Gas adsorption sampling container and method for predicting finish of distilled liquor using the same

Abstract

To solve the issue that, in producing distilled liquor, sulfur-based gases that interfere with aroma are removed by leaving the liquor to stand for several months to allow the gases to volatilize (aging), which requires a long period of time before the finished quality of the distilled liquor can be known.SOLUTION: A gas adsorption sampling container is an openable and closable sealed container including: a section for housing a gas-generating substance; a removable gas adsorbent; a section holding the gas adsorbent at a position where the section does not come into contact with the housed gas-generating substance; and a sampling port that allows the internal gas to be collected while the container remains sealed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas adsorption sampling vessel. [Background technology]

[0002] Distilled spirits such as shochu, whiskey, brandy, white spirits, and tequila are known for their distinctive aromas, but immediately after distillation, in addition to the volatile components that give off the aroma, sulfurous gases with a pungent odor are released, which affect the flavor of the spirit. To remove these sulfurous gases, the distilled spirits undergo a process called aging, in which they are left to stand for several months after distillation to allow the aforementioned sulfurous gases to evaporate. The quality of the aged spirit can be determined by sampling and analyzing the evaporated gases, but this must be done in a way that prevents other gases from mixing in.

[0003] On the other hand, with regard to collecting gases in a state where other gases are not mixed in, for example, Patent Document 1 reports a collection container used for collecting volatile oils during forensic activities, which is characterized by comprising a glass bottle with an open top, a cap that seals the opening and has a hole on the top that is sealed with a partition member that can be punctured with the collection needle of a mass spectrometer, and an adsorbent that adsorbs the volatile oils and can be inserted and removed from the glass bottle. This collection container can store the collected volatile oils for long periods of time without losing or contaminating them, and by piercing the collection needle of a mass spectrometer through the cap, the volatile components inside the container can be analyzed while maintaining the collection container's sealed state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5773603 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, even if it were possible to check the finished state of a distilled spirit using a collection container such as that described in Patent Document 1, this would be done after several months of aging. This would require a long time to check the finished state of a produced distilled spirit. It would also limit the speed at which distilled spirit product development can be accelerated. The present invention was made in light of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a method for quickly checking the finished state of a distilled spirit and a container that can be used to implement this method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present inventors have conducted extensive research to solve the above-mentioned problems and have found that by using an adsorbent to adsorb sulfur-based gases generated from distilled liquor, the evaporation of sulfur-based gases from the distilled liquor is promoted, allowing the state of the finished product to be checked at an early stage. Further research was conducted to develop a container that would allow such early check of the state of the finished product to be easily realized, and the present invention was arrived at. That is, the present invention is achieved by the following means.

