阅读说明：本技术 香气物质提取 (Extraction of aroma substances ) 是由 S·辛格 M·雅各布 于 2019-07-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种香气物质提取单元,包括：-水化罐,其容纳植物或其部分与液体的混合物,所述罐被配置为容纳正气流压力,-剪切单元,其被配置为用于剪切植物或其部分,-水力空化单元,以及-至少一个循环单元,其中水化罐、剪切单元、空化单元为流体连通,并且至少一个循环单元被配置为用于如下将混合物循环：从罐到剪切单元中,进一步到空化单元中,并且从空化单元返回到罐和/或剪切单元中。(The present invention relates to a fragrance extraction unit comprising: -a hydration tank containing a mixture of plants or parts thereof and a liquid, the tank being configured to contain a positive air flow pressure, -a shearing unit configured for shearing plants or parts thereof, -a hydrodynamic cavitation unit, and-at least one circulation unit, wherein the hydration tank, the shearing unit, the cavitation unit are in fluid communication, and the at least one circulation unit is configured for circulating the mixture as follows: from the tank to the shear unit, further to the cavitation unit, and from the cavitation unit back to the tank and/or shear unit.)

1. An aroma extraction unit (1) comprising:

-a hydration tank (2) containing a mixture of plants or parts thereof and a liquid, the tank being configured to contain a positive air flow pressure,

a shearing unit (3) configured for shearing the plant or part thereof,

-a hydrodynamic cavitation unit (4), and

-at least one circulation unit (5a, 5b),

wherein the hydration tank, the shear unit, the cavitation unit are in fluid communication, and the at least one circulation unit is configured for circulating the mixture as follows: from the tank to the shear unit, further to the cavitation unit, and from the cavitation unit back to the tank and/or shear unit.

2. The unit of claim 1, further comprising a hopper unit adapted to discharge plants into the pneumatic hydration tank.

3. The unit of any of the preceding claims, wherein the circulation unit further comprises a flow direction controller (5c), the flow direction controller (5c) having a first position forming a closed loop for circulation between the tank, the shearing unit and the cavitation unit; and a second position, wherein at least a portion of the mixture is removed after the cavitation unit at the stream outlet (10).

4. The unit of any preceding claim, wherein the shearing unit and/or the cavitation unit is configured to operate at a temperature below 25 ℃, for example from 1 to 15 ℃ or from 2 to 10 ℃, and preferably at about 4 ℃.

5. The unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the shearing unit is configured to shear at least 50 vol% of the plant or part thereof to a characteristic particle size of 1 to 100 μ ι η, more preferably 8 to 100 μ ι η.

6. The unit according to claim 5, wherein the shearing unit is configured for shearing at least 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95 or 99 vol% of the plant or part thereof to a characteristic particle size of 1 to 100 μm, more preferably 8 to 100 μm.

7. The unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the gas is selected from CO₂、N₂And combinations thereof.

8. The unit of any preceding claim, wherein the positive gas stream pressure is above 0.1 bar, for example 0.1 to 1.5 bar.

9. A unit according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the plant is hops, optionally hops in the form of dried particles of hops.

10. The unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid comprises 0.5 to 12 vol% ethanol, more preferably 3 to 10 vol% ethanol, such as about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 vol% ethanol.

11. A system for producing a beverage product, comprising:

-a beverage feed (7, 13),

-an aroma substance extraction unit according to any one of claims 3 to 10,

-at least one pumping unit (9),

wherein the beverage feeding and extraction units are in fluid communication and the at least one pumping unit is configured as a delivery device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the beverage feed is in continuous fluid communication with the extraction unit, preferably 5 to 40 vol%, more preferably 5 to 30 or 8 to 20 vol% of the beverage feed is in continuous fluid communication with the extraction unit.

13. A method of producing an aroma extract, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a container containing a mixture of plants or parts thereof and a liquid and a positive air flow pressure,

b) shearing the plants in the liquid, thereby forming a plant pulp,

c) the plant pulp passes through the hydrodynamic cavitation unit, thereby extracting the plant aroma substances,

d) optionally repeating steps (b) and/or (c) a plurality of times, thereby producing a plant aroma extract.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the liquid is draught beer or further processed draught beer.

15. A method according to any one of claims 13 to 14, wherein the pulp is passed through the cavitation unit two or more times, such as three or four times.

16. The process according to any one of claims 13 to 15, which is carried out at a temperature below 25 ℃, for example from 1 to 15 ℃ or from 2 to 10 ℃, and preferably at about 4 ℃.

17. A method of producing a beverage product, comprising the steps of:

a) the provision of a feed of a beverage,

b) dividing the beverage feed into a first volume portion and a second volume portion,

c) mixing the first volume portion with a plant or portion thereof in a container under positive airflow pressure to form a mixture,

d) subjecting the mixture to at least one cycle of shear and cavitation, thereby forming an aroma extract,

e) discharging at least a portion of the aroma extract and mixing it with the second volume portion to produce the beverage product.

18. Method according to claim 17, wherein the first volume fraction is equal to or lower than 50%, more preferably equal to or lower than 45%, 40%, 35%, 33%, 30%, 25% or 20% of the beverage feed.

19. The method of any one of claims 17 to 18, wherein step (d) is repeated for two cycles, more preferably three or four cycles.

20. The method of any one of claims 17 to 19, further comprising the step of separating the beverage feed.

21. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the process is continuous such that the first volume fraction in step (b) is substantially equal to the expelled aroma extraction volume of step (e).

22. A hop extract or beer product comprising myrcene equal to or higher than 25 μ g/L, linalool equal to or higher than 190 μ g/L and B-citronellol equal to or lower than 42 μm/L.

23. The hop extract according to claim 22, comprising equal to or higher than 50 μ g/L of myrcene, such as equal to or higher than 100 μ g/L or 150 μ g/L of myrcene, and equal to or higher than 200 μ g/L of linalool, such as equal to or higher than 205, 210 or 215 μ gL/L of linalool, and equal to or lower than 15B-citronellol, such as equal to or lower than 14, 13 or 12 μ g/L of B-citronellol.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an aroma extraction unit, a system for producing a product comprising the aroma extract, a method for producing an aroma extract, a method for producing a beverage product comprising the aroma extract.

In particular, the present invention relates to a hop aroma extraction unit, a system for producing a beer product and a method of producing a hop aroma extract and a method of producing a beer product as well as a hop extract and a beer product.

Background

Active compounds for commercial products such as pharmaceuticals, perfumes, foods and beverage consumables can be extracted from plant materials. For example, extracts of hops may constitute the primary aroma or flavor in beer products. The substances extracted from hops may include both bitter (e.g., tannins) and more intense (e.g., humulene (humulene), myrcene, and linalool (linalol)) aroma substances.

The efficiency and selectivity of the extraction process will depend on the extraction parameters. Thus, certain extraction parameters may promote higher selectivity for certain compounds (e.g., aroma compounds). Furthermore, the extraction parameters may facilitate a higher extraction efficiency or utilization, i.e. a higher amount of substances originally present in the plant material is extracted.

The traditional production of beer involves boiling a mixture of wort and hops. Thus, during the boiling process, mainly bitter-tasting hop compounds are extracted into the wort. After boiling, the boiled wort is transferred to a fermenter and fermented by adding yeast, which is then removed before the beer is stored in a cellaring or maturation tank for further use, e.g. filtration and/or bottling or barrelling. In order to obtain a good hop aroma in beer, hop oil may be added later in the process, e.g. during fermentation or cellaring. Instead of using hop oils, hop aromas can also be obtained by a process called "dry dosing". Typically, the dry dosing process involves adding hops to the wort in the fermentor at the beginning of or during wort fermentation in the form of pressed hop pellets. Hop pellets are usually composed of dried, ground and compressed hops or parts thereof (usually hop leaves and cones). Since the aroma is extracted directly into the fermented wort, the temperature at the time of extraction is limited to the fermentation temperature, which is generally chosen to optimize the conditions of the yeast. These conditions make it difficult to control the amount and proportion of extracted substances.

US 2,830,904[1]A method for producing a separate hop extract which can be added to beer in a lager jar is disclosed. CO at temperatures of about or below 95F (35℃) and at neutral pressure or under pressure, exposed to ultrasonic cavitation₂To water or wort to prevent oxidation during sonication.

Disclosure of Invention

There is a need for improved aroma extraction, as improvements in aroma extraction efficiency and/or aroma extraction selectivity will provide for more flexible and cost-effective manufacture of aroma-containing products as well as products with extended shelf life.

For example, if the aroma extraction efficiency is increased, a higher amount of extracted aroma can be obtained for a given amount of plant material. Accordingly, if the selectivity of aroma extraction is increased, a higher amount of selected or desired aroma components will be extracted for a given amount of plant material. Thus, an increase in extraction efficiency and/or selectivity implicitly implies higher raw material utilization, lower material waste, and thus more cost-effective production. Also, since the aroma is prone to breakdown during storage, an increased amount of aroma or selection of aroma in a given product will extend the shelf life of the product.

In addition, improved aroma extraction can facilitate increased production flexibility, including production scale-up. For example, if aroma extraction efficiency and/or selectivity is increased, similar extractions comparable to batch extraction methods can be obtained when using continuous extraction methods. Continuous extraction processes are generally faster, simpler, and easier to scale up to larger volumes than batch processes.

The embodiments of the present disclosure described below may be extended to any aroma extraction. Examples of aroma extraction include hops extraction for beer production, and aroma extraction from other plants or parts thereof (e.g., plant leaves, buds, stems, roots, and fruits such as orange peel, green tea, and ginger), for alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic beverages and drinks. The hop extract used for beer production may further include any beer product, including lager, malt beer, lager (porter), and alcohol-free beer.

In the following, embodiments are illustrated based on hop extraction. In particular for hop extraction, there is a need for improved control of the hop extraction process, as well as improved extraction efficiency and selectivity. In particular, improvement in extraction efficiency is required. Further improvements in the extraction process can provide greater flexibility in beer production and provide a more cost-effective production process due to the inherent higher material utilization and lower material waste and longer shelf life of the beer product.

