Aroma recovery method and systems from fermentation vats

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11236295-B2
Application number	US-201716475334-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2017
Priority date	Dec 29, 2016
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

The present invention consist of an aroma recovery system in an installation with a plurality of fermentation vats for preparing beverages such as white wine, red wine, beers and juices to apply a method of recovering aroma from said fermentation vats; said system comprises at least one connection system, and at least one aroma recovery equipment, wherein said connection system comprises control means such a logic controller (PLC). It is also provided a multiple connection system for connecting said plurality of fermentation vats and said aroma recovery equipment by automatic valves and a method of recovering aroma from fermentation vats of a beverage such as, for example, white wine, red wine, beer and juices.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of recovering aroma from fermentation vats, wherein the method comprises the following steps:
a) connecting, by means of a multiple connection system, a gas outlet of each of a plurality of fermentation vats to at least one aroma recovery equipment;
b) measuring the density of the fermentation must in each fermentation vat;
c) choosing a density range of the fermenting must according to said an aromatic characterization of aroma condensates;
d) selecting a set of vats of the plurality of fermentation vats having a fermenting must density within said density range of the fermenting must;
e) feeding, by means of the multiple connection system, the at least one aroma recovery equipment with a gas produced in said set of selected vats,
f) storing an aroma condensate recovered by the at least one aroma recovery equipment in at least one vessel;
g) labeling said at least one vessel according to said aromatic characterization.

2. The method of recovering aroma according to claim 1 , wherein aromatic characterization is obtained following the steps of:
1) connecting an aroma recovery equipment to fermentation vats with a fermenting must;
2) connecting an aroma storage vessel to said aroma recovery equipment;
3) measuring the density of the fermenting must in said fermentation vat over a certain period of time;
4) extracting the gas produced by the fermenting must in said fermentation vat with said aroma recovery equipment;
5) storing in said aroma storage vessel an aroma condensate recovered from the extracted gas by said aroma recovery equipment while the density of the fermenting must is within the chosen density range said aroma storage vessel being labeled with said density range of the fermenting must;
6) repeating steps 3) to 5) until the density of the fermenting must reaches a next density range of the fermenting must, withdrawing the aroma storage vessel connected to said aroma recovery apparatus and connecting a next aroma storage vessel to said aroma recovery apparatus;
7) storing in said next aroma storage vessel an aroma condensate recovered from the extracted gas by said aroma recovery equipment while the density of the fermenting must remains in said next density range of the fermenting must, said next aroma storage vessel being labeled with said next density range of the fermenting must;
8) repeating steps 3) to 7) until fermentation of said fermenting must is terminated in said fermentation vat, obtaining a plurality of aroma storage vessels labeled with density ranges of the fermenting must and filled with aroma condensates recovered from the fermenting must at the labelled density ranges;
9) performing an aromatic profile for each labelled aroma storage vessel, corresponding to the aroma characterization.

3. The method of recovering aroma according to claim 2 , wherein the step of performing an aromatic profile for each labelled aroma storage vessel include:
i. identifying aromatic fractions in the labelled aroma storage vessel; and
ii. giving a score for each aromatic fraction according to an intensity of each aromatic fraction for each labelled aromatic storage vessel, generating the aromatic profile of the aroma condensates in the labelled aroma storage vessels;
iii. grouping the recovered aroma condensates according to the similarity of their aromatic profiles, into different labeled aroma storage vessels indicating the different density ranges of the fermentation must corresponding to the grouped, aroma condensates to generate an aromatic characterization according to new preferred density ranges.

4. The method of recovering aroma according to claim 3 , wherein said step of performing an aromatic profile is made by an expert panel using a quantitative descriptive analysis sensory method.

5. The method of recovering aroma according to claim 3 , wherein the step of performing an aromatic profile for each labelled aroma storage vessel further comprises the step of performing a chemical characterization of the aromatic profile by gas chromatography analysis for each labelled aromatic storage vessel.

6. The method of recovering aroma according to claim 3 , wherein the step of grouping the recovered aromas according to the similarity of their aromatic profiles uses statistical methods selected from Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and/or Hierarchical Ascendant Classification (Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering—HAC) to generate said aromatic characterization of the aromatic condensates according to density range of the fermentation musts.

7. A method for producing aroma enriched beverages in fermentation vats, comprising the following steps:
a) generating an aromatic characterization of aroma condensates according to density ranges of densities of fermenting must within a plurality of fermentation vats;
b) connecting, by means of a multiple connection system, a gas outlet of each of the plurality of fermentation vats to at least one aroma recovery equipment;
c) measuring the density of the fermenting must in each fermentation vat;
d) choosing a density range of the fermenting must according to said aromatic characterization of aroma condensates;
e) selecting a set of vats of said plurality of fermentation vats having a fermenting must density within said density range of the fermenting musts;
f) feeding, by means of the multiple connection system, each aroma recovery equipment with a gas produced in said set of selected vats;
g) storing the aroma recovered by the at least one aroma recovery equipment in at least one vessel; and

h) returning said recovered aroma to said plurality of fermentation vats enriching the aroma of a beverage to be prepared.

Assignees

• Univ Pontificia Catolica Chile
• Sa Vina Santa Rita

Inventors

• Agosín Trumper Eduardo Esteban
• Pérez Correa José Ricardo
• Delgado Gómez Marianna Celeste
• Capitaine Chloé
• Lezaeta Valenzuela Álvaro Javier
• Alemparte Benavente Eduardo Andrés
• Benavente Pereira José Miguel
• Heiremans Bunster Jorge Alberto

Classifications

• A23L27/24

  prepared by fermentation · CPC title

• C12F3/06 Primary

  from beer and wine (C12F3/02 takes precedence; removal of yeast C12G1/08) · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• C12F3/04 Primary

  Recovery of volatile fermentation products from carbon dioxide · CPC title

• C12G3/06

  with flavouring ingredients · CPC title