[0007] (1) An openable and closable sealed container, a portion for accommodating a gas generating material; a removable gas adsorbent; a portion for holding the gas adsorbent at a position where it does not come into contact with the contained gas-generating material; A sampling port that allows sampling of the internal gas while maintaining a sealed state, A gas adsorption collection vessel having (2) The gas adsorption sampling container according to (1), characterized in that at least a portion thereof is transparent or translucent. (3) The gas adsorption and collection container according to (1), characterized in that the gas adsorbent held in the part for holding the gas adsorbent has a gap between the top of the gas adsorbent and the sealed container. (4) The gas adsorption sampling container according to (1), wherein the sampling port is made of a material that can be pierced by a gas sampling needle. (5) The gas adsorption sampling container according to (1), characterized in that at least a portion thereof has flexibility that allows it to be deformed by changes in internal pressure. (6) A gas adsorption sampling container according to (1), characterized in that a three-way cock is attached to the sampling port, and one of the inlets and outlets of the three-way cock is sealed with a bag body whose internal volume is variable. (7) The gas adsorption sampling container according to (6), wherein the material of the bag is an elastic material. (8) A method for predicting the finish of distilled spirits, comprising: a first step of placing distilled spirits in a gas adsorption sampling container according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the gas adsorbent is a sulfur-based gas adsorbent; a second step of adsorbing sulfur-based gases generated from the distilled spirits onto the gas adsorption sampling container; a third step of sampling gases in the gas adsorption sampling container through a sampling port; and a fourth step of analyzing the sampled gases. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The gas adsorption sampling container of the present invention can sample gas when specific gas components are removed from the gas emitted by a gas-generating material. Such a gas adsorption sampling container can be applied to any application requiring the above characteristics. For example, in the production of distilled spirits, by applying the present invention to distilled spirits after distillation, sulfur-based gases generated from the distilled spirits can be adsorbed and removed, and the remaining aroma components can be analyzed. This makes it possible to predict the final product of distilled spirits during production without waiting for aging, thereby accelerating the speed of distilled spirits product development. Furthermore, the present invention can be used not only for distilled spirits, but also for quality confirmation and product development of products where aroma is important, such as beverages other than distilled spirits, perfumes, incense, and air fresheners. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a gas adsorption sampling container of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a gas adsorption sampling container of the present invention, in which a three-way cock is attached to the sampling port, one of which is sealed with a bag whose internal volume is variable. [Figure 3]FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of an example of a gas adsorption and sampling container of the present invention, in which the portion for holding the adsorbent is in the form of a scaffold on which the adsorbent is placed, cut horizontally relative to the bottom surface of the container. [Figure 4] This is a horizontal cross-sectional view of an example of a gas adsorption and sampling container of the present invention, in which the part that holds the adsorbent is in the form of a scaffold on which the adsorbent is placed, and the scaffold is arranged in a position that crosses the inside of the container, when cut horizontally relative to the bottom of the container. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of an example of a gas adsorption and sampling container of the present invention, in which the portion for holding the adsorbent is in the form of a hook into which the adsorbent is fitted, cut horizontally relative to the bottom of the container. [Figure 6] 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the gas adsorption and sampling vessel of FIG. 5, cut perpendicularly to the bottom surface of the vessel. [Figure 7] This is a horizontal cross-sectional view of an example of a gas adsorption and sampling container of the present invention, in which the part that holds the adsorbent is mesh-like with gaps large enough to allow gas to pass through, cut horizontally across the bottom of the container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The gas adsorption sampling container of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1 , the gas adsorption and sampling container of the present invention is a sealed container having a portion 1 for accommodating a gas-generating substance, a removable gas adsorbent 2, a portion 3 for holding the gas adsorbent in a position not in contact with the accommodated gas-generating substance, and a sampling port 4 through which the internal gas can be sampled while maintaining a sealed state. Because the sealed container is openable and closable, the container can be temporarily opened to accommodate the gas-generating substance in portion 1 for accommodating the gas-generating substance. When gas volatilizes from the accommodated gas-generating substance, at least one or more gas components are adsorbed by gas adsorbent 2. The remaining unadsorbed gas is then sampled through sampling port 4, thereby enabling the collection of a gas containing multiple gas components from which a specific gas component has been removed. Furthermore, if at least a portion of the gas adsorption and sampling container is flexible enough to deform in response to changes in internal pressure, the increase in pressure inside the container due to gas generated from the gas-generating substance can be suppressed. There are no particular restrictions on the type of gas-generating material, and it may be a mixture of volatile substances such as ethanol and toluene, or a liquid or solid that contains some volatile substances, such as brewed alcoholic beverages such as sake, wine, and beer, distilled alcoholic beverages such as shochu (e.g., sweet potato shochu, barley shochu, and rice shochu), whiskey, brandy, white sake, and tequila, perfume, incense, and air fresheners.

[0012] The shape of the portion 1 for accommodating the gas-generating substance (hereinafter also referred to simply as the container 1) is not particularly limited as long as it has a bottom and can hold the gas-generating substance within the sealed container, and any shape, such as a rectangular parallelepiped or cylindrical, may be appropriately selected. The material of the container 1 is also not particularly limited as long as it is airtight, and examples include glass, plastic, and metal. The material does not need to be of only one type, and may be composed of two or more types of materials. Furthermore, if the container 1 is transparent or translucent, the state inside the container can be visually observed, making it possible to confirm whether the gas adsorbent 2 is securely held in the adsorbent-holding portion 3 without opening the container. Furthermore, this reduces the risk of accidentally sampling the gas-generating substance when sampling the gas inside the container through the sampling port 4 using a syringe or the like.

[0013] The removable gas adsorbent 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as the gas adsorbent 2) according to the present invention is held in a gas adsorbent holding portion 3 (hereinafter simply referred to as the adsorbent holding portion 3). The gas adsorbent 2 contains, at least in part, a material capable of adsorbing gas. Examples of such gas adsorbents include nonwoven fabrics and sheets containing a fibrous or particulate material capable of adsorbing gas, and resin molded bodies of any shape. The fibrous or particulate material capable of adsorbing gas may be appropriately selected depending on the gas to be adsorbed, such as sulfur-based gases such as hydrogen sulfide and dimethyl sulfide, amine-based gases such as ammonia and trimethylamine, or fatty acid-based gases such as acetic acid and isovaleric acid. For example, "Ginsekai" (registered trademark), a silver ion-loaded acrylic fiber manufactured by Nippon Exlan Kogyo Co., Ltd., and "Cellfine (registered trademark) S," a rust-proof and deodorizing fiber manufactured by the same company, have excellent sulfur-based gas adsorption capabilities. Therefore, when a gas adsorbent containing such fiber is applied to the gas adsorption and collection container of the present invention, sulfur-based gases that affect the aroma of distilled spirits generated from distilled spirits immediately after distillation can be adsorbed and removed during the production and development of distilled spirits.