The present invention provides a hop extraction unit and related methods that provide surprisingly effective hop extraction, surprisingly selective extraction of good tasting aroma, and a more reliable and safe extraction process, as well as a less complex, simpler and more flexible beer production process. A particular advantage of the present invention is efficient hop extraction which improves the utilization of the raw material.

The hop extract obtainable from the extraction unit and the related method may have a composition and consistency such that it is easy to add and mix into a fluid such as a beer product. It is further advantageous to provide a hop extract having a chemical composition with a high affinity for mixing with a fluid, which means that the intermolecular forces between the extract and the fluid may be strong, thereby promoting a homogeneous and stable mixture, wherein there is an intimate contact between the extract and the fluid.

It is further advantageous that the provided hop extract has a composition or concentration such that the required volume is small, and that the provided hop extract further advantageously has a consistency or viscosity such that it is easy to add in a controllable and/or small amount.

Advantageously, the hop extract and extraction unit is used in a system and a method for producing a beer product. Further advantageously, the hop extract may be added at any time during the beer production process, e.g. at a later stage of the production process, e.g. immediately before filtration and barrelling, thereby providing a more flexible and cost-effective beer production.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a hop aroma extraction unit comprising:

a hydration tank containing a mixture of hops or parts thereof and a liquid, the tank being configured to contain a positive air flow pressure,

a shearing unit configured for shearing hops,

-a hydrodynamic cavitation unit, and

at least one circulation unit is arranged in the circulating unit,

wherein the hydration tank, the shear unit, the cavitation unit are in fluid communication, and the at least one circulation unit is configured to circulate the mixture.

The present invention also provides a system for producing a beer product, comprising:

a fermentation vessel configured for containing a fermenting wort,

-an optional separation unit configured to remove a portion of the solids of the fermented wort, thereby converting the fermented wort to draught beer,

a hop aroma extraction unit according to the invention,

-at least one pumping unit for pumping the fluid,

wherein the fermentation vessel, the separation unit and the extraction unit are in fluid communication and the at least one pumping unit is configured as a delivery device.

In a preferred embodiment, the fermentation vessel, the separation unit and the extraction unit are in continuous fluid communication. Most preferably, the fermentation vessel, the separation unit and the extraction unit are in partially continuous fluid communication.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a hop aroma extract, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a container containing a mixture of hops or parts thereof and a liquid and a positive air flow pressure,

b) shearing the hops in the liquid, thereby forming a hop slurry,

c) the hop pulp passes through the hydrodynamic cavitation unit, thereby extracting the hop aroma substances,

d) optionally repeating steps (b) and/or (c) a plurality of times, thereby producing the hop aroma extract.

In a preferred embodiment, the method is configured to be performed in a hop aroma extraction unit according to the invention.

The present invention also provides a method of producing a beer product, comprising the steps of:

a) the hop aroma extract is prepared by the method for producing hop aroma extract according to the present invention,

b) adding the hop aroma extract prepared in step (a) to fermented wort or draught beer.

In a preferred embodiment, the method for producing a beer product is configured to be carried out in any system for producing a beer product according to the present invention.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to an aroma extraction unit comprising:

-a hydration tank containing a mixture of plants or parts thereof and a liquid, the tank being configured to contain a positive air flow pressure,

a cutting unit configured for cutting a plant or a part thereof,

-a hydrodynamic cavitation unit, and

at least one circulation unit is arranged in the circulating unit,

wherein the hydration tank, the shear unit, the cavitation unit are in fluid communication, and the at least one circulation unit is configured for circulating the mixture as follows: from the tank to the shear unit, further to the cavitation unit, and from the cavitation unit back to the tank and/or shear unit.

The present invention also provides a system for producing a beverage product, comprising:

-a beverage feed in the form of a beverage,

-an aroma extraction unit according to the preceding aspect,

-at least one pumping unit for pumping the fluid,

wherein the container and the extraction unit are in fluid communication and the at least one pumping unit is configured as a delivery device.

In a preferred embodiment, the container and the extraction unit are in continuous fluid communication. Most preferably, the fermentation vessel and the extraction unit are in partially continuous fluid communication.

The present invention also provides a method for producing an aroma extract, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a container containing a mixture of plants or parts thereof and a liquid and a positive air flow pressure,

b) shearing the plants in the liquid, thereby forming a plant pulp,

c) the plant pulp passes through the hydrodynamic cavitation unit, thereby extracting the plant aroma substances,

d) optionally repeating steps (b) and/or (c) a plurality of times, thereby producing a plant aroma extract.

In a preferred embodiment, the method is configured to be carried out in an aroma extraction unit according to the preceding aspect.

The present invention also provides a method of producing a beverage product comprising the steps of:

a) the aroma extract is prepared according to the aforementioned aspect,

b) adding the aroma extract prepared in step (a) to a beverage feed.

The present invention also provides a method of producing a beverage product comprising the steps of:

a) the provision of a feed of a beverage,

b) dividing the beverage feed into a first volume portion (fraction) and a second volume portion,

c) mixing the first volume portion with the plant or portion thereof in the container under positive airflow pressure, thereby forming a mixture,

d) subjecting the mixture to at least one cycle of shear and cavitation, thereby forming an aroma extract,

e) discharging at least a portion of the aroma extract and mixing it with the second volume portion to produce the beverage product.

In a preferred embodiment, the process is continuous such that the first volume fraction in step (b) is substantially equal to the expelled aroma extraction volume of step (e).

In a preferred embodiment, the method for producing a beverage product is configured to be carried out in any system for producing a beverage product according to the present invention.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a hops extract or beer product comprising equal to or higher than 25 μ g/L myrcene, equal to or higher than 190 μ g/L linalool, and equal to or lower than 42 μm/L B-citronellol (citronellol).

In a preferred embodiment, the hop extract or beer product comprises myrcene in an amount equal to or higher than 50, 100 or 150. mu.g/L and linalool in an amount equal to or higher than 200, 205, 210 or 215. mu.g/L and B-citronellol in an amount equal to or lower than 15, 14, 13 or 12. mu.g/L.

Drawings

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of aOne embodiment of a hop aroma extraction unit according to the present disclosure is shown.

FIG. 2One embodiment of a system for producing beer in accordance with the present disclosure is shown.

FIG. 3One embodiment (upper) of an aroma extraction system according to the present disclosure and one embodiment implemented within a system for producing beer is shown, including a plurality of hopper units.

FIG. 4One embodiment of a particle size distribution obtained upon exposure to a shearing unit in accordance with the present disclosure is shown.

Detailed description of the invention

The invention will be described below with the aid of the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the same features or components of the device are identified by the same reference numerals in the different figures. A list of reference numerals may be found at the end of the detailed description section.

In the following, embodiments are mainly exemplified based on hop extraction. However, the skilled person will appreciate that the following may be extended to any aroma extraction.

Definition of

The term "about" when used herein with respect to numerical values preferably means ± 10%, more preferably ± 5%, still more preferably ± 1%.

The term "plant" refers to a plant or part thereof, which may have been further treated, e.g., dried, roasted, withered (withering), oxidized, cured and/or fermented. Examples of plant parts include plant leaves, buds, stems, roots and fruits or grains. Examples of plants and parts thereof are hops, dried malt, oranges, dried orange peel, green tea and ginger.

The term "hop" refers to a plant of the species hops (Humulus lupulus). The term "hops" can refer to the entire hop plant or parts thereof. Thus, the "hops" can be hops plants, hop leaves, hop cones, or other parts of hops plants. Generally, "hops" as used herein refers to the leaves and cones of the hop plant.

The term "hop pellets" or "dry hop pellets" refers to dried hop material that has been ground to a uniform powder and extruded through a pellet die. The grinding may preferably be done by hammer milling. The dried hops material includes, or may even consist essentially of, hops leaves and/or cones. The hop pellets retain all of their natural hop oil and can be used as a substitute for whole hops. The hop pellets are advantageous for transportation and shelf storage.

The term "draught beer" refers to fermented wort which comprises up to 12 vol.% alcohol and wherein at least 70% of the solids from the fermented wort have been removed. The solids from the fermented wort mainly comprise yeast, but may also comprise other solids, such as hop pellets. Thus, draught beer typically contains up to 30% of the yeast contained in freshly fermented wort.

The term "wort" refers to a liquid extract of malt and/or cereal kernels (e.g. ground malt and/or ground cereal kernels and optionally additional adjuncts). Wort is usually obtained by mashing (mashing) and optionally spent grain (sparging). Mashing is a controlled incubation of ground malt and/or ground cereal kernels and optionally other adjuvants in water. Saccharification is preferably carried out at a specific temperature(s) and a specific volume of water. Saccharification may optionally be followed by "spent grain" which is the process of extracting residual sugars and other compounds from spent grain after saccharification with hot water. The spent grain is typically washed in a lauter tub, mash filter or other device to separate the extracted water from the spent grain. The wort obtained after mashing is usually referred to as "first wort", whereas the wort obtained after spent wash is usually referred to as "second wort". If not indicated, the term wort may be the first wort, the second wort or a combination of both.

Extraction unit

Fig. 1 shows one embodiment of a hop aroma extraction unit 1 according to the present disclosure. It can be seen that the unit comprises a hydration tank 2, a shear unit 3 and a hydrodynamic cavitation unit 4 connected in fluid communication, and at least one circulation unit 5 configured for driving a circulating medium between the tank, shear unit and cavitation unit.

Pot for storing food

The unit comprises a hydration tank 2, where the plants, plant parts, hops or hop pellets to be extracted are introduced together with a liquid for hydrating the plants/hops, thereby forming a mixture of solid and liquid.

