Reduced-Sugar Juice Concentrate via Fermentation and Gentle Ethanol Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for reducing sugar content in fruit and vegetable juices and concentrates face challenges such as impaired sensory properties, difficulty in industrial scalability, and undesirable by-products like Maillard reactions, especially when dealing with high sugar concentrations.
Innovation Solution
A method involving de-aromatisation, concentration, re-dilution, alcoholic fermentation, and gentle ethanol separation in an evaporator to produce a juice concentrate with reduced sugar content, maintaining optimal sensory properties and industrial applicability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If alcoholic fermentation is used to reduce sugar content in juice concentrates, then sugar content is reduced, but sensory properties are impaired and undesirable by-products like Maillard reactions occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by removing volatile aromatic compounds from the juice concentrate before fermentation. This pre-treatment prevents the formation of undesirable by-products during fermentation while still allowing sugar reduction to occur, thereby resolving the contradiction between sugar content reduction and preservation of sensory properties
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes volatile aromatic compounds from the juice concentrate prior to fermentation. This extraction step eliminates the harmful interaction between volatiles and fermentation by-products that would otherwise occur, enabling sugar reduction without compromising sensory quality
2Quantity of substance
If distillation is used to separate alcohol from fermented juice, then alcohol is removed, but Maillard reactions occur leading to dark coloration and undesirable compounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by removing volatile aromatic compounds before fermentation begins. This prevents the formation of alcohol and other fermentation by-products that would subsequently require distillation, thereby avoiding Maillard reactions and dark coloration while still achieving sugar reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of volatile compounds into a benefit by selectively removing them before fermentation. This pre-removal prevents harmful Maillard reactions during the fermentation process, transforming what would be a source of problems into a protective measure
3Quantity of substance
If fermentation is applied to high sugar concentration juice concentrates, then sugar content is reduced, but microbial metabolism is slowed down and inhibited by increasing alcohol concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by removing volatile aromatic compounds before fermentation. This pre-treatment creates optimal conditions for microbial metabolism by eliminating compounds that would otherwise inhibit microbial activity, thereby enabling effective sugar reduction even in high sugar concentration concentrates
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 achieves juice concentrates with excellent sensory properties and industrial feasibility, ensuring a reduced sugar content while preserving flavor profiles and extending shelf life.
Implementation Method 1
Separating ethanol and additional fermentation products from the fermented product in an evaporator
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a juice concentrate having a reduced sugar content, in which method the sugar content of a juice is reduced by means of fermentation after the addition of microorganisms, and the ethanol produced by the fermentation is separated using additional fermentation products in an evaporator, as a result of which the juice concentrate having a reduced sugar content is obtained. The invention also relates to: a juice concentrate, preferably a fruit juice concentrate or vegetable juice concentrate, which can be obtained using said method; and a method for producing a juice having a reduced sugar content from said juice concentrate.