SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EXTRACTION OF SOLUBLE FLAVORING COMPONENTS FROM A SOLID FLAVOR CARRIER MATERIAL INTO A BREWING LIQUID

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for extraction of soluble flavoring components from a solid flavor carrier material into a brewing liquid. The system comprises a process vessel and a filtration device. The process vessel comprises an inlet for solid flavor carrier material, a circulation inlet for material comprising brewing liquid and a circulation outlet for material comprising brewing liquid. The filtration device is arranged for separation of solid components from material comprising brewing liquid and is a cross-flow filtration device comprising at least one cross-flow filter, a circulation inlet for material comprising brewing liquid, a circulation outlet for unfiltered material comprising brewing liquid and a closable outlet for filtered material comprising brewing liquid. The process vessel and the filtration device are comprised in a recirculation loop. Furthermore, the system comprises a recirculation pump and a closable feed inlet for introduction of material comprising brewing liquid into the recirculation loop.

Claims

1. A system for extraction of soluble flavoring components from a solid flavor carrier material into a brewing liquid, wherein the system comprises: a process vessel arranged to receive solid flavor carrier material and to receive and discharge material comprising brewing liquid, wherein said process vessel comprises an inlet for solid flavor carrier material, a circulation inlet for material comprising brewing liquid and a circulation outlet for material comprising brewing liquid, and a filtration device for separation of solid components from material comprising brewing liquid, wherein said filtration device is a cross-flow filtration device comprising at least one cross-flow filter within the cross-flow filtration device, a circulation inlet for material comprising brewing liquid, a circulation outlet for unfiltered material comprising brewing liquid and a closable outlet for filtered material comprising brewing liquid; wherein the process vessel and the filtration device are comprised in a recirculation loop for circulation of material comprising brewing liquid, wherein the circulation outlet of the process vessel is connected to the circulation inlet of the filtration device in the recirculation loop, wherein the circulation outlet of the filtration device is connected to the circulation inlet of the process vessel in the recirculation loop, wherein the system further comprises a recirculation pump for generating a flow of material comprising brewing liquid in the recirculation loop, wherein the recirculation loop further comprises a closable feed inlet for introduction of material comprising brewing liquid into the recirculation loop, said feed inlet being connected to the circulation inlet of the process vessel, and wherein the recirculation loop optionally further comprises a closable drain outlet.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said cross-flow filtration device is a filtrate-in-to-out filtration device, wherein the filtration device comprises an inner compartment arranged to receive material comprising brewing liquid via the circulation inlet of the filtration device and to discharge unfiltered material comprising brewing liquid via the circulation outlet of the filtration device, wherein the filtration device comprises an outer compartment arranged to receive filtered material comprising brewing liquid and to discharge filtered material comprising brewing liquid via the outlet for filtered material comprising brewing liquid, wherein each cross-flow filter comprised in the filtration device has an inner surface and an outer surface, and wherein the inner surface of each cross-flow filter is arranged in contact with said inner compartment and wherein the outer surface of each cross-flow filter is arranged in contact with said outer compartment.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said at least one cross-flow filter is a cylindrical cross-flow filter, wherein each cylindrical cross-flow filter surrounds a channel being part of said inner compartment.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said at least one cross-flow filter is a wedge wire filter.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the wedge wire filter comprises wedge wires arranged parallel with a flow direction of material comprising brewing liquid through the inner compartment from the circulation inlet to the circulation outlet, which wedge wires comprise planar portions forming said inner surface.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said cross-flow filter comprises filter openings having a size of 200 m.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the circulation inlet of the process vessel is arranged such that a tangential flow of material comprising brewing liquid is introduced into the process vessel when material comprising brewing liquid is pumped in the recirculation loop by means of the recirculation pump.

8. A brewery arrangement comprising a system according to claim 1 and at least one device selected from the group of a whirlpool, a wort cooler and a fermentation tank.

9. A brewery arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the brewery arrangement comprises a whirlpool, wherein the system is positioned upstream said whirlpool.