The term "hydration tank" refers to a tank, container or chamber suitable for wetting solids with a liquid. Thus, the hydration tank may also be referred to as a "wetting tank" or "mixing vessel". The liquid advantageously comprises water, so that the solid is at least partially hydrated during wetting.

The canister is configured to contain a positive airflow pressure. The term "gas flow pressure" means that the gas flow through the tank is adapted to maintain a positive gas pressure within the tank. For example, positive CO, e.g. about 0.5 bar, may be initially applied to the tank₂Gas pressure, then additional CO is provided through the tank₂Flow to maintain pressure within the tank while a constant amount of gas flows into and out of the tank. This configuration may ensure that the amount and type of gas entering can be controlled.

Fluid communication between the tank, the shear unit and the cavitation unit is advantageously facilitated by one or more ports or openings in the tank. As shown in fig. 1, the tank advantageously comprises at least one port 2a configured to enable the mixture to circulate into and out of the tank via the port. For example, the mixture from the hydration tank may be discharged from the tank through a port, and optionally the mixture from the cavitation unit may be introduced into the tank through a port. However, to improve the simplicity of the mixture flow pattern, the tank advantageously comprises a second port 2b configured to receive the mixture from the cavitation unit, as shown in fig. 1.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the tank comprises at least one port 2a configured to enable the mixture to circulate into and out of the tank via the port. In another embodiment, the tank includes a second port 2b configured to receive the mixture from the cavitation unit.

In order to facilitate a simple and easy supply of the plants/hops and liquid to the tank, the hydration tank advantageously comprises an opening configured for supplying the plants/hops or parts thereof to the tank. Preferably, the hops are supplied in the form of dry hop pellets. Further advantageously, the tank comprises a third port 2c configured for supplying liquid to the tank, as shown in fig. 1.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the canister comprises an opening configured for supplying the plant/hop or part thereof to the canister. In another embodiment, the hops are in the form of dry hop pellets.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the tank comprises a third port 2c configured for supplying liquid to the tank.

Once the hops and liquid are supplied to the tank, the tank can be closed to ensure a positive air flow pressure.

The tank may be equipped with a mixing unit, which may facilitate the mixing of the hops and the liquid. This may promote hydration of the hops, e.g. the hop pellets.

Preferably, the plants, hops or parts thereof are supplied to the mixing vessel 2 through one or more hopper units 12. The upper part of fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the aroma extraction unit according to the present disclosure, wherein the plants/hops are supplied via three hopper units 12 a-c.

A hopper unit is a container or chamber or reservoir, typically funnel-shaped or conical, so that it is suitable for discharging solid bulk material contained in the container under e.g. gravity. Examples of solid bulk materials are hops or parts thereof, plants, plant parts, fibers, particles, sand, stones and other types of loose bulk materials.

Advantageously, one or more of the hopper units are adapted to discharge solid bulk material into a pneumatic system (e.g. a pneumatic mixing container 2).

As mentioned above, the mixing vessel or hydration tank is advantageously pneumatic or pressurised, for example by positive CO₂Pressurizing by air pressure to reduce the hop mixture and beerRisk of oxidation of flower aroma. Further advantageously, the mixing container is not opened manually when supplying the plant/hop. Manually opening a container containing CO₂Can face personnel and environmental health and safety risks due to the high concentration of CO₂Is harmful to human body. Furthermore, as those skilled in the art will appreciate from the analogous situation that occurs when mixing mantus and cola, supplying solid particles (e.g., plant/hop) into a liquid (e.g., carbonated liquid) containing dissolved gas may result in CO that is explosive at atmospheric pressure₂And (4) releasing. Explosive CO₂Release also poses personnel and environmental health and safety risks.

Discharge of the hopper into the pneumatic system may be achieved by using vacuum and/or pressure valves. For example, bulk solids may be discharged or conveyed from the hopper unit by using a vacuum, for example, bulk material of hopper unit 12a in fig. 3 may be discharged by being drawn out of the hopper unit by using a vacuum, and may also be conveyed into hopper unit 12b by a vacuum. Alternatively or additionally, the bulk solids may be discharged from the second hopper unit by a pressure valve at a first pressure and discharged to a third hopper unit at a second pressure. For example, bulk material of hopper unit 12b in fig. 3 may be discharged into hopper unit 12c through a pressure valve, wherein the second hopper unit contains atmospheric pressure or vacuum, and the third hopper unit is pneumatic or pressurized. The second hopper unit may also be referred to as a "sluice hopper unit" and the third hopper unit may be referred to as a "feeding hopper unit". Thus, the hopper unit is adapted to feed or discharge solid bulk material into the pneumatic system by using vacuum and/or valves.

The transfer from the hopper unit or units 12c and into the mixing container 2 may be obtained by gravity within the pressurized system. To further facilitate the transfer from the one or more hopper units 12c and into the mixing vessel 2 within the pressurized system, thereby increasing productivity, the unit may further include one or more bulk material transport devices for transport, such as screw conveyors.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the aroma extraction unit comprises one or more hopper units. In another embodiment, one or more hopper units are adapted to discharge into a pneumatic system (e.g., a pneumatic hydration tank). In another embodiment, one or more hopper units comprise a vacuum conveying device and/or one or more pressure valves.

In a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the extraction unit comprises three hopper units, wherein at least one hopper unit comprises a vacuum conveying device and at least one hopper unit comprises a pressure valve.

In another and further embodiment, the extraction unit comprises one or more bulk material transport devices, such as screw conveyors.

Another advantage of the hopper unit being configured to discharge into the pneumatic system is that harmful oxygen uptake into the pressurized system is significantly reduced and/or eliminated. Thus, the degree of oxidation of the hop mixture and hop aroma within the extraction unit is reduced.

Example 3 describes an example of operating an extraction unit with and without a hopper unit. The unit without a hopper unit corresponds to the extraction unit illustrated in fig. 1, and the unit with a hopper unit corresponds to the extraction unit illustrated in fig. 3. After measuring the oxygen uptake in the hydration tank, a significant reduction was observed for the setup comprising the hopper unit.

Circulation unit

By means of the circulation unit, the mixture of plants/hops and liquid is conveyed, sequentially or continuously, as follows: from the tank to the shear unit, from the shear unit to the cavitation unit, and from the cavitation unit back to the tank and/or shear unit, as indicated by the arrows in fig. 1, from where the cycle through the combined shear unit and cavitation unit can be repeated any number of times. Thus, one cycle period is defined as the cycle through the combined shear and cavitation units. Thus, the cavitation unit is placed downstream of the shear unit, and the shear unit is placed downstream of the tank and upstream of the cavitation unit. Thus, after one cycle period, the plant/hop and liquid mixture may be referred to as "partially cavitated" and after a further cycle period, the mixture may be referred to as "further cavitated".

After a cycle period, all or part of the mixture may be removed at stream outlet 10, as shown in fig. 1. Thus, a partially cavitated or further cavitated mixture may be removed/discharged at the stream outlet. To reduce the number of components and the complexity of the unit, the stream outlet is a component of a stream direction controller (flow direction controller)5c, the stream direction controller 5c having a first position forming a closed loop for circulation; and a second location, wherein at least a portion of the mixture is removed at the stream outlet.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the circulation unit further comprises a flow direction controller 5c, the flow direction controller 5c having a first position forming a closed loop for circulation; and a second position, wherein at least a portion of the mixture is removed at stream outlet 10. In another embodiment, the circulation unit further comprises a flow direction controller 5c, the flow direction controller 5c having a first position forming a closed loop for circulation between the tank, the shearing unit and the cavitation unit; and a second position, wherein at least a portion of the mixture is removed after the cavitation unit at the stream outlet 10.

Thus, when the flow direction controller is in the first position, a closed loop of circulation is formed between the tank, the shear unit, the cavitation unit, and back into the tank. Optionally, after the first circulation, the mixture may be circulated back into the shear unit instead of the tank, such that a second closed circulation loop is formed between the shear unit, the cavitation unit, and back into the shear unit. In both cases, the cycles may be configured to be sequential or continuous.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one circulation unit is configured for circulating the mixture as follows: from the tank to the shear unit, further to the cavitation unit, and from the cavitation unit back to the tank and/or shear unit.

In order to circulate efficiently and avoid clogging in the unit, the circulation unit advantageously comprises two or more circulation units. Further advantageously, the first circulation unit 5a is configured for circulating the mixture from the tank into the shearing unit, e.g. by being placed between the tank and the shearing unit, as shown in fig. 1, and the second circulation unit 5b is configured for circulating the mixture from the cavitation unit back into the tank and/or the shearing unit, e.g. by being placed after the cavitation unit, as shown in fig. 1. Optionally, the circulation unit is selected from a pump and a booster pump, wherein the booster pump is adapted to increase the pressure of the medium being pumped. To increase the efficiency of the cycle, the first circulation unit is advantageously a pump and the second circulation unit is a booster pump.

In one embodiment of the disclosure, the unit comprises a first and a second circulation unit, wherein the first circulation unit 5a is configured for circulating the mixture from the tank into the shearing unit and further into the cavitation unit, and wherein the second circulation unit 5b is configured for circulating the mixture from the cavitation unit back into the tank and/or the shearing unit. In another embodiment, the first circulation unit is a pump and the second circulation unit is a booster pump.

To improve and control the efficiency of the cycle, the unit advantageously comprises one or more flow meters. For example, the unit may comprise a flow meter placed between the first and second circulation units, e.g. between the cavitator 4 and the cavitation tank 6. In one embodiment of the disclosure, the unit includes one or more flow meters.

Shearing unit and cavitation unit

During extraction, the aroma is extracted from the plant/hop or parts thereof and into the surrounding liquid phase. Thus, the term "plant/hop aroma extract" refers to a mixture of plants/hops or parts thereof with a liquid, wherein the substances from the solid plants/hops are extracted into the liquid phase. It was found that exposing moistened or hydrated plant/hop or parts thereof to a combined shearing unit and cavitation unit results in an unexpectedly efficient extraction of plant/hop aroma, as well as an unexpectedly selective extraction of more palatable aroma or substances.

Example 1 describes an example of a hop aroma extract produced according to the present disclosure, wherein a surprisingly effective and selective extraction is obtained.

Hop aroma that can be extracted from hops and into the surrounding liquid include, but are not limited to: isobutyl isobutyrate, myrcene, isoamyl isobutyrate, limonene, linalool, citronellol acetate, a-humulene, a-terpineol, geraniol acetate, B-citronellol, geraniol (geraniol). Examples of more flavorful aroma substances include the following: myrcene and linalool. Examples of relatively less flavorful aroma substances include B-citronellol.

The term "shear element" refers to an element that exposes a medium to shear forces (i.e., forces that act coplanar with the cross-section of the medium). A medium (e.g., a suspension comprising solids dispersed in a liquid) can be exposed to shear forces by passing the suspension through a rotor-stator system. The rotor-stator system consists of a series of parallel disks that are spaced apart and placed in line with each other, and where every other disk is rotating and every other disk is static. The suspension is forced through the rotor-stator system in a direction perpendicular to the discs and through the alternately rotating and stationary discs, whereby the suspension is subjected to shear forces. The shearing unit thus subjects the suspension to a shearing force which is effective at a substantially constant pressure. An example of a shearing unit as a rotor-stator system is the YTRON-Z homogenizer. An example of a rotor-stator system is shown in fig. 5, where the rotor-stator system is characterized as a circular disk having a predetermined diameter and having teeth extending radially from the plate and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance (corresponding to a slot). Fig. 5A and 5C are exemplary rotors, and fig. 5B and 5D are exemplary stators. It was found that a particularly advantageous shearing of hops/plants is obtained with a rotor-stator having a diameter of about 100 to 160mm, more preferably about 120 to 140mm, most preferably about 130 mm. It was found that further advantageous shearing was obtained with rotors having teeth spaced apart by 5 to 50mm, more preferably 7 to 30mm, for example 8mm or 20 mm. It was found that a further advantageous shearing was obtained with a stator having teeth spaced apart by 2 to 40mm, more preferably 4 to 30mm, for example 5mm or 20 mm. It was found that particularly advantageous shearing is obtained with a rotor having teeth spaced 5 to 50mm apart in combination with a stator having teeth spaced 2 to 40mm apart, for example a rotor having teeth spaced 8mm apart in combination with a stator having teeth spaced 5mm apart, or a rotor having teeth spaced 20mm apart in combination with a stator having teeth spaced 20mm apart.

As shown in fig. 1, the mixture of hops and liquid is passed through the shearing unit one or more times. In the shearing unit, the mixture is homogenized and the shearing unit may further cause grinding of the plant/hop particles, thereby reducing the particle size of the plant/hop or parts thereof. As mentioned above, the shearing unit subjects the suspension to mechanically generated shearing forces and inherently subjects the suspension to a substantially constant pressure. The mechanically generated shear forces may provide an effective particle size reduction due to the mechanical movement. This is in contrast to cavitation units, which do not operate by mechanical motion and substantially constant pressure, and are therefore not effective particle size reducers, as further described below.

The reduced plant/hop particle size and improved homogenization or dispersion of the particles results in increased surface area contact between the solid particles and the surrounding liquid. The increased contact surface area may facilitate an improved extraction process of aroma in the subsequent cavitation unit. For plant/hop mixtures exposed to the shearing unit, the particle size is finer and the dispersion of the particles is more uniform and the viscosity is high, and the suspension may be referred to as "plant/hop slurry", having physical properties similar to mud or cement.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the shearing unit is a rotor-stator system for obtaining shear forces in the mixture. In another embodiment, the diameter of the rotor-stator system is about 100 to 160mm, more preferably about 120 to 140mm, most preferably about 130 mm. In another embodiment, the rotor comprises teeth spaced apart by 5 to 50mm, more preferably 7 to 30mm, for example 8mm or 20 mm. In another embodiment, the stator comprises teeth spaced 2 to 40mm apart, more preferably 4 to 30mm apart, for example 5mm or 20mm apart.

It has surprisingly been found that plant/hop pulp, wherein the particles of the plant/hop or parts thereof have a certain size, provides improved extraction efficiency and selectivity of aroma, as well as improved processability. The term "processability" refers to the ability to handle particles (e.g., separate and/or filter particles, e.g., separate solids from a liquid phase or filter a range of particles). Thus, poorly processable particle sizes tend to agglomerate, clog filters/separators, while well processable particle sizes tend to separate and/or filter without the risk of clogging filters or separation units.

In order to improve aroma extraction efficiency, selectivity and processability, it has surprisingly been found that a Particle Size Distribution (PSD) wherein the majority of particles is between 1 and 100 μm, or preferably between 8 and 100 μm, is advantageous.

An example of such a particle size distribution of the plant/hop pulp obtained after the shearing unit is shown in fig. 4. It can be seen that the PSD is a trimodal particle size distribution, with a first peak near the characteristic particle size of 0.1 to 0.2 μm, a second peak near the characteristic particle size of 1 to 10 μm, and a third peak near the characteristic particle size of about 20 to 100 μm. In particular, it can be seen that less than 40 vol% of the particles have a particle size of less than 0.2 μm.

It was observed that the higher the particle fraction between 1 and 100 μm, the higher the aroma extraction efficiency, selectivity and processability.

The particle size distribution obtained will be determined by the operating parameters of the shearing unit, including parameters such as pump speed, pump frequency, pump size and rotor stator design.

The particle size of a spherical particle is unambiguously defined by its diameter or radius. However, in most cases, the particles are not spherical in shape, and the particles may be different in size and have a distribution of different sizes. Thus, when applying the general techniques known to those skilled in the art for assessing particle size, particle size is typically quantified in terms of a representative particle diameter or radius, such as an average particle diameter. Further, the size of the non-spherical particles can be quantified as the diameter of an equivalent sphere (e.g., a sphere having the same volume as the non-spherical particles, a sphere having the same surface area as the non-spherical particles, a sphere having the same settling rate as the non-spherical particles, a sphere having a diameter corresponding to the length of the major axis (maximum length) of the non-spherical particles, or a sphere having a diameter corresponding to the length of the minor axis (or minimum length) of the non-spherical particles). Although this is not a correct quantification method from a geometric point of view, it can still be used to provide a quantitative description of the feature size. In most cases, there is a particle size distribution, as shown in fig. 4.

In fig. 4, the particle size refers to a "characteristic particle size" which is a particle size of an equivalent spherical particle evaluated by laser diffraction. The characteristic particle size and associated particle size distribution were evaluated using laser diffraction, in which liquid-dispersed particles were passed through a focused laser beam to cause the particles to scatter light. The scattering angle is proportional to the particle size, and a plot of scattering intensity versus angle can then be obtained and used to calculate particle size and distribution. The calculation of the particle size distribution may be based on Mie theory (Mie theory), which is based on the hypothetical spherical particles. Mie theory involves comparing the obtained scatter plot with a scatter plot derived from theory (assuming spherical particles).

The characteristic particle size of the present disclosure was evaluated using laser diffraction and mie theory. Specifically, the characteristic particle size was evaluated using a Malvern MasterSizer 2000 (available from Malvern Panalytical GmbH, Kassel, Germany).

Before and after each measurement, a cleaning step with distilled water and a background measurement were performed. The sample (plant or hop pulp) is loaded into the measurement cell to obtain an acceptable load (or shading) value to allow the measurement to begin. Preferably, the shading value is about 12%, for example 12.34%. The measurements were performed using the following settings: optical properties of the material to be tested: the refractive index of the particles is 1.59 and the absorption index is 0.

Optical properties of the liquid or dispersant: the refractive index was 1.33.

The measurement time was 12 seconds.

Each sample was measured once with 12000 captures, corresponding to 1000 captures/sec.

In one embodiment of the invention, the shearing unit is configured for shearing at least 50 vol% of the plant or part thereof to a characteristic particle size of 1 to 100 μm, more preferably 8 to 100 μm. In another embodiment, the shearing unit is configured for shearing at least 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95 or 99 vol% of the plant or part thereof to a characteristic particle size of 1 to 100 μm, more preferably 8 to 100 μm.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the shearing unit is configured for shearing the plant/hops into a trimodal Particle Size Distribution (PSD). In another embodiment, the first peak has a characteristic particle size of 0.1 to 0.5 μm, more preferably 0.1 to 0.2 μm, the second peak has a characteristic particle size of 1 to 10 μm, more preferably 2 to 5 μm, and the third peak has a characteristic particle size of 10 to 100 μm, more preferably 20 to 50 μm.

The term "hydrodynamic cavitation unit" refers to a unit that exposes a liquid or suspension to hydrodynamic cavitation forces. Cavitation forces are created by subjecting a liquid or suspension to rapid changes in pressure that result in the formation of cavities or voids in the relatively low pressure liquid and implosion of the voids when subjected to higher pressures. The void implosion may generate intense shock waves. Cavitation forces may be generated by non-inertial cavitation or inertial cavitation. Non-inertial cavitation is based on voids or bubbles that oscillate in size or shape due to energy input (e.g., ultrasound). In contrast, for inertial cavitation, the gap is mechanically created, for example, by passing a liquid through a narrow passage at a particular flow rate, or by mechanically rotating an object in the liquid. Inertial cavitation may also be referred to as hydrodynamic cavitation. An example of a hydrodynamic cavitation unit is the ShockWave Xtractor from Hydro Dynamics, inc^TM。

The shock waves generated by cavitation forces are inherently different from the shear forces generated by the shear elements. The cavitation unit inherently subjects the suspension to high pressure variations or fluctuations, while the shear unit subjects the suspension to mechanically generated shear forces and inherently subjects the suspension to a substantially constant pressure. The pressure variation is more than ten times, such as twenty times, thirty times, forty times, fifty times, sixty times, seventy times or eighty times, and preferably more than ninety times, or one hundred times, and most preferably more than two hundred times, such as three hundred times. It is further preferred that the pressure change or fluctuation occurs within a short time period or at short time intervals, such as within less than 10 minutes, such as within 5 minutes or 2 minutes, and preferably within less than 60 seconds, such as within 30, 10 seconds, and most preferably within less than 1 second, such as within less than 100 microseconds, 10 microseconds, 1 microsecond, 100 nanoseconds, 10 nanoseconds or less than 1 nanosecond.

The cavitation unit is not an effective particle size reducer because its operation is based on pressure fluctuations rather than mechanical motion. This is because particles exposed to a pressure wave (e.g., in the form of a shock wave) will react differently than when exposed to shear forces between two parallel plates (e.g., a rotor and a stator). For example, particles exposed to pressure waves may be more susceptible to volume reduction due to compression and elastic deformation of solid particles, while particles exposed to shear forces may be more susceptible to volume reduction by tearing or splitting into two or more particle parts.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the shearing unit is configured to operate at a substantially constant pressure and the cavitation unit is configured to operate at a pressure variation of greater than ten times, preferably greater than fifty times and most preferably greater than one hundred times. In another embodiment, the pressure change occurs at a time interval of less than 10 minutes, more preferably less than 10 seconds or 1 second, such as 100 nanoseconds, 10 nanoseconds or less than 1 nanosecond.

As shown in fig. 1, the mixture of hops and liquid is passed through a combined shearing unit and hydrodynamic cavitation unit one or more times. It can be seen that subjecting the mixture to cavitation forces facilitates extraction of the hop aroma. As exemplified in example 1, surprisingly effective extraction and selectivity can be obtained by exposing the mixture to hydrodynamic cavitation forces, especially when the hop particles are well dispersed and the particle size is reduced by the shearing unit.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cavitation unit is configured for generating shock waves and pressure variations in the mixture.

It is further advantageous that the extraction unit or parts thereof are operated at low temperatures, for example at temperatures below 25 ℃. Surprisingly effective and selective extraction was observed when the shear unit and/or cavitation unit were operated at low temperatures, e.g. at 4 ℃ as described in example 1.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the shearing unit and/or cavitation unit is configured to operate at a temperature below 25 ℃, for example at 1 to 15 ℃ or at 2 to 10 ℃, and preferably at a temperature of about 4 ℃.

Gas (es)

In order to avoid the risk of oxidation of the hop mixture and hop aroma, the extraction unit is advantageously sealed from the surroundings during operation to prevent air ingress. It is further advantageous that the cell contains an inert or non-oxidizing gas, which may be introduced or filled into the cell before and optionally during use. Examples of gases that are inert or non-oxidizing to the hop mixture include: CO 2₂、N₂And combinations thereof.

For example, the hydration tank may be filled with an inert or non-oxidizing gas prior to use and further configured to contain a positive airflow pressure during use. Thus, during use, only inert or non-oxidizing gases will be present in the cell. In order to further reduce the risk of air ingress and accidental oxidation of the mixture, the gas is filled into the tank in order to obtain a positive pressure or gas overpressure. Advantageously, the overpressure is higher than 0.1 bar, for example 0.1 to 1.5 bar, for example 0.2 to 1.5 bar, for example about 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 1.5 bar.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the gas is selected from CO₂、N₂And combinations thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the gas is CO₂. In another embodiment, the positive gas stream pressure is above 0.1 bar, such as from 0.1 to 1.5 bar, such as from 0.2 to 1.5 bar, such as about 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 1.5 bar.

The higher the gas flow pressure, the more complex the unit and the more energy is consumed. It has been found that the risk of air entering the hop mixture can be further reduced even at low airflow pressures when the airflow is above and through the hop mixture, i.e. through the top of the tank. Thus, the gas stream purges the tank, and the gas stream forms a gas layer above and over the entire surface of the hop mixture in the same manner as a gas cushion or curtain.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the gas is a purge gas. In another embodiment, the gas is configured to flow at the top of the tank.

To further reduce the risk of air entering the extraction unit and the mixture being oxidized, the unit may comprise a cavitation tank 6 as shown in fig. 1. The term "cavitation tank" refers to a tank, container, or chamber configured to hold the mixture after the mixture is discharged from the cavitation unit. Advantageously, the cavitation tank may be filled with an inert or non-oxidizing gas prior to use, and further configured to contain a positive airflow pressure during use in the same manner as the hydration tank.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the unit further comprises a cavitation tank 6 configured to contain the mixture after the cavitation unit. Cavitation tanks are also known as surge tanks. In another embodiment, the cavitation tank is configured to contain a positive airflow pressure. In another embodiment, the gas is selected from CO₂、N₂And combinations thereof, and/or wherein the positive gas stream pressure is above 0.1 bar, such as 0.1 to 1.5 bar, such as 0.2 to 1.5 bar, such as about 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 1.5 bar, and/or wherein the gas is a purge gas, and/or is configured to flow at the top of the cavitation tank.

The size of the buffer tank determines the capacity of the extraction unit. In order to optimize the hop extraction for beer product production, the size is advantageously between 20 and 70 hL. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cavitation tank has a capacity of 20 to 70hL, more preferably 30 to 50hL, e.g. 40 hL.

Liquid, method for producing the same and use thereof

The aroma extraction efficiency and selectivity will depend on the liquid used for extraction. However, when the extracted aroma is intended for use in a beverage product, the liquid is advantageously a precursor to the beverage product or beverage product, as this will increase system efficiency.

For example, as shown in fig. 2 and 3, liquid may be taken from beer feed line 13. The beer feed may be wort obtained before the separation unit 8 (e.g. as shown in dashed lines in fig. 3), or draught beer obtained after the separation unit 8, such as centrifuged draught beer (e.g. as shown in dashed lines in fig. 3 or in fig. 2). Thus, the liquid may be an unsugged, centrifuged, unfiltered or filtered beer.

Hop extraction efficiency and selectivity will depend on the liquid used for extraction. Surprisingly, a high efficiency extraction and selectivity of the more tasty hop aroma is obtained with a liquid comprising 0.5 to 12 vol% ethanol, such as 3 to 10 vol% ethanol, such as draught beer comprising 0.5 to 12 vol% ethanol, such as 3 to 10 vol% ethanol, such as 4 to 8 vol% ethanol, such as about 6 vol% ethanol. In one embodiment, the liquid is draught beer as described in example 1.

The use of draught beer as a liquid also has the advantage of a low yeast content. Thus, in draught beer, typically at least 70%, such as at least 80%, such as at least 90% of the solids present in the freshly fermented wort are removed. Thus, the draught beer comprises at most 30% of the yeast cells comprised in the freshly fermented wort, such as at most 20%, such as at most 10%. This means that a limited number of yeast cells are exposed to the cavitation unit. Exposure of yeast cells to cavitation forces may result in disruption of the yeast cells and release of cellular yeast components that are detrimental to taste. This may be particularly the case if the liquid contains high levels of yeast cells. Therefore, a low concentration of yeast in the extract is preferred.

Furthermore, it was observed that hop aroma extracts produced based on such liquids have a high affinity for mixing with a fluid comprising alcohol.

In order to reduce the amount of raw material used in the extraction process, the liquid may advantageously be recycled draught beer. The term "recycled draught beer" refers to draught beer exposed to more than one separation step wherein at least 70% of the solids are removed. Thus, recycled draught beer may also be referred to as further processed draught beer.

In one embodiment of the disclosure, the liquid comprises 0.5 to 12 vol% alcohol, more preferably 3 to 10 vol%, e.g. about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 vol%. In another embodiment, the liquid is draught beer or recycled draught beer.

The mixture of solid hops and liquid forms a suspension. The stability of the suspension, i.e. the dispersion and uniform distribution of the solid particles in the liquid, will depend on parameters such as particle size, liquid viscosity and liquid turbulence. For hop mixtures exposed to the shearing unit, the particle size is finer and the dispersion of the particles is more uniform and the viscosity is high, and the suspension may be referred to as a slurry, having the same physical properties as a slurry or cement.

To improve the stability of the suspension, the unit may comprise one or more stirring devices. An example of a stirring device is a YTRON-Y jet mixer. In order to increase the stirring efficiency, it is advantageous to place the stirring device in the hydration tank and/or the cavitation tank.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the hydration tank and/or cavitation tank comprise an agitation device.

Extraction method

The present disclosure provides a method of producing aroma extracts, particularly hop aroma extracts. Advantageously, the method comprises the steps of:

-providing a container containing a mixture of hops or parts thereof and a liquid and a positive gas flow pressure,

-shearing the hops, thereby forming a hop slurry,

-passing the hop slurry through a hydrodynamic cavitation unit, thereby extracting hop aroma, and

-optionally repeating the shearing step and/or the cavitation step a plurality of times, thereby producing the hop aroma extract.

Advantageously, the method is configured to be carried out in the extraction unit described above. Preferably, the shearing step and the cavitation step are repeated a plurality of times, for example 1 to 5 times, for example 3 times.

To improve extraction efficiency and selectivity, the process is advantageously carried out using the preferred liquid, temperature and number of repetitions of cavitation steps, as shown in example 1.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the liquid is an unfiltered beer, such as a wort or a draught beer or a recycled draught beer or a further processed draught beer. In another embodiment, the slurry is passed through the cavitation unit two or more times, such as three or four times. In another embodiment, the process is carried out at a temperature of less than 25 ℃, for example from 1 to 15 ℃ or from 2 to 10 ℃, and preferably at about 4 ℃.

As further described in example 1, it can be seen that the hop aroma extract obtained by the disclosed method contains a surprisingly high sum of extracted components. The extracted hops constituents further comprise a surprisingly high concentration of more flavorful aroma substances, such as myrcene and linalool. In particular, a combination of high concentrations of myrcene and linalool with low concentrations of B-citronellol was observed. Thus, the hop aroma extract produced has a composition and concentration that facilitates the need for only a small volume of the extract to provide a tasty beer. Thus, an equal taste beer can be obtained using extracts made from smaller amounts of hop material.

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to hops extracts and beer products comprising a high amount of myrcene and linalool in combination with a low concentration of B-citronellol.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the hops extract or beer product comprises equal to or higher than 25 μ g/L myrcene, and equal to or higher than 190 μ g/L linalool, and equal to or lower than 42 μm/L B-citronellol.

In another embodiment, the hop extract or beer product comprises equal to or higher than 50 μ g/L of myrcene, such as equal to or higher than 100 μ g/L of myrcene or equal to or higher than 150 μ g/L of myrcene, and equal to or higher than 200 μ g/L of linalool, such as equal to or higher than 205 μ g/L of linalool, or equal to or higher than 210 μ g/L of linalool, or equal to or higher than 215 μ g/L of linalool, and equal to or lower than 15 μ g/L of B-citronellol, such as equal to or lower than 14 μ g/L of B-citronellol, or equal to or lower than 13 μ g/L of B-citronellol, or equal to or lower than 12 μ g/L of B-citronellol.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the extract comprises a total of 200 to 1000. mu.g/l, more preferably 400 to 600. mu.g/l, e.g. 466 or 551. mu.g/l of extracted hop components. In another embodiment, the extracted hop component comprises myrcene and/or linalool, and/or wherein the amount of myrcene extracted is from 10 to 500 μ g/l, more preferably from 50 to 200 μ g/l, such as 130 or 170 μ g/l, and/or wherein the amount of linalool extracted is from 150 to 500 μ g/l, more preferably from 180 to 250 μ g/l, such as 190 or 215 μ g/l. Preferably, the above concentrations are obtained using dried hops with a hop to liquid ratio of 6kg per hL.

The extracted hop component also contains a surprisingly high relative proportion of more flavorful aroma substances, such as myrcene, linalool and geraniol. For example, as seen in table 1 of example 1, the relative proportions of myrcene, linalool, and geraniol to limonene, citronellol acetate, and a-terpineol were much higher for the extracted hops according to the present disclosure (Cavihop tests 3C and 3D). For example, for the cavihop test, the myrcene to limonene ratios were 130:1 and 170:1, whereas for the traditional extraction the ratio was only 6: 1. Similarly, for the cavihop test, the linalool to limonene ratio was 215:1 and 190:1, whereas for the traditional, the ratio was only 120: 1. Moreover, the ratio of geraniol to limonene was much higher for the cavihop test (81:1 and 69:1) than for the traditional (19: 1). A summary of the proportions obtained in example 1 is set out in the table below.

Test number	Myrcene, limonene	Linalool limonene	Geraniol limonene
				3A (traditional)	6:1	120:1	19:1
3C(cavihop)	170:1	215:1	81:1
				3D(cavihop 20％)	130:1	190:1	69:1

Test number	Myrcene, alpha-terpineol	Linalool alpha-terpineol	Geraniol a-terpineol
				3A (traditional)	1:1	12:1	2:1
3C(cavihop)	15:1	19:1	7:1
				3D(cavihop 20％)	12:1	17:1	6:1

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to hops extracts and beer products comprising myrcene, linalool, and geraniol in relatively high proportions compared to limonene, citronellol acetate, and alpha-terpineol.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the hops extract or beer product comprises myrcene, linalool and geraniol in a ratio higher than 50:1, 150:1 and 40:1, respectively, compared to limonene.

In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of myrcene to limonene is higher than 50:1, more preferably higher than 100:1, and most preferably higher than 120:1, such as 130:1 or 170: 1.

In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of linalool to limonene is higher than 150:1, more preferably higher than 170:1, and most preferably higher than 180:1, such as 190:1 or 215: 1.

In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of geraniol to limonene is higher than 40:1, more preferably higher than 50:1, and most preferably higher than 60:1, such as 69:1 or 81: 1.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the hops extract or beer product comprises myrcene, linalool and geraniol in a ratio higher than 50:1, 100:1 and 40:1, respectively, compared to citronellol acetate.

In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of myrcene to citronellol acetate is higher than 50:1, more preferably higher than 100:1, and most preferably higher than 120:1, for example 130:1 or 170: 1.

In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of linalool to citronellol acetate is higher than 100:1, more preferably higher than 150:1, and most preferably higher than 180:1, such as 190:1 or 215: 1.

In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of geraniol to citronellol acetate is higher than 40:1, more preferably higher than 50:1, and most preferably higher than 60:1, such as 69:1 or 81: 1.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the hops extract or beer product comprises myrcene, linalool and geraniol in a ratio higher than 5:1, 15:1 and 4:1, respectively, compared to a-terpineol.

In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of myrcene to a-terpineol is higher than 5:1, more preferably higher than 10:1, and most preferably higher than 11:1, such as 12:1 or 15: 1.

In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of linalool to a-terpineol is higher than 15:1, more preferably higher than 16:1, such as 17:1 or 19: 1.

In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of geraniol to a-terpineol is higher than 4:1, more preferably higher than 5:1, such as 6:1 or 7: 1.

System for producing beer or beverage

Fig. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a system for producing beer products according to the present disclosure. The system comprises a hop aroma extraction unit according to the present disclosure, a fermentation vessel 7 and a separation unit 8 in fluid communication. The system further comprises at least one pumping unit 9 configured as a delivery device.

For example, the pumping unit may be configured for transporting fermented wort from the fermentation vessel into the separation unit, wherein the transporting may take place in a first transporting line 10a, as shown in fig. 2. The separation unit may be configured to remove at least 70 wt% of the solids from the fermented wort, such that the separation unit converts the fermented wort to draught beer.

The pumping unit may further be configured for transporting draught beer from the separation unit to the system outlet, wherein the transporting may take place in the second transporting line 10 b. Optionally, the outlet further comprises a filter unit 11, as shown in fig. 2.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the system further comprises a filtration unit 11.

The stream outlet of the hop aroma extraction unit is in fluid connection with a first transfer line, a second transfer line or a fermentation vessel 10c, as indicated by the dotted line in fig. 2, so that the hop aroma extract prepared in the unit can be added to fermented wort or draught beer. The multiple opportunities for adding the hop aroma extract increase the flexibility of the production process.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the pumping unit is configured for transporting fermented wort from the container into the separation unit in a first transport line and transporting draught beer from the separation unit to the outlet in a second transport line, and wherein the stream outlet 10 of the extraction unit is in fluid connection with the first transport line 10a, the second transport line 10b or the container 10 c.

The fermentation vessel 7 may be configured for containing fermented wort, for example it may be configured for containing wort and yeast under conditions allowing the wort to be fermented by said yeast.

For efficient fermentation and easy transport of the fermented wort from the fermentation vessel, the fermentation vessel is advantageously a Cylindrical Conical Tank (CCT).

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the fermentation vessel is a Cylindrical Conical Tank (CCT).

Advantageously, the separation unit is configured for converting fermented wort into draught beer, i.e. by removing at least 70% of the solids. The wort in the fermentation usually comprises solids in the form of yeast cells and/or hop pellets or parts thereof. This separation is efficiently achieved using a centrifuge.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the separation unit is configured for removing at least 70% of the solids, more preferably at least 80% or 90%. In another embodiment, the separation unit is configured for removing solids comprising yeast cells and/or hops or parts thereof. In another embodiment, the separator unit is a centrifuge.

Mechanical processing steps (e.g., pumping, centrifuging, shearing, and cavitation) can generate thermal energy. The released thermal energy will result in heating of the hop mixture, the hop aroma extract or the draught beer. Shearing and cavitation are advantageously carried out at temperatures below ambient 25 ℃, draught beer or lager beer being advantageously stored at lower temperatures. Depending on the particular type of yeast used for fermentation, low temperatures may also be preferred during fermentation. The system therefore advantageously comprises one or more cooling units. Further advantageously, at least one cooling unit is placed adjacent to the shearing unit and/or the cavitation unit.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a system includes one or more cooling units.

Method of producing a composite material

The present disclosure provides a method of producing a beer product, comprising the steps of: preparing a hop aroma extract, and adding the prepared hop aroma extract to fermented wort or draught beer.

Advantageously, the method is configured to be carried out in the system described above.

When the hop aroma extract is added to the fermented wort, the fermented wort containing the extract is subsequently converted into draught beer. Thus, the fermented wort and the extract are subjected to a step of removing part of the solids from the fermented wort. Advantageously, the removal is obtained by a phase separation device, such as a centrifuge. This has the further advantage that solid particles originally present in the hop aroma extract (e.g. hops or parts thereof) can be removed. This may affect the taste as well as the visual appearance of the resulting draught beer.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method comprises the step of removing a portion of the solids from the fermented wort. In another embodiment, the removal is obtained by a phase separation device, such as a centrifuge. In another embodiment, at least 70 wt% of the solids are removed, more preferably at least 80 or 90 wt%.

As further described in example 1, it can be seen that the hop aroma extract according to the present disclosure comprises a surprisingly high sum of extracted ingredients and a surprisingly high relative proportion of selected ingredients. The extracted hops constituents further comprise a surprisingly high concentration of more flavorful aroma substances, such as myrcene and linalool. Thus, the hop aroma extract produced has a composition and concentration that facilitates the need for only a small volume of the extract to provide a tasty beer. Thus, an equivalent taste beer can be obtained using extracts prepared from smaller amounts of hop material, as also shown in example 1.

It has surprisingly been seen that the amount of dry hop material can be reduced by about 20 wt%. This corresponds to 2 to 25kg of dried hops per hundred litres of beer being sufficient.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the aroma extract is added in an amount corresponding to 2 to 25kg dry hops per hundred litres of beer, more preferably 4 to 20kg dry hops per hundred litres of beer, for example 4 to 8kg dry hops per hundred litres of beer, for example about 6, 12 or 20kg dry hops per hundred litres of beer.

