Method for determining a starting value for a concentration of a type of sugar in a mash

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining at least one starting value for a concentration of a type of sugar in a mash (M). At an initial time, the density and the speed of sound in the mash (M) are determined. Measurement values relating to ethanol in the mash (M) are determined at a plurality of measurement times in order to determine a starting value for ethanol, and the starting value for the concentration of the type of sugar in the mash (M) is determined on the basis of the measured density and speed of sound values determined at the initial time and on the basis of the starting value for ethanol. The invention further relates to a method for controlling a mashing process.

Description

[0001] Method for determining a starting value for the concentration of a type of sugar in a mash

[0002] The invention relates to a method for determining at least one initial value of the concentration of a type of sugar in a mash. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for controlling a mashing process, in particular a fermentation process.

[0003] WO 2020 / 094266 A1 and WO 2020 / 216582 A1 each describe a vibronic multisensor that has a mechanically vibrating unit. Based on the mechanical vibrations and the transit time of ultrasonic signals traveling through the medium between the vibrating elements, two process parameters can be determined: In WO 2020 / 094266 A1, the proportions of ethanol and total sugar in a mash are determined.

[0004] The concentrations of maltodextrin and maltose can be determined in WO 2020 / 216582 A1. This allows for the differentiation between short-chain (fermentable) and long-chain (non-fermentable) sugars.

[0005] Knowing the proportions of fermentable and non-fermentable sugars is crucial for controlling the fermentation of the mash. However, the aforementioned method requires the absence of ethanol.

[0006] Especially with large tanks, it can take some time to fill them, meaning that ethanol may already be forming before an initial measurement of the sugar types is possible. Furthermore, stratification of the mash can occur in larger tanks, which can also negatively affect the measurement results. In addition, the filling process itself can create conditions that prevent stable measurements.

[0007] Therefore, the object underlying the invention is to extend the scope of application of the method for distinguishing between types of sugar. This object is achieved according to the invention by a method for determining at least one initial value of the concentration of a type of sugar in a mash, wherein the method comprises at least the following steps: that at an initial time point, a measured value for the density of the mash and a measured value for the speed of sound in the mash are determined; that at several measurement times, an ethanol measurement value for a concentration of ethanol – and preferably also a sugar measurement value as a function of a total sugar concentration – in the mash is determined; that from the ethanol measurement values ​​determined at the measurement times – and preferably also from the sugar measurement values ​​– an initial value for the concentration of ethanol in the mash is determined.and that, based on the measured values ​​for the density of the mash and for the speed of sound in the mash determined at the initial time, as well as based on the determined initial value for the concentration of ethanol in the mash, at least the initial value of the concentration of the sugar type in the mash is determined.

[0008] The core of the invention thus consists in the fact that, based on the measurements of ethanol and, in one embodiment, also on values ​​depending on the total sugar content, it is extrapolated to the - preceding - time point at which the measurement data for at least one concentration of a type of sugar in the mash were recorded.

[0009] For example, the system extrapolates to determine the point in time when the ethanol content was 0%, i.e., when no ethanol was present or would have been present. Using this starting value for the ethanol concentration, the measurement data from the initial time point can then be appropriately processed to obtain at least the concentration value of the sugar at that previous time point, preferably the initial time point.

[0010] Therefore, using this initial value, the appropriate constants are preferably determined to calculate the individual sugar types (especially fermentable as opposed to non-fermentable sugars) from the measurements taken at the initial time. The measurements for the ethanol values ​​and, if applicable, the sugar values, are thus performed immediately following the initial time.

[0011] The measurement of the ethanol content itself at the initial time is prevented, for example, by an ongoing filling process, or made so difficult that a reliable measurement cannot be obtained. The method thus compensates for this prevention or insufficiently reliable measurement of the ethanol concentration at this initial time, for example, through extrapolation.

[0012] In this configuration, pairs of ethanol and sugar values ​​are always determined at each measurement time.

[0013] The determined sugar values ​​are derived from the uncorrected concentration values ​​for at least one type of sugar. The concentration values ​​used are uncorrected in that they do not refer to the correct or as yet unknown ethanol concentration at the start of the measurements.

