A unit is disclosed for sterilizing and disinfecting an object, and particularly, a drink or beverage. The unit includes a housing with a set of retractable doors. The unit includes an interior chamber in which an object, including a drink or beverage, can be placed for sterilization and disinfection. The unit includes ultraviolet lights that can be activated when the drink or object is placed within the interior chamber. The ultraviolet lights are configured to emit ultraviolet wavelengths that sterilize and disinfect the surfaces of the drink or object. The unit includes sensors to detect motion in front of the unit and to open and close the set of retractable doors automatically. The unit further includes a drip tray and removable base that houses the electronics of the unit.

Time-reducing and flavor-enhancing techniques for alcoholic spirits may be provided as an alternative to conventional barrel-aging. Numerous controllable variables may be accessible for control at one process control panel or unit for a spirit-aging system. Variations in pressure, day/night cycle time, % O.sub.2, ratio of exposed wood surface to gallons of spirit, variations in spirit liquid temperature, and the amount of rough and ultrasonic mixing variables may be made to decrease the aging time. The aging process may be monitored for the changing spirit characteristics by drawing periodic samples to compare to spirit-quality target goals. Combinations of the variables may be optimized for these goals. Changes also may be made to the variables to address issues arising for quality control. All or most of the vapor naturally emitted by the spirit may be avoided or captured in a container or vessel with no or substantially reduced volume loss.

The invention relates to a method and system for treating a liquid beverage using an electromagnetic field comprising AC and DC components to achieve antioxidizing, promoting fat/lipid burn metabolism, reducing alcohol toxic effect and improving drinking mouth feel and flavor. In particular, the invention relates to methods and systems for applying the DC biased time-varying frequency pulsating electromagnetic wave in a pulsating manner to the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The method and the system of the invention are able to result in various treatment effects for the beverages simultaneously.

This invention relates to compositions and applications for a bioceramic composition that includes from about 45 to about 55% by weight of kaolinite (Al.sub.2Si.sub.2O.sub.5(OH).sub.4); from about 5 to about 15% by weight of tourmaline; from about 3 to about 13% by weight of aluminum oxide (Al.sub.2O.sub.3); from about 11 to about 19% by weight of silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2); and from about 3 wt % to about 13 wt % zirconium oxide (ZrO.sub.2).

An improved system and process for rapidly producing distilled spirits having characteristics associated with a much longer maturation process is provided. The method involves contacting wood with an unmatured distilled spirit under heated conditions and contacting the resulting heat-treated spirit with actinic light. The disclosure provides embodiments where a spirit is sequentially processed through heat and actinic light treatment. The disclosure also provides embodiments where a heat-treated spirit is mixed with a spirit that has been separately treated with light to give characteristics of a mature spirit. Air may also be percolated through a mature spirit in a container with a headspace at a gauge pressure between about 25 inHg and about 30 inHg, until the alcohol concentration of the mature spirit is reduced by between about 1% to about 2% by volume, and until the total volume of the mature spirit is reduced by about 10% or less.

An improved system and process for rapidly producing distilled spirits having characteristics associated with a much longer maturation process is provided. The method involves contacting wood with an amount of unmatured distilled spirit under heated conditions and contacting the resulting heat-treated spirit with actinic light. The disclosure provides embodiments where a spirit is sequentially processed through heat and actinic light treatment. The disclosure also provides embodiments where a heat-treated spirit is mixed with a spirit that has been separately treated with light to give characteristics of a mature spirit. Air may also be percolated through a mature spirit in a container with a headspace at a gauge pressure between about 25 inHg and about 30 inHg, until the alcohol concentration of the mature spirit is reduced by between about 1% to about 2% by volume, and until the total volume of the mature spirit is reduced by about 10% or less.

An apparatus and method for modifying the organoleptic properties of a beverage, such as wine in a bottle, said apparatus having a least one light-source, said light-source applying peak wavelengths at intensities and time durations optimal for modifying said beverage's organoleptic properties with a highly reflective inner surface, a translucent air flow baffle, a translucent liquid barrier, and a controlled oxygen concentration in the bottle headspace.

A method for accelerating an oxidation rate of food comprises the following steps: providing a food; sensing an oxidation state of the food by a sensing unit; generating a sensing signal by the sensing unit; retrieving a digital signal of a spectrum waveform from a database according to the sensing signal; and transmitting a millimeter-wave analog signal to the food according to the digital signal of the spectrum waveform, where the millimeter-wave analog signal comprises first frequency signals and second frequency signals, and the first frequency signals and the second frequency signals are alternately arranged, and the first and second frequency signals comprise sinusoidal waveforms.

Process for the protein stabilization of an oenological liquid, comprising a step of preparation of an oenological liquid (3) containing proteins, a step of application of at least one pulsed electric field to the oenological liquid (3), followed by a step of introducing at least one protease into the oenological liquid (3), a hydrolysis step, in which the protease catalyses the breakage of at least one peptide bond between the amino group and the carboxyl group of the proteins present in the oenological liquid (3), thereby forming compounds (7) containing the amino and/or carboxyl groups; such hydrolysis step transforms the oenological liquid (3) into a stabilised oenological liquid (5).

There is disclosed a system and method for processing wine and/or a containing barrel, while keeping a volume of most of the wine in the barrel. The disclosed system and method can provide reduced mixing of different layers of wine in the barrel. An optional scrubbing mechanism cleans an interior surface of the barrel from encrusted matter, and an optional UV sterilization light source sanitizes an interior surface of the barrel that is alongside a cavity in the barrel empty of wine. In some embodiments a pumping and filtering system preserves non-mixing flow of wine in the barrel while effectively filtering wine optionally without the use of a filter cartridge or other interposing medium.