport the desorbent through an outlet from the adsorption system, thereby enabling easy removal of the desorbed aroma substances or the aroma substance concentrate obtained by desorption. Furthermore, it is alternatively or additionally provided that the control device is designed to conduct different desorbents through at least two working chambers in desorption mode.This allows a particularly good and at least largely complete recovery of all beer-typical aroma substances with correspondingly high concentration factors.

[0029] Further advantages arise if the adsorption system comprises at least one temperature control device, by means of which at least one working chamber and / or the fluid and / or the desorption agent and / or at least a portion of a flavor concentrate can be heated to a predetermined temperature. This allows the adsorption and / or desorption characteristics to be optimally adapted to the composition of the fluid and / or the desired flavor concentrate. For example, the temperature control device can be designed such that temperatures of 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, 70°C, 75°C, 80°C, 85°C, 90°C, 95°C, 100°C, 105°C, 110°C, 115°C, 120°C, 125°C, 130°C, 135°C, 140°C or more can be set, with corresponding intermediate values ​​such as 40°C, 41°C, 42°C, 43°C, 44°C, 45°C, 46°C, 47°C, 48°C, 49°C, 50°C etc. are to be regarded as also apparent.The tempering device can basically be designed for relative heating and / or cooling.

[0030] Further advantages arise if the temperature control device comprises an immersion bath in which at least one working chamber for temperature control is arranged at least in part, and / or a microwave device and / or a high-frequency heating device and / or an inductive heating device and / or an electric heating device and / or a hot gas, steam and / or heating liquid device and / or at least one chamber that can be supplied with a heating and / or cooling agent, and / or a double- or multi-walled design of at least part of the adsorption system for supplying a heating and / or cooling agent. This allows for optimal temperature control and, if necessary, the possibility of using existing energy sources, for example from a brewery, thereby achieving an improved energy balance and lower acquisition and operating costs.In particular, a double-walled design of parts of the adsorption system is suitable for efficiently and quickly adjusting the corresponding areas to the desired temperature using a heating or cooling agent. Alternatively or additionally, at least parts of the adsorption system can be arranged in at least one appropriately dimensioned tray, which can be partially or completely filled or flowed through with a suitable heating or cooling agent as required.

[0031] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the control device is coupled to the temperature control device and is preferably configured to operate the temperature control device differently in adsorption mode and desorption mode. This allows particularly high recovery and enrichment factors to be achieved. For example, the temperature control device can be configured to set a lower temperature in adsorption mode than in desorption mode, so that desorbing can occur at higher temperatures than adsorption. Conversely, in some embodiments, it may be expedient to adsorb at higher temperatures than desorption.

[0032] In a further embodiment of the invention, the average cross-sectional area of ​​at least one working chamber is selected such that a volume V 1 of desorption agent, which is sufficient to desorb at least 2 / 3 of the aromatic substances 3-methylbutan-1-ol and 2-phenylethanol adsorbed in adsorption mode to the sorbent arranged in the working chamber, corresponds to the formulas (I) and (II) V 1 ≥ 0 , 025 m * average cross-sectional area in m 2< of at least one working space (I); V 1 ≤ 8 , 0 m ∗ average cross-sectional area in m 2< of at least one working space (II); corresponds to.In other words, V 1 and the mean cross-sectional area (measured in m 2< ) of the at least one working space are matched to one another in such a way that V 1 corresponds to the factor of mean cross-sectional area * 0.025 m, 0.030 m, 0.035 m, 0.040 m, 0.045 m, 0.050 m, 0.055 m, 0.060 m, 0.065 m, 0.070 m, 0.075 m, 0.080 m, 0.085 m, 0.090 m, 0.095 m, 0.100 m, 0.105 m, 0.110 m, 0.115 m, 0.120 m, 0.125 m, 0.130 m, 0.135 m, 0.140 m, 0.145m, 0.150m, 0.155m, 0.160m, 0.165m, 0.170m, 0.175m, 0.180m, 0.185m, 0.190m, 0.195m, 0.200m, 0.205m, 0.210m, 0.215m, 0.220m, 0.225m, 0.230m, 0.235m, 0.240m, 0.245m, 0.25m, 0.50m, 0.75m, 1.00m, 1.25m, 1.50m, 1.75m, 2.00m, 2.25 m, 2.50 m, 2.75 m, 3.00 m, 3.25 m, 3.50 m, 3.75 m, 4.00 m, 4.25 m, 4.50 m, 4.75 m, 5.00 m, 5.25 m, 5.50 m, 5.75 m, 6.00 m, 6.25 m, 6.50 m, 6.75 m, 7.00 m, 7.25 m, 7.50 m, 7.75 m or 8.00 m, whereby corresponding intermediate values ​​are also to be regarded as disclosed here.In this way, the geometry of the at least one working chamber can be designed particularly simply to ensure a recovery of at least 2 / 3, that is to say, for example, of 66.6 mol%, 67 mol%, 68 mol%, 69 mol%, 70 mol%, 71 mol%, 72 mol%, 73 mol%, 74 mol%, 75 mol%, 76 mol%, 77 mol%, 78 mol%, 79 mol%, 80 mol%, 81 mol%, 82 mol%, 83 mol%, 84 mol%, 85 mol%, 86 mol%, 87 mol%, 88 mol%, 89 mol%, 90 mol%, 91 mol%, 92 mol%, 93 mol%, 94 mol%, 95 mol%, 96 mol%, 97 mol%, 98 mol%, 99 mol%, or 100 mol% of the polar aroma substances 3-methylbutan-1-ol and 2-phenylethanol, which are highly relevant for beer aroma. This design is particularly useful in conjunction with organic compounds such as ethanol as a desorbent or as part of a desorbent mixture.

[0033] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the adsorption system comprises a first fluid path for conducting the flavoring-containing fluid through the at least one working chamber and a second fluid path for conducting the desorbent through the at least one working chamber. In this way, the adsorption system can be operated particularly flexibly, since different fluid paths can be selected for adsorption and desorption. For example, separate line systems can be assigned to the fluid paths.

[0034] Further advantages arise when the first and second fluid paths have different lengths and / or different average cross-sectional thicknesses and / or different volumes. This enables advantageous dead space minimization and the provision of different sorbent capacities in differently elutable regions of the adsorption system or the respective fluid path. For example, the second fluid path can have a total volume that is at least twice as high as the first fluid path in order to sorb substances in the desired quantity that cannot or should not be adequately sorbed in the first fluid path due to their physicochemical properties. In addition, the pH value or the salt content upstream of the first and / or second fluid path can be varied or adjusted so that certain substances are preferentially sorbed in the respective designated part of the system.

[0035] In a further advantageous embodiment of the adsorption system, it comprises a collection container and / or fraction collector that can be fluidically coupled to at least one working chamber. This makes it possible to collect the aroma concentrate obtained by desorption in the collection container or, with the aid of the fraction collector, to collect multiple fractions depending on a temporal frequency and / or a set fraction volume. These fractions can then be used individually or combined in any desired manner to achieve a specific aroma profile.

[0036] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one working chamber of the adsorption system comprises at least two fluidically interconnected channels for arranging the at least one sorbent, which are nested within a common housing. Such a "labyrinth-like" design of at least one working chamber represents a particularly advantageous possibility for providing the longest possible fluid path with minimal installation space.

[0037] Further advantages arise from the fact that the adsorption system comprises at least two working chambers through which the aroma-containing fluid and / or the desorbent can flow independently of each other. This enables continuous or at least semi-continuous operation of the adsorption system, thus enabling a correspondingly high throughput.

[0038] Further advantages arise when at least one working chamber has a cross-sectional area that varies along its longitudinal axis. The working chamber can, for example, have a cross-section that decreases continuously, discontinuously, or stepwise along its longitudinal extent. For example, the working chamber can be funnel-shaped or triangular or trapezoidal in longitudinal section. Likewise, the working chamber can have regions with decreasing cross-sectional areas along its longitudinal axis and regions with increasing cross-sectional areas. Alternatively or additionally, the adsorption system can comprise at least two working chambers with different average cross-sectional areas.This makes it possible to provide different local adsorption capacities in the adsorption system in order to bind aroma substances that adsorb to varying degrees to the sorbent used in a particular case, nevertheless in an authentic quantitative ratio and preferably at least predominantly quantitatively. For example, a first working chamber, viewed in the loading direction, can be narrower than one or more subsequent working chambers. This ensures that those aroma substances that can be bound very efficiently to a comparatively small amount of sorbent can be adsorbed at least largely or exclusively in the first working chamber. This is associated with a high final concentration of these substances, whereby aroma concentrates with correspondingly high enrichment factors can be obtained after desorption.Those flavorings that require a comparatively larger amount of sorbent to be predominantly or at least substantially quantitatively bound are bound primarily in the working chamber(s) downstream in the flow direction due to the larger cross-sectional areas and the associated locally higher amounts of sorbent, i.e., higher adsorption capacity. In a subsequent desorption step, which preferably takes place opposite to the loading direction, the flavorings with comparatively poorer binding properties are released from the areas with larger cross-sectional areas in the correct quantitative ratio and then enter the narrower working chamber, where they are desorbed or removed together with the comparatively better binding flavorings.This ensures that both the aroma substances that bind better and those that bind less well to the respective sorbent are present in the resulting aroma substance concentrate in an authentic quantitative ratio with respect to the fluid.

[0039] Further advantages result from the fact that an average cross-sectional thickness of the at least one working space is between 3 mm and 6.0 m and / or that the ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length of the at least one working space is at most 0.04. A total length of all existing work spaces of at least 4.0 m includes in particular total lengths of 4.0 m, 4.5 m, 5.0 m, 5.5 m, 6.0 m, 6.5 m, 7.0 m, 7.5 m, 8.0 m, 8.5 m, 9.0 m, 9.5 m, 10.0 m, 10.5 m, 11.0 m, 11.5 m, 12.0 m, 12.5 m, 13.0 m, 13.5 m, 14.0 m, 14.5 m, 15.0 m, 15.5 m, 16.0 m, 16.5 m, 17.0 m, 17.5 m, 18.0 m, 18.5 m, 19.0 m, 19.5 m, 20.0 m, 21m, 22m, 23m, 24m, 25m, 26m, 27m, 28m, 29m, 30m, 31m, 32m, 33m, 34m, 35m, 36m, 37m, 38m, 39m, 40m, 41m, 42m, 43m, 44m, 45m, 46m, 47m, 48m, 49m, 50m, 51m, 52m, 53m, 54m, 55m, 56m, 57m, 58m, 59m, 60m, 61m, 62m, 63m, 64m, 65m, 66m, 67 m, 68m, 69m, 70m, 71m, 72m, 73m, 74m, 75m, 76m, 77m, 78m, 79m, 80m,81 m, 82 m, 83 m, 84 m, 85 m, 86 m, 87 m, 88 m, 89 m, 90 m, 91 m, 92 m, 93 m, 94 m, 95 m, 96 m, 97 m, 98 m, 99 m, 100 m oder mehr zu verstehen. Unter einer Querschnittsdicke zwischen 3 mm und 6.0 m sind insbesondere Querschnittsdicken bzw. Inside diameter of 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, 1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm, 4 cm, 5 cm, 6 cm, 7 cm, 8 cm, 9 cm, 10 cm, 11 cm, 12 cm, 13 cm, 14 cm, 15 cm, 16 cm, 17 cm, 18 cm, 19 cm, 20 cm, 21 cm, 22 cm, 23 cm, 24 cm, 25 cm, 26 cm, 27 cm, 28 cm, 29 cm, 30 cm, 31 cm, 32 cm, 33 cm, 34 cm, 35 cm, 36 cm, 37 cm, 38 cm, 39 cm, 40 cm, 41 cm, 42 cm, 43 cm, 44 cm, 45 cm, 46 cm, 47 cm, 48 cm, 49 cm, 50 cm, 51 cm, 52 cm, 53 cm, 54 cm, 55 cm, 56 cm, 57 cm, 58 cm, 59 cm, 60 cm, 61 cm, 62 cm, 63 cm, 64 cm, 65 cm, 66 cm, 67 cm, 68 cm, 69 cm, 70 cm, 71 cm, 72 cm, 73 cm, 74 cm, 75 cm, 76 cm, 77 cm, 78 cm, 79 cm, 80 cm, 81 cm, 82 cm, 83 cm, 84 cm, 85 cm, 86 cm, 87 cm, 88 cm, 89 cm, 90 cm, 91 cm, 92 cm, 93 cm, 94 cm, 95 cm, 96 cm, 97 cm, 98 cm, 99 cm, 1.0 m, 1.1 m,1.2m, 1.3m, 1.4m, 1.5m, 1.6m, 1.7m, 1.8m, 1.9m, 2.0m, 2.1m, 2.2m, 2.3m, 2.4m, 2.5m, 2.6m, 2.7m, 2.8m, 2.9m, 3.0m, 3.1m, 3.2m, 3.3m, 3.4m, 3.5m, 3.6m, 3.7m, 3.8m, 3.9m, 4.0m, 4.1m, 4.2m, 4.3m, 4.4m, 4.5m, 4.6m, 4.7m, 4.8m, 4.9m, 5.0 m, 5.1 m, 5.2 m, 5.3 m, 5.4 m, 5.5 m, 5.6 m, 5.7 m, 5.8 m, 5.9 m, or 6.0 m, as well as corresponding intermediate values. The cross-sectional thickness can be selected depending on the planned volume flow. With a ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length of at least one working space of at most 0.04, corresponding values ​​of 0.040, 0.039, 0.038, 0.037, 0.036, 0.035, 0.034, 0.033, 0.032, 0.031, 0.030, 0.029, 0.028, 0.027, 0.026, 0.025, 0.024, 0.023, 0.022, 0.021, 0.020, 0.019, 0.018, 0.017, 0.016, 0.015, 0.014, 0.013, 0.012, 0.011, 0.010, 0.009, 0.008, 0.007, 0.006, 0.005, 0.004, 0.003, 0.002, 0.001, 0.0005, 0.0001 or less,whereby corresponding intermediate values ​​are generally to be regarded as disclosed.

[0040] In a further embodiment, it is provided that the total length and the average cross-sectional thickness of the at least one working space are selected as a function of the sorption properties of the at least one sorbent at a predetermined process temperature and a predetermined average percolation rate of the flavoring-containing fluid such that 3-methylbutan-1-ol and 2-phenylethanol contained in the fluid are present to an extent of at least 66 mol%, i.e. to an extent of 66 mol%, 67 mol%, 68 mol%, 69 mol%, 70 mol%, 71 mol%, 72 mol%, 73 mol%, 74 mol%, 75 mol%, 76 mol%, 77 mol%, 78 mol%, 79 mol%, 80 mol%, 81 mol%, 82 mol%, 83 mol%, 84 mol%, 85 mol%, 86 mol%, 87 mol%, 88 mol%, 89 mol%, 90 mol%, 91 mol%, 92 mol%, 93 mol%, 94 mol%, 95 mol%, 96 mol%, 97 mol%, 98 mol%, 99 mol% or 100 mol% adsorbed on at least one sorbent.The respective values ​​for total length and average cross-sectional thickness can thus be optimized by simple, standard tests, so that the most extensive and preferably at least essentially complete adsorption of the polar compounds 3-methylbutan-1-ol and 2-phenylethanol, which are relevant for a typical beer aroma, is ensured.

[0041] Further advantages arise from the fact that the adsorption system comprises at least two working spaces, wherein at least one working space has a smaller volume than a working space located downstream with respect to a loading direction in which the at least one sorbent is to be charged with the flavoring-containing fluid. In other words, the adsorption system has two or more working spaces arranged one after the other in the loading direction, with a volume increasing in the loading direction. This makes it particularly easy to bind predominantly the non-polar flavorings in the first or upstream working space and predominantly the polar flavorings in the second or downstream working space. The volume ratios of the individual working spaces correlate with the amount of sorbent that can be introduced in each case and with the amount of flavoring to be bound in each case. Further advantages consist in the fact that the at least two working spaces can be used in different ways orcan be desorbed independently of one another. The two- or multi-stage design offers additional options for the targeted enrichment or depletion of certain aroma substances, thereby making it possible to modulate the aroma profile. Furthermore, the two- or multi-stage design enables particularly high enrichment factors to be achieved. A working chamber alone cannot generally accommodate a large initial volume in a reasonable process time and, at the same time, enable a particularly small extract volume with correspondingly high enrichment factors for the individual aroma substances. For example, for an enrichment by a factor of 3000, approximately 3000 liters would have to be pumped through one working chamber in adsorption mode, but only 1 liter of extract would have to be obtained in desorption mode. However, this is possible with two or more working chambers.

[0042] Further advantages arise if the adsorption system comprises a high-concentration device by means of which at least a portion of the first flavor concentrate, which is obtainable by applying the fluid desorption agent to the at least one sorbent, can be separated into at least one permeate and at least one second flavor concentrate, which has a lower ratio of ethanol to 3-methylbutan-1-ol than the first flavor concentrate. Such a high-concentration device thus allows, starting from the first flavor concentrate, the production of a second flavor concentrate with a relative depletion of ethanol relative to one or more other flavors, for example relative to the flavor 3-methylbutan-1-ol, which is important for a typical beer aroma.The first enrichment stage, which results in the first flavor concentrate, enables a focused application in the subsequent high-concentration device, thus minimizing or completely avoiding losses of poorly adsorbed, highly polar flavors with log P ow values ​​(decadic logarithm of the n-octanol-water partition coefficient K ow ) < 1.5, such as fusel alcohols, ethyl acetate, and the like. It can also be provided that the first flavor concentrate can be concentrated two or more times using the high-concentration device.

[0043] It is particularly advantageous if the high-concentration device is designed to reduce the ratio of ethanol to 3-methylbutan-1-ol in the second flavor concentrate by at least a factor of 2 compared to the first flavor concentrate. This means that the second flavor concentrate contains at least twice as much 3-methylbutan-1-ol relative to the respective ethanol quantity or concentration. The factor can in principle also be greater than 2 and can be, for example, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 or more.

[0044] Further advantages arise from the fact that the high-concentration device comprises at least one working chamber in which at least one sorbent is arranged as a stationary phase and can be loaded with the aroma concentrate, which can be passed through the working chamber, as a mobile phase for the deposition of aroma substances. In other words, the high-concentration device is also designed as a solid-phase extraction device, whereby the second and each subsequent concentration of the first aroma concentrate can be carried out through a purely physical process that takes place between a liquid phase (aromatic concentrate) and a solid phase (sorbent or sorbent), and thus in a particularly gentle manner and with high recovery rates and enrichment factors.

[0045] Further advantages arise from the fact that the at least one working chamber has a total length of at least 4.5 m. The average cross-sectional thickness of the at least one working chamber can be between 3 mm and 6.0 m. A total length of all existing work spaces of the high concentration facility of at least 4.5 m includes, in particular, total lengths of 4.5 m, 5.0 m, 5.5 m, 6.0 m, 6.5 m, 7.0 m, 7.5 m, 8.0 m, 8.5 m, 9.0 m, 9.5 m, 10.0 m, 10.5 m, 11.0 m, 11.5 m, 12.0 m, 12.5 m, 13.0 m, 13.5 m, 14.0 m, 14.5 m, 15.0 m, 15.5 m, 16.0 m, 16.5 m, 17.0 m, 17.5 m, 18.0 m, 18.5 m, 19.0 m, 19.5 m, 20.0 m, 21 m, 22m, 23m, 24m, 25m, 26m, 27m, 28m, 29m, 30m, 31m, 32m, 33m, 34m, 35m, 36m, 37m, 38m, 39m, 40m, 41m, 42m, 43m, 44m, 45m, 46m, 47m, 48m, 49m, 50m, 51m, 52m, 53m, 54m, 55m, 56m, 57m, 58m, 59m, 60m, 61m, 62m, 63m, 64m, 65m, 66m, 67m, 68 m, 69 m, 70 m, 71m, 72m, 73m, 74m, 75m, 76m, 77m, 78m, 79m, 80m, 81m, 82m, 83m, 84m,85 m, 86 m, 87 m, 88 m, 89 m, 90 m, 91 m, 92 m, 93 m, 94 m, 95 m, 96 m, 97 m, 98 m, 99 m, 100 m oder mehr zu verstehen. Unter einer Querschnittsdicke zwischen 3 mm und 6.0 m sind insbesondere Querschnittsdicken bzw. Inside diameter of 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, 1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm, 4 cm, 5 cm, 6 cm, 7 cm, 8 cm, 9 cm, 10 cm, 11 cm, 12 cm, 13 cm, 14 cm, 15 cm, 16 cm, 17 cm, 18 cm, 19 cm, 20 cm, 21 cm, 22 cm, 23 cm, 24 cm, 25 cm, 26 cm, 27 cm, 28 cm, 29 cm, 30 cm, 31 cm, 32 cm, 33 cm, 34 cm, 35 cm, 36 cm, 37 cm, 38 cm, 39 cm, 40 cm, 41 cm, 42 cm, 43 cm, 44 cm, 45 cm, 46 cm, 47 cm, 48 cm, 49 cm, 50 cm, 51 cm, 52 cm, 53 cm, 54 cm, 55 cm, 56 cm, 57 cm, 58 cm, 59 cm, 60 cm, 61 cm, 62 cm, 63 cm, 64 cm, 65 cm, 66 cm, 67 cm, 68 cm, 69 cm, 70 cm, 71 cm, 72 cm, 73 cm, 74 cm, 75 cm, 76 cm, 77 cm, 78 cm, 79 cm, 80 cm, 81 cm, 82 cm, 83 cm, 84 cm, 85 cm, 86 cm, 87 cm, 88 cm, 89 cm, 90 cm, 91 cm, 92 cm, 93 cm, 94 cm, 95 cm, 96 cm, 97 cm, 98 cm, 99 cm, 1.0 m, 1.1 m, 1.2 m, 1.3 m, 1.4 m, 1,5m, 1.6m, 1.7m, 1.8m, 1.9m, 2.0m, 2.1m, 2.2m, 2.3m, 2.4m, 2.5m, 2.6m, 2.7m, 2.8m, 2.9m, 3.0m, 3.1m, 3.2m, 3.3m, 3.4 m, 3.5m, 3.6m, 3.7m, 3.8m, 3.9m, 4.0m, 4.1m, 4.2m, 4.3m, 4.4m, 4.5m, 4.6m, 4.7m, 4.8m, 4.9m, 5.0m, 5.1m, 5.2m, 5.3m, 5.4m, 5.5 m, 5.6 m, 5.7 m, 5.8 m, 5.9 m, or 6.0 m, as well as corresponding intermediate values. The cross-sectional thickness can be selected depending on the planned volume flow.

[0046] Alternatively or additionally, it is provided that a geometry of the at least one working chamber is selected such that a volume V 2 , which the working chamber has in a length section of 2 m to 4 m, corresponds to a final volume of the second flavor concentrate. This allows the geometry of the working chamber to be optimally adapted to the final or desired volume that the second flavor concentrate is to have or to which the first flavor concentrate is to be concentrated. Deviations of up to ± 10% between the volume V 2 and the final volume can be provided.

[0047] Further advantages arise when the high-concentration device comprises at least one pumping device designed to pump the flavor concentrate through the at least one working chamber, preferably at a percolation rate of at least 20 ml / (min*cm 2 ). This allows for particularly precise process control. A percolation rate of at least 20 ml / (min*cm 2< ) includes, for example, percolation rates of 20 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 25 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 30 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 35 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 40 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 45 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 50 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 55 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 60 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 65 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 70 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 75 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 80 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 85 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 90 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 95 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 100 ml / (min*cm 2< ) or more as well as corresponding intermediate values.