[0014] One embodiment of the method involves determining the ethanol values ​​– and preferably also the sugar values ​​– by measuring the density of the mash and the speed of sound within the mash. In this embodiment, measurements of density and speed of sound within the mash are obtained. From these measurements, at least the ethanol values, and preferably also the sugar values, are then obtained at the respective measurement times.

[0015] One embodiment of the method involves determining the density and speed of sound measurements using a vibration sensor. This sensor, equipped with a mechanically vibrating unit, performs mechanical vibrations and transmits and receives ultrasonic signals. In this embodiment, the density and speed of sound of the mash are measured using a vibration sensor capable of mechanical vibration and of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals. Another embodiment of the method involves determining the initial value for the ethanol concentration in the mash—preferably at the initial measurement time—by fitting a mathematical function to the ethanol and sugar measurements obtained at the measurement times. The initial value is then determined by extrapolating from this fitted mathematical function.In this configuration, a mathematical function is fitted to the measured values ​​of ethanol and, if applicable, sugar content. This mathematical function then allows extrapolation to obtain the initial value for the ethanol concentration. The initial value to be determined could, for example, be the point in time at which no ethanol was present or would have been present. Alternatively, the initial value could refer to the initial point in time at which the measurements were taken that allow the determination of the concentration of at least one type of sugar in the mash at that initial point in time. Alternatively, the concentration of the sugar type could also refer to the point in time at which no ethanol was present.

[0016] In one embodiment, at least one ethanol measurement and at least one sugar measurement are obtained at each measurement time to determine the concentration of one type of sugar in the mash. The sugar measurements at these times are characterized by their inherent inaccuracies. This is because the initial ethanol concentration has not yet been determined. Nevertheless, even these inaccurate sugar measurements allow for the calculation of the initial ethanol concentration, which then enables the determination of the correct, i.e., error-free, sugar measurements. In other words, the inaccurate measurements allow for the inference of the initial measurement time, from which the corrected measurements can then be derived. Alternatively, it may be sufficient for the operator of the fermentation plant to know the concentration of at least one type of sugar present at the initial measurement time.

[0017] One embodiment of the method involves fitting a straight line as a mathematical function. Another embodiment includes determining a measure of CO2 concentration in the mash in a further step, and using the initial concentration value of the sugar in the mash as the basis for this CO2 concentration measurement. For CO2 compensation, it is assumed that no CO2 is present at the initial point in time. Therefore, no CO2 compensation is required for determining at least the initial concentration value of at least one sugar. The same preferably applies to the end of fermentation. However, since the determination of the sugar types or the sugar measurements only takes place during the ongoing fermentation, the CO2 content must be considered either when determining the concentration at the measurement points or at least when determining the initial concentration of, for example, the initial concentration of the sugar.The determination of the initial sugar concentration in the mash, based on extrapolation, should be included. The CO2 value is measured, for example, via an additional sensor.

[0018] The following details relate to how long the time span is until sufficient data is available for extrapolation.

[0019] One embodiment of the method involves continuously measuring ethanol levels – and preferably sugar levels – until a predetermined time interval has elapsed since the initial measurement. In this embodiment, a fixed timeframe is specified for the measurements used for the back-calculation.

[0020] An alternative or supplementary embodiment of the method involves continuously measuring ethanol levels—and preferably sugar levels—until a predetermined stability criterion for the measured values ​​is reached. In this embodiment, the end of the time period depends on the measured values ​​themselves. For example, one can wait until a plateau is reached.

[0021] An alternative or supplementary embodiment of the method involves continuously measuring ethanol concentrations—and preferably sugar concentrations—until the measured or determined ethanol concentration reaches a predetermined value. In this embodiment, the process waits until a certain ethanol concentration is reached before proceeding with the next steps for extrapolation.

[0022] Furthermore, the invention solves the problem by means of a method for controlling a mashing process, wherein the method comprises at least the following steps: that a container is filled with a mash, that at least one starting value of a concentration of a type of sugar in the mash is determined using the method according to one of the preceding or following embodiments, and that intervention in the mashing process is carried out starting from the starting value.

