Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12G—WINE; PREPARATION THEREOF; ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; PREPARATION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES C12C OR C12H
  • C12G3/00—Preparation of other alcoholic beverages
  • C12G3/02—Preparation of other alcoholic beverages by fermentation
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12G—WINE; PREPARATION THEREOF; ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; PREPARATION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES C12C OR C12H
  • C12G3/00—Preparation of other alcoholic beverages
  • C12G3/04—Preparation of other alcoholic beverages by mixing, e.g. for preparation of liqueurs
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12G—WINE; PREPARATION THEREOF; ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; PREPARATION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES C12C OR C12H
  • C12G3/00—Preparation of other alcoholic beverages
  • C12G3/02—Preparation of other alcoholic beverages by fermentation
  • C12G3/021—Preparation of other alcoholic beverages by fermentation of botanical family Poaceae, e.g. wheat, millet, sorghum, barley, rye, or corn
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12G—WINE; PREPARATION THEREOF; ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; PREPARATION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES C12C OR C12H
  • C12G3/00—Preparation of other alcoholic beverages
  • C12G3/02—Preparation of other alcoholic beverages by fermentation
  • C12G3/025—Low-alcohol beverages
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12G—WINE; PREPARATION THEREOF; ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; PREPARATION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES C12C OR C12H
  • C12G3/00—Preparation of other alcoholic beverages
  • C12G3/04—Preparation of other alcoholic beverages by mixing, e.g. for preparation of liqueurs
  • C12G3/06—Preparation of other alcoholic beverages by mixing, e.g. for preparation of liqueurs with flavouring ingredients

Definitions

• Kvas (or alternatively Kvass) is a fermented beverage which has been a common drink in Eastern Europe since ancient times. It can be produced by the fermentation of extracts from rye malt, rye cereal and/or corn and is popular in countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Ukraine, Norway and other Eastern and Central European countries, where many kvas vendors can be found. Kvas is classified as non-alcoholic due to the low level of alcohol present (typically less than 1 .2%) and is often flavoured with fruits or herbs.
• the first method is the main industrial method of producing kvas and usually involves two stages; the first stage being the production of kvas wort concentrate and the second stage resulting in the production of the final beverage.
• the first stage is typically carried out in a specially modified brew house, where raw materials (grist) of fermented rye malt (kilned or freshly germinated) used as a source of flavour and acidity and/or barley malt (which may be used as a source of enzymes), and rye flour or defatted corn flour are used individually or together (blended at any ratio) as carbohydrate sources.
• the cereals (unmalted materials) are usually processed by pressure cooking to allow fluidisation and starch release and a small amount of barley malt can be added as a source of protease. The cooked cereals are then mashed together with the malts to achieve full
• the malt is then filtered to give kvas wort, concentrated and finally heated (at approximately 1 10-130°C for 10-30 minutes) to produce the kvas wort concentrate which usually has a solids content of 68-74 refractometric Brix (Plato and Brix are well known units for the measurement of density in the beverage industry).
• the concentrate can be stored to be used as a raw material for the production of kvas beverage or can be used in other industries e.g. in confectionary or baking.
• the production of the final beverage takes place in three stages, namely blending, fermentation and separation, and usually occurs within a fermentation plant.
• the kvas wort concentrate is blended with water (usually about 1-5% w/w) and sugar (usually about 1 -7% w/w) (and sometimes with food acids) and is fermented with either only yeast or with acid producing bacteria, such as lactobacteria, and yeast (in which case food acids are not added at the blending stage).
• the fermentation process should achieve an ethanol content of less than 1.2% v/v (and preferably less than 1 % v/v).
• the microorganisms are filtered from the product which is carbonated and bottled.
• the second method was recently developed by local beer producers in Eastern European countries to use their available manufacturing capacity after loss of beer market share to multinational companies. They developed a method to produce kvas-like beverages using standard barley malt wort. However, many of the kvas-like beverages produced by local beer producers are reported to taste more like non-alcoholic beer rather than kvas.
• the method developed by the inventors involves the production of kvas beverage by mixing concentrated fermented kvas wort with a volatile aromatic fraction captured during the concentration of fermented high gravity wort, sweetener and water (and optionally food acids) or by mixing a fermented kvas wort concentrate (also termed "deep fermentate” herein), preferably comprising 4-13% v/v ethanol, with sweetener, water and optionally unfermented kvas wort concentrate and/or food acids.
• a fermented kvas wort concentrate also termed "deep fermentate” herein
• the fermentation process is carried out prior to the final mixing of kvas beverage, which allows the final mixing process and final production of kvas beverage to be carried out outside of a fermentation plant.
• the final beverage can be produced in a standard bottling plant allowing the production of kvas in many different plants, which was not previously possible.
• the process developed by the inventors allows the production of a fermented product by two different methods where the product can be converted into kvas beverage by a simple mixing step.
• the concentrated fermented kvas wort product may be obtained using kvas wort (the product of filtration of the mash in the industrial kvas process).
• Kvas wort may be blended with a sweetener and fermented, instead of being concentrated as in the main kvas industrial process used in the prior art.
• Microorganisms may be separated from the product and the fermented wort distilled.
• the distillate fraction preferably comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol (e.g.
• 25-60% v/v ethanol forms the aromatic part of the beverage base and the fermented wort is concentrated preferably to a solids content of at least 65% (measured as refractometric Brix) (e.g. between 68- 74% measured as refractometric Brix).
• the wort concentrate is then heat treated.
• the wort concentrate and the aromatic parts may be mixed together when it is desired to produce the kvas beverage e.g. at a final bottling plant, and sugar, water (and optionally food acids) may be added.
• a fermented product preferably with approximately 4-13% v/v ethanol may be obtained by fermenting kvas wort concentrate which may be produced using the conventional prior art kvas industrial method or bought commercially.
• the kvas wort concentrate to be used in the second process may be split into two fractions. One fraction may be blended with sweetener and water and fermented deeply by yeast, where the yeast may consume all available sugars and produce ethanol to the limit of their natural ability.
• the product (deep fermentate) may then be mixed with the other fraction of unfermented kvas wort concentrate, water, sweetener and optionally food acids and may be filtered /centrifuged to remove undissolved solids resulting in the production of kvas beverage.
• 100% of the kvas wort concentrate may be deeply fermented i.e. the kvas wort concentrate may not be split into two fractions and the final beverage produced by mixing the deep fermentate with water, sweetener and optionally food acids.
• the kvas beverage may then be carbonated, pasteurised and bottled.
• Both of the methods described herein allow the presence of genuine kvas flavour in the final mixed beverage. This is a result of the generation of products of Malliard chemistry occurring during wort heat treatment and the production of volatile aldehydes and esters in yeast fermentation.
• the present invention allows the fermentation process to be retained but there is no requirement to carry out this process during the final production of the beverage.
• the first method results in the production of a concentrated product that may be easily transported and stored for the production of kvas by a simple mixing step elsewhere.
• the present invention therefore provides a method for the manufacture of a fermented product, which is capable of being mixed with at least sweetener and water to form kvas beverage comprising the steps of either: a) blending kvas wort with sweetener, b) fermenting product of a) with yeast to provide an ethanol content of 2.5%- 5% v/v,
• concentrated wort with a solids content of at least 65% measured as refractometric Brix and
• the fermented product (concentrated fermented kvas wort) is capable of being mixed with water, sugar and optionally food acids and an aromatic solution comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol, e.g. 25-60% v/v ethanol to form kvas and when steps ai) and bi) are carried out, the fermented product (fermentate comprising 4-13% v/v ethanol) is capable of being mixed with water and sugar and optionally food acids and/or unfermented kvas wort concentrate to form kvas.