[0048] Further advantages arise from the fact that the high-concentration device comprises at least two working chambers that can be fluidically coupled to one another, with at least one pumping device for conveying the fluid through the working chambers being arranged upstream of a working chamber and / or between two working chambers and / or with all working chambers being fluidically arranged between two pumping devices. The fluidic coupling of the two or more working chambers in conjunction with the at least one pumping device achieves significantly higher flow rates during loading, particularly in contrast to a single working chamber with the same volume. In addition, the overall length of the adsorption system increases, so that a correspondingly higher recovery rate or a high final concentration can be achieved in the second or each subsequent flavor concentrate.

[0049] Further advantages arise if the high-concentration device is designed to apply a fluid desorption agent to the at least one sorbent in order to desorb aroma substances adsorbed on the sorbent as an aroma-enriched second aroma substance concentrate. In this way, it is possible to obtain the second or any further aroma substance concentrate with the aid of the desorption agent as eluate from the high-concentration device. The desorption agent can in principle be the same desorption agent as used in the above-described extraction of the first aroma substance concentrate. Furthermore, the desorption agent of the high-concentration device can be the same desorption agent / desorption agent mixture or the same desorption agent gradient as used in the extraction of the first aroma substance concentrate. Alternatively, a different desorption agent / desorption agent mixture or a different desorption agent gradient can be provided.This makes it possible, for example, to at least largely remove ethanol from the flavor concentrate by means of a solvent exchange, for example by using water or steam as the desorbent for the high-concentration device. Alternatively, ethanol or an ethanol-containing desorbent mixture can (also) be used in the high-concentration device as the desorbent to obtain the second or any subsequent flavor concentrate.

[0050] Further advantages arise when the high-concentration device comprises at least one temperature control device, by means of which at least one region of the high-concentration device can be heated to a predetermined temperature. This allows the adsorption and / or desorption characteristics of the high-concentration device to be optimally adapted to the composition of the first flavor concentrate and / or the desired second flavor concentrate. For example, the temperature control device can be designed such that temperatures of 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, 50°C, 55°C, 60°C, 65°C, 70°C, 75°C, 80°C, 85°C, 90°C, 95°C, 100°C, 105°C, 110°C, 115°C, 120°C, 125°C, 130°C, 135°C, 140°C or more can be set, with corresponding intermediate values ​​such as 40°C, 41°C, 42°C, 43°C, 44°C, 45°C, 46°C, 47°C, 48°C, 49°C, 50°C etc. are to be regarded as also apparent.The tempering device can basically be designed for relative heating and / or cooling.

[0051] Further advantages arise from the fact that it comprises a dosing device by means of which a pH value of the fluid and / or at least one desorption agent and / or the first and / or second flavor concentrate can be adjusted and / or varied. In this way, targeted discrimination of acidic or alkaline flavors is possible. Non-exhaustive examples of such flavors include, in particular, amines (primary, secondary, and tertiary amines) and carboxylic acid-containing compounds (e.g., formic acid, acetic acid, etc.).

[0052] Further advantages arise when at least one working chamber is configured, at least in part, in a helical and / or spiral and / or zigzag and / or meandering shape. As a result, the at least one working chamber, which, as already discussed, is comparatively long on the one hand and comparatively thin on the other, is designed to be particularly space-saving and can be integrated particularly easily into the adsorption system or the high-concentration device.

[0053] A second aspect of the invention relates to a method according to claim 13 for operating an adsorption system according to the first aspect of the invention, in which at least one sorbent is arranged as a stationary phase in at least one working space of the adsorption system and is flowed through by an aroma-containing fluid as a mobile phase, so that at least some of the aroma substances contained in the fluid are adsorbed on the sorbent, wherein a ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length of the at least one working space is at most 0.3 and the total length of a flow path for the fluid provided through the at least one working space is at least 4.0 m, wherein the adsorption system comprises a control device by means of which the adsorption system is in an absorption mode in which the at least one sorbent is acted upon by the aroma-containing fluid in order to adsorb aroma substances on the sorbent,and in a desorption mode, in which the at least one sorbent is exposed to a fluid desorbent selected from the group consisting of ethanol and ethanol-water mixtures in order to desorb flavorings adsorbed on the sorbent as flavoring concentrate. The flavoring fluid used is a foodstuff selected from the group consisting of beer-containing foodstuffs and / or beverages, beer wort, hops, hop extract, malt water, malt beer, malt wort, and brewery-specific raw materials and products, and / or obtained by means of a dealcoholization device from an ethanol-containing foodstuff selected from the group consisting of beer-containing foodstuffs and / or beverages. This provides the longest and preferably narrowest possible sorbent bed and uses it to adsorb at least some of the flavoring molecules contained in the fluid, making it possibleDepending on the binding characteristics of the sorbent(s) used and the flavor molecules present in the fluid, both polar and non-polar flavors are adsorbed as evenly as possible onto the sorbent. Accordingly, the process makes it possible to produce particularly authentic and highly enriched flavor concentrates, i.e., flavor concentrates in which all flavors present in the original fluid are at least predominantly or substantially uniformly enriched with high enrichment factors and with low loss. Further features and their advantages can be found in the descriptions of the first aspect of the invention, with advantageous embodiments of the first aspect of the invention being regarded as advantageous embodiments of the second aspect of the invention, and vice versa.

[0054] The process can generally be carried out at all suitable process temperatures, for example at temperatures between -100 °C and +200 °C, for example at -100 °C, -95 °C, -90 °C, - 85 °C, -80 °C, -75 °C, -70 °C, -65 °C, -60 °C, -55 °C, -50 °C, -45 °C, -40 °C, -35 °C, -30 °C, - 25 °C, -20 °C, -15 °C, -10 °C, -5 °C, 0 °C, 5 °C, 10 °C, 15 °C, 20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C, 35 °C, 40 °C, 45 °C, 50 °C, 55 °C, 60 °C, 65 °C, 70 °C, 75 °C, 80 °C, 85 °C, 90 °C, 95 °C, 100 °C, 105 °C, 110 °C, 115 °C, 120 °C, 125 °C, 130 °C, 135 °C, 140 °C, 145 °C, 150 °C, 155 °C, 160 °C, 165 °C, 170 °C, 175 °C, 180 °C, 185 °C, 190 °C, 195 °C, 200 °C or more, with corresponding intermediate temperatures such as 80 °C, 81 °C, 82 °C, 83 °C, 84 °C, 85 °C, 86 °C, 87 °C, 88 °C, 89 °C, 90 °C, etc. are to be considered as co-disclosed. Lower process temperatures are suitable, for example, in some applications for cooling and / or condensing hot fluids from ambient air or industrial processes.Higher process temperatures can promote loading and / or unloading of the sorbent in some applications. Furthermore, it is possible to vary the process temperature once or several times during the process.

[0055] Furthermore, the process can generally be carried out at all suitable process pressures, for example at pressures between approximately 0 bar and approximately 15 bar, i.e., for example, at 0.0001 bar, 0.001 bar, 0.01 bar, 0.1 bar, 0.2 bar, 0.3 bar, 0.4 bar, 0.5 bar, 0.6 bar, 0.7 bar, 0.8 bar, 0.9 bar, 1 bar, 2 bar, 3 bar, 4 bar, 5 bar, 6 bar, 7 bar, 8 bar, 9 bar, 10 bar, 11 bar, 12 bar, 13 bar, 14 bar, 15 bar, or more. Furthermore, it is possible to vary the process pressure once or several times during the process.

[0056] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that an aromatic-containing distillate and / or an aromatic-containing membrane permeate of an at least partially dealcoholized beer is used as the fluid. This allows fluids obtained by different dealcoholization processes to be advantageously used for aromatic recovery and enrichment. Alternatively or additionally, it is provided that a fluid with an ethanol content between 0 and 50 vol.% is used. An ethanol content between 0 vol.% and 50 vol.% includes in particular ethanol contents of 0 vol.%, 1 vol.%, 2 vol.%, 3 vol.%, 4 vol.%, 5 vol.%, 6 vol.%, 7 vol.%, 8 vol.%, 9 vol.%, 10 vol.%, 11 vol.%, 12 vol.%, 13 vol.%, 14 vol.%, 15 vol.%, 16 vol.%, 17 vol.%, 18 vol.%, 19 vol.%, 20 vol.%, 21 vol.%, 22 vol.%, 23 vol.%, 24 vol.%, 25 vol.%, 26 vol.%, 27 vol.%, 28 vol.%, 29 vol.%, 30 vol.%, 31 vol.%, 32 vol.%, 33 vol.%.-%, 34 vol.%, 35 vol.%, 36 vol.%, 37 vol.%, 38 vol.%, 39 vol.%, 40 vol.%, 41 vol.%, 42 vol.%, 43 vol.%, 44 vol.%, 45 vol.%, 46 vol.%, 47 vol.%, 48 vol.%, 49 vol.% or 50 vol.% as well as corresponding intermediate values. As a result, a wide variety of fluids that are present in a brewery or are produced by it can be processed within the scope of the method according to the invention and used to produce flavoring concentrates.

[0057] Further advantages arise from the fluid being passed through at least one working chamber at an average percolation rate of at least 20 ml / (min*cm 2 ). This allows for particularly precise process control. A percolation rate of at least 20 ml / (min*cm 2< ) includes, for example, percolation rates of 20 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 25 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 30 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 35 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 40 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 45 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 50 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 55 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 60 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 65 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 70 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 75 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 80 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 85 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 90 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 95 ml / (min*cm 2< ), 100 ml / (min*cm 2< ) or more as well as corresponding intermediate values.

[0058] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the flavoring-containing fluid is passed through at least two working chambers in parallel. This allows for particularly rapid loading of the sorbents or sorption agents arranged in the working chambers with short process runs, whereby the process can be carried out particularly quickly, cost-effectively, and at least semi- or quasi-continuously. Furthermore, distribution chromatographic effects on the sorbents can be better controlled, and excessive spatial separation of polar and non-polar flavorings can be prevented. This further improves the authenticity of the flavoring concentrate obtained by subsequent desorption. At the same time, a high concentration factor is achieved, making correspondingly highly enriched flavoring concentrates accessible.Furthermore, the at least two working chambers can contain different sorbents or different sorbent mixtures to ensure improved and as complete as possible adsorption of all aroma species contained in the fluid. At the same time, working chambers with a smaller total volume or lower sorbent loading can be used than would be possible when using a single working chamber with the same loading capacity. This reduces the pressure drop across the working chambers, allowing operation with lower differential pressures. This allows, for example, the use of more cost-effective pumping equipment and leads to less wear on the sorbent, thus enabling corresponding cost savings. In addition, the process can be easily adapted to different fluid flows by selecting the number and type of working chambers and the sorbents they contain.Alternatively or additionally, the flavoring-containing fluid is directed through the at least one working chamber against the direction of gravity. In other words, the working chamber(s) are arranged as vertically as possible and the fluid flows through them from bottom to top. This improves the adsorption of the flavorings contained in the fluid.

[0059] Alternatively or additionally, it is provided that the fluid is passed serially through at least two working chambers, wherein preferably at least one downstream working chamber has a larger volume than at least one upstream working chamber. In other words, the fluid flows serially through two or more working chambers arranged one after the other in the loading direction, wherein the working chambers have volumes increasing in the loading direction. This makes it particularly easy to bind predominantly the non-polar aroma substances in the first or upstream working chamber and predominantly the polar aroma substances in the second or downstream working chamber. The volume ratios of the individual working chambers correlate with the amount of sorbent that can be introduced in each case and with the amount of aroma substance to be bound in each case. Further advantages are that the at least two working chambers can be used in different ways orcan be subjected to desorption independently of one another. The two- or multi-stage design offers additional options for the targeted enrichment or depletion of certain aroma substances, thereby making it possible to modulate the aroma profile. Furthermore, the two- or multi-stage design enables particularly high enrichment factors to be achieved. A working chamber alone cannot generally accommodate a large initial volume in a reasonable process time and, at the same time, enable a particularly small extract volume with correspondingly high enrichment factors for the individual aroma substances. For example, for an enrichment by a factor of 3000, approximately 3000 liters would have to be pumped through one working chamber in adsorption mode, but only 1 liter of extract would have to be obtained in desorption mode. However, this is possible with two or more working chambers that are loaded serially in the manner described.

[0060] Further advantages arise when, as the fluid passes through, the temperature in at least one upstream working chamber is set to a higher value than the temperature in at least one downstream working chamber. This allows the adsorption characteristics to be optimally adjusted, so that particularly authentic flavor concentrates with high recovery rates can be obtained.

[0061] It is proposed that, after adsorbing at least a portion of the flavorings from the fluid, the sorbent is exposed to the fluid desorption agent, so that the flavorings adsorbed on the sorbent are at least partially desorbed. This allows the recovery of the adsorbed flavorings in the form of a flavoring concentrate containing them.

[0062] Further advantages arise from the desorption agent being passed through the at least one working chamber in the opposite flow direction to that of the flavoring-containing fluid. In other words, the working chamber(s) or the sorbent arranged therein flows through in the opposite direction to the flow direction used for loading for unloading. This ensures at least substantially complete recovery of all flavorings adsorbed on the respective sorbent, thereby achieving a correspondingly complete recovery of the flavorings contained in the original fluid in highly concentrated form. Alternatively or additionally, it is provided that the desorption agent is passed serially through at least two working chambers. This also ensures at least largely complete recovery of the flavorings adsorbed on the respective sorbent in the at least two working chambers.Alternatively or additionally, it is provided that the desorption agent is pumped against the flow direction of the fluid at a higher differential pressure. This makes it easy to switch between adsorption or loading and desorption or unloading. In addition, it is possible to introduce the desorption agent with the desorbed aroma substances it contains into the fluid or into a main fluid stream after the working chamber, dilute it in the main fluid stream, and feed it to another working chamber. This allows one or more downstream working chambers to be supplied with a fluid that is enriched in aroma substances compared to the original fluid, whereby an (ever) higher aroma substance enrichment with correspondingly high concentration factors can be achieved in the one or more downstream working chambers.

[0063] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the desorption agent is directed through the at least one working chamber in the direction of gravity. In other words, the working chamber(s) are arranged as vertically as possible and the desorption agent flows through them from top to bottom. This improves the desorption of the aroma substances adsorbed on the sorption agent, resulting in correspondingly highly concentrated authentic aroma substance concentrates.

[0064] Further advantages arise from the use of a desorption agent gradient when passing through at least one working chamber and / or a solvent change for the stepwise desorption of flavorings from the same working chamber and / or the use of different desorption agents through different working chambers and / or the use of different desorption agent volumes through different working chambers. This allows either the production of particularly authentic flavoring concentrates with particularly high enrichment factors for the individual flavorings or, alternatively, the targeted modulation of the composition of the flavoring concentrate, for example, to prevent unwanted flavorings from being recovered or enriched only to a small extent, while the desired flavorings are enriched relative to the unwanted ones.This also makes a type of solvent exchange possible, in which ethanol is preferably partially replaced by water.

[0065] Further advantages arise from passing desorbents at different temperatures through different working chambers. For example, a first working chamber can be supplied with a desorbent at room temperature (25 °C) and a second working chamber can be supplied with a temperature higher than room temperature (e.g. 50 °C, 75 °C, 100 °C or more) in order to achieve a specific desorption characteristic. Alternatively or additionally, it is provided that only predetermined areas of the at least one working chamber are supplied with desorbent, whereby only certain aroma substances or aroma substance groups or fractions can be selectively desorbed in order to specifically modulate the aroma profile of the resulting aroma substance concentrate. Alternatively or additionally, it is provided that at least one working chamber is supplied with a desorbent at a higher pressure than normal.This also allows a specific desorption characteristic to be achieved.

[0066] Further advantages arise from collecting at least two desorbed fractions and combining them to form the flavor concentrate. This means that 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 or more fractions are collected, of which at least two are combined, either completely or partially, to form the flavor concentrate. This is particularly advantageous when multiple work chambers have been treated with different desorption agents, if necessary, to ensure the most complete recovery of all flavors. Conversely, it is of course fundamentally possible to discard one or more fractions or to combine them only partially to form the flavor concentrate in order to model the flavor profile.

[0067] According to the invention, a desorption agent from the group consisting of ethanol and an ethanol-water mixture is used. This allows, in particular, the parameters of enrichment factor, recovery rate, and ethanol content of the flavor concentrate to be specifically influenced.

[0068] Further advantages result from the fact that a flavor concentrate is produced in which, based on the initial concentrations in the fluid, a recovery ratio of 3-methylbutan-1-ol : 2-phenylethanol is at least 2 / 3 and / or in which, based on the initial concentration in the fluid, at least 30 mol%, i.e. for example 30 mol%, 35 mol%, 40 mol%, 45 mol%, 50 mol%, 55 mol%, 60 mol%, 65 mol%, 70 mol%, 75 mol%, 80 mol%, 85 mol%, 90 mol%, 95 mol%, 100 mol% or more, of 2-phenylethanol has been recovered and / or in which, based on the initial concentrations in the fluid, the concentrations of 3-methylbutan-1-ol and 2-phenylethanol have been reduced by at least a factor of 10, i.e. for example by a factor of 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73,74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 or more. This ensures that polar and non-polar aroma substances relevant to the beer aroma are at least largely recovered and concentrated as highly as possible.

[0069] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that a flavoring-containing distillate and / or a flavoring-containing membrane permeate of an at least partially dealcoholized beer is used as the fluid, wherein the amount of ethanol in the first flavoring concentrate is at most 1 / 10 of the amount of ethanol in the fluid used (distillate, membrane permeate). This allows the production of correspondingly ethanol-depleted flavoring concentrates that can be easily added to an alcohol-free beer in order to improve the flavor profile of the dealcoholized beer without a relevant increase in the ethanol content of the dealcoholized beer. This also makes it possible to produce beers with a residual ethanol content of less than 0.1% by volume, in particular of a maximum of 0.045% by volume.-% that still have an authentic flavor profile, equivalent to, for example, that of a full-bodied beer, without the need to add synthesized, natural, or nature-identical flavors to the beer, especially those flavors not derived from beer. On the contrary, all flavorings added to the beer can be recovered from the brewery's own raw materials and products.An ethanol quantity of 1 / 10 or less includes, in particular, ethanol quantities of 1 / 10, 1 / 20, 1 / 30, 1 / 40, 1 / 50, 1 / 60, 1 / 70, 1 / 80, 1 / 90, 1 / 100, 1 / 110, 1 / 120, 1 / 130, 1 / 140, 1 / 150, 1 / 160, 1 / 170, 1 / 180, 1 / 190, 1 / 200, 1 / 300, 1 / 400, 1 / 500, 1 / 600, 1 / 700, 1 / 800, 1 / 900, 1 / 1000, 1 / 1100, 1 / 1200, 1 / 1300, 1 / 1400, 1 / 1500, 1 / 1600, 1 / 1700, 1 / 1800, 1 / 1900, 1 / 2000, 1 / 2100, 1 / 2200, 1 / 2300, 1 / 2400, 1 / 2500, 1 / 2600, 1 / 2700, 1 / 2800, 1 / 2900, 1 / 3000, 1 / 3100, 1 / 3200, 1 / 3300, 1 / 3400, 1 / 3500, 1 / 3600, 1 / 3700, 1 / 3800, 1 / 3900, 1 / 4000, 1 / 4100, 1 / 4200, 1 / 4300, 1 / 4400, 1 / 4500, 1 / 4600, 1 / 4700, 1 / 4800, 1 / 4900, 1 / 5000 or less based on the amount of ethanol in the volume of the starting fluid used.

[0070] Further advantages arise from the fact that the ethanol content of the flavoring concentrate is preferably adjusted to a value between 0.5 vol.% and 40 vol.% by adding brewing water. The ethanol content can thus be set to, for example, 0.5 vol%, 1.0 vol%, 1.5 vol%, 2.0 vol%, 2.5 vol%, 3.0 vol%, 3.5 vol%, 4.0 vol%, 4.5 vol%, 5.0 vol%, 5.5 vol%, 6.0 vol%, 6.5 vol%, 7.0 vol%, 7.5 vol%, 8.0 vol%, 8.5 vol%, 9.0 vol%, 9.5 vol%, 10.0 vol%, 10.5 vol%, 11.0 vol%, 11.5 vol%, 12.0 vol%, 12.5 vol%, 13.0 vol%, 13.5 vol%, 14.0 vol%, 14.5 vol%, 15.0 vol%, 15.5 vol%, 16.0 % vol., 16.5% vol., 17.0% vol., 17.5% vol., 18.0% vol., 18.5% vol., 19.0% vol., 19.5% vol., 20.0% vol. 22.0% vol, 22.5% vol, 23.0% vol, 23.5% vol, 24.0% vol, 24.5% vol, 25.0% vol, 25.5% vol, 26.0% vol, 26.5% vol, 27.0% vol, 27.5 Vol.-%, 28.0 Vol.-%, 28.5 Vol.-%, 29.0 Vol.-%, 29.5 Vol.-%, 30.0 vol.%, 30.5 vol.%, 31.0 vol.%, 31.5 vol.%, 32.0 vol.%, 32.5 vol.%, 33.0 vol.%, 33.5 vol.%, 34.0 vol.%, 34.5 vol.%, 35.0 vol.%, 35.5 vol.%, 36.0 vol.%, 36.5 vol.%, 37.0 vol.%, 37.5 vol.%, 38.0 vol.%, 38.5 vol.%, 39.0 vol.%, 39.5 vol.% or 40.0 vol.%. Brewing water that is already available in breweries is preferably used for this purpose. By adjusting the ethanol content, it can be ensured that a desired loading characteristic of the sorbent(s) is achieved during partial or complete further processing of the first flavor concentrate in the high concentration device.

[0071] Further advantages arise from separating at least a portion of the first flavor concentrate from at least one working chamber of the first enrichment stage of the adsorption system into at least one flavor-depleted permeate and at least one flavor-enriched second flavor concentrate by means of a high-concentration device. The flavor-depleted permeate can either be discarded or used to produce alcoholic beverages whose taste should not be reminiscent of beer. The second flavor concentrate, which is further enriched than the first flavor concentrate, can be used particularly well to adjust the flavor profile of a dealcoholized or non-alcoholic beer without increasing its ethanol content. Alternatively or additionally, the second flavor concentrate can be used to flavor other foods and beverages, perfumes, and the like.Furthermore, it can be provided that at least a part of the first flavoring concentrate is mixed with at least a part of the second flavoring concentrate to form a third flavoring concentrate.

[0072] In a further embodiment of the invention, additional enrichment of the flavor concentrate is made possible by passing the flavor concentrate through at least one working chamber of the high concentration device, in which at least one sorbent is arranged as a stationary phase and deposits flavor substances of the flavor concentrate passed through the working chamber as a mobile phase.

[0073] Further advantages arise from passing the flavor concentrate through at least one working chamber with a total length of at least 2.5 m and / or from passing the flavor concentrate through the at least one working chamber with an average percolation rate of at least 20 ml / (min*cm 2< ). This enables at least a predominant recovery of both polar and non-polar flavors in the shortest possible process time, thereby preserving the authentic flavor profile and allowing the process to be carried out economically.

