Improved compositions of reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitors are obtained by improved methods of alcohol removal from distillates of fermented agave extracts.

Concentration control in filtration systems and associated methods are generally described. Streams originating from upstream filters and having similar concentrations of a target minor component and/or similar osmotic pressures can be mixed and subsequently filtered within additional filters. Certain embodiments comprise recycling an output stream produced by a filter to a filter feed stream, wherein the output stream and the filter feed stream have similar concentrations of a target minor component and/or similar osmotic pressures. Such strategic mixing and/or recycling can reduce the amount of energy and/or the amount of filtration medium surface area required to achieve a desired concentration of the target minor component in a final product stream.

A method for preparing an aromatic beverage is as follows. The method includes subjecting a fermented beverage to a first filtration step including nanofiltration or ultrafiltration to obtain a retentate fraction and a permeate fraction including alcohol and volatile flavour components. Then, the method includes subjecting the permeate fraction including alcohol and volatile flavour components to a second filtration step of reverse osmosis to obtain a base liquid of at least 2% ABV. Combining the base liquid with exogenous aromas thereby obtains the aromatic beverage. Desirable fermented beverages are a beer or a cider.

An alcoholic beverage is aged in a wooden barrel after the barrel is covered by a film having an oxygen transmission rate of at least 50 cc/m.sup.2/day and an ethanol transmission rate of less than 30 g/m.sup.2/day. The beverage acquires one or more specific flavor components in an amount of 50%, 75%, or 100% relative to amounts of one or more of the same flavor components in a control alcoholic beverage aged in a wooden barrel without the film thereon. Covering the barrel with the film reduces the angels' share evaporative loss, while allowing the beverage to develop desirable flavor components during aging. In another embodiment, the process reduces angels' share evaporative loss while achieving organoleptics indistinguishable from a control.

A filtration system for clarifying a cloudy beverage from at least one tank in which dregs have formed, the clarifying occurring through a cross-flow filtration. The filtration system includes: a first filtration module having a first filtration element, the first filtration element including a first channel having a first diameter; and, a second filtration circuit located in parallel to the first filtration circuit, the second filtration circuit including a second filtration module having a second filtration element, the second filtration element including a second channel having a second diameter, the second diameter being larger than the first diameter. A method for filtering a cloudy beverage from at least one tank in which dregs have formed, the method using the just-described filtration system.

Concentration control in filtration systems and associated methods are generally described. Streams originating from upstream filters and having similar concentrations of a target minor component and/or similar osmotic pressures can be mixed and subsequently filtered within additional filters. Certain embodiments comprise recycling an output stream produced by a filter to a filter feed stream, wherein the output stream and the filter feed stream have similar concentrations of a target minor component and/or similar osmotic pressures. Such strategic mixing and/or recycling can reduce the amount of energy and/or the amount of filtration medium surface area required to achieve a desired concentration of the target minor component in a final product stream.

Multi-stage fermentation process for making red/white/ros wines having a unique, unexpected and intense vertical palate (VP) of aroma, flavors and exceptional finish. The inventive VP wines are a blend of 3-4 feed stocks: I. Red: A) a primary and secondary fermented, barrel-aged must-based wine; B) a flashed-must, barrel-fermented, barrel-aged wine; C) a flashed-on-skin primary and secondary fermented, barrel-aged wine; or D) A+C; and II. White: A-1) a low solids, juice-based barrel fermented wine, and/or A-2) a low solids primary and secondary fermented, barrel or tank-aged wine; B) a flashed-juice, concentrated, barrel-fermented, barrel or tank-aged wine; C) a flashed-juice, concentrated, primary and secondary fermented, barrel or tank-aged wine; or D) A-2+C. Quantitative assays show the inventive VPP wines have 2-3 phenolic components as compared to traditional fermentation process wines. The inventive VP Process (VPP) may be applied to non-carbonated, carbonated and fortified wines, and post-processed to produce reduced-alcohol wine products.

In a process, a portion of a liquid mixture flow is vaporized to produce a vapor and a depleted flow of liquid. The vapor is introduced to a brine which is adapted to exothermically absorb one or more components therefrom, and heat is withdrawn, to produce at least a flow of heat and a flow of brine which is enriched in the one or more components. The heat previously withdrawn is transferred, to drive the vaporization. This transfer can be associated with the change of a working fluid from a gaseous into a liquid gate. In this case, the heat withdrawal involves the change of the working fluid from the liquid to the gaseous state. In the liquid state, the working thud flows only by one or more of gravity, convection and wicking. In the gaseous state, the working fluid flows only by one or more of diffusion and convection.

An alcoholic beverage is aged in at least one wooden barrel after the barrel is covered by a film having an oxygen transmission rate of at least 0.5 cc/m.sup.2/day and an ethanol transmission rate of less than 30 g/m.sup.2/day. The beverage acquires one or more specific flavor components in an amount of 50%, 75%, 90%, or 100% relative to amounts of one or more of the same flavor components in a control alcoholic beverage aged in at least one wooden barrel without the film thereon. Covering the barrel with the film reduces the angels' share evaporative loss, while allowing the beverage to develop desirable flavor components during aging. In another embodiment, the process reduces angels' share evaporative loss while achieving organoleptics indistinguishable from a control.

Method for dealcoholization of a volume V1 of a wine having a percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV) of ABV value (1), comprising: a) separating the volume V1 of the wine into two fractions: one fraction concentrated by a factor k/retentate, the volume of this fraction being equal to 1/k V1, this fraction having an ABV value (R); one fraction permeate comprising predominantly water and ethanol, the volume of this fraction being equal to (k1)/k V1, this fraction having an ABV value (P); b) removing ethanol from the permeate, c) optionally, diafiltration of the retentate to obtain a diafiltered retentate and a diafiltered metabolized permeate, said diafiltered metabolized permeate then being optionally subjected to step (b) again; d) combining a volume of retentate, optionally diafiltered retentate, and a volume of metabolized permeate, to obtain a volume V2 of dealcoholized wine, having an ABV value (2) lower than ABV (1).