• fermenting a wort with a solids content of 15-40%, e.g.15-34%,
• the fermented product is not representative of kvas beverage (unlike in the prior art process where fermentation of blended kvas wort concentrate occurs at the later stages of beverage production i.e. where the fermented product is kvas) and a further mixing step is required to the fermented product as described in the present invention to form kvas.
• a fermented product capable of being mixed with other components to form kvas is not produced in the prior art methods of kvas production.
• the method used in the art in contrast uses kvas wort concentrate in a blending step and then a subsequent step of fermentation is carried out resulting in the production of kvas.
• the fermented product of the art is therefore kvas.
• the fermented product as prepared in the present invention may be subsequently mixed to form kvas but the fermented product itself is not kvas.
• the fermented product is a concentrate of fermented kvas wort.
• This product is the result of (i.e. is obtained or obtainable by) carrying out the method steps a) to e).
• This concentrated product has a solids content of at least 65 Brix and as discussed above is capable of being mixed with other components (generally water, sweetener, an aromatic solution comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol (preferably a distillate comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol as described below) and optionally food acids to form kvas.
• This concentrated fermented product is extremely advantageous since as discussed previously it can be packaged and sent to standard bottling factories for the production of kvas.
• the pre-fermentation of the product enables kvas to be produced at standard bottling plants without the requirement for fermentation equipment. This is the first concentrated pre-fermented product available for the production of kvas.
• the fermented product is a fermentate preferably comprising 4-13% e.g. 8-13% v/v ethanol produced by method steps ai) to ci)
• This product may have variable solids content depending upon quantity of kvas wort concentrate used (may vary from 3 to 20% of real solids) and as discussed above is capable of being mixed with other components (generally water and sweetener and optionally unfermented kvas wort concentrate and/or food acids) to form kvas.
• the fermented product may be mixed with either an aromatic solution comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol e.g. with 25-60% v/v ethanol or unfermented kvas wort concentrate, together with water, sweetener and optionally food acids to form kvas, as discussed above.
• an aromatic solution comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol e.g. with 25-60% v/v ethanol or unfermented kvas wort concentrate
• water, sweetener and optionally food acids to form kvas as discussed above.
• the fermented product produced by method steps a) to e) or ai) to ci) may have different compositions, but both have been pre-fermented i.e. fermented prior to carrying out the mixing step for the final beverage and both are capable of being mixed with other components (at least sweetner and water) to produce kvas without the need for further fermentation.
• the invention therefore provides a method for the production of a concentrated fermented kvas wort which is capable of being mixed with sweetener, water, an aromatic solution comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol and optionally food acids to form kvas beverage comprising the steps of a) to e) as described above.
• the invention provides a method for the production of a fermentate comprising 4-13% v/v ethanol (alternatively viewed as a deep fermentate) which is capable of being mixed with sweetener and water and optionally food acids and/or unfermented kvas wort concentrate to form kvas beverage comprising the steps of ai) and bi) as described above.
• the method of producing the fermented product of concentrated fermented kvas wort involving steps a) to e) may also result in the production of an aromatic solution comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol e.g. at least 30, 40, 50 , 60 , 70 , 80 or 90% v/v ethanol.
• the aromatic solution comprises 25-60% v/v ethanol e.g. at least 25, 35, 45, 55 or 60% v/v ethanol.
• an aromatic solution comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol may be obtained as a fraction during the distillation process (step (d) of the method of the invention).
• the aromatic solution or fraction may be blended with the concentrated fermented kvas wort to form kvas.
• An aromatic solution with at least 20% v/v ethanol is preferable for mixing with the concentrated fermented kvas wort in this instance as selecting a fraction with less ethanol results in a fraction with a growing volume which may contain undesirable cereal-type flavours, resulting in an unpleasant aftertaste in the final beverage.
• the upper limit of ethanol in the solution will vary depending upon the sophistication of the distillation technology.
• this method also provides the production of an aromatic solution comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol e.g. preferably 25-60% v/v ethanol from the distillation step (d). Therefore, as discussed above, the above method steps a) to e) of the invention allow for the production of a concentrated fermented kvas wort and an aromatic distillate comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol which may be mixed to form kvas beverage.
• the invention provides a method for the production of a concentrated fermented kvas wort which is capable of being mixed with sweetener, water, an aromatic solution comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol and optionally food acids to form kvas beverage comprising
• concentrated wort with a solids content of at least 65% measured as refractometric Brix and an aromatic fraction comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol and
• the invention additionally provides a method for the production of an aromatic solution comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol which is capable of being mixed with concentrated fermented kvas wort, sweetener, water and optionally food acids to form kvas beverage, comprising
• kvas beverage (or syrup) is produced from a final mixing step.
• the mixing step may preferably include either mixing of the final beverage from all ingredients, preferably followed by carbonation and
• pasteurisation or a syrup may be prepared from all ingredients which preferably just before bottling may be proportioned with carbonated water to achieve the target density and then pasteurised and bottled or pasteurised in the packaging.
• the syrup or beverage may need to be filtered or centrifuged to remove any excess of solid particles and this is a standard procedure of the art.
• the advantage of this method of production over those reported in the prior art is the ability to blend kvas in a standard bottling plant obviating the requirement for a fermentation plant in the final kvas production steps.
• the mixing of the concentrated fermented kvas wort and aromatic distillate of the present invention typically involves the addition of sugar or a glucose/fructose syrup and water in a similar way to the prior art blending step.
• food acids may also be required for mixing to produce kvas to ensure the beverage acidity is correct. This step may be replaced by an earlier fermentation step using acid producing bacteria, such as lactobacteria, if preferred.
• kvas wort as used herein may be obtained from the initial stages of industrial kvas production known in the art (where kvas wort is generally the filtrate obtained from the initial filtration step in the standard industrial kvas manufacture process). It is therefore well known in the art how to produce kvas wort.
• kvas wort as used in step (a) of the method of the invention may be produced from using a variety of raw materials in the industrial kvas manufacture process.
• a source of fermentable carbohydrate is required for kvas wort production, for example, cereals such as rye flour, corn flour e.g.
• defatted corn flour and/or rice either individually or blended together in any ratio.
• triticale a rye/wheat hybrid
• the production of kvas wort also requires the addition of enzymes or an enzyme source, to provide amylases (e.g. a-amylase), glucanases, proteases and/or xylanases to the fermentable carbohydrate source.
• amylases e.g. a-amylase
• glucanases e.g. glucanases
• proteases e.g. xylanases
• the enzymes used include a thermostable amylase and a beta-glucanase.
• Protease and xylanase may also be included.
• pullanase may be included for the destruction of branched amylopectins.
• exogenous enzymes are added to the main mash (suspension of cereals in process water) with the possible exception of protease which could be added to the carbohydrate source during mash-in (preferably at 52°C) to support destruction of the aleuronic layer.
• a typical enzyme source which may be used is barley malt, although other enzymatic sources may be employed for the kvas wort production.
• the cereals or fermentable carbohydrate source to be used are typically treated by pressure cooking under a temperature of approximately 105-1 10°C (a higher temperature can be used but would provide no efficiency advantage) which allows fluidisation and starch release from the carbohydrate source and a small amount of barley malt may be added to the carbohydrate source as a source of protease (approximately 10% of the total amount (weight) to be used). As discussed above, any other source of protease can be used in place of barley malt.
• the cooked carbohydrate (usually cereal) is then typically mashed with fermented rye malt and the remaining barley malt until saccharification is achieved. Saccharification is indicated by negative iodine-starch test. Preferably, full saccharification is to be achieved, however in some cases of difficult raw materials at least 95%, 90%, 80% or 70% of the carbohydrate will be saccharified in the mash stage.