[0074] Further advantages are obtained by applying a fluid desorption agent to the at least one sorbent of the high concentration device and desorbing aroma substances adsorbed on the sorbent as a second aroma substance concentrate, wherein at least the aroma substances 3-methylbutan-1-ol and 2-phenylethanol are preferably increased by at least a factor of 10 relative to the first aroma substance concentrate, for example by a factor of 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 or more.Starting from the original fluid, it is thus possible to produce a second flavor concentrate that is highly concentrated compared to the first flavor concentrate, in which both the beer-typical polar and the beer-typical non-polar flavors are increased by a factor of 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000, 1050, 1100, 1150, 1200, 1250, 1300, 1350, 1400, 1450, 1500, 1550, 1600, 1650, 1700, 1750, 1800, 1850, 1900, 1950, 2000 or more. are provided, whereby corresponding intermediate values ​​are to be regarded as also disclosed.

[0075] Further advantages arise from using at least one desorption agent from the group consisting of ethanol, water, steam, and ethanol-water mixtures to desorb the at least one sorbent of the high-concentration device. This allows, in particular, the parameters of enrichment factor, recovery rate, and ethanol content of the flavor concentrate to be specifically influenced. In particular, the use of water and / or steam as a desorption agent further facilitates the production of non-alcoholic beers with particularly low ethanol contents (e.g., <0.1 vol.%, <0.045 vol.%, or less), since the flavor concentrate, which can be blended with the non-alcoholic beer to improve its flavor profile, contains very little ethanol to begin with, or is even practically free of ethanol, so that even the addition of larger amounts of flavor concentrate results in no, or at least no relevant, increase in the ethanol content.

[0076] Further advantages arise from the fact that a flavoring-containing distillate and / or a flavoring-containing membrane permeate of an at least partially dealcoholized beer is used as the fluid, wherein the ethanol quantity of the second flavoring concentrate is at most 1 / 10 of the ethanol quantity of the fluid used. This allows the production of particularly highly concentrated flavoring concentrates, of which a correspondingly small volume needs to be added to an alcohol-free beer in order to improve the flavor profile of the dealcoholized beer, without there being a significant increase in the ethanol content of the dealcoholized beer. This makes it possible, in particular, to produce beers with a residual ethanol content of less than 0.1% by volume, in particular of a maximum of 0.045% by volume.-% can be produced that still have an authentic flavor profile corresponding to that of a full-bodied beer, without the need to add artificial or nature-identical flavors. On the contrary, all flavorings added to the beer can be recovered from the brewery's own raw materials and products.An ethanol quantity of 1 / 10 or less includes, in particular, ethanol quantities of 1 / 10, 1 / 20, 1 / 30, 1 / 40, 1 / 50, 1 / 60, 1 / 70, 1 / 80, 1 / 90, 1 / 100, 1 / 110, 1 / 120, 1 / 130, 1 / 140, 1 / 150, 1 / 160, 1 / 170, 1 / 180, 1 / 190, 1 / 200, 1 / 300, 1 / 400, 1 / 500, 1 / 600, 1 / 700, 1 / 800, 1 / 900, 1 / 1000, 1 / 1100, 1 / 1200, 1 / 1300, 1 / 1400, 1 / 1500, 1 / 1600, 1 / 1700, 1 / 1800, 1 / 1900, 1 / 2000, 1 / 2100, 1 / 2200, 1 / 2300, 1 / 2400, 1 / 2500, 1 / 2600, 1 / 2700, 1 / 2800, 1 / 2900, 1 / 3000, 1 / 3100, 1 / 3200, 1 / 3300, 1 / 3400, 1 / 3500, 1 / 3600, 1 / 3700, 1 / 3800, 1 / 3900, 1 / 4000, 1 / 4100, 1 / 4200, 1 / 4300, 1 / 4400, 1 / 4500, 1 / 4600, 1 / 4700, 1 / 4800, 1 / 4900, 1 / 5000 or less based on the amount of ethanol in the total volume of the starting fluid used.

[0077] Further advantages arise from the fact that a second flavor concentrate is produced in which, based on the initial concentrations in the fluid, a recovery ratio of 3-methylbutan-1-ol : 2-phenylethanol is at least 2 / 3 and / or in which, based on the initial concentration in the fluid, at least 30 mol% of 2-phenylethanol has been recovered and / or in which, based on the initial concentration in the fluid, the concentrations of 3-methylbutan-1-ol and 2-phenylethanol have been reduced by at least a factor of 10, for example by a factor of 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 or more.This ensures that polar and non-polar aroma substances relevant for the beer aroma are at least largely recovered and concentrated as much as possible.

[0078] Further advantages arise when at least two of a group consisting of the first flavor concentrate, second flavor concentrate, flavor-containing fluid, dearomatized permeate, and beer-containing food and / or beverage are blended. In other words, two, three, four, or five of the group consisting of the first flavor concentrate, second flavor concentrate (high concentration level), flavor-containing fluid (starting material for flavor concentrate production), dearomatized permeate, and beer-containing food and / or beverage are blended together to form a desired end product. Blending can be done manually via batch processing or automatically in a continuous in-line process.In principle, it can be provided that the entire volume or only one or more fractions of the first flavor concentrate and / or second flavor concentrate and / or flavor-containing fluid and / or dearomatized permeate and / or beer-containing food and / or beverage is / are blended. This provides a particularly flexible option for adjusting desired flavor profiles and for producing desired food and beverages. The goal of blending can, for example, be to fill or compensate for an "aroma gap" between an actual aroma profile and a target aroma profile, for example, between the aroma profile of a 0.0% beer and the aroma profile of a 0.5% beer or a full-bodied beer. Alternatively, the goal of blending can be to establish a specific balance of certain flavorings in order to create a desired aroma profile.In the case of beer, for example, the aroma profile of a 0.0% beer can be adjusted by blending in such a way that, based on the actual aroma profile, certain aroma substances are balanced analogously to a 0.5% beer or a full-strength beer, without the total concentration of the relevant aroma substances in the blended beer necessarily corresponding to the total concentration in a full-strength beer.

[0079] For illustrative purposes only, a flavor concentrate not according to the invention is disclosed, which is obtainable and / or obtained from a flavoring fluid by means of an adsorption system according to the first aspect of the invention and / or by a method according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the flavoring fluid is a foodstuff from the group of beer-containing foodstuffs and / or luxury items, beer wort, hops, hop extract, malt water, malt beer, malt wort, and brewery-specific raw materials and products, and / or is obtained from an ethanol-containing foodstuff from the group of beer-containing foodstuffs and / or luxury items by means of a dealcoholization device. The flavor concentrate thus represents either an authentic image of the fluid, since the flavorings originally contained in the fluid are at least largely uniformly enriched, or a modeled image of the fluid,in which certain flavoring substances are depleted relative to other flavoring substances. This allows for particularly flexible flavoring of food and beverages, in particular non-alcoholic beer or beer-based mixed drinks or beverages with beer flavoring, whereby the flavoring concentrate can in principle also be used on its own or for room fragrance, for the production of perfumes and the like. For example, the flavoring concentrate can be used to flavor the following food and beverages: Non-alcoholic beverages; preparations for making beverages; non-alcoholic cocktail mixes; non-alcoholic cocktails; non-alcoholic beverages with fruit juices; non-alcoholic bases for cocktails; non-alcoholic wines; non-alcoholic aperitifs; flavored,Carbonated drinks; dealcoholized wines; non-alcoholic wines; smoothies; non-alcoholic fruit drinks; sorbet drinks; sorbets; sorbets in the form of drinks; semi-frozen soft drinks [slush drinks]; frozen fruit-based drinks; non-alcoholic wines; dealcoholized wines; wines,non-alcoholic; soft drinks; dealcoholized drinks; soft drinks; non-alcoholic fruit drinks; non-alcoholic fruit extracts; beverages made from fruit; ice-cold fruit drinks; fruit drinks; non-alcoholic fruit drinks; fruit drinks and fruit juices; fruit nectars; fruit juices; fruit juices with pulp; fruit juice drinks; fruit juice concentrates; fruit syrups; fruit-based beverages; carbonated juices; concentrated fruit juices; concentrated fruit juices; must [fermented / unfermented]; fruit juices for use as beverages; juices; mixed fruit juices; grape juices; grape juice drinks; beverages consisting predominantly of fruit juices; alcoholic beverages, including beer; alcoholic preparations for making beverages; alcoholic jelly drinks; alcoholic carbonated drinks,including beer; aperitifs; low-alcohol drinks; spirits and liqueurs; wines; spirits; low-alcohol wines and beers; champagne; fruit wine; natural sparkling wines; sparkling fruit wines; rosé wines; red wine; sparkling wines; sparkling wine; sweet wines; table wines; sparkling grape wine; grape wine; pomace wine; wine for cooking; wines with a higher alcohol content; wine-based drinks [wine spritzers]; white wines; alcopops; alcoholic fruit extracts; alcoholic drinks with fruit content; alcoholic mixed drinks, including beer mixed drinks; alcoholic punch; punches [drinks]; cocktails and wine punches, although this list is not exhaustive.

[0080] Furthermore, for illustrative purposes only, a dearomatized permeate not according to the invention is disclosed, obtainable and / or obtained from a flavoring-containing fluid by means of an adsorption system according to the first aspect of the invention and / or by a method according to a second aspect of the invention, wherein the flavoring-containing fluid is a foodstuff from the group of beer-containing foodstuffs and / or luxury items, beer wort, hops, hop extract, malt water, malt beer, malt wort, and brewery-specific raw materials and products, and / or is obtained by means of a dealcoholization device from an ethanol-containing foodstuff from the group of beer-containing foodstuffs and / or luxury items. Since at least extensive recovery of the flavorings contained in the fluid is possible with the aid of the adsorption system or the method, the permeate is correspondingly greatly depleted and at least virtually odorless to humans.Therefore, the dearomatized permeate can be advantageously used for the production of food and beverages that are not intended to have a typical beer aroma profile. A list of suitable food and beverages can be found in the description of the flavoring concentrate and is also applicable to the present aspect of the invention.

[0081] A further aspect of the invention relates to a beer according to claim 20, which is produced by blending an at least partially dealcoholized and / or fermentation-stopped beer-containing food and / or beverage with a flavoring concentrate obtained by means of an adsorption system according to the first aspect of the invention and / or by a method according to the second aspect of the invention. The beer has an ethanol content of at most 0.3 vol.% and is free of artificially added flavorings and / or flavor extracts that do not originate from the brewery's own raw materials and products, in particular not from beer and / or from fluids from dealcoholization plants for beer. As already mentioned, with "0.0% beer" or very low-alcohol beers < 0.3%, it is generally necessary to add back larger quantities of beer-typical flavorings, since "0.0% beers" are not only superior to full-bodied beers, but also to "alcohol-free" beers (0.3-0.5% vol. ethanol) have significantly lower levels, particularly of polar, fermentative flavorings. Accordingly, the "0.0% beer" must be rearomatized with larger volumes of flavoring concentrate and / or with a more highly concentrated flavoring concentrate (e.g., a highly enriched second flavoring concentrate using a high-concentration device) or with specific blends of the first and second flavoring concentrates. The aroma substance 3-methylbutan-1-ol, which is a comparatively strongly polar compound, is on the one hand important for a beer-typical aroma profile, but on the other hand is greatly depleted during the production of alcohol-free beer, either through dealcoholization and / or by stopping fermentation, or is not formed at all or only in small quantities, since 3-methylbutan-1-ol (isoamyl alcohol) is formed by the degradation of the amino acid leucine during fermentation with yeast via the intermediate stage of α-keto-isocaproic acid,i.e., it is only formed during fermentation. Thus, 3-methylbutan-1-ol represents, on the one hand, an important aroma component and, on the other hand, an important indicator for the presence of the most authentic beer aroma possible, which can only be achieved or restored through the most uniform possible recovery of both polar and non-polar aroma substances. In contrast to an artificial addition of pure 3-methylbutan-1-ol, which leads to a correspondingly artificial odor impression due to the absence of other polar aroma substances typical of beer, authentic aroma substance concentrates can be obtained from brewery-owned raw materials and products by means of an adsorption system according to the first aspect of the invention and / or by means of a process according to the second aspect of the invention and, by blending, can be used to produce alcohol-free beer with an aroma profile similar to full-bodied beer or with an aroma profile,which would correspond to that of the original non-dealcoholized or fully fermented beer. Due to the high concentration factors that can be achieved with the aid of the adsorption system or process according to the invention, correspondingly small amounts of flavoring concentrate are required to achieve a beer-typical aroma profile, so that the ethanol content of the dealcoholized beer is not affected or at least practically not affected. Alternatively, with the aid of the adsorption system or process according to the invention, it is possible to produce aqueous flavoring concentrates with possibly relatively low concentration factors, but which are ethanol-free or at least essentially ethanol-free, so that their addition to a dealcoholized and / or fermentation-stopped beer in an amount sufficient to ensure a beer-typical aroma does not cause any, or at least no relevant (<0.1 vol.%, in particular <0.01 vol.%,preferably <0.005 vol.%) results in an increase in the ethanol content of the finished beer. The dealcoholized and / or fermentation-stopped beer can, for example, be a top- or bottom-fermented beer or a mixture of top- and bottom-fermented beers. Top-fermented beers include, for example, ale, Altbier, Berliner Weisse, spelt beer, Emmer beer, Gose, oat beer, Kölsch, Wieß, porter, rye beer, stout, and wheat beer, while bottom-fermented beers include, for example, Exportbier, Helles, lager, Märzen, Munich Dunkel, porter, Pils, Schwarzbier, Rotbier, or Zoigl, although this list is not exhaustive. Accordingly, the flavor concentrate with which the beer is blended can also be obtained from the aforementioned beer types, individually or in any combination, or from a fluid that is associated with the production of one or more of the aforementioned beer types in the brewing industry. The term ppm (parts per million,"Parts of a million", millionths) stands for the number 10 -6< and is used in the context of this disclosure to mean the millionth part by mass. A mass fraction of at least 0.01 ppm includes in particular 0.01 ppm, 0.02 ppm, 0.03 ppm, 0.04 ppm, 0.05 ppm, 0.06 ppm, 0.07 ppm, 0.08 ppm, 0.09 ppm, 0.10 ppm, 0.11 ppm, 0.12 ppm, 0.13 ppm, 0.14 ppm, 0.15 ppm, 0.16 ppm, 0.17 ppm, 0.18 ppm, 0.19 ppm, 0.20 ppm, 0.21 ppm, 0.22 ppm, 0.23 ppm, 0.24 ppm, 0.25 ppm, 0.26 ppm, 0.27 ppm, 0.28ppm, 0.29ppm, 0.30ppm, 0.31ppm, 0.32ppm, 0.33 ppm, 0.34 ppm, 0.35 ppm, 0.36 ppm, 0.37 ppm, 0.38 ppm, 0.39 ppm, 0.40 ppm, 0.41 ppm, 0.42 ppm, 0.43 ppm, 0.44 ppm, 0.45 ppm, 0.46 ppm, 0.47 ppm, 0.48 ppm, 0.49 ppm, 0.50 ppm, 0.51 ppm, 0.52 ppm, 0.53 ppm, 0.54 ppm, 0.55 ppm, 0.56 ppm, 0.57 ppm, 0.58 ppm, 0.59 ppm, 0.60 ppm, 0.61 ppm, 0.62 ppm, 0.63 ppm, 0.64 ppm, 0.65 ppm, 0.66 ppm, 0.67 ppm, 0.68 ppm, 0.69 ppm, 0.70 ppm, 0.71 ppm, 0.72 ppm, 0.73 ppm, 0.74 ppm, 0.75 ppm, 0.76 ppm,0,77 ppm, 0,78 ppm, 0,79 ppm, 0,80 ppm, 0,81 ppm, 0,82 ppm, 0,83 ppm, 0,84 ppm, 0,85 ppm, 0,86 ppm, 0,87 ppm, 0,88 ppm, 0,89 ppm, 0,90 ppm, 0,91 ppm, 0,92 ppm, 0,93 ppm, 0,94 ppm, 0,95 ppm, 0,96 ppm, 0,97 ppm, 0,98 ppm, 0,99 ppm, 1 ppm, 2 ppm, 3 ppm, 4 ppm, 5 ppm, 6 ppm, 7 ppm, 8 ppm, 9 ppm, 10 ppm, 11 ppm, 12 ppm, 13 ppm, 14 ppm, 15 ppm, 16 ppm, 17 ppm, 18 ppm, 19 ppm, 20 ppm, 21 ppm, 22 ppm, 23 ppm, 24 ppm, 25 ppm, 26 ppm, 27 ppm, 28 ppm, 29 ppm, 30 ppm, 31 ppm, 32 ppm, 33 ppm, 34 ppm, 35 ppm, 36 ppm, 37 ppm, 38 ppm, 39 ppm, 40 ppm, 41 ppm, 42 ppm, 43 ppm, 44 ppm, 45 ppm, 46 ppm, 47 ppm, 48 ppm, 49 ppm, 50 ppm, 51 ppm, 52 ppm, 53 ppm, 54 ppm, 55 ppm, 56 ppm, 57 ppm, 58 ppm, 59 ppm, 60 ppm, 61 ppm, 62 ppm, 63 ppm, 64 ppm, 65 ppm, 66 ppm, 67 ppm, 68 ppm, 69 ppm, 70 ppm, 71 ppm, 72 ppm, 73 ppm, 74 ppm, 75 ppm, 76 ppm, 77 ppm, 78 ppm, 79 ppm, 80 ppm, 81 ppm, 82 ppm, 83 ppm, 84 ppm, 85 ppm, 86 ppm, 87 ppm, 88 ppm, 89 ppm, 90 ppm, 91 ppm, 92 ppm, 93 ppm, 94 ppm, 95 ppm, 96 ppm, 97 ppm,98 ppm, 99 ppm, 100 ppm, 101 ppm, 102 ppm, 103 ppm, 104 ppm, 105 ppm, 106 ppm, 107 ppm, 108 ppm, 109 ppm, 110 ppm, 111 ppm, 112 ppm, 113 ppm, 114 ppm, 115 ppm, 116 ppm, 117 ppm, 118 ppm, 119 ppm, 120 ppm oder mehr zu verstehen, wobei entsprechende Zwischenwerte wie beispielsweise 35,01 ppm, 35,02 ppm, 35,03 ppm, 35,04 ppm, 35,05 ppm, 35,06 ppm, 35,07 ppm, 35,08 ppm, 35,09 ppm, 35,10 ppm, 35,11 ppm, 35,12 ppm, 35,13 ppm, 35,14 ppm, 35,15 ppm, 35,16 ppm, 35,17 ppm, 35,18 ppm, 35,19 ppm, 35,20 ppm, 35,21 ppm, 35,22 ppm, 35,23 ppm, 35,24 ppm, 35,25 ppm, 35,26 ppm, 35,27 ppm, 35,28 ppm, 35,29 ppm, 35,30 ppm, 35,31 ppm, 35,32 ppm, 35,33 ppm, 35,34 ppm, 35,35 ppm, 35,36 ppm, 35,37 ppm, 35,38 ppm, 35,39 ppm, 35,40 ppm, 35,41 ppm, 35,42 ppm, 35,43 ppm, 35,44 ppm, 35,45 ppm, 35,46 ppm, 35,47 ppm, 35,48 ppm, 35,49 ppm, 35,50 ppm, 35,51 ppm, 35,52 ppm, 35,53 ppm, 35,54 ppm, 35,55 ppm, 35,56 ppm, 35,57 ppm, 35,58 ppm, 35,59 ppm, 35,60 ppm, 35,61 ppm, 35,62 ppm, 35,63 ppm, 35,64 ppm, 35,65 ppm, 35,66 ppm, 35.67 ppm, 35.68 ppm, 35.69 ppm, 35.70 ppm, 35.71 ppm, 35.72 ppm, 35.73 ppm, 35.74 ppm, 35.75 ppm, 35.76 ppm, 35.77 ppm, 35.78 ppm, 35.79 ppm, 35.80 ppm, 35.81 ppm, 35.82 ppm, 35.83 ppm, 35.84 ppm, 35.85 ppm, 35.86 ppm, 35.87 ppm, 35.88 ppm, 35.89 ppm, 35.90 ppm, 35.91 ppm, 35.92 ppm, 35.93 ppm, 35.94 ppm, 35.95 ppm, 35.96 ppm, 35.97 ppm, 35.98 ppm, 35.99 ppm, 36.00 ppm etc. are to be considered as disclosed. Accordingly, an ethanol content of 0.50 vol.%, 0.49 vol.%, 0.48 vol.%, 0.47 vol.%, 0.46 vol.%, 0.45 vol.%, 0.44 vol.%, 0.43 vol.%, 0.42 vol.%, 0.41 vol.%, 0.40 vol.%, 0.39 vol.%, 0.38 vol.%, 0.37 vol.%, 0.36 vol.%, 0.35 vol.%, 0.34 vol.%, 0.33 vol.%, 0.32 vol.%, 0.31 vol.%, 0.30 vol.%, 0.29 vol.%, 0.28 vol.%, 0.27 vol.%, 0.26 vol.%, 0.25 vol.%, 0.24 vol.%, 0.23% vol, 0.22% vol, 0.21% vol, 0.20% vol, 0.19% vol, 0.18% vol, 0.17% vol, 0.16% vol, 0.15% vol, 0.14% vol, 0,13 vol%, 0.12 vol%, 0.11 vol%, 0.10 vol% or less.

[0082] Further advantages arise from the fact that the beer has an ethanol content of no more than 0.1% by volume, in particular no more than 0.045% by volume. This means that the beer-containing food and / or beverage has an ethanol content of 0.100 vol.%, 0.099 vol.%, 0.098 vol.%, 0.097 vol.%, 0.096 vol.%, 0.095 vol.%, 0.094 vol.%, 0.093 vol.%, 0.092 vol.%, 0.091 vol.%, 0.090 vol.%, 0.089 vol.%, 0.088 vol.%, 0.087 vol.%, 0.086 vol.%, 0.085 vol.%, 0.084 vol.%, 0.083 vol.%, 0.082 vol.%, 0.081 vol.%, 0.080 vol.%, 0.079 vol.%, 0.078 vol.%, 0.077 vol.%, 0.076 vol%, 0.075 vol%, 0.074 vol%, 0.073 vol%, 0.072 vol%, 0.071 vol%, 0.070 vol%, 0.069 vol%, 0.068 vol%, 0.067 vol%, 0.066 % Vol., 0.065 Vol.-%, 0.064 Vol.-%, 0.063 Vol.-%, 0.062 Vol.-%, 0.061 Vol.-%, 0.060 Vol.-%, 0.059 Vol.-%, 0.058 Vol.-%, 0.057 Vol.-%, 0.056 Vol.-%, 0.055 vol.-%, 0.054 vol.-%, 0.053 vol.-%, 0.052 vol.-%, 0.051 vol.-%, 0.050 vol.-%, 0.049 vol%, 0.048 vol%, 0.047 vol.-%, 0.046 vol.-%, 0.045 vol.-%, 0.044 vol.-%, 0.043 vol.-%, 0.042 vol.-%, 0.041 vol.-%, 0.040 vol.-%, 0.039 vol.-%, 0.038 vol.-%, 0.037 vol.-%, 0.036 vol%, 0.035 vol%, 0.034 vol%, 0.033 vol%, 0.032 vol%, 0.031 vol%, 0.030 vol%, 0.029 vol%, 0.028 vol%, 0.027 vol%, 0.026 Vol.-%, 0.025 Vol.-%, 0.024 Vol.-%, 0.023 Vol.-%, 0.022 Vol.-%, 0.021 Vol.-%, 0.020 % vol., 0.019 % vol., 0.018 % vol., 0.017 % vol., 0.016 % vol., 0.015 % vol., 0.014 % vol., 0.013 % vol., 0.012 % vol., 0.011 % vol., 0.010 % vol., 0.009 % vol., 0.008 % vol., 0.007 % vol., 0.006 % vol., 0.005 % vol., 0.004 % vol., 0.003 % vol., 0.002 % vol., 0.001 % vol. or less, or may be completely ethanol-free. Beers with an ethanol content of 0.099% or less are also referred to as "0.0% beers."This means that such food and / or beverages can also be produced or traded in countries where any consumption of ethanol is prohibited, although the food and / or beverage still has a typical beer aroma profile, for example, similar to or identical to a draft beer, lager or full-bodied beer.