10. A brewery arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the brewery arrangement comprises a whirlpool and a wort cooler, wherein the system is positioned between the whirlpool and the wort cooler.

11. A brewery arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the brewery arrangement comprises a fermentation tank, wherein the system is positioned downstream the fermentation tank or is positioned in a recirculation loop having an inlet and an outlet connected to the fermentation tank.

12. A method for extraction of soluble flavoring components from a solid flavor carrier material into a brewing liquid, the method comprising: a) providing a system according to claim 1; b) introducing solid flavor carrier material into said process vessel via said inlet for solid flavor carrier material; c) introducing material comprising brewing liquid into the recirculation loop via the feed inlet, with the outlet for filtered material comprising brewing liquid of the filtration device and the optional drain outlet closed, so as to fill up the recirculation loop with material comprising brewing liquid; d) circulating material comprising brewing liquid in the recirculation loop, with the feed inlet, the outlet for filtered material comprising brewing liquid of the filtration device and the optional drain outlet closed, so as to disaggregate the solid flavor carrier material and provide the circulating material comprising brewing liquid with solid components of the solid flavor carrier material, and e) after disaggregation of the solid flavor carrier material, opening the feed inlet and the outlet for filtered material comprising brewing liquid of the filtration device, feeding material comprising brewing liquid into the recirculation loop via the feed inlet, and circulating material comprising brewing liquid in the recirculation loop.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the circulation of step d) is performed at a first flow rate and the circulation of step e) is performed at a second flow rate, wherein the second flow rate is higher than the first flow rate.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the brewing liquid is beer or wort and wherein the solid flavor carrier material comprises a solid hop material, such as hop pellets.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the optional drain outlet is kept closed during steps b)-e) of the method and wherein the method further comprises the step of: f) introducing a second material comprising a second brewing liquid into the recirculation loop via the feed inlet and circulating second material in the recirculation loop, with the outlet for filtered material comprising brewing liquid of the filtration device open and the optional drain outlet of the recirculation loop closed, wherein the second material is different from the material comprising brewing liquid utilized in steps c)-e) of the method.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the recirculation loop of the system provided in step a) of the method comprises the drain outlet, wherein the drain outlet is kept closed during steps b)-f) of the method and wherein the method further comprises the step of: g) opening the drain outlet and draining material comprising brewing liquid from the recirculation loop via the drain outlet with the outlet for filtered material comprising brewing liquid of the filtration device and the feed inlet closed.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the second brewing liquid is brewing water.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0080] In the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

[0081] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of one embodiment of the system for extraction of soluble flavoring components from a solid flavor carrier material into a brewing liquid according to the present disclosure;

[0082] FIG. 2a shows a schematic cross-sectional side view of the filtration device of the system of FIG. 1;

[0083] FIG. 2b shows a schematic cross-sectional top view of the filtration device of FIG. 2a according to line II-II;

[0084] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of another embodiment of the system for extraction of soluble flavoring components from a solid flavor carrier material into a brewing liquid according to the present disclosure, and

[0085] FIGS. 4a-d show schematic views of different embodiments of a brewery arrangement comprising the system of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0086] The system and method according to the present disclosure will be further illustrated by the following description of some embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0087] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of one embodiment of a system 1 for extraction of soluble flavoring components from a solid flavor carrier material into a brewing liquid according to the present disclosure. The extraction system 1 of FIG. 1 will in the following be described for application of extraction of soluble flavoring components from solid flavor carrier material in the form of hop pellets into brewing liquid being beer. However, the extraction system 1 may be applied for extraction of soluble flavoring components from any solid flavor carrier material as defined above into any brewing liquid as defined above.

[0088] The extraction system 1 comprises a process vessel 2 and a filtration device 3, which are comprised in a recirculation loop 4 for circulation of material comprising beer. The process vessel 2 is arranged to receive and at least temporarily accommodate hop pellets and to receive and discharge material comprising beer.

