Non-alcoholic fermented beer having improved flavour

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12378507-B2
Application number	US-202117195044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2021
Priority date	Sep 10, 2018
Publication date	Aug 5, 2025
Grant date	Aug 5, 2025

Abstract

The invention provides a process of producing a non-alcoholic beer comprising the steps of:
fermenting the wort with live yeast to produce a fermented wort; subjecting the fermented wort to one or more further process steps to produce a non-alcoholic beer; and introducing the non-alcoholic beer in a sealed container;

wherein either the fermentation produces a non-alcoholic fermented wort or wherein the fermentation produces an alcoholic fermented wort and alcohol is subsequently removed to produce a non-alcoholic fermented wort or a non-alcoholic beer; and

wherein the heated wort, the non-alcoholic fermented wort and/or the non-alcoholic beer is contacted with a hydrophobic silicate-based molecular sieve.

Flavour substances contributing to undesirable flavour notes in non-alcoholic beer can be removed effectively during production by contacting wort before or after fermentation with a hydrophobic silicate-based molecular sieve, provided the wort contains virtually no alcohol.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A non-alcoholic fermented beer having an alcohol content of less than 1.0% ABV, and comprising methional, 2-methyl butanal, 3-methyl butanal, 2-methyl propanal, phenyl acetaldehyde and furfural and maltotriose in concentrations that meet the following conditions:

X
=

(

[
Meth
]

9

+

(

[

2
⁢
MB

]

5

+

(

[

3
⁢
MB

]

1
⁢
4

+

(

[

2
⁢
MP

]

8

+

(

[
PA
]

9

+

(

[
FF
]

1
⁢
0
⁢
0

⁢

X

[
Maltotriose
]

≤
0.4

wherein
[Meth] represents the methional concentration in μg/L;
[2 MB] represents the 2-methyl butanal concentration in μg/L;
[3 MB] represents the 3-methyl butanal concentration in μg/L;
[2MP] represents the 2-methyl propanal concentration in μg/L;
[PA] represents the phenyl acetaldehyde concentration in μg/L;
[FF] represents the furfural concentration in μg/L;
[Maltotriose] represents the maltotriose concentration in g/L.

2. The non-alcoholic beer according to claim 1 , wherein the beer contains methional, 2-methyl butanal, 3-methyl butanal, 2-methyl propanal, phenyl acetaldehyde and furfural in concentrations that meet the following condition:

(

[
Meth
]

9

+

(

[

2
⁢
MB

]

5

+

(

[

3
⁢
MB

]

1
⁢
4

+

(

[

2
⁢
MP

]

8

+

(

[
PA
]

9

+

(

[
FF
]

1
⁢
0
⁢
0

≤

6.
.

3. The non-alcoholic beer according to claim 1 , comprising at least 6 g/L maltotriose.

4. The non-alcoholic beer according to claim 3 , comprising at least 8 g/L maltotriose.

5. The non-alcoholic beer according to claim 1 , comprising methional in a concentration of less than 20 μg/L and/or 2-methyl butanal in a concentration of less than 8 μg/L and/or 3-methyl butanal in a concentration of less than 25 μg/L and/or 2-methyl propanal in a concentration of less than 15 μg/L and/or phenyl acetaldehyde in a concentration of less than 20 μg/L.

6. The non-alcoholic beer according to claim 1 , comprising methional and methionine in a weight ratio of less than 0.8 (μg/mg).

7. The non-alcoholic beer according to claim 1 , comprising less than 100 μg/L furfural.

8. The non-alcoholic beer according to claim 1 , comprising at least 1.0 mg/L iso-alpha acids selected from the group consisting of isohumulone, isoadhumulone, isocohumulone and combinations thereof.

9. The non-alcoholic beer according to claim 1 , wherein the beer is a lager.

10. A non-alcoholic fermented beer having an alcohol content of less than 1.0% ABV, and comprising methional, 2-methyl butanal, 3-methyl butanal, 2-methyl propanal, phenyl acetaldehyde and furfural and maltotriose in concentrations that meet the following conditions:

X
=

(

[
Meth

Assignees

• Heineken Supply Chain Bv

Inventors

• Gernat Deborah Casandra
• Brouwer Eric Richard
• Ottens Marcel

Classifications

• C12C12/006

  Yeasts (processes for seeding C12C11/02) · CPC title

• C12C11/003

  Fermentation of beerwort · CPC title

• C12H3/04

  using semi-permeable membranes · CPC title

• C12H3/00

  Methods for reducing the alcohol content of fermented solutions or alcoholic beverage to obtain low alcohol or non-alcoholic beverages · CPC title

• C12C12/04 Primary

  Beer with low alcohol content (methods for reducing the alcohol content after fermentation C12H3/00) · CPC title