[0083] It is possible to produce non-alcoholic beers that contain 0.1% alcohol by volume or less, yet still possess a full-bodied beer flavor profile and additionally comply with the requirements of the German Beer Regulation ("German Purity Law") or similar regulations, or contain no declarable ingredients other than water, grain, hops, and possibly yeast. For spontaneously fermented beer, an implicit yeast addition is assumed.

[0084] Unter Konzentrationen von mindestens 0,1 ppm sind im Rahmen der vorliegenden Offenbarung beispielsweise Konzentrationen von 0,10 ppm, 0,11 ppm, 0,12 ppm, 0,13 ppm, 0,14 ppm, 0,15 ppm, 0,16 ppm, 0,17 ppm, 0,18 ppm, 0,19 ppm, 0,20 ppm, 0,21 ppm, 0,22 ppm, 0,23 ppm, 0,24 ppm, 0,25 ppm, 0,26 ppm, 0,27 ppm, 0,28 ppm, 0,29 ppm, 0,30 ppm, 0,31 ppm, 0,32 ppm, 0,33 ppm, 0,34 ppm, 0,35 ppm, 0,36 ppm, 0,37 ppm, 0,38 ppm, 0,39 ppm, 0,40 ppm, 0,41 ppm, 0,42 ppm, 0,43 ppm, 0,44 ppm, 0,45 ppm, 0,46 ppm, 0,47 ppm, 0,48 ppm, 0,49 ppm, 0,50 ppm, 0,51 ppm, 0,52 ppm, 0,53 ppm, 0,54 ppm, 0,55 ppm, 0,56 ppm, 0,57 ppm, 0,58 ppm, 0,59 ppm, 0,60 ppm, 0,61 ppm, 0,62 ppm, 0,63 ppm, 0,64 ppm, 0,65 ppm, 0,66 ppm, 0,67 ppm, 0,68 ppm, 0,69 ppm, 0,70 ppm, 0,71 ppm, 0,72 ppm, 0,73 ppm, 0,74 ppm, 0,75 ppm, 0,76 ppm, 0,77 ppm, 0,78 ppm, 0,79 ppm, 0,80 ppm, 0,81 ppm, 0,82 ppm, 0,83 ppm, 0,84 ppm, 0,85 ppm, 0,86 ppm, 0,87 ppm, 0,88 ppm, 0,89 ppm, 0,90 ppm, 0,91 ppm, 0,92 ppm, 0,93 ppm, 0,94 ppm, 0,95 ppm, 0,96 ppm, 0,97 ppm, 0,98 ppm, 0,99 ppm, 1 ppm, 2 ppm, 3 ppm, 4 ppm, 5 ppm, 6 ppm, 7 ppm, 8 ppm, 9 ppm, 10 ppm, 11 ppm, 12 ppm, 13 ppm, 14 ppm, 15 ppm, 16 ppm, 17 ppm, 18 ppm, 19 ppm, 20 ppm, 21 ppm, 22 ppm, 23 ppm, 24 ppm, 25 ppm, 26 ppm, 27 ppm, 28 ppm, 29 ppm, 30 ppm, 31 ppm, 32 ppm, 33 ppm, 34 ppm, 35 ppm, 36 ppm, 37 ppm, 38 ppm, 39 ppm, 40 ppm, 41 ppm, 42 ppm, 43 ppm, 44 ppm, 45 ppm, 46 ppm, 47 ppm, 48 ppm, 49 ppm, 50 ppm, 51 ppm, 52 ppm, 53 ppm, 54 ppm, 55 ppm, 56 ppm, 57 ppm, 58 ppm, 59 ppm, 60 ppm, 61 ppm, 62 ppm, 63 ppm, 64 ppm, 65 ppm, 66 ppm, 67 ppm, 68 ppm, 69 ppm, 70 ppm, 71 ppm, 72 ppm, 73 ppm, 74 ppm, 75 ppm, 76 ppm, 77 ppm, 78 ppm, 79 ppm, 80 ppm, 81 ppm, 82 ppm, 83 ppm, 84 ppm, 85 ppm, 86 ppm, 87 ppm, 88 ppm, 89 ppm, 90 ppm, 91 ppm, 92 ppm, 93 ppm, 94 ppm, 95 ppm, 96 ppm, 97 ppm, 98 ppm, 99 ppm, 100 ppm, 101 ppm, 102 ppm, 103 ppm, 104 ppm, 105 ppm, 106 ppm, 107 ppm, 108 ppm, 109 ppm, 110 ppm, 111 ppm, 112 ppm, 113 ppm, 114 ppm, 115 ppm, 116 ppm, 117 ppm, 118 ppm, 119 ppm,120 ppm oder mehr sowie entsprechende Zwischenwerte zu verstehen. Unter einer Massenkonzentration von 0,01 ppm sind dementsprechend Werte von 0,010 ppm, 0,011 ppm, 0,012 ppm, 0,013 ppm, 0,014 ppm, 0,015 ppm, 0,016 ppm, 0,017 ppm, 0,018 ppm, 0,019 ppm, 0,020 ppm, 0,021 ppm, 0,022 ppm, 0,023 ppm, 0,024 ppm, 0,025 ppm, 0,026 ppm, 0,027 ppm, 0,028 ppm, 0,029 ppm, 0,030 ppm, 0,031 ppm, 0,032 ppm, 0,033 ppm, 0,034 ppm, 0,035 ppm, 0,036 ppm, 0,037 ppm, 0,038 ppm, 0,039 ppm, 0,040 ppm, 0,041 ppm, 0,042 ppm, 0,043 ppm, 0,044 ppm, 0,045 ppm, 0,046 ppm, 0,047 ppm, 0,048 ppm, 0,049 ppm, 0,050 ppm, 0,051 ppm, 0,052 ppm, 0,053 ppm, 0,054 ppm, 0,055 ppm, 0,056 ppm, 0,057 ppm, 0,058 ppm, 0,059 ppm, 0,060 ppm, 0,061 ppm, 0,062 ppm, 0,063 ppm, 0,064 ppm, 0,065 ppm, 0,066 ppm, 0,067 ppm, 0,068 ppm, 0,069 ppm, 0,070 ppm, 0,071 ppm, 0,072 ppm, 0,073 ppm, 0,074 ppm, 0,075 ppm, 0,076 ppm, 0,077 ppm, 0,078 ppm, 0,079 ppm, 0,080 ppm, 0,081 ppm, 0,082 ppm, 0,083 ppm, 0,084 ppm, 0,085 ppm, 0,086 ppm, 0,087 ppm,0.088 ppm, 0.089 ppm, 0.090 ppm, 0.091 ppm, 0.092 ppm, 0.093 ppm, 0.094 ppm, 0.095 ppm, 0.096 ppm, 0.097 ppm, 0.098 ppm, 0.099 ppm, 0.01 ppm, etc. (see above) up to 120 ppm or more. According to the invention, the non-alcoholic beer is blended with such an amount of flavoring concentrate according to the invention that the final concentrations of the individual flavorings in the blended beer are in the following ranges: , Ethyl acetate 1 ppm to 50 ppm; and ethyl butyrate 0.01 ppm to 0.2 ppm; and isobutanol 2.0 ppm to 50 ppm; and isoamyl acetate 0.2 ppm to 5 ppm; and 2-methylbutan-1-ol 3 ppm to 25 ppm; and 3-methylbutan-1-ol 10 ppm to 100 ppm; and ethyl hexanoate 0.1 ppm to 0.35 ppm; and 2-phenylethyl acetate 0.1 ppm to 1.5 ppm; and 2-phenylethanol at least 5 ppm to 45 ppm, to ensure a full-bodied beer-like aroma profile, particularly in the style of a wheat, export, pale or lager beer.

[0085] Preferably, the "0.0%" beer is blended with enough flavor concentrate according to the invention so that the final concentrations of the individual flavorings in the blended beer are in the following ranges: Ethyl acetate 1 ppm to 50 ppm; and ethyl butyrate 0.01 ppm to 0.2 ppm; and isobutanol 2.0 ppm to 50 ppm; and isoamyl acetate 0.2 ppm to 5 ppm; and 2-methylbutan-1-ol 3 ppm to 25 ppm; and 3-methylbutan-1-ol 10 ppm to 100 ppm; and ethyl hexanoate 0.1 ppm to 0.35 ppm; and 2-phenylethyl acetate 0.1 ppm to 1.5 ppm; and 2-phenylethanol at least 5 ppm to 45 ppm, to ensure a full-bodied beer-like aroma profile, particularly in the style of a wheat, export, pale, or lager beer.

[0086] Furthermore, for illustrative purposes only, a sorbent not according to the invention is disclosed which comprises a polymer with substituted and / or unsubstituted phenylethene and divinylbenzene monomers. In other words, it is envisaged that the sorbent comprises a monomer of the formula and one or more monomers of the formula and comprises or consists of these monomers, whereby the individual monomers can be substituted or unsubstituted. With the aid of the sorbent, corresponding flavor-enriched flavor concentrates and flavor-depleted permeates, each with an authentic odor impression, can be obtained from flavor-containing fluids. In contrast to sorbents known from the prior art, the sorbent also allows the binding of polar substances, whereby both polar and non-polar substances are enriched or depleted evenly. Furthermore, polar aroma and flavor substances can also be completely or at least predominantly desorbed. Therefore, with the aid of the sorbent, it is also possible to remove colorants and flavors, especially those with a bitter taste, from the fluid.to enrich the sorbent and finally, after desorption, provide it as a concentrate. By selecting the proportion of phenylethene and divinylbenzene monomers in the total weight of the sorbent, as well as by selecting the ratio of phenylethene to divinylbenzene monomers, the composition of the concentrate and the enrichment factors of the individual flavorings can be influenced, so that an authentic flavor concentrate can be produced in every case. For example, the mass fraction of phenylethene monomers in the total weight of the sorbent can be 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%, 20%, 21%, 22%, 23%, 24%, 25%, 26%, 27%, 28%, 29%, 30%, 31%, 32%, 33%, 34%, 35%, 36%, 37%, 38%, 39%, 40%, 41%, 42%, 43%, 44%, 45%, 46%, 47%, 48%, 49%, 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%. 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%,71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99%, while the mass fraction of the divinylbenzene monomers is accordingly 99%, 98%, 97%, 96%, 95%, 94%, 93%, 92%, 91%, 90%, 89%, 88%, 87%, 86%, 85%, 84%, 83%, 82%, 81%, 80%, 79%, 78%, 77%, 76%, 75%, 74%, 73%. 72%, 71%, 70%, 69%, 68%, 67%, 66%, 65%, 64%, 63%, 62%, 61%, 60%, 59%, 58%, 57%, 56%, 55%, 54%, 53%, 52%, 51%, 50%, 49%, 48%, 47%, 46%, 45%, 44%, 43%, 42%, 41%, 40%, 39%, 38%, 37%, 36%, 35%, 34%, 33%, 32%, 31%, 30%, 29%, 28%, 27%, 26%, 25%, 24%, 23%, 22%, 21%, 20%, 19%, 18%, 17%, 16%, 15%, 14%, 13%, 12%, 11%, 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2% or 1%. Preferably, the sorbent is a polystyrene-divinylbenzene copolymer, with statistical, alternating,Block-shaped and grafted copolymers may be provided. Furthermore, the copolymers may be modified or comprise substituted monomers, for example, to provide basic or acidic properties. Other monomers or other compounds that can be incorporated into the polymer are also provided, which, optionally in addition to acidic and / or basic groups, impart the desired sorption properties to the polymer, particularly with respect to polar flavorings, depending on the desired application.

[0087] Further features of the invention emerge from the claims, the figures and the description of the figures. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description as well as the features and combinations of features mentioned below in the description of the figures and / or shown alone in the figures can be used not only in the respectively specified combination, but also in other combinations without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, embodiments are to be regarded as encompassed and disclosed by the invention that are not explicitly shown and explained in the figures, but which emerge and can be produced by separate combinations of features from the explained embodiments. Embodiments and combinations of features are also to be regarded as disclosed that do not have all the features of an originally formulated independent claim.Furthermore, embodiments and combinations of features are to be considered disclosed, in particular by the embodiments presented above and below, which go beyond the combinations of features presented in the claims or deviate from these combinations of features. This shows: . Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an adsorption system not according to the invention according to an embodiment; Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an adsorption system according to the invention according to an embodiment, wherein the adsorption system is operated in an adsorption mode; Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the adsorption system according to Fig. 2shown adsorption system according to the invention, wherein this is operated in a desorption mode; Fig. 4 a schematic representation of the adsorption system according to the invention according to a further exemplary embodiment; Fig. 5 a schematic representation of the adsorption system according to the invention according to a further exemplary embodiment; Fig. 6 a schematic representation of the adsorption system according to the invention according to a further exemplary embodiment; Fig. 7 a schematic sectional view of a working space with two fluidically connected channels, which are arranged nested in one another in a common housing; Fig. 8 a schematic sectional view of a working space with four fluidically connected channels, which are arranged nested in one another in a common housing; Fig. 9 a schematic representation of an adsorption system according to a further exemplary embodiment; Fig.10 shows a schematic diagram of an adsorption system according to a further embodiment; Fig. 11 shows a schematic sectional view of four working spaces with different geometries; Fig. 12 shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of the adsorption system according to the invention; Fig. 13 shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of the adsorption system according to the invention; Fig. 14 shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of the adsorption system according to the invention; Fig. 15 shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of the adsorption system according to the invention; Fig. 16 shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of the adsorption system according to the invention; Fig. 17 shows a schematic sectional view of a divided working space; Fig. 18 shows a schematic plan view of a DIN flange; Fig. 19 shows a schematic plan view of the DIN flange, with a separating base welded into a passage opening; Fig.20 a schematic top view of the separating plate; Fig. 21 a schematic top view of the DIN flange, with the separating plate inserted into the center of the seal above the passage opening; Fig. 22 a schematic representation of a spiral-shaped working chamber; Fig. 23 a schematic representation of several zigzag-shaped working chambers with a pumping device per turn; Fig. 24 a schematic representation of several zigzag-shaped working chambers with a pumping device for every second turn; Fig. 25 a schematic representation of a meander-shaped working chamber without pumping devices; Fig. 26 a schematic representation of a further embodiment of the adsorption system according to the invention; Fig. 27 a schematic representation of a high-concentration device according to the invention; Fig. 28 a schematic representation of a further embodiment of the adsorption system according to the invention;Fig. 29 shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the adsorption system according to the invention; and Fig. 30 shows a simplified flow diagram of a process sequence for producing a flavoring concentrate with a typical beer aroma.

[0088] Fig. 1shows a schematic diagram of an adsorption system 10 according to a first exemplary embodiment not according to the invention. The adsorption system 10 shown enables a process control for isolating flavorings as a flavoring concentrate from a flavoring-containing fluid, ensuring, on the one hand, a particularly high enrichment of the flavorings in the flavoring concentrate or extract and, on the other hand, the retention of an authentic flavor profile. For this purpose, the adsorption system 10 in the exemplary embodiment shown comprises three working spaces 12, which are fluidically coupled to one another via a line system 13, which forms a first fluid path, and are each filled with a sorbent as a stationary phase. The working spaces 12 can basically also be referred to as a column or extraction cell and, in the exemplary embodiment shown, each have a circular-cylindrical shape with identical geometric dimensions.Thus, all working spaces 12 have constant cross-sectional thicknesses along their respective longitudinal axes L. Furthermore, instead of three working spaces 12, only one, two, or four or more working spaces 12 can be provided. In the present exemplary embodiment, all working spaces 12 are filled with the same, pure styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer as sorbent. In the context of the present disclosure, "pure" does not mean that... As sorbents, for example, chemical compounds from the group consisting of polyaromatics, polystyrenes, poly(meth)acrylates, polypropylenes, polyesters, polytetrafluoroethylene, and crosslinked polystyrenes, in particular copolymers of ethylvinylbenzene and divinylbenzene, of vinylpyrrolidone and divinylbenzene, of vinylpyridine and divinylbenzene, and / or of styrene and divinylbenzene, can generally be used. Ion exchange materials can also be provided.Favorable sorption characteristics can also be achieved by using sorbents containing monomers with functional groups. Sulfonic acid groups, ternary (e.g., methacrylic diethylamine) and quaternary ammonium groups (e.g., phenyltrimethylammonium), amides (e.g., benzamides), amines and halogen-modified aromatics, heterocycles such as 3-pyrrolidone, 2-pyrrolidone, 2-pyrroline, 3-pyrroline, pyrrole, and / or piperazine, as well as halogenated aliphatic side chains, have proven particularly effective. Gel-like polymers can also be used. In principle, modified polyacrylates can also be used, in particular those comprising the following monomers: acrylic acid, acrylonitrile and alkyl acrylates such as methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate and butyl methacrylate.Alternatively or additionally, CMS sorbents (CMS: carbon molecular sieve) are used, which are formed from the pyrolysis of polymeric precursors and themselves have a highly porous carbon structure. SGPC sorbents (SGPC: spherical graphitized polymer carbon) and GCB sorbents (GCB: graphitized carbon black) can also be used. Alternatives include polymers based on 2,6-diphenylene oxide, e.g., poly(2,6-diphenyl-p-phenylene oxide), or those with iminodiacetate functionality.

[0089] These sorbents, individually or in any combination, ensure particularly high adsorption of the flavoring agent(s) and thus a particularly high recovery rate. Furthermore, the sorbent can be optimally selected depending on the respective fluid and the flavoring agents it contains. These polymers are preferably additionally functionalized using suitable reagents during the polymerization of the base polymer or by post-treating the base polymer with appropriate reagents to achieve the desired sorption characteristics.

[0090] However, it can also be provided that at least one of the working chambers 12 is filled with a mixture of two or more sorbents and / or that different working chambers 12 are filled with different sorbents or sorbent mixtures in order to achieve a specific adsorption behavior that is optimally adapted to the respective fluid to be processed. The three working chambers 12 together provide a particularly long and, at the same time, comparatively thin sorbent bed, since the ratio of the average cross-sectional thickness to the combined total length of the working chambers 12 is less than 0.3. For example, the average cross-sectional thickness is between 3 mm and 80 cm, while the total length is between 2.6 m and 80 m.

[0091] Furthermore, the adsorption system 10 comprises a total of four pumping devices 14, which are arranged before, between and after the working spaces 12.

[0092] To load the sorbents arranged in the working spaces 12, the adsorption system 10 is operated in an absorption mode. For this purpose, the flavoring-containing fluid is introduced as a mobile phase through the inlet 16 into the line system 13 and is passed serially through the working spaces 12 according to arrow A with the aid of the pumping devices 14. The fluid can be, for example, an aqueous flavoring. For example, the fluid is a foodstuff from the group of beer-containing foodstuffs and / or luxury items, beer wort, hops, hop extract, malt water, malt beer, malt wort, and brewery-specific raw materials and products, and / or is obtained by means of a dealcoholization device from an ethanol-containing foodstuff from the group of beer-containing foodstuffs and / or luxury items. The flavorings present in the fluid adsorb onto the sorbent. The dearomatized fluid or permeate is then removed from the line system 13 at the outlet 18.

[0093] If necessary, the ethanol content of the fluid can be adjusted to a value of at least 0.5 vol% and / or to a value of at most 50 vol% before passing through the adsorption system 10. This allows for a particularly high recovery rate, while additionally ensuring that a particularly "authentic" flavor concentrate is obtained, i.e., a flavor concentrate in which both polar and non-polar flavors are enriched at least substantially evenly. The ethanol content can generally be adjusted to the required value by adding ethanol or an ethanol-rich solvent mixture and / or by adding an ethanol-free solvent, for example, water, or by adding a low-ethanol solvent mixture. For example, the ethanol content can be set to a value of 0.5 vol%, 1.0 vol%, 1.5 vol%, 2.0 vol%, 2.5 vol%, 3.0 vol%, 3.5 vol%, 4.0 vol%.-%, 4.5 Vol.-%, 5.0 Vol.-%, 5.5 Vol.-%, 6.0 Vol.-%, 6.5 Vol.-%, 7.0 Vol.-%, 7.5 Vol.-%, 8.0 Vol.-%, 8.5 Vol.-%, 9.0 Vol.-%, 9.5 Vol.-%, 10.0 Vol.-%, 10.5 Vol.-%, 11.0 Vol.-%, 11.5 Vol.-%, 12.0 Vol.-%, 12.5 Vol.-%, 13.0 Vol.-%, 13.5 Vol.-%, 14.0 Vol.-%, 14.5 Vol.-%, 15.0 Vol.-%, 15.5 Vol.-%, 16.0 Vol.-%, 16.5 Vol.-%, 17.0 Vol.-%, 17.5 Vol.-%, 18.0 Vol.-%, 18.5 Vol.-%, 19.0 Vol.-%, 19.5 Vol.-%, 20.0 Vol.-%, 20.5 Vol.-%, 21.0 Vol.-%, 21.5 Vol.-%, 22.0 Vol.-%, 22.5 Vol.-%, 23.0 Vol.-%, 23.5 Vol.-%, 24.0 Vol.-%, 24.5 Vol.-%, 25.0 Vol.-%, 25.5 Vol.-%, 26.0 Vol.-%, 26.5 Vol.-%, 27.0 Vol.-%, 27.5 Vol.-%, 28.0 Vol.-%, 28.5 Vol.-%, 29.0 Vol.-%, 29.5 Vol.-%, 30.0 Vol.-%, 30.5 Vol.-%, 31.0 Vol.-%, 31.5 Vol.-%, 32.0 Vol.-%, 32.5 Vol.-%, 33.0 Vol.-%, 33.5 Vol.-%, 34.0 Vol.-%, 34.5 Vol.-%, 35.0 Vol.-%, 35.5 Vol.-%, 36.0 Vol.-%, 36.5 Vol.-%, 37.0 Vol.-%, 37.5 Vol.-%, 38.0 Vol.-%, 38.5 Vol.-%, 39.0 Vol.-%, 39.5 Vol.-%, 40.0 Vol.-%, 40.5 Vol.-%, 41.0 Vol.-%, 41.5 Vol.-%, 42.0 Vol.-%, 42.5 Vol.-%, 43.0 vol.%, 43.5 vol.%, 44.0 vol.%, 44.5 vol.%, 45.0 vol.%, 45.5 vol.%, 46.0 vol.%, 46.5 vol.%, 47.0 vol.%, 47.5 vol.%, 48.0 vol.%, 48.5 vol.%, 49.0 vol.%, 49.5 vol.% or 50.0 vol.%, whereby corresponding intermediate values ​​are to be regarded as disclosed. Preferably, the ethanol content is set to a value between approximately 1.5 vol.% and approximately 10 vol.% ethanol. Alternatively, the fluid can also be free of ethanol. Likewise, it can generally be provided that the ethanol content of the fluid is not adjusted, but that the fluid is used in the form in which it is present or with a given ethanol content, including a content of 0%.