[0014] There are no particular limitations on how the gas adsorbent 2 is held by the adsorbent holding unit 3, and any method such as placing or adhering may be selected as appropriate. The adsorbent holding unit 3 is positioned so that the gas adsorbent 2 does not come into contact with the gas-generating substance, in order to avoid a risk that the interface of the gas-generating substance may be covered, inhibiting gas generation, or that the gas adsorption portion on the surface or inside of the gas adsorbent may be blocked due to contact of the gas-generating substance with the gas adsorbent 2, thereby reducing the gas adsorption capacity. Furthermore, if there is a gap between the top of the adsorbent and the sealed container 6, the number of times the gas passes through the gas adsorbent increases, allowing for more efficient gas adsorption. The shape of the adsorbent holding part 3 may be selected appropriately depending on the shape of the gas adsorbent 2. For example, when the gas adsorbent is in the form of a filter, a scaffold for placing the filter may be provided on the side surface inside the container, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, a hook for fitting the filter may be provided, as shown in Figure 5, or a flat surface may be provided that is joined to at least a portion of the periphery of the side surface inside the container and has a gap large enough to allow gas to pass through, as shown in Figure 7.

[0015] The sampling port 4 (hereinafter simply referred to as sampling port 4) described in the present invention, which can sample gas inside the gas adsorption and sampling container while maintaining the sealed state, is the location where gas is sampled from the gas adsorption and sampling container, and allows gas to be sampled while maintaining the sealed state of the container. This prevents air from entering the container from the outside and prevents gas from leaking out of the container. Examples of such a sampling port include a port in which the opening of the storage section 1 is sealed with a sealing member such as a septum that can be pierced by a gas sampling needle, or a port in which a three-way cock is attached to the opening. Furthermore, attaching a bag with a variable internal volume to one of the three-way cocks can suppress pressure buildup inside the sealed container due to gas generated from the gas-generating material and prevent the gas from escaping forcefully during gas sampling. Furthermore, if the bag is made of an elastic material such as rubber, repeatedly pressurizing and decompressing the bag by hand, etc., circulates the gas inside the sealed container, facilitating contact between the gas and the gas adsorbent, thereby efficiently adsorbing the gas to the gas adsorbent.

[0016] The gas adsorption sampling container of the present invention can be widely used for sampling specific gas components from mixed gases. For example, when predicting the final quality of distilled spirits such as shochu, whiskey, brandy, white spirits, and tequila, the gas adsorption sampling container of the present invention incorporating a sulfur-based gas adsorbent promotes the evaporation of sulfur-based gases and allows for faster removal of sulfur-based gases compared to the method of leaving the distilled spirit to evaporate (i.e., waiting for the aging process to be completed). This method is particularly suitable for distilled spirits that require a long aging period, such as sweet potato shochu, because it significantly reduces the time required to determine the final quality compared to the method of waiting for the aging process to be completed. The method for predicting the final quality of distilled spirits using the gas adsorption container involves first placing the distilled spirit before or during aging in the gas adsorption sampling container (step 1), and then allowing the sulfur-based gases generated from the distilled spirit to be adsorbed by the gas adsorbent (step 2). The gas in the gas adsorption sampling container is then sampled through a sampling port (step 3), and the sampled gas is analyzed (step 4). Here, there are no particular limitations on the analysis method, and it may be appropriately selected from component analysis using a gas chromatograph or the like, sensory evaluation using the five senses, etc. In this way, it is possible to predict in advance the finished distilled spirit after aging, without waiting for the completion of aging of the distilled spirit in production. [Industrial Applicability]

[0017] The gas adsorption sampling container of the present invention is suitable for sampling specific gas components from mixed gases, and can therefore be suitably used in analyzing the volatile components of products where the scent is important, such as beverages and perfumes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0018] 1. Part containing gas generating material 2 Gas absorbent 3 Part that holds the gas adsorbent 4 Sampling port 5. Gas generators 6 rubber stoppers 7 Three-way cock 8. Bag with variable internal volume

Claims

1. An openable and closable sealed container, a portion for accommodating a gas generating material; a removable gas adsorbent; a portion for holding the gas adsorbent at a position where it does not come into contact with the contained gas-generating material; A sampling port that allows sampling of the internal gas while maintaining a sealed state, A gas adsorption collection vessel having

2. 2. The gas adsorption sampling vessel according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the vessel is transparent or translucent.

3. 2. The gas adsorption and sampling container according to claim 1, wherein the gas adsorbent held in the gas adsorbent holding portion has a gap between an upper portion of the gas adsorbent and the sealed container.

4. 2. The gas adsorption sampling container according to claim 1, wherein the sampling port is made of a material that can be penetrated by a gas sampling needle.

5. 2. The gas adsorption sampling vessel according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the vessel has flexibility such that it can be deformed by changes in internal pressure.

6. 2. The gas adsorption sampling container according to claim 1, wherein a three-way cock is attached to the sampling port, and one of the ports of the three-way cock is sealed with a bag whose internal volume is variable.

7. 7. The gas adsorption sampling container according to claim 6, wherein the material of the bag is an elastic material.

8. A method for predicting the finish of distilled spirits, comprising: a first step of placing distilled spirits in a gas adsorption sampling container according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the gas adsorbent is a sulfur-based gas adsorbent; a second step of allowing the gas adsorbent to adsorb sulfur-based gases generated from the distilled spirits; a third step of sampling gases in the gas adsorption sampling container through a sampling port; and a fourth step of analyzing the sampled gases.

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