Cereal Extract Clarity via Stabilisation and Cold Treatment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for producing cereal extracts result in hazy beverages, requiring costly filtration steps to achieve clarity, and there is a need for improved methods to produce concentrated, readily soluble cereal extracts for clear and haze-free beverages.

Innovation Solution

A method involving consecutive processing steps, including heat treatment with a stabilisation agent, cold stabilisation, clarification, and hot filtration to produce a concentrated cereal-based extract that is clear and haze-free.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If cereal extracts are produced by conventional methods (grounding, mashing, filtering, concentrating), then the extract can be obtained, but the resulting beverages are hazy and require additional costly filtration steps

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of beverage productionVSAvoidhaze formation
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by conducting heat treatment and cold stabilisation during the extract production process itself, before the extract is used in beverage formulation. This pre-treatment prevents haze formation in the final beverage, eliminating the need for subsequent filtration steps. The stabilisation agents are added and processed in advance during extract manufacturing rather than during beverage production.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses stabilisation agents (such as silica gel, PVPP, bentonite, or gelatine) as intermediaries to bind and remove haze-forming substances during the extract production process. These agents act as mediators between the cereal components and the final extract, selectively binding proteins, polyphenols, and other haze precursors that would otherwise cause turbidity in the beverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-generated harmful factors

If additional filtration steps are added to clarify beverages made from conventional cereal extracts, then haze is removed, but production cost and process complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehaze formationVSAvoidprocess complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent moves the clarification function to the extract production stage through preliminary heat treatment and cold stabilisation. By performing haze prevention during extract manufacturing rather than during beverage production, the patent eliminates the need for additional filtration equipment and process steps in the beverage production line, thereby reducing overall process complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges the extract production process with the clarification function by integrating heat treatment and stabilisation steps into the existing manufacturing workflow. Instead of treating these as separate sequential operations, the patent combines haze prevention with extract concentration and formulation, reducing the total number of discrete process steps and equipment requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Quantity of substance

If cereal extracts are produced by conventional methods, then the extract can be obtained, but the extracts are not readily soluble and require additional processing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveextract concentrationVSAvoidsolubility
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by controlling temperature conditions during production (heat treatment followed by cold stabilisation) and adjusting pH levels to optimise extract solubility. These parameter modifications during manufacturing create an extract that is both highly concentrated and readily soluble, eliminating the need for additional processing steps to improve dissolution properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 effectively produces cereal-based extracts that are highly soluble and stable, achieving low turbidity values, making them suitable for clear and haze-free beverages without the need for additional filtration steps.

Implementation Method 1

subjecting a wort to a heat treatment with a stabilisation agent

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdsorption: Adsorption

Implementation Method 2

subjecting the heat-treated wort to a cold stabilisation step, wherein the wort is chilled and the solids from said chilled wort are separated to obtain a clarified wort

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSedimentation: Sedimentation

Implementation Method 3

subjecting the concentrate to a hot filtration step to obtain the concentrated cereal-based extract

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFiltration: Filter (physical)

Data Source

PatentEP2395858B1Method for producing clear and soluble cereal-based extract
Publication Date: 2017.10.04 HARBOES BRYGGERI
  • EP2395858B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2395858B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2395858B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method for producing a concentrated cereal-based extract for the production of food products, in particular clear and haze-free cereal-based beverages.