[0094] For unloading, the adsorption system 10 is then switched to a desorption mode. For this purpose, a desorption agent, for example, water, ethanol, or an ethanol / water mixture, is introduced into the line system 13 via an inlet 16' and is serially conveyed through the working chambers 12 in the opposite direction according to arrow B by means of the reversible pumping devices 14. As the desorption agent is passed through, the aroma substances bound to the sorbent desorb again, so that an aroma concentrate is obtained at the outlet 18' and removed from the line system 13.

[0095] The fluidic connection of the individual working chambers 12 and the upstream, intermediate, and downstream reversible pumping devices 14 enables significantly higher flow rates during loading and unloading than would be possible using a single working chamber 12 with the same volume. In addition, a small amount of desorbent can be used during desorption, corresponding to the relatively small diameter or cross-sectional area of ​​the working chambers 12, thereby achieving a higher concentration of the aroma substances with a lower desorbent requirement. Furthermore, it is advantageous to use a particularly long sorbent bed in order to adsorb both polar and non-polar aroma substances as quantitatively as possible in order to obtain correspondingly authentic aroma substance concentrates and permeates that are as aroma-free as possible.

[0096] In principle, it is preferred within the scope of the present invention if at least the ratios of the mass fractions of the up to five most aroma-defining aroma substances different from the desorption agent in the aroma substance concentrate differ by a maximum of ± 50% from the corresponding ratios of their mass fractions in the fluid and / or that, with respect to the fluid, each aroma substance different from the desorption agent is enriched by a mass-related factor of a maximum of 1.49 in individual comparison with each other aroma substance different from the desorption agent in the aroma substance concentrate.This enables the provision of a particularly "authentic" flavor concentrate, i.e. a flavor concentrate in which all or at least the five flavorings present in the original fluid that characterize the overall flavor - regardless of their physical properties such as polarity or boiling point - are at least substantially uniformly enriched in the flavor concentrate, so that the sensory properties of the flavor concentrate correspond to those of the fluid, particularly when the flavor concentrate is rediluted in such a way that the concentration(s) of the flavoring(s) at least substantially correspond to their original concentrations in the fluid. At least the 2, 3, 4, or 5 flavorings that are present in the fluid orThe flavorings present in the flavoring concentrate which contribute significantly to the overall flavor of the fluid are enriched as evenly as possible in the flavoring concentrate so that their mass-related concentrations in the fluid and in the flavoring concentrate differ in pairwise comparison by a maximum of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%, 13%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 19%. ,20%, 21%, 22%, 23%, 24%, 25%, 26%, 27%, 28%, 29%, 30%, 31%, 32%, 33%, 34%, 35%, 36%, 37%, 38%, 39%, 40%, 41%, 42%, 43%, 44%, 45%, 46%, 47%, 48%, 49%, or 50%. Which of the aroma substances present in the fluid are among the five most aroma-defining can be determined using methods familiar to the expert in the context of standard experiments. Reference is made merely as an example to the well-known determination of aroma values ​​or to omission experiments with recombinants. In principle, it can also be provided that in the flavoring concentrate, one or more flavorings of a first group are enriched independently of one another by a factor of 1.49 or less compared to one or more flavors and / or fragrances of a second group, based on the fluid originally provided.A factor of 1.49 or less includes, in particular, factors of 1.49, 1.48, 1.47, 1.46, 1.45, 1.44, 1.43, 1.42, 1.41, 1.40, 1.39, 1.38, 1.37, 1.36, 1.35, 1.34, 1.33, 1.32, 1.31, 1.30, 1.29, 1.28, 1.27, 1.26, 1.25, 1.24, 1.23, 1.22, 1.21, 1.20, 1.19, 1.18, 1.17, 1.16, 1.15, 1.14, 1.13, 1.12, 1.11, 1.10, 1.09, 1.08, 1.07, 1.06, 1.05, 1.04, 1.03, 1.02, 1.01, 1.00, 0.99, 0.98, 0.97, 0.96, 0.95, 0.94, 0.93, 0.92, 0.91, 0.90, 0.89, 0.88, 0.87, 0.86, 0.85, 0.84, 0.83, 0.82, 0.81, 0.80, 0.79, 0.78, 0.77, 0.76, 0.75, 0.74, 0.73, 0.72, 0.71, 0.70, 0.69, 0.68, 0.67, 0.66, 0.65, 0.64, 0.63, 0.62, 0.61, 0.60, 0.59, 0.58, 0.57, 0.56, 0.55, 0.54, 0.53, 0.52, 0.51 or 0.50.The flavorings of the first group can, for example, be selected from the group ethyl butyrate, ethyl methyl butyrate-2, methyl capronate, linalool, alpha-ionone, beta-ionone, delta-decalactone, 2E-hexenol, 2E-hexenal, hexanal, beta-damascenone, octanal, nootkatone, p-menthenethiol-1, 8, benzaldehyde, gamma-decalactone, linalool oxide, furfurylthiol-2, 4-vinylguaiacol, isomeric isopropylmethoxypyrazines, isomeric ethyldimethylpyrazines, indole, methyl jasmonate, jasmine lactone, dipropyl disulfide, dipropyl trisulfide, methylpropyl disulfide, L-menthol, menthone, L-carvone, isoamyl acetate (3-methylbutyl acetate), 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, 2E, 4Z-Decadienal, 3, 5-Dimethyltrithiolane, Citral, Caryophyllene, 1-Octen-3-ol, 1-Octen-3-one, Hydroxybenzylacetone, cis-3-Hexenol, 3Z-Hexenol, Methylbutyrate, Geraniol, Ethyl-2E, 4Z-decadienoate, 8-Mercapto-p-Menth-1-en-3-one, 2E, 4Z, 7Z-Tridecatrienal, 2E, 5Z-Undecadienal, Nonanal, 4-Ocanolide, 5-Octanolide, 1-Phenylethanol, 2-Phenylethanol, Weinlactone and Menthofurolactones.The flavorings of the second group can be selected, for example, from C1-C5 alcohols, preferably methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, 2-methylbutan-1-ol, 3-methylbutan-1-ol, diacetyl, acetaldehyde, furfural, furfuryl alcohol, phenol, acetoin, dimethyl sulfide, methyl mercaptan, lactic acid, and acetic acid. In other words, it can be provided, in particular, that there is no or as little as possible relative enrichment (e.g., ≤ ± 50%) of more hydrophobic flavorings (first group) compared to more hydrophilic flavorings (second group) in the flavoring concentrate relative to the fluid, so that an authentic flavoring concentrate is produced with the most uniform enrichment possible of all flavorings originally present in the fluid, regardless of their polarity.Accordingly, in principle, an improved aroma-depleted permeate can be produced compared to the state of the art, since the aroma substances contained in the fluid are depleted more evenly in the permeate, so that the permeate has a weakened but still authentic taste and aroma profile or is at least largely or completely odorless for humans.

[0097] Alternatively or additionally, it is provided that the ratios of the mass fractions of at least two and preferably at least three different flavorings in the flavoring concentrate differ by a maximum of ± 50% from the corresponding ratios of their mass fractions in the fluid, with at least one of the flavorings being hydrophobic (selected from the first group) and at least one other flavoring being hydrophilic (selected from the second group). This also enables the provision of a particularly "authentic" flavoring concentrate in which polar and non-polar flavorings are present in as uniform a concentration as possible.

[0098] The concentration or enrichment factor of each flavoring in the flavoring concentrate compared to the original fluid can in principle be at least 1.01, in particular at least 10, preferably at least 100, preferably at least 1000 and in particular at least 15000. For example, the concentration factor of each flavoring agent can be 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 1.07, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19, 1.20, 1.21, 1.22, 1.23, 1.24, 1.25, 1.26, 1.27, 1.28, 1.29, 1.30, 1.31, 1.32, 1.33, 1.34, 1.35, 1.36, 1.37, 1.38, 1.39, 1.40, 1.41, 1.42, 1.43, 1.44, 1.45, 1.46, 1.47, 1.48, 1.49, 1.50, 1.51, 1.52, 1.53, 1.54, 1.55, 1.56, 1.57, 1.58, 1.59, 1.60, 1.61, 1.62, 1.63, 1.64, 1.65, 1.66, 1.67, 1.68, 1.69, 1.70, 1.71, 1.72, 1.73, 1.74, 1.75, 1.76, 1.77, 1.78, 1.79, 1.80, 1.81, 1.82, 1.83, 1.84, 1.85, 1.86, 1.87, 1.88, 1.89, 1.90, 1.91, 1.92, 1.93, 1.94, 1.95, 1.96, 1.97, 1.98, 1.99, 2, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500,3000, 3500, 4000, 4500, 5000, 5500, 6000, 6500, 7000, 7500, 8000, 8500, 9000, 9500, 10000, 10500, 11000, 11500, 12000, 12500, 13000, 13500, 14000, 14500, 15000, 15500, 16000, 16500, 17000, 17500, 18000, 18500, 19000, 19500, 20000, 20000, 25000, 30000, 35000, 40000, 45000, 50000, 55000, 60000, 65000, 70000, 75000, 80000, 85000, 90000, 95000, 100000 or more, whereby corresponding intermediate values ​​are to be considered disclosed. In other words, the flavor concentrate must be diluted by an appropriate factor so that the flavorings are present again in their original concentration as in the fluid. The higher the concentration factor, the smaller the required storage and transport space and the easier the further processing of the flavor concentrate. Likewise, high concentration factors facilitate the production of powdered or encapsulated flavors. Furthermore, the proportion of solvent(s) decreases with concentration.especially ethanol, so that, for example, ethanol-free flavoring concentrates can be produced that comply with Halal regulations.

[0099] In principle, it can also be provided that the desorbent is the same chemical compound as a flavoring agent contained in the fluid. In this case, the flavoring agent in question is preferably not taken into account when determining its degree of enrichment in the flavoring agent concentrate, since no meaningful statements about its enrichment and depletion in the concentrate or permeate are possible from the outset. For example, the original fluid may contain ethanol as a flavoring agent, so that if ethanol is used as the desorbent, this chemical compound is preferably not included in the assessment of the aforementioned mass fraction ratios. Alternatively, in this case, the relative enrichment of one or more flavoring agents with respect to ethanol can be used to determine the concentration factor between the original fluid and the flavoring agent concentrate.

[0100] Fig. 2shows a schematic diagram of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention according to a further exemplary embodiment. The adsorption system 10 is optimized for particularly fast loading speed while simultaneously maximizing the extract concentration in the flavor concentrate. For this purpose, the adsorption system 10 comprises, in addition to three working chambers 12 and four pumping devices 14, several controllable and / or regulatable valve devices 20, 20', as well as a line system 13 that is differently designed compared to the previous exemplary embodiment. It should be emphasized that, of course, a different number of working chambers 12, pumping devices 14, and valve devices 20 can also be provided in this case.

[0101] The adsorption system 10 is Fig. 2operated in adsorption mode, with the flow direction used for loading being symbolized by arrows. To load the sorbents arranged in the working spaces 12, the flavoring-containing fluid is again introduced as the mobile phase through the inlet 16 into the line system 13, but is passed in parallel through all working spaces 12 at the same time with the aid of the pumping devices 14. For this purpose, the valve devices 20 are opened, while the valve devices marked 20' are closed. The control and / or regulation of the pumping devices 14 and / or the valve devices 20, 20' as well as the switching between adsorption mode and desorption mode is carried out according to the invention basically with the aid of a control device (not shown). The flavorings contained in the fluid thus adsorb simultaneously onto the sorbents with which the three working spaces 12 are filled. The dearomatized fluid orPermeate removed from line system 13.

[0102] The desorption of the aroma substances is determined by Fig. 3explained, which shows a schematic diagram of the adsorption system 10 operated in desorption mode. In desorption mode, the valve devices marked 20' are now opened, while the valve devices marked 20 are closed. A desorbent is now pumped through the inlet 16' according to the arrows into the line system 13 and, with the aid of the reversible pump devices 14, is passed serially through the working spaces 12 in the opposite conveying direction. As the desorbent is passed through, the aroma substances bound to the sorbent desorb again, so that an aroma substance concentrate is obtained at the outlet 18' and removed from the line system 13. In other words, in contrast to the first exemplary embodiment, the loading of the sorbents takes place in parallel, while the unloading or desorption is again carried out serially.This enables particularly fast loading speed while simultaneously maximizing the extract concentration in the flavor concentrate.

[0103] Fig. 4shows a schematic diagram of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention according to a further exemplary embodiment. The adsorption system 10 comprises a first working chamber 12a and a second working chamber 12b, which are fluidically connected to one another and arranged directly or indirectly one behind the other. In principle, it can be provided that the working chambers 12a, 12b are arranged in separate housings or in a common housing. In the case of an arrangement in a common housing, it can further be provided that the working chambers 12a, 12b are separated from one another by a liquid-permeable partition or the like in order to prevent mixing of the sorbents arranged in the working chambers 12a, 12b. In the present example, the working chamber 12b is filled with a so-called normal phase and / or a polar bound phase as sorbent.Normal phases include modified or unmodified silica gels or aluminum oxides, for example, where adsorption processes on polar OH groups are predominantly utilized for separation. Polar bonded phases are also usually based on silica gels to which chains with specific functional groups are bound. As a result, these sorbents are polar to varying degrees. Separation occurs through different mechanisms and usually through a combination of several effects (molecular size exclusion, adsorption, partitioning, ion exchange).

[0104] Working space 12a, on the other hand, is filled with a so-called reversed phase sorbent. In reversed phases, the polarity relationships are "reversed" compared to normal phases. Typically, nonpolar side chains are bound to a silica gel framework or a polymer. This makes them hydrophobic. With increasing chain length, the phases become less polar. The separation mechanism is predominantly based on van der Waals forces. The more similar an aromatic compound is to the hydrocarbon chain of the phase, the greater its interactions with the sorbent and the better its adsorption to the reversed phase.

[0105] For loading, i.e., in adsorption mode, an aqueous fluid containing flavorings is passed through the inlet 16 and the pumping device 14 against gravity through the working chamber 12b to remove any air pockets. The normal phase / polar phase retains predominantly polar flavorings, while non-polar ones at least partially pass further into the working chamber 12a. The dearomatized fluid is then removed from the adsorption system 10 through the outlet 18. The valve devices 20 are open in adsorption mode, while the valve devices 20' are closed.

[0106] In desorption mode, the valve devices 20 are closed, while the valve devices 20' are opened. The valve device 20" can be opened or closed as needed. A first desorbent, for example, ethanol, or a first desorbent mixture can be introduced via the inlet 16' and guided in the direction of gravity through the working spaces 12a, 12b to a fraction collector 22 with, in this case, three collection containers 22a-c. The collection containers 22a-c can be opened or closed independently of one another via the valve devices 20a-c in order to collect corresponding fractions as needed. It is understood that the number and type of collection containers can be varied.

[0107] Alternatively or in addition to the first desorbent, a second desorbent or a second desorbent mixture can be passed through the working spaces 12a, 12b via a further inlet 16" via the line system 13. By appropriately opening and closing the valve devices 20, 20' and 20" both the first and the second desorbent can be passed either against the force of gravity through the working space 12b and then through the working space 12a or with the force of gravity through the working space 12a and then through the working space 12b.

[0108] Likewise, it is generally possible to create a continuous or stepwise gradient of the first and second desorbents in order to achieve a specific desorption behavior of the adsorbed aroma substances. Furthermore, it is generally possible to first pass one of the desorbents from top to bottom, i.e., by gravity, or to layer it over one of the working spaces 12a, 12b and then pass the other desorbent in the opposite direction, from bottom to top, or against gravity, through the working spaces 12a, 12b. This allows particularly sharply resolved fractions to be obtained and collected. Furthermore, 3, 4, 5, 6, or more desorbents can of course also be used as a mixture and / or gradient.

[0109] The adsorption system 10 thus enables particularly variable and needs-based process control. In addition, the use of different sorbent types—that is, at least one normal phase / polar phase and at least one reversed phase—in the working chambers 12a, 12b enables improved separation of the aroma substances through combined adsorption and partition chromatography effects. Thus, aroma substances can be separated based on compound-specific retention capacities on different sorbents in an adsorption system 10. The separation of specific fractions can be achieved, for example, according to their penetration depth into the reversed phase (working chamber 12a). Likewise, specific fractions can be separated according to their retention time on the normal phase (working chamber 12b).

[0110] Fig. 5shows a schematic diagram of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention according to a further embodiment. The basic structure of the adsorption system 10 corresponds to that of the Fig. 4 shown adsorption system 10. In contrast to the previous embodiment, the present adsorption system 10 comprises a total of four working chambers 12a-d for the fractional separation of different aroma substances. In this example, the four working chambers 12a-d are filled with identical sorbents or sorbent mixtures and thus form four zones in which the aroma substances are distributed from the fluid through a combination of adsorption and distribution chromatographic effects.

[0111] Alternatively, the working chambers 12a-d can be filled with different sorbents or sorbent mixtures, with at least one sorbent selected from the group of normal phases and / or polar bound phases and at least one other sorbent selected from the group of reversed phases. Furthermore, the adsorption system 10 comprises a correspondingly larger number of independently controllable or adjustable valve devices 20, 20', 20" in order to switch between the adsorption and desorption modes as needed. In particular, with the aid of the present adsorption system 10, it is possible to individually load and unload each working chamber 12a-d with aromatic substances.This makes it possible, for example, to desorb only the aroma substances adsorbed in the working space 12c or only the aroma substances adsorbed in the working spaces 12a, 12b and 12d, which enables particularly flexible process control with simultaneous reduction of dead space.

[0112] Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention according to a further embodiment. The basic structure of the present adsorption system 10 is similar to that of the adsorption system 10 described in connection with Fig. 5described adsorption system 10. To minimize dead space, the adsorption system 10 shown here comprises, in addition to a line system 13, which is provided for passing the flavoring-containing fluid, a second line system 13', which is provided for passing the desorbent(s) and has a smaller volume or a smaller cross-section than the line system 13. In other words, two pipeline systems 13, 13' are used, which accordingly form a first and a second fluid path, wherein a line system 13 with a comparatively larger average diameter or a relatively larger average cross-sectional area is used for loading and a line system 13' with a comparatively smaller average diameter is used for discharging. This results in particularly highly concentrated flavoring concentrates.A further difference from the previous embodiment is the additional pumping devices 14a-c, which are generally optional and can also be provided in different numbers and arrangements. The pumping devices 14a-c are each arranged between the working chambers 12a-c and improve the fluid throughput or the loading rate of the sorbents arranged in the working chambers 12a-c with aromatic substances. Furthermore, the line system 13' provided for the desorption agents comprises additional valve devices 20"', which are generally closed in adsorption mode and can be switched independently of one another in desorption mode in order to obtain individual or combined fractions from the working chambers 12a-d. The valve devices 20" can, in the simplest embodiment, be check valves orBall valves can be used, as these shut-off devices switch automatically via pressure differences, but do not need to be actively controlled and are therefore very cost-effective and reliable.

[0113] Fig. 7shows a schematic longitudinal section through a working chamber 12 with two fluidically interconnected channels 24a, 24b, which are nested within one another in a common housing 26. The housing 26 is formed by a wall of the outer channel 24a, which surrounds the inner channel 24b. The inner channel 24b opens into an inlet 16, through which a fluid or a desorption agent enters the working chamber 12 and is or can be guided to the mouth of the outer channel 24a. Here, the respective fluid is redirected and flows through the channel 24a to the outlet 18, where it leaves the working chamber 12 again.Thus, viewed in the flow direction, the working chamber 12 widens in a stepwise manner at the transition from the inner channel 24b to the outer channel 24, so that aroma substances that bind less well to and break through the sorbent (mixture) arranged in the inner channel 24b can still be reliably captured with the aid of the larger capacity of the outer channel 24a. In other words, the area through which the sorbent flows or can flow, and thus its capacity, increases gradually from the inlet 16 toward the outlet 18. This enables the extraction of particularly authentic aroma concentrates.

[0114] In principle, the working chamber 12 or its channels 24a, 24b can be partially or completely filled independently of one another with one or more sorbents of the same type or quality. It can also be provided that the channels 24a, 24b are filled with different sorbent types, for example, with a normal phase and a reverse phase. Furthermore, it can of course be provided that fluid or desorbent is introduced through the outlet 18 and discharged through the inlet 16. The working chamber 12 provides, in a particularly simple and easily scalable manner, a flow path that is as long as possible and, at the same time, relatively "thin," in which the ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length is at most 0.3 or less. The cross-sectional area or thickness of the outer channel 24a essentially corresponds to the cross-sectional area of ​​the working chamber 12 minus the cross-sectional area of ​​the inner channel 24b.

[0115] Fig. 8shows a schematic sectional view of a working chamber 12 with four fluidically interconnected channels 24a-d, which are nested within a common housing 26. In this exemplary embodiment, too, the cross-sectional area expands gradually at each transition from one channel 24a-d to the next. The working chamber 12 thus provides a particularly long and simultaneously "thin" flow path, in which the ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length is 0.03 or less. The number of channels 24a-d can be varied as needed, so that three, five, or more channels 24 can be provided. The more nested channels 24 are provided, the more the cross-sectional area profile along the flow path of the working chamber 12 formally approaches a funnel.Alternatively, it can be provided that two or more channels 24 are not nested within each other, but are arranged next to each other, for example.

[0116] Fig. 9 shows a schematic diagram of the adsorption system 10 according to another exemplary embodiment. The flavor-containing fluid, which can also be referred to as the water phase, is first continuously supplied through the inlet 16 in adsorption mode, pumped into the line system 13 with the aid of the pumping device 14, and flows through all working chambers 12a-c or the sorbents arranged therein in parallel against the direction of gravity. The pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet of the working chambers 12a-c is approximately 4 bar. The dearomatized water phase is removed from the line system 13 again through the outlet 18.

[0117] In desorption mode, a desorbent, ethanol, is slowly fed from above through the inlet 16' and the line system 13' at intervals into the first working chamber 12a by means of the pump device 14' generating a slightly higher pressure than that prevailing at the inlet 16 and by opening the valve devices 20a while closing the valve devices 20b, 20c. As a result, aroma extract adsorbed on the sorbent is pumped back into the water phase and, due to the lower flow rates and volumes, is diluted to such an extent that the concentration of the desorbent in the fluid at least substantially does not lead to the desorption of already adsorbed aroma substances in the downstream working chambers 12b, 12c. In other words, the aroma-containing fluid (water phase) is aromatized orenriched with previously adsorbed and desorbed aroma substances, directed to the downstream working chambers 12b, 12c, and recaptured there on the respective sorbent beds. The number of working chambers 12a-c (extraction cells) and their respective volumes are preferably selected so that the loading time for a single working chamber 12 is as short as possible.