• Mashing usually occurs between 40-90°C, with the mash-in (addition of cereal to the mash) usually being carried out at approximately 52°C which is optimal for protease activity. Mashing may involve pausing at particular
• a pause at 65-71 °C may allow the conversion of starch to sugar, where a pause at the lower end of the temperature range may favor the production of sugars such as maltotriose, maltose and glucose and a pause near the higher end of the temperature range may favor the production of higher order sugars such as dextrin. Mashing usually takes approximately 2-3 hours.
• the enzymes used and the pauses at particular temperatures which are used will depend upon the fermentable carbohydrate source which is used for the wort production.
• the pH of the main mash may also be important. For example, if the mash becomes too acidic for enzyme activity, calcium carbonate (or other basic agents like calcium hydroxide or potassium bicarbonate etc) may be added to allow the pH to increase above 5.
• calcium carbonate or other basic agents like calcium hydroxide or potassium bicarbonate etc
• the mash is then subjected to filtration with mash filters to remove spent grist, where the filtrate obtained is kvas wort.
• Two filtration systems are generally used in this respect, namely Meura or Ziemann. Both of the filtration systems are suitable for kvas wort filtration, although Meura may be preferable.
• Kvas wort is usually a mixture of heavy wort and sparge water.
• the heavy wort drawn off the mash filter may have solids up to 23 Brix, and this is usually then topped with hot sparge water used for recovery soluble solids from filter cake.
• final solids content in ready wort is typically an average of 16-18 Brix, though in extreme cases of massive sparging it may be as low as 9 Brix.
• kvas wort may be obtained by any appropriate process, it can be produced as described above for use in the present invention.
• An alternative method for kvas production is described in WO 201 1/026591 which is incorporated by reference herein.
• Kvas wort is typically produced for immediate use in step a) of the method of the present invention as it is a microbiologically sensitive product.
• kvas wort may also be stored before use in step a) by freezing or kvas wort may be sterilised and aseptically packaged.
• the solids content of the kvas wort used in step a) may be variable e.g. it is possible to use kvas wort with a solids content of 16-18 Brix or as low as 9 Brix as indicated above.
• the amount of kvas wort to be used will depend on the volume of beverage being produced, the final desired solids content of the beverage and the solids content of the kvas wort.
• the amount of kvas wort to be used can easily be calculated once the volume and kvas wort solids content of the beverage have been decided , and the solids content of the starting kvas wort is known.
• a wort solids content of 1-5% may be typically present in the beverage e.g. 1-4, 1-3, 2-4, 2-3 or 2%.
• wort refers to either cereal extract obtained by filtration of mash diluted or undiluted with sparge water, or diluted to single strength concentrated extract with or without addition of other beverage ingredients specified herein.
• Sparge water is a diluted extract generated by collecting water that has been filtered through the drained mash to extract additional sugars.
• wort is used herein interchangeably to mean kvas wort or kvas wort concentrate or a product obtained from treating kvas wort or kvas wort concentrate e.g. after a blending, mixing, heating, fermentation, distillation step or a mixture of these.
• sweetener refers to any sugar (sweet saccharide) source and for example encompasses sucrose and syrups of glucose and/or fructose as well as oligo- and polysaccharides comprising monosaccharide monomers.
• the sweetener is blended in either step a) or ai) of the methods discussed above, the main requirement is for the sweetener to provide nutrition for the yeast for fermentation.
• the amount of sweetener should be sufficient to allow the production of from 4%-13% v/v ethanol in the fermentate. In order to achieve that, preferably 8-26% of solids should be sweeteners such as glucose.
• the target ethanol content after fermentation is lower, 2.5-5% v/v (preferably 3-4% v/v) and thus approximately 3.5-6.5% glucose equivalent sweetener solids (preferably 4-6% glucose equivalent sweetener solids) may be added.
• the fermented products are also capable of being mixed with sweetener to produce kvas, as discussed previously.
• sweetener may be added to the product of step e) or bi) as discussed in detail below.
• kvas wort concentrate or “concentrated kvas wort” as used herein refers to any concentrated form of kvas wort, as defined above.
• Concentration may be carried out by any process known in the art and typically is carried out using a two or three effect evaporation plant.
• step d) of the method of the invention the first effect is combined with using the distillation column which separates the most volatile fraction with an ethanol content of at least 20% v/v.
• kvas wort concentrate may be obtained by concentrating kvas wort or a fermented form of kvas wort to a solids content of at least 65 expressed as refractometric Brix. Such a solids content should ensure a low water activity and high acidity which may prevent microbiological contamination.
• kvas wort concentrate may have a solids content of from 68-74 refractometric Brix e.g. at least 68 refractometric Brix.
• deep fermentate refers to the product of method steps ai) and bi) of the invention which typically is a product of deeply fermenting wort and which may comprise 4-13% v/v ethanol e.g. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1 1 , 12 or 13% v/v ethanol.
• “Deep fermentation” is a fermentation process carried out with yeast wherein the yeast are allowed to utilise all available sugars (e.g. at least more than 90% of sugars).
• the sweetener as used in step (a) of the method of invention is blended with kvas wort. Typically the sweetener is easily dissolved in kvas wort.
• the sweetener can also be used in a further step f) which is discussed further below.
• the amount of sweetener to be added to step a) can be calculated based on the total volume of kvas beverage being produced in the method together with the target ethanol content.
• a model calculation is shown in Example 1.
• the mass and solids content of the kvas wort being used in the method can be used to calculate the final volume of kvas beverage which may be produced (e.g. based on a beverage comprising 1-5% wort solids).
• the volume of beverage to be produced can be decided together with the final % wort solids in the beverage and the required amount of kvas wort with a particular solids content which is needed to make that beverage can be calculated.
• This volume of beverage together with the target ethanol concentration in the beverage e.g.
• 0.5% v/v can then be used to calculate the total amount of ethanol that should be produced in the method.
• 342g of sucrose is converted into 184g of ethanol in a biochemical reaction, the amount of sweetener which needs to be added to produce the total amount of ethanol needed can easily be calculated.
• step (b) of the method of the invention the blended kvas wort of step (a) is then subjected to a fermentation step with yeast in order to reach an ethanol content of between 2.5-5% v/v and preferably between 3-4% v/v.
• the ethanol content may be at least 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, 3.1 , 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6 , 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 4.0, 4.1 , 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7,4.8, 4.9 or 5.0 % v/v.
• the yeast which can be used in this fermentation step are typically Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's and brewing cultivars) but other yeasts may also be used.
• suitable yeasts may be selected from the list comprising Saccharomyces uvarum, Saccharomyces bayanus, Saccharomyces pastorianus (also known as Saccharomyces carlsbergensis), Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous, Debaryomyces hansenii, Hanseniaspora uvarum, Kluyveromyces lactis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Pichia angusta, Pichia anomala, Brettanmyces and Torulaspora delbrueckii.
• Saccharomyces uvarum Saccharomyces bayanus
• Saccharomyces pastorianus also known as Saccharomyces carlsbergensis
• Schizosaccharomyces pombe also known as Saccharomyces carlsbergensis
• Schizosaccharomyces pombe also known as Saccharomyces carlsbergensis
• a yeast culture comprising only one yeast species or one yeast cultivar
• a mixture of different yeast may also be employed e.g. 50% S.cerevisiae baker's cultivar or brewer's cultivar and 50% S. uvarum.
• S.cerevisiae is used as the yeast culture in the methods of the invention.
• S.cerevisiae (or any other yeast) may be used in both dry and suspended forms.
• the pitching (inoculation) rate of yeast used in method step b) is preferably about 10M cell/g of preparation and in step bi) is preferably about 75M cell/g of preparation.
• the fermentation step b) may be carried out using the following conditions.