[0023] The details and explanations concerning the procedure for determining the starting value also apply to the regulatory procedure, so repetition is omitted.

[0024] The mashing process is thus controlled by starting the process and then calculating the necessary correction from the ongoing measurements of ethanol or total sugar content. This correction determines at least the initial concentration of a specific sugar in the mash. Based on this, the process is then adjusted as needed. The method therefore takes into account that sufficiently accurate measurements may not be possible at the beginning of the fermentation process and / or that ethanol is already present.

[0025] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the following single illustration. It shows:

[0026] Fig. 1 : a schematic representation of a fermentation plant.

[0027] In the illustrated example, the mechanically vibrating unit 1 is a so-called tuning fork with two vibrating elements 10. This unit performs mechanical vibrations and simultaneously transmits and receives ultrasonic signals between the vibrating elements 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the same piezoelectric component is used for both generating and receiving the mechanical vibrations and transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic signals. The vibrating elements 10 are immersed in a mash M within the container B. Therefore, the density of the mash M can be determined from the mechanical vibrations and their interaction. Conversely, the transmission and reception of the ultrasonic signals allows the determination of the speed of sound in the mash M. These two measurements allow either the determination of the proportion of ethanol and a measure of the total sugar content of the mash, or the concentration of individual sugars, e.g., ethanol.B. a fermentable or a non-fermentable sugar (see WO 2020 / 094266 A1 and WO 2020 / 216582 A1 ).

[0028] To accurately determine the concentration of at least one sugar (or the two sugars maltodextrin and maltose), the proportion of ethanol and, for example, a value dependent on the total sugar content are measured over time. After a certain period, a mathematical function is fitted to extrapolate, for example, the ethanol content at an initial time, which in turn helps to determine the concentration of the sugar. In this example, the measurement data is processed by a cloud-based processing unit C. Alternatively, the vibration sensor 1 can incorporate a suitable component.

Claims

Patent claims 1. A method for determining at least one initial value of the concentration of a type of sugar in a mash (M), wherein the method comprises at least the following steps: determining a measured value for the density of the mash (M) and a measured value for the speed of sound in the mash (M) at an initial time point; determining an ethanol measurement value for a concentration of ethanol – and preferably also a sugar measurement value as a function of a total sugar concentration – in the mash (M) at several measurement times; determining an initial value for the concentration of ethanol in the mash (M) from the ethanol measurements – and preferably also from the sugar measurements – determined at the measurement times.and that, based on the measured values ​​for the density of the mash (M) and for the speed of sound in the mash (M) determined at the initial time, as well as based on the determined initial value for the concentration of ethanol in the mash (M), at least the initial value of the concentration of the sugar in the mash (M) is determined.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the ethanol measurements - and preferably also the sugar measurements - are determined by determining measurements of the density of the mash (M) and the speed of sound in the mash (M).

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the measured values ​​of density and speed of sound are determined by a vibration sensor (1 ) which performs mechanical vibrations with a mechanically oscillating unit (10) and which emits and receives ultrasonic signals.

4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the starting value for the concentration of ethanol in the mash (M) is determined, by fitting a mathematical function to the ethanol measurements taken at the measurement times - as well as to the sugar measurements - and by determining the starting value by extrapolation based on the fitted mathematical function.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a straight line is fitted as a mathematical function.

6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein in a further step a measure for a concentration of CO2 in the mash is determined, and wherein the measure for the concentration of CO2 is used to determine the starting value of the concentration of the sugar in the mash (M).

7. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein ethanol measurements - and preferably sugar measurements - are taken until a predetermined time interval has elapsed from the initial time.

8. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein ethanol measurements - and preferably sugar measurements - are determined until a predetermined stability criterion of the measurements has been reached.

9. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein ethanol measurements - and preferably sugar measurements - are taken until the concentration of ethanol has reached a predetermined value.

10. Method for controlling a mashing process, wherein the method comprises at least the following steps: that a container (B) is filled with a mash (M), that at least one initial value of a concentration of a type of sugar in the mash (M) is determined using the method according to one of claims 1 to 9. will be, and that intervention will occur in the mashing process starting from the initial value.

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