Flavored Malted Cereals Using Infusion and Post-Malting Separation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for producing flavored malted cereals result in undesired presence of added flavorings, requiring process modifications when used in beverage or food production, and do not achieve unique and inherent flavors.

Innovation Solution

A method involving adding solid infusible materials like aromatic herbs, spices, flowers, and fruits during the malting process, followed by separation techniques such as gravity, optical, or size-based separation to produce dried flavored malted cereals with inherent organoleptic properties.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If added flavorings are incorporated into malted cereals after malting, then the desired organoleptic properties are achieved, but the presence of added substances requires substantial modification of subsequent beverage or food production processes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveorganoleptic propertiesVSAvoidprocess modification
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The flavoring agent is incorporated into the malted cereals during the malting process itself, before the cereals are used in subsequent beverage or food production. This preliminary incorporation eliminates the need for later process modifications while achieving the desired organoleptic properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines the flavoring step with the malting process by incorporating the flavoring agent during germination or drying stages. This merging of operations allows the flavoring to become an inherent part of the malted cereal structure, avoiding separate flavoring steps in downstream processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Manufacturing precision

If solid infusible materials are added during malting to provide flavor, then unique and inherent flavor profiles are achieved, but the solid materials remain present in the final product requiring separation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflavor profileVSAvoidprocessing ease
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies extraction by removing the solid infusible materials from the malted cereals after the flavoring has been transferred. Separation techniques such as screening, sieving, or density-based separation are used to extract the solid materials while retaining the flavored malted cereals, thus achieving both unique flavor profiles and ease of manufacture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Manufacturing precision

If flavoring agents are added to malted cereals, then desired taste properties are achieved, but the added substances are undesirable when the malted cereals are used as raw materials in beverage or food production

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetaste propertiesVSAvoidusability as raw material
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The flavoring is incorporated preliminarily during the malting process, allowing the flavor to become an inherent property of the malted cereal. This preliminary action ensures that the malted cereals can be used directly as raw materials in beverage or food production without requiring further flavoring additions or process modifications.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a copy of the flavoring effect by incorporating the flavoring agent into the malted cereal matrix during malting. The flavor becomes embedded in the cereal structure, allowing the malted cereals to serve as both the base material and the flavor source in downstream applications, enhancing adaptability and versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

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 dried flavored malted cereals with improved workability, unique flavor profiles, and enhanced colloidal stability, resulting in beverages with longer shelf-life and clearer appearance.

Implementation Method 1

adding at least one solid infusible material, wherein said at least one solid infusible material is selected from the group consisting of aromatic herbs, spices, flowers, fruits and seeds, and combinations thereof, for flavoring said cereals during a malting process of said cereals

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDiffusion: Diffusion

Implementation Method 2

flavoring said cereals during a malting process of said cereals

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAbsorption: Absorption (physical)

Implementation Method 3

separating said at least one solid infusible material from the dried flavored malted cereals by means of at least one separation technique, selected from the following: gravity separation, optical separation, and separation by size

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGravity separation: Gravitation

Implementation Method 4

separating said at least one solid infusible material from the dried flavored malted cereals by means of at least one separation technique, selected from the following: gravity separation, optical separation, and separation by size

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectOptical separation: Refraction

Data Source

PatentEP4499797B1Method for producing flavored malted cereals
Publication Date: 2026.03.18 BOORTMALT
  • EP4499797B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4499797B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4499797B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The present invention relates to a method for producing dried flavored malted cereals, comprising the steps of providing cereals; adding at least one solid infusible material for flavoring said cereals during a malting process of said cereals, wherein said malting process of cereals comprises the steps of at least one steeping step, at least one germination step, and at least one drying step; obtaining dried flavored malted cereals; and separating said at least one solid infusible material from the dried flavored malted cereals by means of at least one separation technique, selected from the following: gravity separation, optical separation, and separation by size. The present invention further relates to a use of a separation technique for separating said at least one solid infusible material, to dried flavored malted cereals obtained by the method and a beverage product or food product.