• dry yeast may be used in fermentation step b), where dry yeast may be rehydrated before inoculation.
• dry yeast may be rehydrated before inoculation.
• 10% w/w suspension of dry yeast may be prepared at a temperature of about 30°C.
• Rehydration can be carried out in water solution of fermentable carbohydrates; or in diluted or undiluted wort; or just in process water. Such a suspension may be gently mixed to ensure that all yeast is in rehydrated form. The yeast suspension is typically left for 30 minutes (e.g. at least 10, 20 or 30 minutes) and the hydrated yeast may then be added to the product of step a). Fermentation process step b) may be carried out in cylindrical-conical vessels typically used in brewing which allow aeration. Fermentation step b) may be particularly carried out at 25-30°C and preferably at 28°C. Fermentation process needs to be supported by appropriate aeration. Fermentation step b) may be stopped artificially by chilling and separating yeast when target ethanol content is achieved e.g. 2.5-5 % v/v. In fermentation step bi) (discussed in more detail further below), the yeast may decline naturally when the concentration of ethanol exceeds 8% v/v. Fermentation may take from 8 to 48 hours, depending upon specific conditions.
• the fermentation is carried out until a particular concentration of ethanol is achieved in the product.
• the ethanol % may be measured by a combination of densitometry and infrared spectroscopy and particularly, the % ethanol may be measured using Alcolyzer Beer Plus and density meter DMA 4500 (Anton Paar, Austria).
• An additional fermentation step a so-called “bacterial” fermentation step, may also be carried out in the present methods using acid producing bacteria.
• acid producing bacteria refers to bacteria capable of producing organic acids, particularly the food acids as defined elsewhere herein. Thus, acid producing bacteria are selected from acetic acid bacteria, propionic acid bacteria,
• the additional "bacterial" fermentation step is a lactobacterial fermentation step, i.e. using lactic acid bacteria.
• Such an additional bacterial, preferably lactobacterial, fermentation step may be carried out either prior to, at the same time as or after the yeast fermentation.
• Bacterial fermentation carried out at the same time as the yeast fermentation may encompass either a combined fermentation of the product of step a) (or step ai)) with both yeast and acid producing bacteria, preferably lactobacteria, or may involve splitting the product of step a) (or step ai)) and allowing yeast fermentation on one part and bacterial fermentation on the other part.
• This later fermentation may also be referred to as a parallel fermentation i.e. where separate fermentations are carried out using yeast and bacteria, preferably lactobacteria, on a split product from step a).
• yeast and bacteria preferably lactobacteria
• the yeast and bacterial fermentations are carried out separately but possibly at the same time. (Alternatively, such a split or parallel fermentation may occur at different times).
• the split fermentation products may be united or mixed again.
• the bacterial, preferably lactobacterial, fermentation step may be carried out prior to fermentation with yeast.
• the method(s) of the invention may include two fermentation steps, where one fermentation may be carried out with acid producing bacteria, preferably lactobacteria, and the other fermentation may be carried out with yeast.
• the bacterial fermentation may be carried out to produce food acids in the wort and particularly, an acidity of 0.2-0.7% w/w expressed as citric acid is preferred, particularly 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 or 0.7% w/w.
• an acidity of 0.2-0.7% w/w expressed as citric acid is preferred, particularly 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 or 0.7% w/w.
• the bacterial fermentation step is not carried out, it is possible to add food acids at the final mixing stage of the kvas beverage.
• the fermentation with acid producing bacteria is an optional step in the production of the concentrated fermented kvas wort and/or distillate/aromatic solution comprising ethanol (method steps a) to e)) (and is also optional in method steps ai) and bi)) which can be obviated by including food acids at the final mixing stage to form kvas.
• the acid producing bacteria which can be used in the optional fermentation step may be lactobacteria, Bifidobacteria, propionic acid bacteria or acetic acid bacteria.
• the lactobacteria may be selected from the list comprising Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus amylolyticus, Lactobacillus amylovorus, Lactobacillus alimentarius, Lactobacillus aviaries, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus curvatus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus farciminis, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus gallinarum, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus hilgardii, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, Lac
• Lactobacillus salivarius Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, Lactobacillus zeae, Lactococcus lactis, Leuconostoc citreum, Leuconostoc lactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pediococcus acidilactici, Pediococcus dextrinicus, Pediococcus pentosaceus and Streptococcus thermophiles.
• Pediococcus salivarius Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis
• Lactobacillus zeae Lactococcus lactis
• Leuconostoc citreum Leuconostoc lactis
• Leuconostoc mesenteroides Lactococcus acidilactici
• Pediococcus dextrinicus Pediococcus pentosaceus
• Streptococcus thermophiles In a particularly
• the lactobacteria may be Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus casei or Lactobacillus brevis.
• the acetic acid bacteria may be selected from the list comprising Gluconoacetobacter hansenii, Gluconoacetobacter intermedius, Gluconoacetobacter liquefaciens, Gluconoacetobacter xylinus, Gluconobacter cerinus, Gluconobacter oxydans, Acetobacter cerevisiae, Acetobacter pasteurianus and Acetobacter oeni.
• An example of a propionic acid bacteria suitable for use in the methods of the invention is Propionibacterium freudenreichii.
• Bifidobacteria may be selected from the list comprising Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Bifidobacterium animalis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium breve and Bifidobacterium longum.
• the fermentation may be carried out using the vessels, temperatures and times discussed above with respect to the yeast fermentation step and as discussed above, an acidity of 0.2-0.7% w/w is preferably obtained from the fermentation.
• Acidity may be measured by titration of 100g or 100ml of beverage sample with 0.1 N solution of NaOH until pH 8.1 1 is achieved.
• the volume of NaOH used is automatically recalculated into concentration of citric acid present and this method is commonly used to determine acidity for many beverages produced in the industry e.g. by Coca-Cola.
• Acidity is often expressed as ml of 0.1 N or 1 N NaOH required for titration until pH 8.1 1.
• Step (c) of the method of the invention requires the separation of yeast after the fermentation process has been completed.
• Separation may be carried out by filtration but preferably separation is by centrifugation after the fermentation step or steps. Any other means of separating yeast can also be employed e.g. decanting the liquid product of the fermentation process from the precipitated yeast after chilling to about 4°C. A combination of separation techniques may also be used in step c), particularly, a step of centrifugation may be followed by filtration e.g. membrane filtration, in order to remove any residual microorganisms left over from the first separation step.
• separation e.g. by centrifugation, may be followed by pasteurisation to ensure the elimination of residual microorganisms.
• centrifugation may be preferably employed to separate yeast from the fermentation product of step (b).
• Such centrifugation can typically be carried out using industrial sized centrifuges to process approximately 20000-30000 l/hour. Typical separation equipment is supplied by GEA Westfalia or Alfa Laval.
• the product of step b) is chilled before any step of centrifugation is carried out.
• the product of step b) may be chilled to less than 10°C where such conditions may inactivate yeast.
• filters or membranes may be used if filtration is employed to separate yeast from the fermentation product, including pre-made filtration media such as sheets.
• a fine powder for example diatomaceous earth
• the filters/membranes may be rough, or fine, but, preferably the filters/membranes are sufficiently fine to enable at least 5 -log reduction of the yeast from the fermentation product.
• the selection of a suitable filter is well within the competency of someone skilled in this field.
• a typical membrane/filter pore size may be 0.45 microns. It will be appreciated that filters are manufactured and marketed as having a particular pore size but the
• Step (d) of the method of the invention requires the distillation of the fermented separated wort product of step (c) which may be the filtrate if filtration was employed as a means of separating yeast or the supernatant if a step of centrifugation was employed as a means of separating yeast.
• a distillation column with plates or with packing may be used in step d). It is possible to obtain a higher concentration of ethanol in the distillate by increasing the number of plates in the column.
