Solid Alcohol Production Using Agar Gelation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing a solid ethanol product require very low temperatures, resulting in either a liquid product, a soft ice, or significant dilution, failing to achieve a homogenous, hard, and high-alcohol-content solid at temperatures near the freezing point of water.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the controlled addition of selected gelling agents, such as agar and gelatin, to an alcoholic beverage, allowing it to be frozen at temperatures as high as -4°C in a household freezer, using a machine with variable stirring and heating/cooling systems to create a physically cross-linked network that elevates the freezing point and maintains a high alcohol content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional freezing methods are used for alcoholic beverages, then the product solidifies, but the freezing temperature must be very low (below -20°F) and the product becomes soft or liquid rather than hard
Solution Approach 1:
A gelling agent is introduced as an intermediary substance that mediates between the alcohol-water mixture and the freezing process. The gelling agent forms a three-dimensional gel structure that traps microscopic portions of the alcoholic solution, enabling solidification at higher temperatures while maintaining product hardness and structure without requiring extreme freezing temperatures
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite material by combining the alcoholic beverage with a gelling agent to form a gel structure. This composite gel-alcohol matrix allows the product to maintain hardness and solid form at temperatures near the freezing point of water, rather than requiring very low temperatures that produce soft or liquid products
2Temperature
If gelling agents are added to achieve solidification, then the product can be frozen at higher temperatures, but the alcohol content is diluted
Solution Approach 1:
The gelling agent forms localized three-dimensional gel structures that trap and concentrate the alcoholic solution within their mesh networks. This local confinement allows the gel matrix to provide structural support for solidification while the trapped alcohol maintains its high concentration and content in the final product
3Ease of operation
If gelatin and sodium metabisulfite are used for solidification, then the product can be stored in household freezers, but the product becomes soft ice rather than hard
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the concentration and type of gelling agent parameters to achieve the desired balance between storage accessibility and product hardness. By carefully controlling the gelling agent concentration and selecting appropriate gel-forming substances, the product achieves sufficient hardness for household freezer storage while maintaining ease of operation and accessibility
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 solution effectively produces a homogenous, hard, and solid ethanol product with a high alcohol content at temperatures near the freezing point of water, overcoming the limitations of previous methods by achieving a stable and reusable product.
Implementation Method 1
selected gelling agents, such as agar and gelatin, to an alcoholic beverage, allowing it to be frozen at temperatures as high as -4°C... using a machine with variable stirring and heating/cooling systems to create a physically cross-linked network that elevates the freezing point
Implementation Method 2
mixing agar with room temperature water, stirring and heating the water solution, increasing the stirring rate as the solution is being heated, to a predetermined temperature
Implementation Method 3
cooling the solution to room temperature... freezing the mixture, preferably at about 24.8 F (−4 C), but freezing can be at a lower temperature
Implementation Method 4
freezing a mixture/solution that contains alcohol at temperatures higher than it would be expected that the mixture would freeze... produces a homogenous, hard, and solid ethanol product with a high alcohol content at temperatures near the freezing point of water
Data Source
AI summary
A process and apparatus for producing a solid, edible ethanol containing product which may be either a rubbery solid or a hard solid that is frozen about 24.8° F. (−4° C.). The product contains agar and gelatin and the ethanol may be provided in the form of selected alcoholic beverages.