[0089] Thus, the process vessel 2 comprises an inlet 2a for hop pellets, a circulation inlet 2b for material comprising beer and a circulation outlet 2c for material comprising beer. The circulation inlet 2b and the circulation outlet 2c are arranged in relation to each other such that material comprising beer fed from the circulation inlet 2b to the circulation outlet 2c is fed through hop pellets when accommodated in the process vessel 2.

[0090] The filtration device 3 is arranged for separation of solid components from material comprising beer and is arranged to receive material comprising beer, to discharge filtered material comprising beer and to discharge unfiltered material comprising beer.

[0091] The filtration device 3 is a cross-flow filtration device comprising a cross-flow filter 3a (see FIGS. 2a-b) within the cross-flow filtration device. The filtration device 3 comprises further a circulation inlet 3b for material comprising beer, a circulation outlet 3c for unfiltered material comprising beer and a closeable outlet 3d for filtered material comprising beer. Thus, the closeable outlet 3d may be opened and closed. The embodiment of the cross-flow filtration device 3 included in the extraction system 1 of FIG. 1 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2a-b and will be further described below.

[0092] The circulation outlet 2c of the process vessel 2 is connected to the circulation inlet 3b of the filtration device 3 in the recirculation loop 4 via a first circulation conduit 4a of the recirculation loop 4.

[0093] The circulation outlet 3c of the filtration device 3 is connected to the circulation inlet 2b of the process vessel 2 in the recirculation loop 4 via a second circulation conduit 4b of the recirculation loop 4.

[0094] The extraction system 1 comprises further a recirculation pump 5 for generating a flow of material comprising beer in the recirculation loop 4. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the recirculation pump 5 is positioned between the circulation outlet 3c of the filtration device 3 and the circulation inlet 2b of the process vessel 2.

[0095] The recirculation loop 4 comprises further a closeable feed inlet 4c for introduction of material comprising beer into the recirculation loop 4. Thus, the feed inlet 4c may be opened and closed. The feed inlet 4c is connected to the circulation inlet 2b of the process vessel 2. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the feed inlet 4c is connected to the circulation inlet 2b via the second circulation circuit 4b. Thus, the feed inlet 4c is connected to the second circulation circuit 4b and further with the circulation inlet 2b of the process vessel 2 via the second circulation circuit 4b (and the recirculation pump 5). More specifically, the feed inlet 4c is positioned between the circulation outlet 3c of the filtration device 3 and the recirculation pump 5.

[0096] The embodiment of the extraction system 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises further a first storage vessel 6 arranged to, at least temporarily, store material comprising beer to be treated in the extraction system 1, and a feed pump 7 for feeding material comprising beer from the first storage vessel 6 into the recirculation loop 4 via the feed inlet 4c. The first storage vessel 6 and the feed pump 7 are connected to the feed inlet 4c via a feed conduit 8.

[0097] The embodiment of the extraction system 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises further a second storage vessel 9 arranged to, at least temporarily, store filtered material comprising beer discharged by the filtration device 3 via the outlet 3d for filtered material comprising beer. The outlet 3d is connected to the second storage vessel 9 via a discharge conduit 10a. As shown with dashed lines in FIG. 1, the outlet 3d may alternatively be connected to the first storage vessel 6 via a discharge conduit 10b.

[0098] As also shown with dashed lines in FIG. 1, the extraction system 1 may optionally further comprise a CO.sub.2 source 11, a CO.sub.2 supply conduit 11 a connected to the process vessel 2 and a CO.sub.2 discharge conduit 11b connected to the process vessel 2.