• the distillation process allows the concentration of fermented kvas wort, particularly to a solids content of at least 65 % w/w measured as refractometric Brix and preferably to a solids content of 68-74% w/w measured as refractometric Brix and also allows the separation of a liquid fraction comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol as previously discussed.
• This fraction is referred to herein as the distillate or as an aromatic solution comprising ethanol.
• the aromatic solution referred to herein contains ethanol as described hereinbefore and one or more aromatic compounds, i.e. having aroma, e.g. as described in the table below.
• Typical aromatic components in the distillate of the invention are as follows:
• step (e) i.e. heat treatment of the concentrated wort obtained in step (d).
• the heat treatment can be carried out using any heat source although in practice direct steam and/or indirect heating with a jacket or coil with heating media may be used. Typically a temperature between 1 10-130°C may be employed for 10-30 minutes. In the case of indirect heating with a jacketed heat exchanger, this may be equipped with rolling blades scrapping the internal surface to prevent local burning of concentrated wort and consequent surface fauling. This heating process enables the concentrated wort to reach the target colour and flavour profile so that it is able to be blended as discussed further below to form kvas beverage.
• the first method of the invention results in the production of a concentrated fermented kvas wort and an aromatic solution (or distillate) comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol which may be mixed to form kvas beverage.
• a further step of mixing the concentrated fermented kvas wort and aromatic solution comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol, together with water (which may be obtained from earlier process steps), sweetener and optionally food acids may be carried out.
• the invention therefore provides a method for the production of kvas beverage comprising the steps of:
• the mixing step f) involves the mixing of the heat treated concentrated wort (or alternatively viewed the concentrated fermented kvas wort), water and sweetener e.g. sugar or glucose and/or fructose syrup as detailed above.
• the mixing step may be undertaken in any suitable tank with an impeller or circulation pump where ingredients may be dosed manually or with the aid of any type of automation.
• the sweetener e.g. sugar or glucose syrup
• the final product may contain from 1 to 3% solids from sugar or equivalent sweetener.
• the final product may contain from 4 to 8% solids of which 1 -3% is from sugar and 1 -5% is from concentrated fermented kvas wort.
• the rest of the final product (preferably from 92-96%) may be water where the water may or may not be obtained from earlier processing steps.
• food acids are only included in the final mixing step if an earlier fermentation with bacteria, preferably lactobacteria, was not carried out. Food acids may also be included if only a partial bacterial fermentation was carried out e.g. if insufficient acids were produced by the fermentation. Food acids which may be added in mixing step f) are edible organic acids and particularly include lactic acid. Citric, acetic, tartaric and malic acids may also be used. One or more of the food acids may be used in the final mixing step e.g. a combination of acids can be used if desired. Such food acids are commercially available.
• the food acids are added to reach an acidity of between 0.05-0.25% w/v (particularly 0.05- 0.25 %w/v expressed as citric acid), particularly between 0.1 -0.2% w/v.
• the food acids may not be included in the mixing step f) if a further fermentation step is included in the method using acid producing bacteria, preferably lactobacteria.
• the aromatic solution is also mixed in step f), preferably after the initial mixing of the heat treated concentrated wort, water, sugar and optional food acids.
• the aromatic solution is added to reach an ethanol content which is preferably within the range of 0.4-1 %, but may be up to 1.2%.
• Kvas final beverage may however be produced by 2 conventional methods of beverage industry.
• the beverage can be mixed directly to single strength (4.5 -10 apparent Brix e.g. 5-10, 6-10, 7-10 ,8-10, 5-9, 6-9, 7-9, 5-8, 6-8) as described above.
• it can be made through an intermediate final syrup which includes all ingredients but only a fraction of water (syrup water).
• the fraction of water used to produce the syrup is termed "syrup water”.
• This final syrup may contain 15-50% of solids e.g. 20-40, 20-35, 20-30, 30-40, 35-40% and thus alternatively viewed is a more concentrated form of kvas.
• the final syrup may be mixed with still or carbonated water (beverage water) using special equipment referred to as proportioner.
• the mixing ratio may vary from 2 to 6 volume of water per 1 part of syrup e.g. 3, 4, 5 volumes of water.
• the invention therefore further provides a method of making a syrup which can be diluted with still or carbonated water to form kvas, comprising at least steps a) to e) above, and preferably steps a) to f) to produce a syrup with 15-50% solids content.
• Syrup or beverage may be additionally treated by bubbling of sterile air to reduce
• the invention also provides a method for producing a syrup which can be diluted with still or carbonated water to form kvas comprising the steps of a) blending kvas wort with sweetener,
• step f) for producing the syrup is known as " syrup water”.
• beverage quality water is used for the mixing.
• Total water refers to the whole amount of water used for mixing of final beverage.
• the fraction of total water used for mixing of a syrup intended for further dilution is referred to as “syrup water”.
• the fraction of total water used for dilution of syrup to final beverage is referred to as "beverage water”.
• the total water in the final beverage may comprise syrup water plus beverage water. If final beverage is mixed directly from ingredients, i.e. not via the syrup intermediate, the total amount of water may be used in that mixing step.
• Beverage quality water refers to water which meets all safety requirements and in which alkalinity is preferably reduced below 85 ppm expressed as CaC0 3 . Beverage quality water may therefore have been purified e.g. by filtration or UV radiation, to remove impurities such as unwanted minerals or organic materials. Beverage quality water has preferably been subjected to steps such as enhanced filtration to remove pathogenic organisms, disinfection (provides a secondary barrier against microorganisms), carbon purification and/or polishing filtration. Preferably, the total water, i.e. the beverage water and syrup water is of beverage quality. Further steps may be included within the method for the production of kvas beverage, including steps of carbonating the beverage and/or pasteurising the beverage.
• the beverage may also be bottled or alternatively packaged into kegs (beer draft containers).
• Steps of preparing the kvas wort used in step a) may also be employed in the first method of the invention. Such steps are discussed above in relation to "kvas wort”.
• the first method of producing kvas of the present invention allows production of a heat treated concentrated wort and an aromatic solution which can be mixed to form the final beverage (or a syrup) without the need for fermentation equipment.
• step ai) requires the blending of kvas wort concentrate with sweetener and water to produce a wort with 15-40%, e.g.15- 34%, solids content (preferably 17-30% solids content), bi) requires fermenting the product of step ai) with yeast to preferably obtain 4-13% v/v ethanol and ci) requires separation of yeast from the product of bi).
• the kvas wort concentrate used in step ai) may be obtained using the initial stages of the prior art industrial method for kvas production e.g. by the concentration of kvas wort to a solids content of at least 65 % measured as refractometric Brix and by the heating of said product.
• the heating step may be carried out at 1 10-130°C for 10-30 minutes to produce kvas wort concentrate.
• Kvas wort concentrate as used in step ai) is also commercially available, for example from CJSC "ATRUS", Rostov town, Yaroslavl Region, Russia or from CJSC "Kostroma Starch and Molasses factory", Borshchino village, Kostroma Region, Russia.
• the amount of kvas wort concentrate used in the blending mix depends on whether the final mixing step involves the addition of any unfermented kvas wort concentrate. If as discussed below, 95% of the kvas wort concentrate solids are added as unfermented kvas wort concentrate during the final mixing step, then the amount of kvas wort concentrate used in the initial blending step (step ai)) will typically be sufficient to contribute 5% w/w of the solids in the final beverage. Generally, the kvas wort concentrate used in the blending step ai) may be sufficient to contribute from 1-5% of the solids in the final beverage.
• the amount of kvas wort concentrate used in step ai) may be calculated depending on the desired volume of the final beverage, the desired % of wort solids in the final beverage, the wort solids content of the kvas wort concentrate and the amount of unfermented kvas wort concentrate to be added in the final mixing step.