[0118] The described process is repeated analogously for the next working chamber 12b and then for each further downstream working chamber 12c, etc., so that the aroma substances increasingly collect in the last working chamber with respect to the direction of flow (here: 12c). The valve devices 20, 20' can be opened or closed as required to support the desorption process and to prevent aroma-containing fluid from flowing unused out of the outlet 18. A very large amount of aroma thus collects in a very short time in the last working chamber 12c, viewed in the direction of flow. The loading time for each individual working chamber 12a-c is comparatively short, so that practically no polar or non-polar aroma substances are lost through chromatographic processes. This means that the resulting aroma substance concentrate is very authentic. At the same time, a high concentration factor is achieved oran ethanolic phase with a high aroma concentration is obtained. Because the loading times of each individual work chamber 12a-c are short, the aroma concentrate is obtained several times a day, for example, every hour, in the rhythm of the adsorption device 10 and can be removed via the valve device 20" and the outlet 18'.

[0119] Fig. 10 shows a schematic diagram of the adsorption system 10 according to a further embodiment. The structure of the adsorption system 10 basically corresponds to that in Fig. 1shown, in contrast to the first exemplary embodiment, the adsorption system 10 comprises working spaces 12a-c with different geometries, in particular with different average cross-sectional thicknesses. The working spaces 12a-c are again at least substantially circular-cylindrical, but have increasing average cross-sectional thicknesses with respect to the flow direction indicated by arrow A. In other words, the working spaces 12a-c have the same height, but different diameters or cross-sectional areas, resulting in a type of funnel process. The first working space 12a, into which the flavoring-containing fluid flows during loading, is narrower than the second working space 12b or than all downstream working spaces 12b, 12c. This ensures that those flavorings that can be bound very efficiently to a comparatively small amount of sorbent are located more or less exclusively in a narrow tube orin a working chamber 12a with a small volume and with a ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to the length of the working chamber 12a of at most 0.3. This results in a particularly high final concentration of these aroma substances during the subsequent desorption.

[0120] Those flavorings that require a large amount of sorbent to be bound at least approximately quantitatively are primarily bound in the downstream working chambers 12b or 12c, as these have a greater binding capacity due to their larger diameters. During desorption against the loading direction (arrow B), the flavorings with poorer binding properties are first released from the largest working chamber 12c in the correct quantitative ratio and pass via the second working chamber 12b into the comparatively narrow first working chamber 12a, where they release the other well-binding flavorings.

[0121] This primarily ensures that the low-binding aroma substances appear in the correct ratio in the resulting aroma substance concentrate, making it particularly authentic. If the entire amount of desorbent from the largest working chamber 12c is not used to desorb the smallest working chamber 12a, not all of the available amount of poorly binding aroma substances will be recovered, but the recovered aroma substances will still be in a quantitatively comparable ratio to the original fluid (water phase).

[0122] Fig. 11shows a schematic sectional view of four working chambers 12a-d with different geometries. It can be seen that all working chambers 12a-d have a diameter or a cross-sectional area that changes in the longitudinal direction L. As a result, the cross-sectional area through which the flow passes or through which the flow can pass, and thus the capacity of the sorbent arranged in the working chamber, increases gradually and / or continuously in each working chamber 12a-d from the inlet 16 towards the outlet 18. This enables the extraction of particularly authentic flavor concentrates, since the capacity of the sorbent increases in the direction of flow, so that less binding flavor substances can still be reliably adsorbed. Accordingly, loading with flavor substances preferably occurs in the flow direction indicated by arrow A, i.e. from bottom to top or from areas with a small diameter to areas with a larger diameter.This ensures that a lower binding capacity is reserved for aroma substances that bind well than for aroma substances that bind less well to the respective sorbent. Unloading preferably takes place in the opposite flow direction (arrow B), i.e., from areas with larger diameters to areas with smaller diameters. This, in turn, achieves particularly reliable desorption of all bound aroma substances, since the aroma substances bound in the area of ​​the outlet 18, i.e., the only weakly adsorbed compounds, dissolve readily in the desorbent, while the aroma substances bound in the area of ​​the inlet 16, i.e., the compounds that bind strongly to the respective sorbent, are desorbed with a correspondingly large volume flow of desorbent. The working spaces 12a-d can, in principle, be used individually or in any combination for the adsorption system 10 according to the invention.

[0123] Fig. 12 shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the adsorption system 10. The structure of the adsorption system 10 largely corresponds to that of the Fig. 9 In contrast to the example shown in Fig. 9 In contrast to the embodiment shown, the present embodiment has three cylindrical working spaces 12a-c which have the same height but different cross-sectional areas or diameters and are each filled with the same sorbent or sorbent mixture.

[0124] The working chamber 12a has the largest volume, while the working chamber 12b has a smaller volume, and the working chamber 12c has the smallest volume of the three working chambers 12a-c. Thus, the first working chamber 12a, viewed in the loading direction, or the sorbent arranged therein, has the greatest binding capacity for aroma substances and enables the largest volume flow, while the binding capacity and the maximum permissible volume flow of the downstream working chambers 12b, 12c decrease gradually. For example, the volume of the working chamber 12b can be 1 / 10 of the volume of the working chamber 12a, while the volume of the working chamber 12c is 1 / 10 of the volume of the working chamber 12b. In this case, too, it is of course possible to provide only two or four or more working chambers 12 instead of three working chambers 12a-c.This ensures a particularly low ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length of the working spaces 12a-c, for example a ratio of at most 0.03 or less.

[0125] Another difference to the Fig. 9 In the embodiment shown, the present adsorption system 10 has an additional line system 13", which opens into the line system 13 between the working spaces 12a-12b and 12b-12c and forms a third fluid path. The further line system 13" comprises an inlet 16", a pump device 14 and two valve devices 20‴ and serves to supply water into the line system 13 as described below.

[0126] In the adsorption system 10 shown here, a fluid, which is a flavor-containing water phase with an ethanol content between 0 vol.% and 50 vol.%, for example, 0 vol.%, 0.5 vol.%, 1 vol.%, 6 vol.%, 18 vol.%, 30 vol.%, 37 vol.%, 42 vol.%, or 49 vol.%, is first continuously introduced through the inlet 16 into the line system 13 and passed parallel and uniformly through all working spaces 12a-c (extraction cells). The pressure difference between the lower inlet and the upper outlet of the working spaces 12a-c is approximately 4 bar.

[0127] For desorption, ethanol is slowly fed at intervals through the inlet 16' as the desorbent from above through the line system 13', which forms a second fluid path, into the working spaces 12a-c by applying a higher pressure than on the water side (line system 13). With the help of the valve devices 20a-c, individual pressurization of the individual working spaces 12a-c is possible. As a result, the aroma substances adsorbed on the sorbent are desorbed, pumped back into the water phase as aroma extract, and diluted with water with the help of the line system 13'. This reduces the ethanol content of the respective desorbate, preventing undesired or premature desorption of the aroma substances adsorbed in the downstream working space 12b or 12c. The amount of water supplied through the line system 13' is preferably selected such that the ethanol content of the respective desorbate is a maximum of 12-13 vol.-% before it is fed into the working chamber 12b or 12c. For example, the highly ethanol-containing desorbate from the working chamber 12a (ethanol content >90 vol.%), in which the flavorings are enriched, for example, 1:100 compared to the fluid, is again diluted 1:10 with water to achieve an ethanol content of no more than 12-13 vol. Thus, the flavorings introduced into the working chamber 12b are enriched by a factor of approximately 10 compared to the original fluid.

[0128] Analogously, the highly ethanol-containing desorbate of the working chamber 12b, in which the aroma substances are again enriched by a factor of approximately 1:100 compared to the working chamber 12a, is again diluted 1:10 with water, so that the aroma substances introduced into the working chamber 12c are formally enriched by a factor of 100 compared to the original fluid. At the same time, the volume of the desorbate introduced into the working chamber 12c is only approximately 1 / 10 of the volume of the desorbate introduced into the working chamber 12b or 1 / 100 of the fluid introduced into the working chamber 12a. Consequently, in the last working chamber 12c, viewed in the loading direction, a very large amount of aroma is bound in a very short time and can ultimately be removed from the adsorption system 10 as an ethanolic aroma substance concentrate by opening the valve device 20" via the outlet 18'.There is no dilution with water, which results in an enrichment of the aroma substances of 1:100 compared to the working chamber 12b or of 1:1,000 compared to the working chamber 12a or of 1:10,000 compared to the original fluid.

[0129] Because the loading time for each individual work chamber 12a-c is comparatively short, both non-polar and polar flavors are evenly enriched and, at least for the most part, do not break through. This means that the resulting flavor concentrate is highly authentic. At the same time, a high concentration factor of 1:10,000 or more is achieved. Because the loading times for each individual work chamber 12a-c are short, flavor extract can be obtained several times a day, for example, every hour or less, in accordance with the system's rhythm.

[0130] The dearomatized fluid or the dearomatized water phase can in principle be discharged from the adsorption system 10 via the outlet 18 and discarded or can be circulated through the adsorption system 10 via the inlet 16", whereby in the latter case considerable water savings as well as a particularly high yield and recovery of aroma substances are achieved.

[0131] Instead of the line system 13' or in addition to the line system 13', it can be provided that the adsorption system 10 comprises one or more intermediate containers (not shown) in which or which the respective ethanolic desorbate can be collected, temporarily stored and, if necessary, diluted.

[0132] The following Table 1 shows the results that can be achieved when processing a flavoring fluid using one of the adsorption systems 10 shown above. The fluid used was a water phase containing 6 vol.% ethanol and the typical beer flavorings 3-methylbutan-1-ol, phenol, hexanal, cis-3-hexenol, linalool, and 2-phenylethanol. Table 1 lists the enrichment factors of each flavoring in the flavoring concentrate based on its respective initial concentration in the original fluid, with the enrichment factors remaining relatively uniform around the value 200. This underscores the authenticity of the resulting flavoring concentrate. Furthermore, the relative enrichment factors of 3-methylbutan-1-ol to hexanal, cis-3-hexenol, linalool and 2-phenylethanol or of phenol to hexanal, cis-3-hexenol, linalool and 2-phenylethanol are given.Here, too, it can be seen that the relative enrichment factors are in the range of 1.0, so that preferably all flavoring substances were enriched very evenly and thus without discrimination, despite their very different polarities. Table 1: Enrichment factors 6% ethanol in water phase Enrichment factor Hexanal cis-3-hexenol Linalool 2-Phenylethanol Enrichment factor 206 217 195 241 3-Methylbutan-1-ol 194 1,06 1,12 1,00 1,24 phenol 244 0,84 0,89 0,80 0,99

[0133] In a further embodiment, a two-stage enrichment of an aqueous fluid is carried out, which may, for example, again contain 3-methylbutan-1-ol, phenol, hexanal, cis-3-hexenol, linalool, and 2-phenylethanol as typical beer flavorings. In a first stage, adsorption is carried out with a comparatively high sorbent capacity. For this purpose, one of the adsorption systems 10 described above can be used, for example. No relative enrichment factors above 1.49 are achieved for the respective quotient of cis-3-hexenol, 2-phenylethanol, linalool, hexanal over 3-methylbutan-1-ol, and phenol. The enrichment factors for the subsequent desorption with ethanol as the desorbent are selected to be comparatively low and are, for example, 1:10, 1:100, or 1:500.

[0134] In a second stage, the flavor concentrate obtained from the first stage, which has an ethanol content of over 90 vol.%, is diluted with water to approximately 6-20 vol.% ethanol content. Subsequently, adsorption is carried out using a comparatively long and thin working chamber 12 filled with sorbent, which may be composed of several subchambers 32 (see FIG. Fig. 17 ). Enrichment factors of over 1:100 or 1:1000 or higher are obtained based on the reactant of the second stage or the flavor concentrate of the first stage.

[0135] The technological advantage of this two-stage solution is that two different adsorption systems 10 or two different piping systems 13 can be used, which can be or are optimized for very different flow rates. In other words, the adsorption system 10 or the piping system 13 for the first stage can be optimized for high flow rates of the low-concentration, aqueous fluid, while the second adsorption system 10 or the second piping system 13 can be optimized for low flow rates of the already highly concentrated flavor concentrate as well as for high ethanol contents, which, for example, entails higher requirements for fire and explosion protection. The second adsorption system 10 can therefore also be referred to or designed as a high-concentration device.

[0136] Due to the significantly lower flow rates, the second adsorption system 10 or the second line system 13 can also have a working chamber 12 with a particularly low ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length, for example, a ratio of at most 0.03 or less. This allows for the realization of particularly high concentration factors.

[0137] Fig. 13shows a schematic diagram of a further exemplary embodiment of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention. In contrast to the previous exemplary embodiments, the adsorption system 10 comprises a collecting container 28, the function of which will be explained in more detail below. It can be seen that the adsorption system 10 has three working spaces 12a-c, which in the present case are filled with the same type of sorbent and have a small cross-sectional area or a small diameter compared to their length. The sorbent used is a so-called reversed-phase material, which can be pure or a mixture of two or more reversed-phase materials. It is understood that in the present case, a different number of working spaces 12a-c can also be provided, which can also be of the same or different design and / or filled with the same or different sorbents.A water phase containing aroma substances from the brewing industry is again used as the fluid and is introduced through the inlet 16 into the line system 13 of the adsorption system 10.

[0138] In an adsorption or collection mode, the valve devices 20, 20' are first opened and the valve devices 20" are closed. The fluid is then passed parallel against the direction of gravity through the working chambers 12a-c until the sorbents are overloaded. Thus, predominantly only non-polar aroma substances are bound to the sorbents arranged in the working chambers 12a-c, while polar aroma substances partially or completely "break through" and are discharged from the working chambers 12a-c. The polar aroma substances are passed with the partially dearomatized fluid to another working chamber or extraction cell 12d, which has a larger ratio of diameter or cross-sectional area to length compared to the upstream working chambers 12a-c.Due to the comparatively larger cross-sectional area through which the adsorption medium flows, the sorbent arranged in the working chamber 12d has a higher capacity, so that the permeated polar aroma substances are at least essentially completely bound. The dearomatized fluid is then discharged from the adsorption system 10 through the outlet 18.

[0139] To recover the bound aroma substances, the adsorption system 10 is switched to a desorption mode. For this purpose, the valve devices 20, 20' are closed and the valve devices 20" are opened. A desorbent, ethanol, is then passed through the inlet 16' in the direction of gravity or against the loading direction through the large working chamber 12d. The recovered aroma substances are then passed via the line system 13' into the basically optional collection container 28, from where they can be completely or partially removed, further processed, and / or forwarded. In the case of forwarding, the ethanolic desorbent, which already contains the aroma substance, is pumped further to the working chambers 12a-c by means of the pump device 14 and also flows through them against the loading direction or in the direction of gravity.The non-polar flavorings bound in the small working spaces 12a-c are desorbed by the desorption agent and discharged from the adsorption system 10 through the outlet 18'. In principle, it can also be provided that a separate line system (not shown) for the desorption agent is assigned to the working spaces 12a-c, so that the polar and non-polar flavorings can be desorbed independently of one another. Furthermore, it can be provided that the outlet 18' also opens into the collecting container 28 in order to form the flavoring concentrate therein or to combine the polar and non-polar flavorings in a desired ratio. In this case, it is advantageous if the collecting container 28 has a separate outlet (not shown) for removing the flavoring concentrate.

[0140] Fig. 14shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention. The basic structure and the basic functionality correspond to those of the previous embodiment. In contrast to the previous embodiment, the adsorption system 10 additionally comprises a further inlet 16" with an associated pump device 14 and an additional outlet 18" with an associated valve device 20"'. The adsorption system 10 thus enables the implementation of a controllable and / or adjustable polarity change, in which the permeate flow of the first working spaces or extraction cells 12a-c in the loading direction can be modified before entering the working space 12d. The polarity change process generally provides that an aroma-containing aqueous fluid with a comparatively high ethanol content of up to 45 vol.-% or more is introduced through the inlet 16 and passed through the first working chamber(s) 12a-c in the flow direction, in which predominantly non-polar aroma substances are initially adsorbed. Between the outlet(s) of the working chambers 12a-c and the inlet of the working chamber 12d, the polarity and / or the pH value and / or the ionic strength and / or the solids content of the already partially dearomatized fluid or permeate is then changed. For this purpose, water, acids and / or alkalis, for example, can be added to the aroma-containing permeate stream through the inlet 16".Suitable compounds for adjusting the pH are known per se to those skilled in the art and include, for example, inorganic and organic acids such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, ascorbic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, acetic acid, propanoic acid, butyric acid, 2-methylbutyric acid, 3-methylbutyric acid, hexanoic acid, heptanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, decanoic acid and their derivatives as well as inorganic bases such as sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, although this list is not to be regarded as exhaustive. In this way, targeted discrimination between acidic and alkaline flavorings is possible. Non-exhaustive examples of such flavorings are in particular: . Amines (primary, secondary and tertiary amines, e.g. monomethylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine, monoethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, etc.) and carboxylic acid-containing compounds (e.g. formic acid, acetic acid, etc.)

[0141] Irrespective of this, it is alternatively or additionally generally possible to add to the fluid or permeate a predetermined amount of at least one substance which dissolves at least partially in the fluid or permeate. One or more substances can be selected which are solid and / or liquid under standard conditions. Likewise, the at least one substance can be selected from a group comprising inorganic and organic salts, monomeric, oligomeric and polymeric sugars, protic solvents, aprotic-nonpolar solvents and aprotic-polar solvents. Likewise, at least one substance can be selected which dissolves exergonic in the fluid or permeate at 25 °C and 1.013 bar under standard conditions. The at least one substance can be added to the fluid in an amount of at least 0.1 g / l, in particular of at least 1 g / l and preferably of at least 10 g / l.It is also possible for the at least one substance to be added to the fluid in an amount such that the water content of the fluid, based on the total volume of the fluid, is at most 94 vol.%. The invention is based on the finding that by dissolving the substance(s), a corresponding amount of fluid molecules are bound to the substance(s) and are thus no longer available for interaction. As the concentration of the substance(s) in the fluid increases, the aroma molecules dissolved in the fluid therefore adsorb more strongly on the sorbent, thereby enabling a particularly high recovery rate and concentration of the aroma substances still present in the fluid.Alternatively or additionally, it is generally possible not to use a pure solvent or solvent mixture as the desorbent, but to add at least one substance to the desorbent which is preferably solid under standard conditions and at least partially soluble in the desorbent. The desorbent can in principle be a solution, emulsion or suspension. The invention is based on the finding that by dissolving the substance or substances, the desorption behavior and the chromatographic separation behavior of certain flavorings can be specifically influenced. As the concentration of the substance or substances in the desorbent increases, certain flavoring molecules desorb more intensively from the sorbent, thereby enabling a particularly high recovery rate and easy separation of these flavorings from other flavorings.In this case too, the at least one substance can be added in an amount of at least 0.1 g / l, in particular of at least 1 g / l and preferably of at least 10 g / l.

[0142] It is also possible to discharge at least a portion of the permeate from the working chambers 12a-c through the outlet 18" by opening the valve device 20". As a result, only a portion of the polar aroma substances enters the working chamber 12d and is bound to the sorption material arranged therein. By means of this controllable and / or adjustable quantity reduction, polar aroma substances can be relatively depleted compared to non-polar aroma substances, whereby the ratio of the polar aroma substances to one another remains at least substantially constant.

[0143] For desorption, after completion of the loading or sorption phase, the aroma substances of all working chambers 12a-d are desorbed using ethanol as the desorbent in a discharge direction opposite to the loading direction, and a corresponding aroma substance concentrate is obtained, which can be discharged through the outlet 18'. Optionally, at least a portion of the desorbed polar aroma substances can be discharged via the open valve device 20‴ and the outlet 18". This also allows a relative depletion of the polar compared to the non-polar aroma substances while maintaining the relative ratio of the polar aroma substances to one another. The discharge through the outlet 18" can be assisted by closing the valve devices 20'.The described polarity change and the associated elements and additives can in principle always be used when the flavoring-containing fluid is passed through two or more working spaces 12 in succession and when a relative depletion of polar compared to non-polar flavorings is desired while at least largely maintaining the relative ratio of the polar flavorings to one another.

[0144] Fig. 15 shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention. The basic structure of the adsorption system 10 largely corresponds to that of the Fig. 12 In addition to the example shown in Fig. 12In the embodiment shown, the adsorption system 10 comprises an outlet 18" which can be opened and closed via a valve device 20d and which is fluidically arranged between the first and second working chambers 12a, 12b, as well as an outlet 18"' which can be opened and closed via a valve device 20e and which is fluidically arranged between the second and third working chambers 12b, 12c. The adsorption system 10 thus enables not only a gradual concentration of the aromatic substances via the working chambers 12a-c, but also the implementation of the polarity change described above via the inlet 16" and the valve devices 20"', as well as an independent controllable and / or adjustable quantity reduction via the basically optional outlets 18" and 18"'.

[0145] In principle, all embodiments of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention can be extended in the manner shown by the possibility of a controllable and / or adjustable polarity change and / or a controllable and / or adjustable quantity reduction. Fig. 16 shows, by way of example, a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention, the structure of which largely corresponds to that of the Fig. 1 shown adsorption system 10. In addition to the Fig. 1In the example shown, the present adsorption system 10 comprises an inlet 16" which can be opened and closed via a valve device 20 and has an associated pump device 14, as well as an inlet 16‴ which can be opened and closed via a valve device 20 and has an associated pump device 14, via which water, acids, bases and / or soluble substances can be introduced into the line system 13 or into the already partially dearomatized fluid stream as required. The inlets 16" and 16‴ each open between two extraction cells 12. Furthermore, the adsorption system 10 comprises an outlet 18" which can be opened and closed via a valve device 20' and an outlet 18'" which can be opened and closed via a valve device 20', via which a quantity reduction can be carried out as required. The outlets 18" and 18‴ also open between two work spaces 12.

[0146] Fig. 17shows a schematic sectional view of a subdivided working chamber 12, which can be used, for example, in an adsorption system 10 according to the invention. The working chamber 12 can also be referred to as an extraction cell. To realize the longest and most comparatively thin adsorption path possible and thus to represent a working chamber 12 in which the ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length L is at most 0.3, a correspondingly long tube filled or fillable with sorption material can be used. However, with increasing length L, the flow resistance or the inlet pressure required to maintain a reasonable fluid flow also increases.Since sorption materials are generally porous, there is a risk that the sorption material(s) will be permanently crushed when pressures above approximately 1 to 2 bar are applied, thereby losing their adsorption effect and blocking the flow, which can lead to a further increase in pressure. Furthermore, the sorption material can clog the outlet of the working chamber 12 under high pressure. To prevent this phenomenon, the invention enables the longest possible extraction paths with small cross-sectional areas by segmenting long pipes with a comparatively small diameter by installing solid separating plates 30, which can be designed, for example, as sieve or sintered plates. This creates a series of independent flow resistances, so that across each individual segment only a pressure drop in height is realized, which does not damage the sorbent or sorbent.Accordingly, the working chamber 12 is divided into five sub-chambers 32 of equal volume by four exemplary partition plates 30 in number and arrangement. It is understood that instead of four partition plates 30, only 1, 2 or 3, as well as 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more partition plates 30 can be provided. The resulting sub-chambers 32 of a working chamber 12 can, in principle, have the same or different heights, cross-sectional areas and / or volumes. In this case, it can be provided that the pipe can be divided into corresponding pipe segments in order to facilitate the filling or replacement of sorbents. The individual pipe segments can be connected to one another and secured to one another in any desired manner, for example by means of threads, bayonet locks, flanges 34 (see . Fig. 18 ), pipe clamps, etc. It can also be provided that the pipe segments are connected in a material-to-material manner, for example by welding.