[0099] FIGS. 2a-b show the embodiment of the cross-flow filtration device 3 included in the extraction system 1 of FIG. 1 in more detail, i.e. FIG. 2a shows the filtration device 3 in a schematic cross-sectional side view and FIG. 2b shows a schematic cross-section top view according to line II-II in FIG. 2a. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2a-b the cross-flow filtration device 3 is a filtrate-in-to-out filtration device, which comprises an inner compartment 3e arranged to receive material comprising beer via the circulation inlet 3b of the filtration device 3 and to discharge unfiltered material comprising beer via the circulation outlet 3c of the filtration device 3. The filtration device 3 comprises further an outer compartment 3f arranged to receive filtered material comprising beer and to discharge filtered material comprising beer via the outlet 3d for filtered material comprising beer. The cross-flow filter 3a has an inner surface 3g and an outer surface 3h. The inner surface 3g of the cross-flow filter 3a is arranged in contact with the inner compartment 3e and the outer surface 3h is arranged in contact with the outer compartment 3f.

[0100] In the embodiment of FIGS. 2a-b, the cross-flow filter 3a is a cylindrical cross-flow filter, which surrounds a cylindrical channel 3i being part of the inner compartment 3e. The circulation inlet 3b of the filtration device 3 is connected to the cylindrical channel 3i at one end thereof and the circulation outlet 3c of the filtration device 3 is connected to the cylindrical channel 3i at the other end thereof.

[0101] Furthermore, in the embodiment of FIGS. 2a-b, the cross-flow filter 3a is a wedge wire filter, which comprises wedge wires 3j arranged parallel with a flow direction of material comprising beer through the inner compartment 3e from the circulation inlet 3b to the circulation outlet 3c, which wedge wires 3j comprise planar portions 3k forming the inner surface 3g and tip portions 3l forming said outer surface 3h. The wedge wires may be welded onto a support profile (not shown).

[0102] The inner compartment 3e, the outer compartment 3f and the cross-flow filter 3a are arranged such that material comprising beer received in the inner compartment 3e need to pass through the cross-flow filter 3a in order to reach the outer compartment 3f and thus the outlet 3d for filtered material comprising beer.

[0103] The flow direction for the recirculation flow in the recirculation loop 4 is described as being counter-clockwise in FIG. 1. However, the flow direction for the recirculation flow may alternatively be reversed, e.g. during certain process steps.

[0104] During use of the extraction system 1 of FIG. 1, hop pellets are introduced into the process vessel 2 via the inlet 2a. Thereafter it is ensured that the outlet 3d for filtered material comprising beer of the filtration device 3 is closed and material comprising beer is introduced into the recirculation loop 4 (i.e. the second circulation conduit 4b) from the first storage vessel 6 via the feed conduit 8 and feed inlet 4c by means of the feed pump 7. The material comprising beer introduced into the recirculation loop 4 may consist of beer. The introduction of the material comprising beer is performed until the recirculation loop 4 is filled up completely, i.e. such that all parts of the recirculation loop 4 is filled up, also including the process vessel 2.

[0105] Thereafter the feed inlet 4c is closed and the outlet 3d for filtered material comprising beer is kept closed and material comprising beer introduced into the recirculation loop 4 is circulated in the recirculation loop 4. The circulation is performed by means of the recirculation pump 5. The circulation is performed so as to obtain disaggregation of hop pellets in the process vessel 2, provide the circulating material comprising beer with solid components/particles of hop pellets and thus facilitate extraction of soluble flavoring components from the hop pellets. During the circulation, soluble flavoring components of the hop pellets will be extracted into the beer and insoluble solid components of the hop pellets will also be included in the material comprising beer.

[0106] The aim of the disaggregation may be to obtain a certain size of the disaggregated solid parts of the hop pellets and the disaggregation may be monitored in any suitable way.

[0107] After finished disaggregation of the hop pellets, the feed inlet 4c and the outlet 3d for filtered material comprising beer of the filtration device 3 are opened, material comprising beer is feed into the recirculation loop 4 from the first storage vessel 6 via the feed conduit 8 and feed inlet 4c by means of the feed pump 7 and material comprising beer is circulated in the recirculation loop 4. The circulation of material comprising beer in the recirculation loop 4 is performed by means of the recirculation pump 5.