System and method for continuous production of beverages

The improved aroma extraction of the present disclosure facilitates increased production flexibility, including production scale-up. Due to the increased aroma extraction efficiency and/or selectivity, similar extractions can be obtained when using a continuous extraction process as compared to a batch extraction process. Continuous extraction processes are generally faster, simpler, and easier to scale up to larger volumes than batch processes.

Thus, advantageously, the aroma extraction unit is adapted for continuous operation, which means that the mixture of plants/hops and liquid is continuously transported from the mixing vessel to the shearing unit and from the shearing unit to the cavitation unit, and from the cavitation unit optionally first to the buffer tank and then back to the mixing tank and/or the shearing unit, as indicated by the arrows in fig. 1 to 3. This cycle through the combined shear and cavitation units may be repeated any number of times, and a cycle period is defined as the cycle through the combined shear and cavitation units. After any period, all or a portion of the mixture may be removed at stream outlet 10, as shown in fig. 1-3. The amount of stream outlet can be controlled by a stream direction controller 5c, the stream direction controller 5c having a first position forming a closed loop for circulation; and a second location, wherein at least a portion of the mixture is removed at the stream outlet.

The aroma extraction mixture removed at outlet 10 can be added to the unfiltered beer feed before or after the separation unit, as shown by the dotted line in fig. 3, or to the fermentation vessel, as shown by dotted line 10c in fig. 2.

In order to ensure continuous operation of the aroma extraction unit and continuous production of the beverage, the amount of fluid removed at the stream outlet 10 is advantageously balanced by supplying an equal amount of fluid into the hydration tank/mixing vessel 2, such that during operation the amount of fluid within the extraction unit is substantially constant. The supplied fluid may be taken from a beer feed line 13 as shown in fig. 3, wherein the beer feed may be wort taken before the separation unit 8 or draught beer taken after the separation unit, whereby the liquid may be unsrifugated, centrifuged, unfiltered or filtered beer.

It has surprisingly been found that a high aroma extraction efficiency and/or selectivity can be obtained when the beverage feeding and extraction units are in continuous fluid communication. Advantageously, the continuous fluid communication comprises a continuous fluid supply from the beverage feed to the extraction unit and a simultaneous continuous fluid removal from the extraction unit to the beverage feed. Further advantageously, the fluid supplied to the extraction unit and the fluid removed from the extraction unit are the same. For example, the amount of fluid supplied and removed may be 20, 33, or 45 hL.

Further advantageously, only a portion of the beverage feed is supplied and exchanged with the extraction unit. This means that at least a part of the beverage feed and the extraction unit are in continuous fluid communication. Since only a portion of the beverage feed is exchanged with the extraction unit, it may be referred to as partially continuous fluid communication. For example, only 45hL/h may be exchanged for a total feed of 450hL/h, or only 33hL/h may be exchanged for a total feed of 100hL/h, or only 20hL may be exchanged for a total feed of 200 hL. It has surprisingly been found that for beverage exchange of 5 to 40 vol%, preferably 5 to 30 or 8 to 20 vol%, the system is configured to operate at a temperature below 25 ℃, for example at 1 to 15 ℃ or 2 to 10 ℃, and preferably at about 4 ℃. Thus, any temperature rise of the mixture associated with the cavitation unit is reduced upon dilution with the beverage feed.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the beverage feeding and extraction unit is in continuous fluid communication. In another embodiment, at least a portion of the beverage feed and the extraction unit are in continuous fluid communication, or in partially continuous fluid communication. In another embodiment, the partial fluid communication is from 5 to 40 vol%, more preferably from 5 to 30 vol% or from 8 to 20 vol% of the total beverage feed.

In another and further embodiment of the present disclosure, the system is configured for continuously exchanging between 10 to 100hL/h, more preferably 20 to 50hL/h, e.g. 20, 33 or 45hL/h, between the beverage feeding and extraction units.

Example 2 further describes an example of a system suitable for continuous extraction and beverage production.

For continuous production of beverage products, the hydration tank advantageously has a pre-filled starting state. As shown in fig. 3, the hydration tank may be pre-filled with an initial beverage charge. At the start of continuous operation, the prefilled beverage feed of the hydration tank is transported through the circulation unit into the shearing unit and cavitation unit to form the aroma extract, optionally circulated through the shearing unit and cavitation unit for multiple cycles, and the extract is then transported or drained and mixed into the beverage feed. At the same time, the pre-filled beverage charge of the hydration tank is replaced with a new beverage charge. The continuous feeding of the beverage to the hydration tank is advantageously balanced by the discharge of the extract.

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method of producing a beverage product, comprising the steps of:

a) the provision of a feed of a beverage,

b) the beverage feed is divided into a first volume portion and a second volume portion,

c) mixing the first volume portion with the plant or portion thereof in a vessel subjected to positive air flow pressure, thereby forming a mixture,

d) subjecting the mixture to at least one cycle of shear and cavitation, thereby forming an aroma extract,

e) discharging at least a portion of the aroma extract and mixing it with the second volume portion to produce the beverage product.

To control the temperature of the aroma extract and the formed beverage product, the first volume fraction is advantageously a fraction. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first volume fraction is equal to or lower than 50%, more preferably equal to or lower than 45%, 40%, 35%, 33%, 30%, 25% or 20% of the beverage feed.

To improve aroma extraction efficiency and selectivity, it is advantageous to subject the mixture to multiple shear and cavitation cycles. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, step (d) is repeated for two cycles, more preferably three or four cycles.

In order to reduce the amount of solids in the beverage product, the beverage feed is advantageously subjected to a separation step. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further comprises the step of separating the beverage feed.

To ensure long-term continuous and scalable production, it is advantageous that the beverage feed to the hydration tank is constant and/or the relative beverage feed to hydration is constant compared to discharge, so that the liquid volume of the hydration tank and/or cavitation tank as shown in fig. 3 is constant over time.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the process is continuous such that the first volume fraction in step (b) is substantially equal to the expelled aroma extraction volume of step (e).

Examples

The invention is further described by the examples provided below.

Example 1 production of aroma extract

The hop aroma extract is produced in the apparatus shown in figure 1. 6kg of dried hops/hL.

In the first trial (run 3C): a first amount of hops is added to the hydration tank and a further first amount of Lager type draught beer (also known as "brand a") is added to the tank. In a second experiment (run 3D): 20 wt% less hops was added to the hydration tank. In both experiments Lager beer (Lager) was prepared without hop addition during the fermentation.

Subjecting the tank to 0.5 bar CO₂Pressure of wherein CO₂Provided as a constant flow at the top of the tank.

The mixture was circulated three times, i.e., three cycles, through a combined shearing unit and hydrodynamic cavitation unit, wherein the shearing unit was a YTRON-Z homogenizer and the cavitation unit was a ShockWave Xtractor from Hydro Dynamics, Inc^TM. How does the highest 4-7C increase?

After the third cycle, the stream direction controller is set at the second position and the extracted mixture is removed at the stream outlet and then added to the draught beer.

The composition of the extracted mixture was analyzed using Gas Chromatography (GC) based on SPME-GC-MS method (solid phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry).

Table 1 shows the chemical composition of the produced extract, wherein the type, amount and total of the extracted components are shown. For comparison, the chemical composition of cellaring (Lager) beer that was dry dosed (dry hopped) during fermentation in a conventional manner is included in table 1 (run No. 3A). The same amount of hop pellets as used in test 3C was used for the dry feed.

For comparison, the chemical composition of a conventional beer using similar amounts of hops in a conventional dry dosing process is included (run No. 3A). Conventional production methods are described in the background section and include boiling wort with a mixture of hops and, after boiling, transferring the boiled wort to a fermentor and fermenting by adding yeast, then removing the yeast and then storing the beer in a cellaring or maturation tank for further use. Hops are in the form of pressed hop pellets and are added to the wort in the fermentor at the beginning or during the wort fermentation.

Table 1 chemical composition of aroma extract obtained by the method according to the present disclosure (test nos. 3C and 3D), wherein the extract is obtained by using conventional amount of hops (3C) or 20 wt% less hops (3D), respectively. For comparison, the chemical composition of a conventional beer using a conventional amount of hops in a dry dosing process is included (run No. 3A).

It was observed that the conventional dry batch process (run No. 3A) resulted in a total of 191. mu.g/l of extracted hop components, 6. mu.l of myrcene and 120. mu.l of linalool.

For the extracts obtained by the methods of the present disclosure, a much higher total of extracted hops components was observed. For the extract obtained from a conventional amount of hops (run 3C), the total amount of extracted hops components was 551 μ g/l, with 170 μ/l myrcene and 215 μ/l linalool. For the extract obtained with 20 wt% less hops (run 3D), the total amount of extracted hop components was 466 μ g/l, with 130 μ/l being myrcene and 190 μ/l being linalool.

Thus, more efficient and selective extraction of hops is obtained using the methods of the present disclosure.

Example 2: continuous system

The system shown in figure 3 is used with a total beverage feed 13 of 100hL per hour. Before starting the system, the extraction unit is filled to capacity, e.g. the buffer tank is filled to full capacity, e.g. 40 hL.

When the buffer tank is filled, a portion of the 100hL/h beverage feed is added to the aroma extraction unit, more specifically, 33hL/h of the feed is continuously added to the mixing vessel 2, while 33hL/h is removed at stream outlet 10.

Thus, a continuous aroma extraction and a continuous beverage production is obtained, thereby promoting a high productivity. The temperature of the system is below 25 c due to the continuous partial fluid exchange between the beverage feeding and the extraction unit.

Example 3: oxygen intake

During and after the hop being supplied to the hydration tank, the oxygen uptake from the ambient environment and into the extraction unit, in particular from the ambient environment and into the hydration tank, is measured.

For an extraction unit without a hopper unit as illustrated in fig. 1, the oxygen uptake can be measured after hop supply. However, for an extraction unit with three hopper units as illustrated in fig. 3, no detectable oxygen uptake can be measured after hop supply. Thus, the hopper unit may provide a significant reduction and/or elimination of harmful oxygen uptake into the extraction unit.