[0147] If, for example, a pressure drop of 1 bar is to be set between inlet 16 and outlet 18 of the working chamber 12 filled with a sorbent, a certain flow rate would result for an exemplary bed length of 1 m. Typical values ​​for the flow rate are approximately 1.5 L / min at 4 bar pressure and a flow area of ​​approximately 20 cm². In the case of a flow area of ​​approximately 2000 cm², the typical throughput with otherwise identical boundary conditions is approximately 150 L / min. If one wanted to increase the bed length or the length L of the working chamber 12 to 5 m, for example, the pressure at inlet 16 would have to be increased to 5 bar to maintain the same flow velocity or flow rate. This would generally lead to rapid destruction or inactivation of the sorbent, which would not only require considerable maintenance but also result in correspondingly high operating costs.However, if the 5 m long working chamber 12 is divided into five sub-chambers 32 or segments, as shown, which are delimited by respective dividing plates 30, a pressure drop of only approximately 1 bar (i.e., approximately 1 bar / m) occurs at each of these dividing plates 30, whereby the working chamber 12 and an adsorption system 10 equipped therewith can be operated permanently and stably without destroying the sorbent arranged in the sub-chambers 32. It is generally recommended to use working chambers 12 with a length between 1 m and 5 m, with a dividing plate 30 preferably being provided after every meter to prevent the sorbent from being crushed.

[0148] Likewise, it is possible to fill not only the same sorbent types, but also different sorbent types into the individual subchambers 32, whereby each subchamber 32 can contain either a single-type sorbent or a sorbent mixture. This allows the adsorption properties of the entire working chamber 12 to be optimally adapted to the respective separation task. For example, reverse phases can be provided in subchambers 32 located upstream with respect to a loading direction, while normal phases and / or polar bound phases are arranged as sorbents in downstream subchambers 32. Reversed arrangements, i.e., in the loading direction, first normal phase(s) / polar phase(s) and then reverse phase(s), as well as alternating arrangements, are of course also conceivable.

[0149] Fig. 18shows a schematic plan view of a DIN flange 34, via which correspondingly designed pipe segments can be connected to one another to create a working chamber 12 with two or more subchambers 32. It can be seen that the flange 34 has a central passage opening 36 into which a separating base 30 can be inserted. Fig. 19 shows a schematic plan view of the flange 34, wherein a separating plate 30 designed as a sieve plate is inserted into the passage opening 36 and welded to the flange 34 in order to ensure a particularly durable and resilient connection.

[0150] Fig. 20shows a schematic plan view of the separating tray 30, which is designed as a sieve tray. The mesh size of the separating tray 30 is adapted in a conventional manner to the grain size of the sorbent, so that the sorbent is reliably retained without preventing the fluid flow through the separating tray 30. As an alternative to a sieve tray, the separating tray 30 can also comprise sintered material with a typical pore size of approximately 40-150 µm.

[0151] Fig. 21shows a schematic top view of the DIN flange 34, wherein the separating plate 30 is inserted into a slightly enlarged passage opening 36, or can also be inserted into a sealing ring and is thus held by this sealing ring in the center of the flange 34 above the passage opening 36. In contrast to a material-to-material connection, the separating plate 30 can be easily replaced or exchanged in this arrangement and, for example, adapted to different sorbent particle size distributions.

[0152] Fig. 22a schematic representation of a spiral-shaped working chamber 12 for an adsorption system 10 according to the invention. It can be seen that the tubular working chamber filled with sorbent is comparatively long and at the same time thin, so that a diameter:length ratio of <0.3 is. For example, the working chamber can be at least 250 cm long and have an inner diameter of 5 cm, resulting in a diameter:length ratio of 0.02. Due to the spiral design, the working chamber 12 is particularly compact and space-saving and can also be easily temperature-controlled. It can also be seen that the working chamber 12 is coupled to a single pumping device 14, by means of which liquids and / or gases can be pumped through the working chamber 12.

[0153] Fig. 23shows a schematic representation of several zigzag-shaped or alternating up and down working chambers 12, each with a pumping device 14 per bend or per working chamber 12. The working chambers 12 are each predominantly linear with angled end regions and form a type of tube bundle. This results in six working chambers 12 and six pumping devices 14 in the present exemplary embodiment, although a different number of working chambers 12 and / or pumping devices 14 can also be provided. This makes it particularly easy to compensate for pressure and pumping losses across the long working chambers 12. For example, the individual working chambers 12 can have lengths between 2 m and 20 m, independently of one another.In the present case, the working chambers are each 2 m long, so that, based on the total length of all working chambers 12, from 12 m in this case, an additional pumping device 14 is provided every 2 m, 4 m, 6 m, 8 m, and 10 m. In this way, the working chambers 12 can be flowed through equally well in both directions, for example, in one direction in adsorption mode and in the opposite direction in desorption mode. Furthermore, relatively low pressure differences of less than 5 bar, in particular less than 2 bar, can be used, which, on the one hand, allows the use of more cost-effective pumps and, on the other hand, extends the service life of the sorbent.

[0154] Fig. 24shows a schematic representation of several zigzag-shaped working spaces 12. In contrast to the previous exemplary embodiment, the working spaces are not essentially linear, but rather each have a bend. Accordingly, in the exemplary embodiment shown, only three essentially U-shaped working spaces 12 and three pumping devices 14 are present, although a different number of working spaces 12 and / or pumping devices 14 can also be provided in this case.

[0155] Fig. 25shows a schematic representation of a meandering working chamber 12 without pumping devices 14. In the exemplary embodiment, the working chamber 12 comprises five bends, although a different number of bends can also be provided in this case. In contrast to the previous exemplary embodiments, the bends are not angular, but rounded, which in some cases facilitates the filling of the working chamber 12 or the replacement of the sorbent.

[0156] Fig. 26 shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention, wherein Fig. 26 only shows a first enrichment stage of the adsorption system 10, while a second, basically optional enrichment stage in Fig. 27The first enrichment stage of the adsorption system 10 comprises two groups of sorbent-filled working chambers 12a, 12b, through which, in adsorption mode, an aroma-containing fluid, for example a distillate, a pump seal water, and / or a membrane permeate from a dealcoholization system, is passed, thereby sorbing the aromas contained in the fluid. The working chambers 12a, 12b can also consist, independently of one another, of several subchambers 32 or bundles of working chambers 12.

[0157] In the first working chamber 12a, which has a smaller volume than the second working chamber 12b, predominantly non-polar aroma substances are bound, while in the second working chamber 12b, predominantly polar aroma substances are bound. The geometrical ratios of the working chambers 12a, 12b determine the amounts of aroma substances bound there.

[0158] Each working chamber 12a, 12b can, for example, be at least 2.5 m long, although lengths of 6 m, 16 m, 20 m, 50 m, 70 m, 100 m or more, as well as corresponding intermediate lengths, are also conceivable. Furthermore, one or more working chambers 12a, 12b can be divided into two or more sub-chambers, with a total length always being at least 2.5 m. The number of pumping devices 14 is selected according to requirements and pressure drop, whereby as a general recommendation at least one pumping device 14 should be provided per 4 m of working chamber length. Alternatively or additionally, a pumping device 14 should generally be provided if a pressure drop of 4 bar or more occurs at a percolation rate of 70 mL / min / cm2 or more.

[0159] The percolation rate of the first working chamber 12a should be set to approximately 50-100 mL / min / cm². The diameter or average cross-sectional thickness of the first working chamber 12a is selected according to the desired flow rate. The diameter or average cross-sectional thickness of the second working chamber 12b is approximately 4 to 10 times larger than that of the first working chamber 12a. Generally, the ratio of average cross-sectional thickness or diameter to length for each working chamber 12a, 12b is at most 0.3, and preferably between 0.04 for high flow rates and 0.0002 for low flow rates.

[0160] It can be seen that the working chambers 12a, 12b are arranged in respective temperature control devices 40a, 40b, which are designed as immersion baths in the present case, by means of which the temperature of the working chambers 12a, 12b or of the sorbents located therein can be adjusted. In adsorption mode, the temperature control device 40a sets a temperature in the working chamber 12a that is higher than room temperature (25°C) (e.g., 40°C or more), while the temperature control device 40b sets a lower temperature in the working chamber 12b (e.g., 39°C or less) than in the working chamber 12a. This achieves at least substantially complete adsorption of all flavoring substances.

[0161] Conversely, in desorption mode, the temperature control device 40a sets a temperature in the range of room temperature or cooler (down to 0°C or less) in the working chamber 12a, while the temperature control device 40b sets a temperature in the working chamber 12b that is higher than room temperature (e.g., 30°C or more) than in the working chamber 12a. Alternatively, in desorption mode, a temperature higher than room temperature can also be set in the working chamber 12a. This achieves at least substantially complete desorption of all adsorbed aroma substances.

[0162] It can be seen that the adsorption system 10 comprises further temperature control devices 40 arranged upstream in the flow direction and between the working spaces 12a, 12b in or on the line system 13, by means of which the fluid and / or the desorption agent can be temperature-controlled as needed in the adsorption and desorption modes. Furthermore, several valve devices 20 are provided in the line system 13, by means of which different fluid paths can be switched as needed in the adsorption and desorption modes.

[0163] In adsorption mode, an aroma-containing, aqueous fluid from the brewing industry with an ethanol content between 0 vol.% and 50 vol.% is first pumped through the inlet 16 to the first working chamber 12a. The first working chamber 12a is heated by means of the temperature control device 40a, for example to temperatures of 40°C or more. The already partially dearomatized fluid is cooled downstream of the first working chamber 12a, for example to 25°C or less, and enters the second working chamber 12b, which has a larger volume and thus a larger amount of sorbent with a higher binding capacity than the first working chamber 12a, so that even less readily adsorbed aroma substances, such as 2-phenylethanol and 3-methylbutan-1-ol, are reliably sorbed.After the second working chamber 12b, the dearomatized aqueous permeate is removed through the outlet 18 and can be discarded or used for the production of food and beverages that are not intended to have a beer-typical aroma.

[0164] The adsorption system 10 is then operated in desorption mode to recover the adsorbed aroma substances as aroma concentrate. For this purpose, a first desorption agent, which can be, for example, ethanol or a combination or gradient of ethanol and water, is fed into the second working chamber 12b through the inlet 16'. A high water content of more than 50 vol. %, in particular more than 95 vol. % is preferred. The desorption agent can be temperature-controlled by means of the temperature control device 40 arranged downstream of the inlet 16', wherein the temperature is selected depending on the composition of the desorption agent. A temperature above 30 °C is usually set. It can be provided that the temperature is set to values ​​between 70 °C and 100 °C or up to 120 °C or more, so that the desorption agent comprises, for example, water vapor.Alternatively, the desorption agent can be pressurized so that, according to a non-inventive embodiment, liquid water with a temperature of 120 °C can be used as the desorption agent, for example at a pressure of about 2 bar.

[0165] The desorbent volume pumped through the second working chamber 12b corresponds to approximately 5 to 20 times the internal volume of the second working chamber 12b over a length of approximately 2 m to approximately 4 m.

[0166] It may be provided that the temperature varies during desorption, in particular by increasing it continuously or stepwise. This allows for increased separation efficiency and selective desorption of more easily desorbed aroma compounds, e.g., alcohols (C3-C6) or ethyl acetate, or aroma compounds with a low log Pow (log Pow < 2.0) at lower temperatures, followed by elution of nonpolar compounds, such as longer-chain esters and aroma compounds with a log Pow > 2.0, at higher temperatures.

[0167] In one embodiment, the valve devices 20 are switched by means of a control device (not shown for reasons of clarity) such that the desorption agent enriched with the desorbed aroma substances is partially or completely removed as the first aroma substance concentrate through the outlet 18' and is accordingly not or not completely passed through the first working chamber 12a. Provision can be made for the aroma substance concentrate to be cooled by means of the temperature control device 40 arranged in the region of the outlet 18' in order to prevent any aroma losses.

[0168] To desorb the aroma substances sorbed in the first working chamber 12a, a further desorbent is introduced through the inlet 16", pumped through the first working chamber 12a, and removed from the adsorption system via the outlet 18" as a further aroma substance concentrate. The further desorbent can be, for example, ethanol or a combination or gradient of ethanol and water, with a high ethanol content of over 50 vol.%, in particular between 65 vol.% and 96 vol.% or more, being preferred. The desorbent volume corresponds approximately to one to three times the internal volume of the first working chamber 12a over a length of 2 m to 4 m.

[0169] The first and the second flavor concentrates are collected and can then be partially or completely combined, whereby complete combination recovers at least approximately the entire flavor of the original fluid. Alternatively, the first and the second flavor concentrates can be used independently of one another or further processed to modify the flavor profile. The two-stage design of the adsorption system 10 thus enables additional possibilities for the targeted enrichment or depletion of specific flavors or flavor groups.

[0170] The non-inventive use of water for the desorption of difficult-to-sorb aroma substances in the second working chamber 12b saves ethanol and enables a higher enrichment of aroma substances. Conversely, the use of ethanol or desorbents with a high ethanol content in the first working chamber 12a for the desorption of easily sorbable aroma substances completely desorbed, which is often only partially successful with pure water or requires large volumes. The two-stage design also makes it possible to achieve particularly high enrichment factors. A working chamber 12a alone is often unable to accommodate a large initial volume of aroma-containing fluid in an economically viable time and, at the same time, produce a low extract volume. For example, an enrichment by a factor of 3000 would require approximately 3000 liters to be pumped through the adsorption system 10, but only approximately 1 liter of aroma concentrate would be obtained.

[0171] The non-inventive use of hot water or steam can also be referred to as a high-temperature process. This eliminates all technological difficulties associated with the handling of organic solvents, such as flammability, explosion hazards, health risks, environmental pollution, waste disposal, and regulatory limits when used in the food and beverage industry. Typically, an organic solvent is used to release aroma compounds bound to the sorbent. All common analytical applications of sorbents and various industrial processes are based on this principle. However, by using water for desorption and simultaneous application of heat, the binding of aroma compounds to the sorbent can be broken. This eliminates the need for organic solvents, especially ethanol.The addition of small amounts of organic desorbents may be considered in individual cases to control desorption, allowing non-polar substances to elute earlier. Typically, polar substances with low log P ow are desorbed more rapidly than those with higher log P ow . Examples of polar substances typically found in beer include 2-methylpropan-1-ol, 2-methylbutan-1-ol, 3-methylbutan-1-ol, ethyl acetate, and 2-phenylethanol. In many cases, it is advantageous to load the sorbent at low temperatures (0-30 °C) and unload it at correspondingly significantly higher temperatures (80-100 °C). The non-inventive use of water as a desorption agent offers the additional advantage that the resulting flavor concentrate is almost or completely free of ethanol, so that the flavor concentrate is particularly suitable for flavoring or rearomatizing non-alcoholic beers, including beers with an alcohol content of <0.045 vol.-% can be used, since the resulting water-phase aroma can be added back to the dealcoholized beer in any quantity. In other words, all flavorings in the flavoring concentrate are preferably enriched in comparison to the flavoring-containing fluid, at least in terms of ethanol content and preferably also in terms of volume, i.e., in their concentration. In this sense, ethanol is not considered a flavoring.

[0172] Another option is the addition of solids, acids, and / or bases in adsorption and / or desorption mode. This allows the pH value to be controlled and the sorbent capacity to be increased by salt or other solids soluble in the fluid and / or desorption agent. By only using these additives temporarily, the desired effect can be specifically weakened and thus controlled. In this way, certain substances can be specifically enriched or depleted. For example, organic acids cannot usually be sorbed or can only be predominantly sorbed if a pH value above approximately 8 is used, or if they are in the deprotonated form. Conversely, nitrogen-containing organic compounds cannot be sorbed or can only be predominantly sorbed if the pH value is set below approximately 5, or if they are in the protonated form.

[0173] In an alternative, non-inventive mode of operation of the adsorption system 10, in desorption mode, the second working chamber 12b is first supplied with hot water as a desorbent. In the transition from the second working chamber 12b to the first working chamber 12a, the hot water, already enriched with aromatic substances, is cooled and introduced into the first working chamber 12a. This results in an enrichment of those aromatic substances in the first working chamber 12a that were able to migrate into the second working chamber 12b of the system in adsorption mode or during the sorption phase.

[0174] Subsequently, all aroma substances sorbed in the first working chamber 12a are desorbed using ethanol or a desorption agent mixture or gradient. This process achieves a particularly high concentration of aroma substances in a comparatively small volume, which can then be converted into an extract with a correspondingly high aroma concentration.

[0175] Fig. 27shows a schematic diagram of a high-concentration device 42 according to the invention, which is fundamentally optional and can also be referred to as the second enrichment stage of the adsorption system 10. The high-concentration device 42 comprises an inlet 16 through which, in an adsorption mode of the high-concentration device 42, a flavor concentrate from the first enrichment stage is introduced. In the case of the two- or multi-stage first enrichment stage described above, the flavor concentrate can be obtained by combining all of the resulting flavor (partial) concentrates from the first enrichment stage. Alternatively, only a portion of the flavor concentrate or flavor (partial) concentrates from the first enrichment stage, or a specific mixture thereof, can be used as the starting material for the second enrichment stage.Alternatively or additionally, it is possible to first adjust the ethanol content of the first flavor concentrate, for example, to a value between 2.5 vol.% and 17 vol.%. This can be done either by adding ethanol and / or water, especially brewing water. This can improve the adsorption of certain flavorings on the sorbent, if necessary.

[0176] The flavor concentrate is then passed through a working chamber 12c, which is heated to a temperature between 0 °C and 30 °C by means of a temperature control device 40c. This chamber is filled with a sorbent and can also be referred to as an extraction tube. The dearomatized permeate is then discharged through outlet 18 and can be discarded or reused as described above.

[0177] In a desorption mode, a desorption agent, for example ethanol, water or water vapor, or any mixture thereof, is then passed through the inlet 16' in the reverse direction through the working chamber 12c, which is heated to a temperature above 60 °C, so that a second flavor concentrate can be collected via the outlet 18', in which preferably all flavors are enriched compared to the first flavor concentrate, at least in terms of ethanol content and preferably also in terms of volume, i.e., in their concentration. A fundamentally optional temperature control device 40 is arranged in the region of the outlet 18', by means of which the second flavor concentrate can be cooled to prevent undesirable changes in the flavor profile.

[0178] The valve devices 20, the temperature control devices 40, and the application of the respective fluids to the sorbent in the working chamber 12c can also be controlled or regulated by the control device of the adsorption system 10, which is not shown for reasons of clarity. Even in the case of the high-concentration device 42, it is possible to add solids, acids, and / or bases in the adsorption and / or desorption mode. This also allows control of the pH and an increase in the sorbent capacity through salt or other solids soluble in the first flavor concentrate and / or desorption agent. By only using these additives temporarily, the desired effect can be deliberately weakened and thus controlled. In this way, certain substances can be specifically enriched or depleted. For example, organic acids cannot generally be sorbed or largely sorbed when a pH value above approximately 8 is used.Conversely, amino compounds may not be sorbed or predominantly not sorbed by setting a pH below about 5.

[0179] The advantage of the high-concentration device 42 is that, while it can be constructed essentially the same or similarly to the first enrichment stage of the adsorption system 10, the working chamber 12c can be smaller and, if necessary, a different sorbent can be used. This allows very highly concentrated (200 or more times based on the fluid) flavor concentrates to be produced, even with the recovery of polar flavors.

[0180] Aroma substances are bound to sorbents to varying degrees. In addition, the capacity of the sorbent is characteristic and varies for each aroma substance. During the loading of the sorbent with a fluid containing aroma substances, aroma substances penetrate into the sorbent bed or are sorbed to it to varying degrees depending on their quantity and characteristics. For this reason, aroma substances that are important for the character of food and beverages obtained through fermentation (beer and wine) in particular penetrate deeply into the sorbent bed. To ensure complete recovery of aroma substances and to prevent substances from breaking through during the loading phase, the invention provides a correspondingly long, yet relatively thin or narrow sorbent bed.The exact length of the sorbent bed can be adjusted to the specific requirements regarding the type and quantity of important aroma compounds through standard experiments. In the case of beer, 2-methylbutan-1-ol, 3-methylbutan-1-ol, 2-methylpropanol, and ethyl acetate are particularly important aroma compounds that must be recovered for taste reasons to achieve an authentic, beer-typical aroma profile.

[0181] However, the simultaneous recovery of polar and non-polar flavorings has not been technically feasible until now, as commercially available extraction cells have a maximum length of a few centimeters to approximately 1 m. However, this bed height is in no way sufficient to achieve the desired effect of an authentic image with high concentration factors. In contrast, with the aid of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention, it is possible to recover not only non-polar flavorings but also up to 100% of even highly polar flavorings such as 2-methylbutan-1-ol, 3-methylbutan-1-ol, 2-methylpropanol, and ethyl acetate (Log P ow = 0.73).

[0182] In particular, by applying the two- or multi-stage process described above with a large-volume first enrichment stage for enrichment by a factor of up to 300 or more and a high concentration device 42 in a small second enrichment stage by a factor of up to 10 or more, firstly, high enrichment factors can be achieved with simultaneous recovery of polar aroma substances and secondly, the starting material for the second enrichment stage can be adjusted, for example with regard to the pH value, in such a way that any undesired aroma substances (acids, amines, sulfides, etc.) are passed past the sorption material in deprotonated or protonated form and can be disposed of with the permeate.This eliminates the need to perform such pH adjustment on the fluid from the first process step, and the permeate from the first enrichment stage can be used in its authentic composition for further applications, e.g., as an ethanolic base for alcoholic beverages without beer flavor. Conversely, using an ion-exchange sorption material, it is possible to adsorb predominantly or exclusively the deprotonated or protonated compounds, while capturing the non-ionic aroma compounds in the permeate.

[0183] A further advantage of two- or multi-stage systems is that, in the case of high concentration, the process duration can be shorter than the comparable duration of an adsorption system 10 with a single working chamber 12, since correspondingly thin tubes would be required, resulting in a correspondingly long loading time with comparatively high pressure differences. Furthermore, in such a system, polar substances in particular would migrate through the sorbent bed for a very long time (chromatography effect), so the bed length would have to be even longer.

[0184] The advantage of recovery with hot water is particularly advantageous when producing a flavor concentrate (flavor extract) for beer (or wine) with an alcohol content of 0.0 vol.% compared to recovery with ethanol, since the amount of ethanol does not need to be strictly controlled during mixing. A long sorbent path through relatively thin tubes is also particularly advantageous when using flavor desorption with (hot) water or steam, since long, thin working chambers 12 can be heated considerably more quickly than short, thick working chambers 12.

[0185] Typically, food and beverages with an alcohol content below 0.5% vol. are considered alcohol-free. Ethanol flavor concentrates with a relatively low enrichment factor can also be used for flavoring these foods and beverages, since starting from an alcohol content of, for example, 0.4% vol., comparatively large volumes of flavor concentrate can be added without exceeding the 0.5% vol. limit. However, if the food and beverage is to have an alcohol content of 0.1% vol. or even 0.0% vol., the actual alcohol content must be significantly lower, for example, below 0.045% vol. This places significantly higher demands on the technology.Without the inventive use of particularly long and at the same time relatively thin sorbent beds, this requirement cannot be met while simultaneously recovering a sensorially relevant amount of aroma substances. Without the use of a correspondingly long and comparatively thin sorbent bed, for example, in a non-inventive desorption with (hot) water or steam, the required residual ethanol content can be easily achieved, but not the recovery of the important polar aroma substances, which would result in an unauthentic and, in particular, untypical beer aroma profile. Conversely, with conventional short, thick extraction cells and the use of ethanol as the desorption agent, the desired low alcohol content of 0.1 vol.% or less in the final product cannot be met from the outset.

[0186] Fig. 28shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention, wherein valve devices 20 are not shown for reasons of clarity. The adsorption system 10 has a single-stage design and comprises only a temperature-controlled working chamber 12 filled with a sorbent. In adsorption mode, an aromatic fluid from the brewing industry with an ethanol content of 0 to 40 vol.% is introduced through inlet 16 into the line system 13 and passed through the working chamber 12, which is temperature-controlled at 0°C-35°C. The dearomatized permeate is discharged through outlet 18. In desorption mode, a desorbent, temperature-controlled at 50°C-100°C, is introduced through inlet 16' into the line system 13 and passed through the working chamber 12 in the opposite flow direction. The temperature can be increased if necessary during the desorption process.The resulting flavor concentrate is pre-cooled by the temperature control device 40 in the region of the outlet 18'. In principle, two or more fractions can be collected and mixed in a special manner, i.e., by discarding at least a portion of one or more fractions, in order to adjust the flavor profile of the flavor concentrate.

[0187] Here, too, it is possible to add solids, acids, and / or bases in adsorption and / or desorption mode. This allows the pH value to be controlled and the sorbent capacity to be increased by salt or other solids soluble in the fluid and / or desorption agent. By only using these additives temporarily, the desired effect can be specifically attenuated and thus controlled. In this way, certain substances can be specifically enriched or depleted. For example, organic acids cannot generally be sorbed or can only be predominantly sorbed if a pH value above approximately 8 is used. Conversely, amino compounds cannot be sorbed or can only be predominantly sorbed if a pH value below approximately 5 is used.

[0188] Fig. 29 shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of the adsorption system 10 according to the invention. The structure of the adsorption system 10 largely corresponds to that of the Fig. 26In contrast to the example shown in Fig. 26 In the embodiment shown, the first working chamber 12a is not arranged in an immersion bath or is not provided with a temperature control device 40. In contrast to the embodiment shown in Fig. 26 In the embodiment shown, the flavor concentrate leaving the working chamber 12a can be removed in desorption mode either via the outlet 18' or via the outlet 18". This enables simple fractionation, whereby, for example, a predominantly ethanolic eluate can be removed from the beginning of the working chamber 12a through the outlet 18" and a predominantly aqueous eluate can be removed from the end of the working chamber 12a through the outlet 18' or vice versa. It is understood that different design variations are also conceivable.

[0189] Fig. 30shows a simplified flow diagram of a process sequence for producing a flavoring concentrate with a typical beer aroma using an adsorption system 10 according to the invention. In a first step 50, an aqueous fluid containing a flavoring agent from the brewing industry is provided and, in step 52, passed through a first working chamber 12 filled with sorbent. Optionally, in step 54, the fluid can flow through one or more further working chambers 12 located downstream of the first working chamber 12. In step 56, a partially or completely dearomatized permeate is obtained, which can be discarded or used for another purpose. In step 58, one or more desorbents, desorbent mixtures, and / or desorbent gradients are provided and used to desorb the flavorings that are adsorbed on the sorbent in the working chamber(s). As a result, in step 60 andoptionally also 62 one or more flavor concentrates are obtained, which can each be collected in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more fractions. One, several or all fractions can be subjected to a fundamentally optional high concentration in step 64 with the aid of a high concentration device 42. The result of such a high concentration is a permeate separated in step 66 and a second flavor concentrate, which is collected in step 68. In this case, all flavor substances in the second flavor concentrate are preferably enriched compared to the first flavor concentrate (step 60 and / or 62), at least in terms of ethanol content and preferably also in terms of volume, i.e. in terms of their concentration. In this sense, ethanol is not understood as a flavoring substance.Alternatively, some flavorings can be specifically depleted, for example, to remove off-flavors or to optimally accommodate the existing flavor profile of a food or beverage with which the flavor concentrate is to be blended. One option for modulating the desorption behavior is the addition of soluble substances and / or the adjustment or variation of the pH value. This can be done independently of each other during or before the steps marked with an asterisk symbol, and any combination is possible.

[0190] According to a further embodiment, in a first step, an aqueous fluid containing flavorings from the brewing industry is provided and, in a subsequent step, passed through a first working chamber 12a filled with sorbent. In a subsequent step, the adsorbed flavorings are initially desorbed using only (possibly hot) water as the desorbent. Subsequently, the sorbent in the working chamber 12a is exposed to ethanol as the desorbent. In other words, a water-ethanol step gradient is used as the desorbent. The resulting desorbates (water-ethanol) are collected separately in at least two fractions. The portion of the flavoring concentrate desorbed using water can be used for rearomatization of dealcoholized beer without further processing, since larger quantities can also be added without changing the ethanol content.

[0191] The portion of the flavor concentrate desorbed with ethanol can, if desired, be diluted with water (brewing water) to a predetermined ethanol content and fed to a high-concentration device 42. There, the ethanolic first flavor concentrate is sorbed and then enriched with ethanol to a correspondingly high degree as a second flavor concentrate by desorption with ethanol. Due to the high concentration factors of up to 2000 or more, correspondingly small amounts of second flavor concentrate can be used to create a desired flavor profile for the low-alcohol / alcohol-free beer, so that the resulting ethanol quantity or concentration does not exceed the maximum permitted amounts in the dealcoholized beer product. Alternatively or additionally, the high-concentration device 42 can also be desorbed using, if necessary, hot water and / or steam.By using this process, particularly non-polar and poorly sorbable aroma substances that are easily desorbed using hot water can be largely quantitatively extracted in the first step, while the readily sorbable non-polar substances are largely quantitatively extracted in the high-enrichment phase. This also ensures that poorly sorbable substances are largely quantitatively removed before the high-enrichment stage and, consequently, cannot be lost in this step. This also minimizes the required size of the high-concentration device 42 for high-enrichment, allowing correspondingly higher enrichment factors to be achieved.

[0192] A methodology for analyzing the aroma profile of beer or beer-based beverages using GC / MS is given in Table 2 below. The measurement results can be used to determine the volume of aroma concentrate that must be added to a dealcoholized or fermented beer to create or restore a desired aroma profile, particularly one similar to a full-bodied beer. Table 2: Measurement method for beer analysis Sample preparation: 200-250 mg Beer 800 µl Methanol 100 µl 2,3-Dimethoxytoluene (DMOT) 82.4 ppm in DMOT solution External calibration, 2-point calibration Device parameters Autosampler Auto Injector AOC-20i GC Shimadzu GC-2010 plus MS Shimadzu GCMS-QP2010 SE Liner Glass wool filled liner from Shimadzu Temperature injector 230°C Injection volume 1 µL Carrier gas helium 4.6 35 cm / s Oven program Starting temperature 30°C Holding time 1 minute Heating rate 6 °C / min Final temperature 240 °C Holding time 5 minutes constant pressure / split injection Head pressure 45.6 kPa total flow rate 34 mL / min Column flow 1 mL / min Purge River 3mL / min Split ratio 30 Column: FFAP, 30 m x 0.25 mm inner diameter, 0.25 µm film thickness, J&W Scientific SIM mode Mass spectra recording EI mode 70 eV Analytes and internal standard Substance name; CAS number retention time target mass qualifier mass 2,3-dimethoxytoluene; 4463-33-6 ISTD 18.650 152 137 Ethyl acetate; 141-78-6 Target 2.750 43 70 Butyric acid ethyl ester; 105-54-4 Target 4.950 88 71 Isobutanol; 78-83-1 Target 6.250 43 41 Isoamyl acetate; 123-92-2 Target 6.650 70 55 2-Methylbutan-1-ol; 137-32-6 Target 8.600 57 70 3-Methylbutan-1-ol; 123-51-3 Target 8.660 55 70 Ethylhexanoate; 123-66-0 Target 9.190 99 88 2-Phenylethyl acetate; 103-45-7 Target 21.820 104 91 2-Phenylethanol; 60-12-8 Target 23.600 91 92 Peak area correction for co-eluting analytes (2-methylbutan-1-ol and 3-methylbutan-1-ol)

[0193] The compounds 2-methylbutan-1-ol and 3-methylbutan-1-ol both have mass fragments at m / z = 55 and at m / z = 57. These mass fragments are formed in the mass spectrometer (El, 70 eV) in constant proportions. These ratios are related to each other as follows: Ratio of the mass fragments m / z = 57 to m / z = 55 in 2-methylbutan-1-ol: r 2 = 2.941 Ratio of the mass fragments m / z = 57 to m / z = 55 in 3-methylbutan-1-ol: r 3 = 0.246 Due to the co-elution, only peak areas on the mass traces m / z = 55 to m / z = 57 can be measured, which each contain portions of 2-methylbutan-1-ol and 3-methylbutan-1-ol, PA 55 and PA 57 . To determine the respective proportions of 2-methylbutan-1-ol and 3-methylbutan-1-ol, the peak area obtained at m / z=57 for 2-methylbutan-1-ol is corrected by the part corresponding to the proportion of 3-methylbutan-1-ol on the mass 57, according to the following formulas (III) and (IV).For 3-methylbutan-1-ol, the peak area obtained at m / z=55 is corrected by the part corresponding to the proportion of 2-methylbutan-1-ol on this mass: . PA korrigiert , 3 Methylbutanol , 55 = PA 57 − PA 55 ∗ r 2 r 3 − r 2 PA korrigiert , 2 Methylbutanol , 57 = PA 55 − PA 57 − PA 55 ∗ r 2 r 3 − r 2 ∗ r 2

[0194] The following Table 3 shows, by way of example, the initial values ​​of beer-typical aroma substances of a so-called "0.0%" beer, i.e. a beer that has been brought to an ethanol content of 0.045 vol.% or less by fermentation stop and / or dealcoholization, the initial values ​​of beer-typical aroma substances of an alcohol-free "0.5%" beer (between 0.3 and 0.5 vol.% ethanol), as well as target ranges of the corresponding aroma substances that are achieved by blending the respective 0.0% or 0.5% initial beer with an aroma concentrate according to the invention. Table 3: Example of beers blended with a flavoring concentrate "0.0 %" beer - aroma content before adding the aroma concentrate "0.5%" beer - aroma content before adding the aroma concentrate Aroma content of the beer after mixing with the flavoring concentrate ppm ppm ppm Min ppm Max Ethyl acetate; 141-78-6 0,000 0,05 5 50 Butyric acid ethyl ester; 105-54-4 0,000 0,000 0 0,2 Isobutanol; 78-83-1 0,000 0,000 5 50 Isoamyl acetate; 123-92-2 0,000 0,000 0,2 5 2-Methylbutan-1-ol; 137-32-6 0,000 0,05 7 25 3-Methylbutan-1-ol; 123-51-3 0,001 0,05 10 90 Ethylhexanoate; 123-66-0 0,000 0,000 0,05 0,35 2-Phenylethylacetat; 103-45-7 0,020 0,020 0,15 1,5 2-Phenylethanol; 60-12-8 0,4 0,2 10 50

[0195] In principle, all ppm intermediate values ​​of the respective "ppm Min" and "ppm Max" specifications are to be considered as disclosed. For example, by specifying 5 ppm Min and 50 ppm Max, values ​​of 5 ppm, 6 ppm, 7 ppm, 8 ppm, 9 ppm, 10 ppm, 11 ppm, 12 ppm, 13 ppm, 14 ppm, 15 ppm, 16 ppm, 17 ppm, 18 ppm, 19 ppm, 20 ppm, 21 ppm, 22 ppm, 23 ppm, 24 ppm, 25 ppm, 26 ppm, 27 ppm, 28 ppm, 29 ppm, 30 ppm, 31 ppm, 32 ppm, 33 ppm, 34 ppm, 35 ppm, 36 ppm, 37 ppm, 38 ppm, 39 ppm, 40 ppm, 41 ppm, 42 ppm, 43 ppm, 44 ppm, 45 ppm, 46 ppm, 47 ppm, 48 ppm, 49 ppm, 50 ppm and corresponding Intermediate values ​​such as 5.00 ppm, 5.01 ppm, 5.02 ppm, 5.03 ppm, 5.04 ppm, 5.05 ppm, 5.06 ppm, 5.07 ppm, 5.08 ppm, 5.09 ppm, 5.10 ppm, 5.11 ppm, 5.12 ppm, 5.13 ppm, 5.14 ppm, 5.15 ppm, 5.16 ppm, 5.17 ppm, 5.18 ppm, 5.19 ppm, 5.20 ppm, 5.21 ppm, 5.22 ppm, 5.23 ppm, 5.24 ppm, 5.25 ppm, 5.26 ppm, 5.27 ppm, 5.28 ppm, 5.29 ppm, 5.30 ppm, 5.31 ppm, 5.32 ppm, 5.33 ppm, 5.34 ppm, 5.35 ppm, 5.36 ppm, 5.37 ppm, 5.38 ppm, 5.39 ppm, 5,40 ppm, 5.41 ppm, 5.42 ppm, 5.43 ppm, 5.44 ppm, 5.45 ppm, 5.46 ppm, 5.47 ppm, 5.48 ppm, 5.49 ppm, 5.50 ppm, 5.51 ppm, 5.52 ppm, 5.53 ppm, 5.54 ppm, 5.55 ppm, 5.56 ppm, 5.57 ppm, 5.58 ppm, 5.59 ppm, 5.60 ppm, 5.61 ppm, 5.62 ppm, 5.63 ppm, 5.64 ppm, 5.65 ppm, 5.66 ppm, 5.67 ppm, 5.68 ppm, 5.69ppm, 5.70ppm, 5.71ppm, 5.72ppm, 5.73ppm, 5.74ppm, 5.75 ppm, 5.76 ppm, 5.77 ppm, 5.78 ppm, 5.79 ppm, 5.80 ppm, 5.81 ppm, 5.82 ppm, 5.83 ppm, 5.84 ppm, 5.85 ppm, 5.86 ppm, 5.87 ppm, 5.88 ppm, 5.89 ppm, 5.90 ppm, 5.91 ppm, 5.92 ppm, 5.93 ppm, 5.94 ppm, 5.95 ppm, 5.96 ppm, 5.97 ppm, 5.98 ppm, 5.99 ppm, 6.00 ppm, etc. The same applies to all other ppm ranges. It is understood that different target ranges for blending can also be provided, for example, to create typical aroma profiles of different beer types.and that the initial concentrations in 0.0% beer and 0.5% beer may vary depending on the beer type and the dealcoholization technology used.

[0196] Since various flavoring substances such as 3-methylbutan-1-ol in 0.0% beer are regularly depleted by a factor of 10 or more compared to a 0.5% beer, in which various flavoring substances are depleted by a factor of 10 or more compared to a full-strength beer, it is usually necessary to add a correspondingly larger amount of flavoring concentrate or a comparable amount of a more highly concentrated flavoring concentrate in order to create or restore a mixture with a flavor profile typical of a full-strength beer.

[0197] Therefore, as the ethanol content of the starting beer decreases, it is all the more crucial that the flavoring concentrate according to the invention or produced according to the invention contains the highest possible or authentic content, particularly of the polar flavorings listed in Table 3, which are predominantly formed by fermentation and therefore contribute significantly to the typical beer aroma. In this context, it should be noted that, within the scope of the present disclosure, all possible stereoisomers of the flavorings and compounds mentioned are generally to be considered as co-disclosed.

[0198] The parameter values ​​specified in the documents for defining process and measurement conditions for characterizing specific properties of the subject matter of the invention are to be considered as being included within the scope of the invention, even in the event of deviations - for example due to measurement errors, system errors, weighing errors, DIN tolerances and the like.

Claims

1. An adsorption system (10) for enrichment of flavoring agents, including at least one working space (12), in which at least one sorbent is arranged as a stationary phase and can be supplied with a fluid containing flavoring agents capable of being passed through the working space as a mobile phase for attachment of flavoring agents, wherein the fluid containing flavoring agents is a food product from the group of nutritional products and / or stimulants containing beer, beer wort, hop, hop extract, wort water, malt beer, malt wort and brewery-owned raw materials and products and / or is obtained from a food product containing ethanol from the group of nutritional products and / or stimulants containing beer by means of a dealcoholization device, characterized in that a ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length of the at least one working space (12) is at most 0.3 and the total length of a flow path for the fluid provided through the at least one working space (12) is at least 4.0 m, wherein the adsorption system (10) includes a control device, which is formed to operate the adsorption system (10) in an absorption mode, in which the at least one sorbent is supplied with the fluid containing flavoring agents, to adsorb flavoring agents on the sorbent, and in a desorption mode, in which the at least one sorbent is supplied with a fluidic desorbent from the group of ethanol and ethanol-water mixture, to desorb flavoring agents adsorbed on the sorbent as a flavoring agent concentrate.

2. The adsorption system (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes at least two working spaces (12a-d) capable of being fluidically coupled to each other and at least one pumping device (14) for conveying the fluid through the working spaces (12a-d), wherein at least one pumping device (14) is preferably arranged between two working spaces (12a-d).

3. The adsorption system (10) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it includes at least one tempering device (40), by means of which at least one working space (12) and / or the fluid and / or the desorbent and / or at least a part of a flavoring agent concentrate can be tempered to a predetermined temperature.

4. The adsorption system (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that the control device is coupled to the tempering device (40) and is preferably formed to differently operate the tempering device (40) in the adsorption mode and in the desorption mode.

5. The adsorption system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the average cross-sectional area of at least one working space (12) is selected such that a volume V1 of desorbent, which is sufficient to desorb at least 2 / 3 of the flavoring agents of 3-methylbutane-1-ol and 2-phenylethanol adsorbed on the sorbent arranged in the working space (12) in the adsorption mode, corresponds to the formulas (I) and (II) V1 ≥ 0.025 m * average cross-sectional area in m2 of the at least one working space (I); V1 ≤ 8.0 m * average cross-sectional area in m2 of the at least one working space (II).

6. The adsorption system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it includes a first fluid path for passing the fluid containing flavoring agents through the at least one working space (12) and a second fluid path for passing the desorbent through the at least one working space (12), wherein the first and the second fluid path preferably have different lengths and / or different average cross-sectional thicknesses and / or different volumes.

7. The adsorption system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it includes at least two working spaces (12a-d), which can be passed by the fluid containing flavoring agents and / or by the desorbent independently of each other.

8. The adsorption system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least one working space (12) has a cross-sectional area varying along its longitudinal axis (L) and / or that the adsorption system (10) includes at least two working spaces (12a-d) with different average cross-sectional areas.

9. The adsorption system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that an average cross-sectional thickness of the at least one working space is between 3 mm and 6.0 m and / or that the ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length of the at least one working space (12) is at most 0.04.

10. The adsorption system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it includes at least two working spaces (12a, 12b), wherein at least one working space (12a) has a smaller volume than a working space (12b) situated downstream with respect to a charging direction, in which the at least one sorbent is to be supplied with the fluid containing flavoring agents.

11. The adsorption system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it includes a high-concentration device (42), by means of which at least one first flavoring agent concentrate, which is obtainable by supplying the at least one sorbent with the fluidic desorbent, can be separated into at least one permeate and into at least one second flavoring agent concentrate, which has a lower ratio of ethanol : 3-methylbutane-1-ol with respect to the first flavoring agent concentrate.

12. The adsorption system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it includes a dosing device, by means of which a pH value of the fluid and / or of at least one desorbent and / or of the first and / or second flavoring agent concentrate can be adjusted and / or varied.

13. A method for operating an adsorption system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, in which at least one sorbent is arranged in at least one working space (12) of the adsorption system (10) as a stationary phase and is passed by a fluid containing flavoring agents as a mobile phase, such that at least a part of the flavoring agents contained in the fluid adsorbs on the sorbent, wherein the fluid containing flavoring agents is a food product from the group of beer, beverages containing beer, beer wort, hop, hop extract, wort water, malt beer, malt wort and brewery-owned raw materials and products and / or is obtained from a food product containing ethanol from the group of beer and beverages containing beer by means of a dealcoholization device, and wherein a ratio of average cross-sectional thickness to total length of the at least one working space (12) is at most 0.3 and the total length of a flow path for the fluid provided through the at least one working space (12) is at least 4.0 m, wherein the adsorption system (10) includes a control device, by means of which the adsorption system (10) is operated in an absorption mode, in which the at least one sorbent is supplied with the fluid containing flavoring agents, to adsorb flavoring agents on the sorbent, and in a desorption mode, in which the at least one sorbent is supplied with a fluidic desorbent from the group of ethanol and ethanol-water mixture, to desorb flavoring agents adsorbed on the sorbent as a flavoring agent concentrate.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that a distillate containing flavoring agents and / or a membrane permeate containing flavoring agents of an at least partially dealcoholized beer are used as the fluid and / or that a fluid with an ethanol content between 0 % vol and 50 % vol is used.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the fluid containing flavoring agents is passed in parallel through at least two working spaces (12a-d) and / or that the fluid is passed serially through at least two working spaces (12a-d), wherein at least one downstream working space (12b) preferably has a larger volume than at least one upstream working space (12a).

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that the sorbent is supplied with a fluidic desorbent after adsorbing at least a part of the flavoring agents from the fluid, such that the flavoring agents adsorbed on the sorbent at least partially desorb as a flavoring agent concentrate, wherein the desorbent is passed through the at least one working space (12a-d) in inverse flow direction compared to the fluid containing flavoring agents.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that upon passing through at least one working space (12a-d), a desorbent gradient is employed and / or a solvent change for stepwise desorption of flavor from the same working space (12a) is employed and / or that different desorbents are passed through different working spaces (12a-d) and / or that different desorbent volumes are passed through different working spaces (12a-d).

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that differently tempered desorbents are passed through different working spaces (12a-d) and / or that only predetermined areas of the at least one working space (12a-d) are supplied with desorbent and / or that at least one working space (12a-d) is supplied with a desorbent under increased pressure with respect to a normal pressure.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 18, characterized in that at least a part of the first flavoring agent concentrate from at least one working space (12) of the first enrichment stage of the adsorption system (10) is separated into at least one permeate depleted in flavoring agents and into at least one second flavoring agent concentrate enriched in flavoring agents by means of a high-concentration device (42).

20. A beer, characterized in that it is produced by blending a beer at least partially dealcoholized and / or stopped in fermentation with a flavoring agent concentrate, which is obtained by means of an adsorption system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12 and / or by a method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, wherein the beer has an ethanol content of at most 0.3 % vol and it contains 0 % vol of flavoring agents and / or flavor extracts, which do not originate from brewery-owned raw materials and products, wherein final concentrations of the following flavoring agents in the blended beer are in the following ranges: - ethyl acetate 1 ppm to 50 ppm; and - ethyl butyrate 0.01 ppm to 0.2 ppm; and - isobutanol 2.0 ppm to 50 ppm; and - isoamyl acetate 0.2 ppm to 5 ppm; and - 2-methylbutane-1-ol 3 ppm to 25 ppm; and - 3-methylbutane-1-ol 10 ppm to 100 ppm; and - ethyl hexanoate 0.1 ppm to 0.35 ppm; and - 2-phenylethyl acetate 0.1 ppm to 1.5 ppm; and - 2-phenylethanol at least 5 ppm to 45 ppm.