[0108] Accordingly, after finished disaggregation of the hop pellets, untreated material comprising beer is fed into the recirculation loop 4 and further to the circulation inlet 2b of the process vessel 2 since the feed inlet 4c is connected to the circulation inlet 2b of the process vessel 2 via the second circulation conduit 4b. In addition, material comprising beer discharged from the filtration device 3, i.e. unfiltered material comprising beer, is fed to the circulation inlet 2b of the process vessel 2 together with material comprising beer introduced into the recirculation loop via the feed inlet 4c. Thus, the material comprising beer introduced into the process vessel 2 comprises then both material comprising beer introduced into the recirculation loop 4 via the feed inlet 4c and unfiltered material comprising beer discharged from the filtration device 3.

[0109] Furthermore, during circulation of material comprising beer in the recirculation loop, soluble flavoring components of the disaggregated hop pellets will be extracted into the beer and insoluble solid components of the hop pellets will also be included in the material comprising beer.

[0110] In addition, during circulation of material comprising beer in the recirculation loop, material comprising beer introduced into the cross-flow filtration device 3 is introduced into the inner compartment 3e and the channel 3i via the circulation inlet 3b and guided along the inner surface 3g of the cross-flow filter 3a. Then a part of the material comprising beer is filtered through the cross-flow filter 3a towards the outer compartment 3f and discharged through the outlet 3d for filtered material comprising beer. Thereby the filtered material comprising beer discharged via the outlet 3d for filtered material comprising beer contains no, or an essentially reduced concentration of, solid components of the hop pellets since solid components are retained by the cross-flow filter 3a. The remaining part of the material comprising beer guided along the cross-flow filter 3a, but not penetrated through the cross-flow filter 3a, will then comprise a greater concentration of solid components and is discharged from the filtration device 3 via the circulation outlet 3c of the filtration device 3. Material comprising beer discharged from the filtration device 3 via the outlet 3d for filtered material comprising beer is fed to the second storage vessel 9 via the discharge conduit 10a. Alternatively, discharged material comprising beer may be fed to the first storage vessel 6 via the discharge conduit 10b.

[0111] The circulation for disaggregation of hop pellets may performed at a first flow rate and the circulation during the filtration may performed at a second flow rate, wherein the second flow rate is higher than the first flow rate. The increase of the flow rate such that it is higher during the filtration than during the extraction may be performed in order to avoid clogging of the cross-flow filter 3a by solid components/particles of the hop pellets, i.e. in order to obtain a certain velocity of the flow of material comprising beer on the inner surface 3g of the cross-flow filter 3a such that clogging thereof is avoided. Clogging of the cross-flow filter 3a may also be avoided/reduced by regulating the recirculation flow in the recirculation loop 4 and the flow of material comprising beer introduced into the recirculation loop via the feed inlet 4c.

[0112] Optionally, the recirculation loop 4 may be made oxygen free by means of CO.sub.2 purging before introduction of material comprising beer into the recirculation loop 4. Then CO.sub.2 is introduced into the recirculation loop 4 from the CO.sub.2 source 11 via the CO.sub.2 supply conduit 11a. This is performed after introduction of hop pellets into the process vessel but before introduction of material comprising beer into the recirculation loop 4. When material comprising beer thereafter is introduced into the recirculation loop 4 so as to fill up the recirculation loop with material comprising beer, the CO.sub.2 present in the recirculation loop 4 will be vented out during the filling via the CO.sub.2 discharge conduit 11b.

[0113] The flow direction for the recirculation flow in the recirculation loop 4 is described as being counter-clockwise in FIG. 1. However, the flow direction for the recirculation flow may alternatively be reversed, e.g. during certain process steps.

[0114] The material comprising beer introduced into the recirculation loop 4 may be constituted by beer. Then a slurry comprising beer and disaggregated solid components of hop pellets is formed during the circulation in the recirculation loop. Also, during the circulation in the recirculation loop soluble flavouring components are extracted into the beer of the slurry. Solid components of the hop pellets comprised in the slurry may then be retained in the circulating material in the filtration device 3 during the filtration, whereby the material discharged via the outlet 3d of the filtration device 3 may be beer comprising dissolved flavoring components.

