Alcohol-Dipped Fruit Material for Low-Alcohol Beverages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing low alcohol drinks fail to fully retain the natural flavor and aroma of fruits and vegetables, often requiring additional flavorings or heating processes that can damage the raw materials and result in unstable flavor profiles.
Innovation Solution
A method involving freezing and micro grinding of whole fruits and vegetables, followed by dipping in an alcohol solution of appropriate concentration to extract and preserve the desired components, thereby maintaining the natural flavor and aroma without denaturation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional methods (vacuum distillation, heating) are used to extract fruit flavor, then alcohol extract can be obtained, but the natural flavor and aroma are damaged and secondary smells are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the temperature parameter from conventional heating to freezing, and changes the extraction medium from water to alcohol. By freezing the fruit and using alcohol as extraction solvent, the process avoids thermal damage to aromatic components while achieving effective extraction of flavor substances.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes phase transition by freezing the fruit material before extraction. The frozen state allows for better preservation of volatile aromatic components during the subsequent alcohol extraction process, preventing the generation of secondary smells that occur with heating methods.
2Stability of the object's composition
If fruit juice is used as starting material, then natural flavor is retained, but storage stability deteriorates and additional processing is required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses alcohol as an intermediary substance that serves dual purposes: it extracts flavor components from the frozen fruit and simultaneously acts as a preservative. The alcohol medium provides storage stability while maintaining the natural flavor profile, eliminating the need for additional preservatives or processing steps required for fruit juice.
3Productivity
If heating processes are applied to extract fruit components, then extraction efficiency is improved, but natural flavor is lost and aroma components are degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the temperature parameter from heating to freezing, and changes the extraction solvent from water to alcohol. This parameter combination achieves effective extraction of aromatic components without thermal degradation, maintaining both extraction efficiency and aroma quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the thermal extraction system with a cold extraction system using alcohol. Instead of using heat to facilitate extraction, the frozen fruit is extracted with alcohol at low temperatures, which preserves volatile aromatic components while achieving sufficient extraction efficiency.
4Manufacturing precision
If additional flavorings are added to compensate for flavor loss, then flavor profile can be maintained, but product complexity increases and naturalness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables the fruit material itself to provide the necessary flavor components through alcohol extraction from the frozen state. The fruit's own aromatic substances are sufficient to create the desired flavor profile without requiring additional flavorings or complex processing steps to compensate for flavor loss.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method produces an alcohol-dipped material with high storage stability and superior flavor, capable of being used as a starting material for low alcohol drinks without the need for additional flavorings or juices, ensuring a fresh and balanced taste.
Implementation Method 1
dipping the micro ground matter in an alcohol having a concentration at which one or more components of the raw material can be extracted
Implementation Method 2
an alcohol-dipped material containing materials originating in fruit(s) and/or vegetable(s)
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a method of producing an alcohol-dipped material or a food or drink using the same which includes the following steps: (a) freezing one or more fruits and/or vegetables employed as a raw material; (b) micro grinding the frozen matter; and (c) dipping the micro ground matter in an alcohol having a concentration at which one or more components of the raw material can be extracted (preferably a 15% to 100% alcohol). The alcohol-dipped material thus obtained can be suitably usable as a starting alcohol drink for producing a low-alcohol drink. According to the method of the invention, the alcohol-dipped material or the food or the drink thus obtained can contain a sufficient amount of an efficacious and effective component contained in the vegetable(s) and/or fruit(s), for example, vitamin P.