Continuous Flow Wine Stabilization Using Mesoporous Titanium Oxide Adsorbent
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for stabilizing wine and other vegetable beverages, such as those using silica microgels, water-insoluble polymers, or immobilized PVP, generate waste and require long treatment times due to static mode operations, and do not effectively address the removal of specific metal ions like Fe2+ and Cu2+ that cause oxidative instability and color changes.
Innovation Solution
A continuous flow device using a tubular container filled with mesoporous nanostructured titanium oxide adsorbent material, supported on inert particles, which allows for the adsorption and removal of thaumatin-like proteins, Fe2+ ions, and Cu2+ ions from beverages, enabling regeneration and reuse of the adsorbent material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If static mode adsorption methods are used (bentonite, gelatin, silica microgels), then adsorption of proteins and metal ions is achieved, but treatment time is long (up to a week) and waste disposal is required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from static adsorption mode to dynamic continuous flow mode. The adsorbent is packed in a column through which wine continuously circulates, enabling real-time stabilization without long waiting periods. The dynamic flow allows constant contact between wine and adsorbent, dramatically reducing treatment time from weeks to hours or minutes.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous flow system maintains constant adsorption activity by continuously passing wine through the adsorbent column. This eliminates the intermittent nature of static methods where adsorption occurs over extended periods followed by removal and disposal. The continuous action ensures sustained stabilization efficiency without interruption or downtime.
2Productivity
If static adsorbent agents are used, then protein and metal ion removal is achieved, but the adsorbent must be removed through decanting and filtration generating waste
Solution Approach 1:
The adsorbent in the column performs self-service by continuously adsorbing proteins and metal ions as wine passes through it. The system is designed so the adsorbent remains in place and automatically processes incoming wine without requiring external intervention for removal or replacement during operation. This eliminates the need for decanting and filtration steps that generate waste.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the adsorbent after single-use static treatment, the invention enables recovery and reuse of the adsorbent material. The column-based system allows the adsorbent to be retained, regenerated if necessary, and reused for multiple batches of wine, eliminating waste generation while maintaining stabilization efficiency.
3Productivity
If generic instability prevention methods are used (immobilized tannic acid), then protein instability is addressed, but specific metal ion removal (Fe2+, Cu2+) and oxidative stability are not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The adsorbent material in the column serves multiple functions simultaneously: it adsorbs proteins causing turbidity, removes metal ions (Fe2+, Cu2+, Mn2+) that catalyze oxidation, and prevents both generic and specific instabilities. This multi-functional capability eliminates the need for separate treatments for different types of instability, providing comprehensive stabilization in a single step.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs composite adsorbent materials that combine properties for simultaneous adsorption of organic molecules (proteins) and inorganic ions (metals). The composite structure enables broad-spectrum stabilization by integrating multiple adsorption mechanisms within a single material system, achieving both turbidity control and oxidative stability prevention.
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 device significantly reduces treatment time, minimizes waste production, and effectively stabilizes beverages by removing causative agents of instability and oxidative phenomena, maintaining oenological quality parameters and reducing oxidative effects.
Implementation Method 1
a device suitable for adsorbing thaumatin-like proteins, Fe 2+ The device according to the invention allows advantageously to remove from the treated wine and from other vegetable beverages not only the agents that cause so-called protein instability or turbidity but also, in a single treatment, the causative agents of so-called oxidative instability
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention concerns a device, preferably a continuous flow device, for the stabilization of wine or other vegetable beverage by the removal, in whole or in part, of the agents responsible for the instability contained therein, such as proteins and metals, as well as a method for the stabilization of wine or other vegetable beverage by means of such device. The device of the invention is characterized in that it comprises a tubular container filled internally at least partly with particles of a support material covered with a layer of a mesoporous nanostructured adsorbent material comprising titanium oxide, adapted to absorb proteins and metals.