[0115] FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the extraction system 1 according to the present disclosure. The extraction system 1 of FIG. 3 corresponds to the extraction system 1 of FIG. 1, but with the differences that the extraction system 1 of FIG. 3 further comprises a closable drain outlet 12 comprised in the recirculation loop 4 and a third storage vessel 13 arranged to store a second material comprising a second brewing liquid and that the circulation inlet 2b of the process vessel 2 is arranged differently.

[0116] The closable drain outlet 12 is positioned between the circulation outlet 3c of the filtration device 3 and the circulation inlet 2b of the process vessel 2. The drain outlet 12 is arranged for drainage of material from the recirculation loop 4. The third storage vessel 13 is connected to the feed inlet 4c via the feed conduit 8.

[0117] In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the circulation inlet 2b of the process vessel 2 is arranged such that a tangential flow of material comprising beer is introduced into the process vessel 2 when material comprising beer is pumped in the recirculation loop 4 by means of the recirculation pump 5.

[0118] When the system 1 of FIG. 3 is utilized, it is utilized in the same way as described above for the system 1 of FIG. 1 until the circulation of material comprising beer during filtration is finished. However, the drain outlet 12 is kept closed until the circulation of material comprising beer during filtration is finished. Thereafter a second material comprising a second brewing liquid may be introduced into the recirculation loop 4 via the feed inlet 4c instead of the previously utilized material comprising beer, still with the drain outlet 12 closed and the outlet 3d for filtered material of the filtration device 3 open.

[0119] The previously utilized material comprising beer is then replaced with another, second, material. For example, the second brewing liquid may be a suitable cleaning liquid for recovery of beer still contained in the recirculation loop 4 and/or for cleaning and recovery of the hop pellets comprised in the recirculation loop 4. The second brewing liquid may be brewing water, such as deaerated water.

[0120] By introducing and circulating the second brewing liquid material in the recirculation loop in accordance with the above, recovery of beer (together with the second brewing liquid) may be obtained in a first substep through the outlet 3d of the filtration device 3. The first substep may be succeeded by a second substep for recovery of hop pellets remaining in the recirculation loop 4 after the first substep. The second substep then includes opening the drain outlet 12 and draining material still comprised in the recirculation loop 4 after the first substep, whereby the outlet 3d for filtered material and the feed inlet 4c are closed. A slurry of material remaining in the recirculation loop, e.g. a slurry of second material, hop particles and possibly material comprising beer, is then drained via the drain outlet 12 during the second substep.

[0121] FIGS. 4a-d show schematic views of different embodiments of a brewery arrangement 14 comprising the extraction system 1 of FIG. 1. In FIGS. 4a-d the extraction system 1 is only shown highly schematically. The brewery arrangement 14 of FIG. 4a comprises a whirlpool 15, wherein the extraction system 1 is positioned upstream the whirlpool 15. The brewery arrangement of FIG. 4b comprises a whirlpool 15 and a wort cooler 16, wherein the extraction system 1 is positioned between the whirlpool 15 and the wort cooler 16. The brewery arrangement 14 of FIG. 4c comprises a fermentation tank 17, wherein the extraction system 1 is positioned downstream the fermentation tank 17. The brewery arrangement 14 of FIG. 4d comprises a fermentation tank 17 and a recirculation loop 18 having an inlet 18a and an outlet 18b connected to the fermentation tank 18. The extraction system 1 is positioned in the recirculation loop 18 in this brewery arrangement 14. The brewery arrangements 14 of FIGS. 4a-d may further comprise any other devices of a brewery arrangement.

[0122] While the invention has been described in connection with various exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, on the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements within the appended claims. Furthermore, it should be recognized that any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefor, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims.