Inert Atmosphere Sampling Device for Wine Oxidation Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Alcoholic beverages, such as wine, are sensitive to oxygen, leading to rapid oxidation and deterioration when exposed to air during sampling, resulting in compromised organoleptic qualities and increased costs due to short shelf life after opening, making it difficult for consumers and sellers to sample and purchase wines effectively.
Innovation Solution
An automated method and device that performs all sampling operations under an inert atmosphere, from uncorking to sealing, using a sealed enclosure with inert gas management to prevent oxygen contact, allowing for decanting from larger containers into smaller, hermetically sealed containers without exposing the liquid to ambient air.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wine is exposed to air during sampling, then sampling operation can be performed, but oxidation occurs and organoleptic qualities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a sampling device that creates and maintains an inert atmosphere (nitrogen or carbon dioxide) within the sampling chamber and containers. This inert environment prevents oxygen contact with the wine throughout the entire sampling process, from uncorking to sealing, thereby eliminating oxidation while enabling complete sampling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the harmful oxygen component from the sampling environment by replacing it with inert gas. The system separates the sampling process from ambient air exposure, creating a dedicated inert zone that isolates the wine from oxidizing conditions while maintaining all necessary sampling functions.
2Measurement precision
If bottle is opened for tasting, then wine quality can be assessed, but shelf life decreases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By maintaining an inert atmosphere throughout the sampling process, the patent preserves the wine's organoleptic qualities without oxidation, enabling accurate quality assessment in small samples while preventing the rapid deterioration that normally occurs after bottle opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates accurate copies of the original wine's sensory characteristics through inert atmosphere sampling. The sampled wine in hermetically sealed containers replicates the quality of the sealed bottle, allowing consumers to assess wine quality without compromising the main bottle's shelf life.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If sulfites are added to prevent oxidation, then wine quality is preserved, but natural wine characteristics are altered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical preservation (sulfites) with physical preservation (inert atmosphere). By flooding the sampling chamber and containers with nitrogen or carbon dioxide, the system prevents oxidation through displacement of oxygen rather than chemical intervention, maintaining the wine's natural composition.
Solution Approach 2:
The inert gas acts as an intermediary substance that mediates between the wine and oxygen. Instead of using sulfites to chemically react with and neutralize oxygen, the patent introduces inert gas as a physical barrier that prevents oxygen-wine contact, preserving the wine's natural state.
4Device complexity
If manual sampling is performed, then equipment complexity is low, but productivity and consistency are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sampling operations (uncorking, pouring, sealing) into a single integrated automated device that maintains inert atmosphere throughout. This consolidation enables high-throughput sampling while ensuring consistent quality control through automated inert gas management and sealing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated sampling device performs operations autonomously, including automatic uncorking, controlled pouring, and hermetic sealing, reducing manual intervention. The system self-regulates the inert atmosphere and sampling parameters, enabling consistent high-speed operation without sacrificing quality control.
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
Preserves the organoleptic qualities of the wine by eliminating oxygen contact during the sampling process, reducing the need for sulfite addition and enabling cost-effective, high-throughput sampling without altering the wine's state, allowing for precise control of oxygen levels and maintaining the wine's quality.
Implementation Method 1
alcoholic beverages, especially wine, are sensitive to contact with air, for example an alcoholic beverage, notably wine... wine, like other liquids or alcoholic beverages, is sensitive to contact with air, especially the oxygen content in air... Once the bottle is uncorked and the wine placed in contact with the oxygen in the air, the wine oxidizes quite quickly
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device and a method for decanting a beverage initially contained in one or more closed bottles into smaller containers. The device comprises an enclosure under an inert atmosphere, provided with an inlet port comprising receiving means, into which inlet port the neck of the bottles is fitted, and an outlet port through which the hermetically sealed containers are evacuated. The device contains an opening station for opening the bottles fitted into the receiving means, a collection vessel that collects the liquid flowing out of the bottles, a filling station for filling the containers from the collection vessel, and a sealing station for hermetically sealing the containers. In the method, the steps of opening and emptying the bottles, and of filling and hermetically sealing the containers, are all carried out under an inert atmosphere.