Dual-Compartment Beer Capsule for Stable Foam and Flavor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in producing stable liquid concentrates for beer-like beverages that can form a good quality foam head, as they are prone to solute precipitation and reactions, leading to poor quality dispensed beverages and residue accumulation.
Innovation Solution
A single-serve capsule with two compartments, one containing an aqueous liquid with 0-10% ABV and 0.1-25% protein, and the other with 20-99.9% ethanol and hop acids, separates ethanol and hop acids to maintain stability, preventing flavor changes and haze formation, allowing for a hopped alcoholic beverage with a stable foam head when mixed with carbonated water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If liquid beverage concentrates are used for preparing beer-like beverages, then the beverages can be diluted quickly and no residue is left, but the concentrates are prone to solute precipitation and reactions, leading to poor stability
Solution Approach 1:
The concentrate is divided into two separate compartments: an aqueous compartment containing proteins and a hydrophobic compartment containing hop acids and oils. This segmentation prevents the precipitation and reactions that would occur if all components were mixed in a single liquid concentrate, while still allowing for rapid dilution when the compartments are combined with carbonated water during dispensing.
Solution Approach 2:
Carbonated water acts as an intermediary medium that facilitates the combination of the separated aqueous and hydrophobic compartments during dispensing. The carbonation provides effervescence that aids mixing while the water serves as a safe medium that prevents premature precipitation reactions, enabling stable reconstitution of the beverage.
2Stability of the object's composition
If powder concentrates are used for preparing cold drinks, then they can be stored stably, but they do not dissolve effectively during mixing, resulting in poor quality beverages and residue accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than using a single powder concentrate that must dissolve completely, the invention segments the concentrate into two liquid compartments that are easily dispensed and mixed. The aqueous compartment dissolves readily in carbonated water, while the hydrophobic compartment disperses as stable droplets, eliminating the dissolution problems of powder concentrates without sacrificing storage stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state parameter from solid powder to liquid compartments. This parameter change allows the concentrate to be stored stably in liquid form in separated compartments and then easily combined during dispensing, avoiding the dissolution issues that plague powder concentrates while maintaining storage stability.
3Device complexity
If a single compartment contains all concentrate components, then the device structure is simple, but solute precipitation and reactions occur, preventing formation of a stable foam head
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule is divided into two compartments: an aqueous compartment containing proteins and a hydrophobic compartment containing hop acids and oils. This segmentation prevents the precipitation and reactions that would otherwise occur, ensuring that the protein-based foam head forms correctly when the compartments are combined during dispensing, without requiring a overly complex multi-compartment structure.
4Ease of operation
If ethanol and hop acids are mixed in the same liquid concentrate, then the beverage can be prepared simply, but flavor changes occur due to reactions between solutes
Solution Approach 1:
The concentrate is segmented into an aqueous compartment and a hydrophobic compartment, separating ethanol-containing aqueous solution from hop acid-containing hydrophobic phase. This physical separation prevents unwanted chemical reactions between solutes that would alter flavor, while the compartments are easily combined during the simple dispensing process with carbonated water, maintaining both ease of operation and flavor stability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a capsule comprising at least two compartments, including a first compartment and a second compartment; wherein the first compartment comprises 5-30 mL of an aqueous liquid having an ethanol content of 0-10% ABV and comprising 0.1-25wt.% of protein; and wherein the second compartment comprises 5-50 mL of an alcoholic liquid containing 20-99.9 wt.% ethanol, 0-60 wt.% water, and 50-2,000 mg/kg of hop acids acids selected from iso-alpha acids, hydrogenated iso-alpha acids, hulupones and combinations thereof, and wherein ethanol and water together constitute at least 80 wt.% of the alcoholic liquid. The capsule can suitably be used to prepare a hopped alcoholic beverage with a foam head, similar to ordinary beer. To prepare such a beverage, the contents of the capsule are combined with carbonated water and dispensed into a e.g. a drinking glass.