• the kvas wort concentrate used in step ai) may typically have a solids content of 68-73% e.g. 70-72%.
• the sweetener as used in step ai) is as already discussed above, e.g. may be any sugar source.
• the amount of sweetener used in step ai) may be typically 15% e.g. 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25% of the total amount of sweetener used in the complete method for producing kvas beverage.
• the amount of sweetener used is calculated based on the target ethanol content of the fermentate after fermentation. As discussed below and previously, it is preferred that the fermentate for this method comprises from 4-13% v/v ethanol. It is possible to calculate from this the amount of sweetener e.g. sucrose required to produce the necessary % ethanol. This is well within the competency of a skilled person.
• sucrose may be converted into 184kg of ethanol. It is possible therefore to calculate the amount of sweetener required to produce any amount of ethanol. A small excess of sweetener (approximately 10%) may be further included in the reaction since the yeast consume sugar also for metabolic processes other than ethanol production. As discussed further below, sweetener is also generally added during the mixing step for final beverage production for taste consideration, where the amount added is usually within the range of 1 -3% w/w of the final product.
• Water is also included in the blending step ai) to achieve a kvas wort concentrate with a solids content of 15-40% (preferably 15-34% and even more preferably 19-30%) e.g. 15-35, 15-36, 15-37, 15-38, 15-39, 15-30, 15-29, 15-28, 15- 27, 15-26, 15-25, 16-39, 16-38, 16-37, 16-35, 16-30, 16-29, 16-28, 16-27, 17-39, 17-38, 17-37, 17-35, 17-30, 17-29, 17-28, 17-27, 18-39, 18-38, 18-37, 18-36, 18-34, 18-33, 18-30, 18-29, 18-28, 18-27, 19-39, 19-38, 19-36, 19-37, 19-35, 20-39 20-38, 20-37, 20-30, 20-29, 20-28, 20-27, 21-39, 21-38, 21 -37, 21-
• a solids content of 30% may be used.
• the water quantity can be calculated based on the amount of sweetener, amount of kvas wort concentrate and target solids for the preparation. As discussed previously, the amount of sweetener may be calculated based on required ethanol content of the fermentate and the amount of kvas wort concentrate may be taken at the level of 5% of the dosage in the final beverage (as the fermentate will constitute 5% of the final beverage).
• kvas wort concentrate required for the fermentation is as follows. Thus, if it is required for taste considerations to have 2% of kvas wort concentrate solids in the final beverage, in 1000kg of final beverage there will be 20kg of solids from the wort concentrate. Additionally, assuming that available kvas wort concentrate contains 70% solids then the actual amount of concentrate is 20/0.7 - 28.6 kg in the final beverage. As approximately 5% of this amount may be used for the fermentate production, 1 .43kg will be required to be blended in step ai) for the fermentation reaction. As discussed further below however, at least 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 95 or 100% of the kvas wort concentrate used in the method may be employed in step ai).
• This method is therefore not limited to the use of only 5% of the total amount of kvas wort concentrate in step ai).
• 100% of the kvas wort concentrate is used in step ai) (and thus no unfermented kvas wort concentrate is added during a later mixing step)
• 28.6kg of kvas wort concentrate would be used for the blending step in the example provided.
• the solid content in the preparation should be preferably less than 30%.
• setting the target ethanol concentration in the final beverage at 0.5% the target ethanol content in the deep fermentate may be determined at 5% v/v. From this the amount of added sugar and water may be calculated using the method of biochemical reaction described above.
• the amount of water added therefore depends on the initial concentration and amount of the kvas wort concentrate and sugar used in the method.
• the solids content of the kvas wort concentrate may be measured by refractometry and/or densitometry.
• a refractometric method is used because it may be simpler to perform (no dilution is required) and provides technical precision.
• Step bi) of the method involves the fermentation of the product of step ai) with yeast to preferably obtain 4-13% v/v ethanol e.g. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1 1 , 12 or 13% v/v ethanol or 4-12, 4-1 1 , 4-10, 4-9, 4-8, 5-12, 5-10, 5-9, 5-8, 6-12, 6-1 1 , 6-10, 6-9, 7-12, 7-1 1 , 7-10, 7-9, 8-12, 8-1 1 , 8-10,% v/v ethanol.
• Particularly the highest ethanol concentration possible is reached although yeast numbers generally start to decline after 10% ethanol is reached. Ethanol concentration can be measured as discussed previously above.
• the yeast which can be used in the fermentation are as already discussed above in relation to method steps a) to e).
• dry yeast may be used in fermentation step bi) where dry yeast may be rehydrated before inoculation.
• dry yeast may be rehydrated before inoculation.
• preferably 10% w/w suspension of dry yeast may be prepared at a temperature of 30°C.
• Rehydration can be carried out in water solution of fermentable
• Such a suspension may be gently mixed to ensure complete rehydration of the yeast.
• the suspension may be left for at least 10, 20 or 30 minutes (preferably 30 minutes) and then may be added to the product of step ai).
• the fermentation may be carried out in cylindrical-conical vessels typically used in the brewing industry, which allow aeration. Fermentation step bi) may be particularly carried out at 25-30°C and more particularly at 28°C and may take from 8 to 48 hours depending on specific conditions.
• a deep fermentation step is preferably carried out in step bi), which generally allows the yeast to utilise all the fermentable sweetener present e.g. at least more than 90% of the fermentable sweetener may be utilised.
• the fermentation process needs to be supported by appropriate aeration.
• the fermentation may not be artificially terminated until the target ethanol content has been reached, although termination of the fermentation may be artificially employed, e.g. by chilling, when the yeast begin to lyse which may result in an unpleasant taste occurring in the final beverage.
• a 4-13% v/v ethanol concentration is obtained by using an appropriate amount of sweetener in blending step ai) (discussed above) to allow the production of the required ethanol concentration by yeast.
• an additional fermentation step may also be carried out in the present method using acid producing bacteria, preferably lactobacteria.
• the method may include two fermentation steps, where one fermentation is carried out with bacteria and the other fermentation step is carried out with yeast.
• parallel fermentation may be carried out in this method, where one part of the product of step ai) may be subjected to a bacterial fermentation and the second part of the product of step ai) may be subjected to a yeast fermentation.
• it may be preferable to ferment using acid producing bacteria, preferably lactobacteria to reach an acidity of 0.2-0.7% w/w expressed as citric acid and then to concentrate this product to an acidity of 1.5-2% e.g. by evaporation.
• This fermentate should preferably be pasteurized to ensure at least 5-log reduction of the acid producing bacteria.
• the products of the yeast and bacterial parallel fermentations may then be mixed together as discussed previously.
• the fermentation with bacteria is an optional step in the production of the fermented kvas wort concentrate which can be avoided by including food acids in the final mixing stage.
• step bi The product of the yeast fermentation of step bi) comprises most of the sensorial properties of kvas beverage and only a final mixing step is hence required to produce the final kvas beverage.
• a separation step (step ci)) should also be carried out prior to mixing to remove yeast and other insoluble matter, as discussed above in relation to step c).
• the final mixing step involves the mixing of the product of step bi) with unfermented kvas wort concentrate, sweetener, water and optionally food acids (if a bacterial fermentation step has not been carried out previously).
• the unfermented kvas wort concentrate used in any such a mixing step may be the same kvas wort concentrate as was used in step ai) of the method of the invention and is preferably a kvas wort concentrate produced using the same initial grist ingredients as the kvas wort concentrate in step ai) e.g. produced with the same carbohydrate source.
• the amount of unfermented kvas wort concentrate used in any final mixing step may vary from 95% to 0% of the total amount of kvas wort concentrate used in the method of production.