Oxygen uptake was also measured for a continuously operating system as described in example 2, which comprised one or more hopper units as shown in fig. 3, and in which oxygen content was measured using a Dissolved Oxygen (DO) sensor. The total beverage feed 13 used in the system was 360hL/h, and the oxygen content of the beer feed 13 before the aroma extraction unit was measured to be about 20 ppb.

A portion of the 360hL/h beverage feed is continuously added to the aroma extraction unit, e.g. 36hL/h, and at the same time 36hL/h is removed at stream outlet 10. The oxygen content of the 36hL/h stream in the aroma extraction unit was measured immediately before the stream outlet and was measured to be about 32ppb with a maximum fluctuation of about 10 ppb.

An aroma extraction flow volume of 36hL/h was withdrawn at stream outlet 10 and withdrawn and mixed into beverage feed 13. Thus, the resulting oxygen content of the beverage feed mixture after the aroma extraction unit was calculated to be 23.2ppb (i.e., ((360hL/h x 20ppb) + (36hL/h x 32ppb)/360 hL/h).

Therefore, the oxygen content before the extraction unit (20ppb) is comparable to the oxygen content after the extraction unit (23.2 ppb). Thus, a significant reduction and/or elimination of the amount of detrimental oxygen uptake provided by the extraction unit, including the hopper unit, into the extraction unit is observed.

Clause and subclause

The invention disclosed herein may be further defined by the following clauses.

1. A hop aroma extraction unit (1) comprising:

-a hydration tank (2) containing a mixture of hops or parts thereof and a liquid, the tank being configured to contain a positive airflow pressure,

a shearing unit (3) configured for shearing the hops,

-a hydrodynamic cavitation unit (4), and

-at least one circulation unit (5a, 5b),

wherein the hydration tank, the shear unit, the cavitation unit are in fluid communication, and at least one circulation unit is configured to circulate the mixture.

2. The unit of clause 1, wherein the circulation unit further comprises a flow direction controller (5c), the flow direction controller (5c) having a first position forming a closed loop for circulation; and a second position, wherein at least a portion of the mixture is removed at the stream outlet (10).

3. The unit of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein the at least one circulation unit is configured for circulating the mixture as follows: from the tank to the shear unit, further to the cavitation unit, and from the cavitation unit back to the tank and/or shear unit.

4. The unit according to any of the preceding clauses, comprising a first and a second circulation unit, wherein the first circulation unit (5a) is configured for circulating the mixture from the tank into the shearing unit and further into the cavitation unit, and wherein the second circulation unit (5b) is configured for circulating the mixture from the cavitation unit back into the tank and/or the shearing unit.

5. The unit of any one of the preceding clauses wherein the shearing unit and/or cavitation unit is configured to operate at a temperature of less than 25 ℃, e.g., from 1 to 15 ℃ or from 2 to 10 ℃, and preferably at about 4 ℃.

6. The unit of any of the preceding clauses wherein the gas is selected from CO₂、N₂And combinations thereof.

7. The unit of any preceding clause, wherein the positive gas stream pressure is above 0.1 bar, for example 0.1 to 1.5 bar.

8. The unit of any of the preceding clauses wherein the gas is a purge gas.

9. The unit of any of the preceding clauses wherein the gas is configured to flow at the top of the tank.

10. The unit of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein the canister comprises an opening configured for supplying hops or portions thereof to the canister.

11. The unit according to any of the preceding clauses wherein the hops are in the form of dry hop pellets.

12. The unit of any preceding clause wherein the liquid comprises 0.5 to 12 vol% ethanol, more preferably 3 to 10 vol% ethanol, for example about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 vol% ethanol.

13. The unit of any one of the preceding clauses wherein the liquid is draught beer or recycled draught beer.

14. The unit according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the tank comprises at least one port (2a), the port (2a) being configured such that the mixture can circulate into or out of the tank via the port.

15. The unit of any one of the preceding clauses, wherein the tank further comprises a second port (2b), the second port (2b) being configured to receive the mixture from the cavitation unit.

16. The unit according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the tank comprises a third port (2c), the third port (2c) being configured for supplying liquid to the tank.

17. The unit according to any of the preceding clauses, further comprising a cavitation tank (6), the cavitation tank (6) being configured for containing the mixture after the cavitation unit.

18. The unit of clause 17, wherein the cavitation tank is configured to contain a positive airflow pressure.

19. The unit of any of clauses 17 to 18, wherein the gas is selected from CO₂、N₂And combinations thereof, and/or wherein the positive gas stream pressure is above 0.1 bar, for example 0.1 to 1.5 bar, and/or wherein the gas is a purge gas, and/or is configured to flow at the top of the tank.

20. The unit of any preceding clause wherein the hydration tank and/or cavitation tank comprises agitation means.

21. The unit according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the shearing unit is a rotor-stator system for obtaining shear forces in the mixture.

22. The unit according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the cavitation unit is configured for generating shock waves and pressure variations in the mixture.

23. A system for producing a beer product, comprising:

a fermentation vessel (7) configured for containing fermented wort,

-a separation unit (8) configured for removing a portion of the solids of the fermented wort, thereby converting the fermented wort into draught beer,

-the hop aroma extraction unit according to any of clauses 2 to 15,

-at least one pumping unit (9),

wherein the fermentation vessel, the separation unit and the extraction unit are in fluid communication and the at least one pumping unit is configured as a delivery device.

24. The system according to clause 23, wherein the pumping unit is configured for transporting the fermented wort from the container into the separation unit in a first transport line and transporting the draught beer from the separation unit to an outlet in a second transport line, and

wherein the stream outlet (10) of the extraction unit is in fluid connection with the first transfer line (10a), the second transfer line (10b) or the vessel (10 c).

25. The system of any of clauses 23-24, wherein the fermentation vessel is a Cylindrical Conical Tank (CCT).

26. The system according to any of clauses 23 to 25, wherein the separation unit is configured for removing at least 70% of the solids, more preferably at least 80% or at least 90%.

27. The system according to any of clauses 23-26, wherein the separation unit is configured for removing solids comprising yeast cells and/or hops or portions thereof.

28. The system of any of clauses 23-27, wherein the separator unit is a centrifuge.

29. The system of any of clauses 23-27, further comprising one or more cooling units.

30. The system according to any of clauses 16 to 19, further comprising a filtration unit (11).

31. A method of producing a hop aroma extract, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a container containing a mixture of hops or parts thereof and a liquid and a positive air flow pressure,

b) shearing the hops in the liquid, thereby forming a hop slurry,

c) passing the hop slurry through a hydrodynamic cavitation unit to extract hop aroma,

d) optionally repeating steps (b) and/or (c) a plurality of times, thereby producing the hop aroma extract.

32. The method of clause 31, wherein the liquid is draught beer or recycled draught beer.

33. The method of any of clauses 31-32, wherein the slurry is passed through the cavitation unit two or more times, such as three or four times.

34. The method of any of clauses 31-33, which is carried out at a temperature of less than 25 ℃, e.g., from 1 to 15 ℃ or from 2 to 10 ℃, and preferably at about 4 ℃.

35. The method according to any of clauses 31 to 34, wherein the extract comprises a total of extracted hop components of 200 to 1000 μ g/l, more preferably 400 to 600 μ g/l, such as 466 or 551 μ g/l.

36. The method according to clause 35, wherein the extracted hop component comprises myrcene and/or linalool, and/or wherein the amount of extracted myrcene is from 10 to 500 μ g/l, more preferably from 50 to 200 μ g/l, such as 130 or 170 μ g/l, and/or wherein the amount of extracted linalool is from 150 to 500 μ g/l, more preferably from 180 to 250 μ g/l, such as 190 or 215 μ g/l.

37. A method of producing a beer product, comprising the steps of:

a) preparation of hop aroma extract by the method of any one of claims 31 to 36

b) Adding the hop aroma extract prepared in step (a) to fermented wort or draught beer.

38. The method of clause 37, further comprising the step of removing a portion of the solids from the fermented wort.

39. The method of clause 38, wherein the removing is obtained by a phase separation device, such as a centrifuge.

40. The method of any of clauses 38 to 39, wherein at least 70 wt% of the solids are removed, more preferably at least 80 or 90 wt%.

41. The method according to any of clauses 37 to 40, wherein the aroma extract is added in an amount corresponding to 2 to 25kg dry hops per hundred litres of beer, more preferably 4 to 20kg dry hops per hundred litres of beer, for example 6, 12 or 20kg dry hops per hundred litres of beer.

42. The method of any of clauses 37-41, wherein the method further comprises the step of filtering the draught beer.

43. The method of any of clauses 37-41, wherein the method further comprises the step of cellaring the draught beer.

44. The method according to any of clauses 37 to 41, wherein the method further comprises the step of adding one or more additional compounds to the draught beer, wherein the additional compounds are for example CO₂And/or water.

45. The method of any of clauses 31-36, configured to be performed in the unit of any of clauses 1-22.

46. The method of any of clauses 37-44, configured to be performed in the system of any of clauses 23-30.

Reference numerals

1-hop aroma extraction unit

2-hydration tanks or mixing vessels

2 a-first port

2 a-second port

2 c-third Port

3-shearing unit

4-hydrodynamic cavitation unit

5-circulation Unit

5 a-first circulation Unit

5 b-second circulation Unit

5 c-flow direction controller

6-cavitation tank or buffer tank

7-fermentation vessel

8-separation unit

9-Pump Unit

10-stream outlet

10 a-first transfer line

10 b-second transfer line

10 c-third transfer line

11-Filter Unit

12-hopper unit

12 a-first hopper Unit

12 b-second hopper units, e.g. sluice hopper units

12 c-third hopper units, e.g. feeding hopper units

13-beer feed

Reference to the literature

[1]US 2,830,904.