Single-Serve Capsule Segmentation for Stable Beer Concentrate
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in producing a beer concentrate that maintains flavor and stability when water is removed from beer, as existing methods often lead to chemical reactions and quality loss due to the removal of ethanol, which affects the formation of foam and flavor compounds.
Innovation Solution
A single-serve capsule with two compartments, one containing a liquid beer concentrate produced by membrane separation or freeze concentration to retain essential flavor compounds and the other with an alcoholic liquid, is used to prepare beer by mixing with carbonated water, ensuring high stability and quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If water is removed from beer to produce concentrate, then storage stability and transport efficiency are improved, but chemical reactions and precipitation occur leading to quality loss
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule is divided into separate compartments, with the first compartment containing alcohol-free beer concentrate and the second compartment containing alcoholic liquid. This segmentation prevents unwanted chemical reactions between ethanol and beer components during storage, while allowing reconstitution of complete beer quality upon mixing at consumption time.
Solution Approach 2:
The beer concentrate is prepared in advance by removing water and alcohol through membrane separation or freeze concentration, then stored in the first compartment without ethanol. This preliminary preparation maintains flavor substances and foam-forming components in their original state, preventing degradation before the final product is assembled.
2Stability of the object's composition
If ethanol is removed from beer concentrate, then stability is improved, but flavor compounds and foam formation are affected
Solution Approach 1:
The invention separates ethanol from beer components by using membrane separation or freeze concentration to produce alcohol-free concentrate, then stores it separately in the first compartment. This allows flavor substances, color, and foam-forming components to be retained without the destabilizing effect of ethanol during storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The ethanol content in the first compartment is controlled to be 0-1% ABV through selective removal processes, changing the chemical parameter of the concentrate to achieve stability while preserving flavor compounds. The alcoholic liquid in the second compartment provides the necessary ethanol content when mixed.
3Volume of moving object
If beer is concentrated by removing water, then volume is reduced for transport, but chemical reactions between ethanol and carboxylic acids increase
Solution Approach 1:
Ethanol is extracted from the beer concentrate through membrane separation or freeze concentration before concentration, removing the reactive component that would otherwise undergo unwanted chemical reactions with carboxylic acids during storage. The ethanol is then separately provided in the second compartment.
Solution Approach 2:
The capsule compartments separate the alcohol-free beer concentrate (first compartment) from the alcoholic liquid (second compartment), preventing chemical reactions during storage and transport while enabling complete beer reconstruction upon mixing at the point of use.
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 solution provides a stable and high-quality beer preparation method by retaining essential flavor compounds and reducing unwanted foaming, while allowing for efficient transportation and storage due to its compact size.
Implementation Method 1
reducing the water content of alcohol-free beer by means of membrane separation (e.g. nanofiltration, reverse osmosis or forward osmosis)
Implementation Method 2
reducing the water content of alcohol-free beer by means of membrane separation (e.g. nanofiltration, reverse osmosis or forward osmosis)
Implementation Method 3
reducing the water content of alcohol-free beer by means of membrane separation (e.g. nanofiltration, reverse osmosis or forward osmosis) and/or by means of freeze concentration
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a single-serve capsule comprising at least two compartments, including a first compartment and a second compartment; wherein the first compartment comprises a liquid concentrate of an alcohol-free beer, said liquid beer concentrate having an ethanol content of 0-1 % ABV, wherein the second compartment comprises an alcoholic liquid containing 12-100 wt.% ethanol and 0-88 wt.% water, and wherein ethanol and water together constitute 80-100 wt.% of the alcoholic liquid The capsule of the present invention can suitably be used to prepare a good quality alcoholic beer by mixing the contents of the capsule with carbonated water. The liquid beer concentrate in the first compartment can suitably be produced by reducing the water content of alcohol-free beer by means of membrane separation and/or by means of freeze concentration. The physicochemical stability of the liquid beer concentrate so obtained is very high due to the very low (or zero) ethanol content.