• this calculates as 28.6 kg of kvas wort concentrate per 1000kg of final beverage.
• 95% of kvas wort concentrate may be used in the final mixing step i.e. 27.17 kg of kvas wort concentrate in this example.
• the final mixing step can require the mixing of any % of unfermented kvas wort concentrate depending on the % kvas wort concentrate used in step ai).
• 95, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 or 0% of the total amount of kvas wort concentrate used can be mixed in the final beverage production. If all of the required kvas wort concentrate is used in step ai), it is possible that no kvas wort concentrate will be added at the final mixing step.
• the amount of unfermented kvas wort concentrate added at this stage is dependent on that added at step ai) (and on the required % kvas wort concentrate solids in the final beverage).
• a sweetener is usually mixed at this stage to form kvas beverage.
• the sweetener may be any sugar source as previously discussed and the amount added is usually 1-3% of the solids amount e.g. 2-3%, determined by the desired sweetness of the final beverage product.
• a sugar syrup may be used e.g. of 63-66 Brix, typically 64-65% Brix.
• Food acids are only included in the final blending step if an earlier fermentation step with acid producing bacteria, preferably lactobacteria, is not carried out as discussed previously. The comments made above in relation to food acids apply equally here. Thus, food acids which may be added in the final blending step include lactic, malic, acetic, tartaric and/or citric acid.
• the final mixing step results in the production of a beverage with an ethanol content of approximately 0.5%, e.g. from 0.4 to 1.2%.
• the kvas final beverage may comprise from 1-5% kvas wort concentrate solids, e.g. from 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 2-5, 2-4, 2-3% and particularly 2%
• the mixed product may further be filtered or centrifuged to remove undissolved solids from unfermented kvas wort concentrate used during the mixing step. Filtration may be carried out using a simple bag or cartridge filter and centrifugation may be carried out using an industrial continuous stream centrifuge with a capacity of about 2000-30000 l/hour.
• the beverage may further be carbonated, pasteurised and bottled.
• Kvas final beverage may however be produced by 2 conventional methods of beverage industry.
• the beverage can be mixed directly to single strength (4.5 -10 apparent Brix e.g. 5-10, 6-10, 7-10 ,8-10, 5-9, 6-9, 7-9, 5-8, 6-8) as described above.
• it can be made through intermediate final syrup which includes all ingredients but only a fraction of water.
• This final syrup may contain 15-50% of solids e.g. 20-40, 20-35, 20-30, 30-40, 35-40%.
• the syrup may thus be alternatively viewed as a concentrated form of kvas.
• final syrup may be subjected to filtration or centrifugation treatment as described above.
• At bottling final syrup may be mixed with still or carbonated water using special equipment referred to as proportioner.
• the mixing ratio may vary from 2 to 6 or 2 to 10 volume of water per 1 part of syrup e.g. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 volumes of water.
• the invention therefore further provides a method for making a syrup which can be diluted with still or carbonated water to form kvas, comprising steps ai) to ei) below to produce a syrup with 15-50% solids content.
• Syrup or beverage may be additionally treated by bubbling of sterile air to reduce undesirable off-notes.
• the invention also encompasses a method for the production of kvas beverage comprising the steps of :
• kvas wort concentrate with sweetener and water to produce kvas wort concentrate with 15- 40%, e.g.15-34%, solids content
• step ai) fermenting product of step ai) with yeast to obtain 4-13% v/v ethanol, ci) separating yeast from product of bi),
• the water use in mixing step di) is preferably beverage quality water as discussed above.
• the invention provides a method for producing a syrup which can be diluted with still or carbonated water to form kvas comprising the steps of
• step ai) fermenting product of step ai) with yeast to obtain 4-13% v/v ethanol, ci) separating yeast from product of bi),
• steps ai) and bi) or ai) to ei) may also include steps of producing the kvas wort concentrate from the prior art method and as already discussed previously.
• the deep fermentate (fermentate comprising 4-13% ethanol) as produced by the methods discussed above can be used to produce kvas beverage.
• the present invention provides a method for producing kvas beverage comprising the step of mixing concentrated fermented kvas wort with sweetener, water and optionally food acids and an aromatic solution comprising at least 20% v/v ethanol.
• the present invention provides a method for producing kvas beverage comprising the step of mixing a fermentate of a wort comprising 4-13% v/v ethanol with sweetener and water and optionally food acids and/or unfermented kvas wort concentrate.
• said concentrated fermented kvas wort is obtainable by method steps a) to e) as previously described i.e. by a) blending kvas wort with sweetener, b) fermenting product of a) with yeast to provide an ethanol content of 2.5-5% v/v , c) separating yeast from product of b), d) distilling fermented separated wort product of c) to produce a concentrated wort with a solids content of at least 65% measured as refractometric Brix and e) heat treating wort concentrate.
• said deep fermentate when said deep fermentate is mixed with sweetener, water e.g. beverage quality water and optionally food acids and/or unfermented kvas wort concentrate, preferably said deep fermentate is obtainable by method steps ai) and bi) as described previously i.e. ai) by blending kvas wort concentrate with sweetener and water to produce wort with 15-40%, e.g. 15-34%, solids content and bi) fermenting product of step ai) with yeast to obtain 4-13% v/v ethanol.
• the sweetener and water amounts to be mixed in the method of producing a kvas beverage are as already discussed previously for methods involving steps a) to e) and ai) and ci). Further, as already discussed above, the sweetener may be any type of sugar source.
• food acids may only be required to be added if an additional step of fermentation by acid producing bacteria, preferably
• lactobacteria has not been carried out.
• the amounts of food acids and types of food acids which may be blended to produce kvas beverage have already been discussed above.
• a concentrated fermented kvas wort obtainable by method steps a) to e) is encompassed, and a fermentate obtainable by method steps ai) to ci) is encompassed.
• kvas beverage obtainable by method steps a) to f) or by method steps ai) to ei) as discussed above is encompassed.
• the kvas beverage produced by steps ai) to ei) may comprise 9- 1 1 % (e.g. 10-1 1 %) of deep fermentate with 4-6% v/v ethanol (e.g. 5% v/v), 6-8% sugar syrup of 64-65 Brix (e.g. 7-8% sugar syrup), 0.06-0.07% Lactic acid 80-90% (e.g. 85-90, 86-89, or 88%), 0.05-0.07% Acetic acid 60-80% (e.g. 65-75% or 70%), syrup water 3-6% (e.g. 4-5%) and beverage water 75-80% (e.g. 77-79%), where the % are % w/w in the final beverage.
• kvas beverage produced by steps ai) to ei) may comprise:
• volatiles particularly diacetyl at 100-400, 150-300 or 200-250 ppb, e.g. 244 ppb, pentanedione at 30-150, 40-100, 50-60 or 50-80 ppb, e.g. 51 ppb, ethyl acetate at 0.5-5.0, 0.5-1.5, 0.5-1.0, 0.8-1 .0, 0.9-1.1 , 1.0-1.2, 1.0-1.1 , 1.0-1.3 or 1.0- 5.0 ppm, e.g. 1.0 ppm, propanol at 3.0-30.0, 5.0-7.0, 6.0-7.0, 6.2-6.8 or 6.6-6.8 ppm, e.g.
• organic acids particularly pyruvate at 0.01-1.0, 0.01-0.1 , 0.01 -0.05, 0.02- 0.05, 0.03-0.05 or 0.04-0.06 g/l, e.g. 0.05 g/l, malate at 0.1-5.0, 0.3-0.6, 0.4-0.6 or 0.5-0.8 g/l, e.g. 0.57 g/l, acetate at 0.05-0.5 or 0.1 -0.5 g/l, e.g. 0.12 g/l, lactate at 0.05-5.0, 0.6-0.8 or 0.6-0.9 g/l, e.g. 0.63 g/l, succinate at 0.05-5.0, 0.5-0.8 or 0.6 g/l, e.g. 0.64 g/l.
