Flavored Porous Material for Rapid Beverage Maturation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Introducing flavor to beverages during aging or maturation is technically challenging and resource-intensive, particularly due to regulatory restrictions and the need to expand flavor profiles while maintaining compliance with trade association requirements.
Innovation Solution
A method involving fermenting biomass with recombinant microbial host cells to produce flavor compounds, contacting these compounds with porous materials like oak wood to create flavored porous materials, and using these materials to flavor beverages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional maturation methods using wooden casks are used, then flavor development occurs naturally through extraction, evaporation and chemical reaction, but the process is time-consuming (days to decades) and resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-flavoring porous materials (oak chips, barrel staves) with flavor compounds before use in maturation. This allows the porous material to be pre-loaded with flavor-active components, so that when contacted with the beverage, flavor extraction occurs rapidly without requiring years of traditional maturation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the concentration parameter of flavor compounds by using highly concentrated flavor extracts or congener-enriched spirits to treat the porous material. This elevated concentration enables rapid flavor transfer to the beverage in a short contact period, dramatically reducing the maturation time from years to days or hours while maintaining flavor quality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If flavor compounds are introduced during maturation, then flavor profiles can be expanded, but regulatory restrictions prohibit the use of additives
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses porous material (oak chips, barrel staves) as an intermediary carrier to introduce flavor compounds indirectly. The flavor compounds are first absorbed by the porous material, which then releases them during brief contact with the beverage. This intermediary approach allows flavor enhancement without directly adding additives to the beverage, thereby complying with regulations that prohibit direct flavor additives.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replicates the natural flavor extraction process that would occur during traditional long-term maturation by pre-treating porous materials with flavor compounds. This creates a 'flavor copy' or concentrated version of what would naturally occur over years, allowing the same flavor profile to be achieved rapidly without the need for actual long-term aging or direct additive use.
3Productivity
If casks are reused multiple times, then production costs are reduced, but the extraction effect becomes increasingly weaker over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies discarding and recovering by collecting flavor compounds from spent or ex-used casks and incorporating them into the pre-treatment solution for fresh porous materials. This recovers the flavor-active components that would otherwise be lost in reused casks, allowing the flavor extraction effect to be maintained at high levels across multiple production cycles while reducing waste.
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
Enables the expansion of flavor profiles in beverages while adhering to regulatory standards, enhancing the taste and smell of alcoholic beverages through the use of genetically modified flavor compounds absorbed by porous materials.
Implementation Method 1
fermenting biomass with a recombinant microbial host cell comprising at least one genetic modification to produce the at least one flavor compound
Implementation Method 2
contacting the flavored solution with a porous material for a period of time allowing the at least first flavor compound to generate the flavored porous material
Implementation Method 3
contacting the isolated flavored porous material with a first untreated beverage to release the at least one flavor compound to obtain a first flavored beverage
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure concerns a flavored porous material as well as a flavored beverage obtained from using such flavored porous material. The flavored porous material can be obtained from contacting a flavored solution (which can be obtained from fermentation) with the porous material. The flavored beverage can be obtained from contacting the flavored porous material with an untreated beverage.