• fermentable sugars particularly fructose at 0.05-5.0, 2.0-2.1 or 2.1 -2.2 g/l, e.g. 2.1 g/l, glucose at 0.05-5.0 or 2.2-2.3 g/l, e.g. 2.3 g/l, saccharose at 10- 100, 2-80, 30-60, 45-46 or 46-47 g/l, e.g. 46.0 g/l, maltose at 0.05-15.0, 1 .0-10.0, 3.0-7.0, 5.8-5.9 or 5.9-6.0 g/l, e.g. 5.9 g/l.
• the kvas beverage produced by steps ai) to ei) may have the following physical properties: density of 0.1-5.0 g/cm 3 , e.g. 1.0248 g/cm 3 , alcohol of 0.1-1.2 %v/v, e.g. 0.54 %v/v, alcohol of 0.1-1.0 %w/w, e.g. 0.42%w/w, apparent extract 1.0-10.0 °P, e.g. 6.74°P, real extract 1.0-10.0 °P, e.g. 6.94 °P).
• the kvas beverage produced by steps ai) to ei) comprises 9-1 1 % of deep fermentate with 4-6% v/v ethanol, 6-8% sugar syrup of 64-65 Brix, 0.06-0.07% Lactic acid 80-90%, 0.05-0.07% Acetic acid 60- 80%, syrup water 3-6% and beverage water 75-80%, where the % are % w/w in the final beverage.
• Figure 1 shows a flow chart demonstrating the prior art industrial process for kvas manufacturing. Steps include cereal cooking, mashing, filtration, and concentration/cooking to produce kvas wort concentrate. Kvas wort concentrate is then blended and fermentation of the kvas preparation is carried out to produce final kvas beverage.
• Figure 2 shows a flow chart demonstrating the entire production method for kvas beverage of the present invention.
• production of kvas wort is the same as in the prior art method.
• kvas wort is subjected to fermentation prior to the final blending step for kvas beverage.
• distillation of the fermentation product allows the formation of a concentrate and distillate which can be blended at a later time to form kvas beverage.
• Figure 3 shows a flow chart demonstrating the production method for kvas beverage of the present invention.
• Production involves blending kvas wort concentrate with sugar/glucose syrup and water and fermentation with yeast to produce a product with 4-13% ethanol content.
• This product can finally be blended with unfermented kvas wort concentrate, sugar/glucose syrup, water and optionally food acids to form kvas beverage.
• Figure 4.1 shows a flow chart demonstrating an example blending process of the present invention.
• Kvas wort concentrate KWC
• KWC Kvas wort concentrate
• Figure 4.2 shows a fermentation diagram. This graph shows the change in Brix , pH and ethanol levels in the blend over fermentation time.
• Figure 4.3 shows a flow chart demonstrating the filling process.
• the deep fermentate may be further pasteurised before being filled in aseptic Bag-in- Box (BIB) containers are filled.
• BIOB aseptic Bag-in- Box
• Figure 4.4 is a picture of aseptic filing of the BIB containers which can hold the deep fermentate.
• Example 1 Laboratory batch produced by distillation method
• Dry Yeast Safkvas C-79 (supplier Fermentis division of LeSaffre group, France)
• sucrose is preferred nutrient for yeast.
• Initial quantity of heavy wort is 4000 g.
• Fermented concentrate was later heat treated in closed glass bottle in Fedegari autoclave at 120°C 2 times for 5 min. Product was rigorously shaken between treatment cycles. g) Mixing of 3 I final beverage.
• Final syrup is diluted with carbonated water with ratio 1 to 2.
• Example 2 Production of laboratory batch using deep fermentation method with 5% of kvas wort concentrate is deep fermentate
• Kvas wort concentrate made from fermented rye malt, barley malt and corn flour with 70.1 % solids measured as refractometric Brix and acidity 1.00% w/w as citric acid
• Dry Yeast Safkvas C-79 (supplier Fermentis division of LeSaffre group, France)
• This deep fermentate should provide all ethanol in final beverage. Since only 5% of kvas wort concentrate is used in fermentate, it should constitute about 5% of final product. Setting target ethanol content in final beverage 0.5% v/v, it is possible to calculate target ethanol in deep fermentate as 10% v/v.
• the target content of ethanol is therefore 0.3 I or 0.237 kg assuming density as 0.789 kg/I.
• the content of living cells is 6 * 10 9 per g of dry yeast.
• the flask was closed with gas transparent stopper. Flask was incubated at 28 C under continuous shaking. Material was not aerated but was continuously shaken during
• Density (Plato degree (gr solids/1 OOgr wort) , extracts & ethanol are measured with Anton Paar Beer Alcolyzer combined with density meter DMA 4500.
• VOC volatile organoleptic compounds
• VOC are measured by headspace gas chromatography (GC-HS)
• GC-HS headspace gas chromatography
• Example 3 Production of laboratory batch using deep fermentation method with 100% of kvas wort concentrate is deep fermentate
• Kvas wort concentrate made from fermented rye malt, barley malt and rye flour with 71 .5% solids measured as densitometric Brix and acidity 2.15% w/w as citric acid Granulated Sugar
• This deep fermentate should provide all ethanol in final beverage. For economic reason it is assumed that volume of deep fermentate should not exceed 10% of final beverage volume. Therefore from 3 I of deep fermenate 30 I of final beverage should be produced. Due to composition of kvas wort concentrate used in this experiment final beverage should contain 36.55 kg of kwas wort concentrate per 1000 I.
• target ethanol content in final beverage 0.5% v/v
• target ethanol in deep fermentate 0.15 I or 0.1 18 kg assuming density as 0.789 kg/I.
• the content of living cells is 8 * 10 9 per g of dry yeast.
• the flask was closed with gas transparent stopper. Flask was incubated at 28 C under continuous shaking. Material was not aerated but was continuously shaken during
• Final syrup is diluted with carbonated water with ratio 1 to 4.
• Example 4 Production of industrial batch using deep fermentation method with 100% of kvas wort concentrate converted into deep fermentate The purpose of experiment was to assess full supply chain of new method and test final product against conventional competitive product.
• Kvas wort concentrate made from fermented rye malt, barley malt and rye flour with 71 .5% solids measured as densitometric Brix and acidity 1.58% w/w as citric acid (supplier JSC ATRUS, Russia)
• Acetic Acid, glacial, food grade (supplier CJSC Severodonetskoye ob'edineniye Azot, Ukraine)
• Yeast separation was initiated when ethanol content in deep fermentate reached 5.38% v/v. Separation was undertaken using industrial beer separator GEA Westphalia at fermentation temperature (28-29 C). The amount of residual cells after separation was determined at 15000 per ml. After yeast separation deep fermentate was immediately chilled down to 8 C and pumped into storage tank. The final measurement taken after separation found ethanol at 5.57% and apparent solids at 19.05 Brix. d) Packaging of deep fermentate for delivery to bottling plant 1000 I Aseptic Bag-in-Box supplied by Scholle is selected as transport package for deep fermentate. There two key advantages of this package for this particular application: it is relatively light and does not require return from customer back to producer. Both are very important for long distance delivery involving customs clearence.
• pasteurisation Since deep fermentate after separation contains limited amount of residual yeast pasteurisation step is needed to ensure long term microbiological stability.
• the following condition is selected for pasteurisation : 96-99 C for 30 sec.
• Pasteurisation is undertaken with Alpha-Laval equipment. To avoid excessive foaming at filler silicon-base antifoam is added to deep fermentate before pasteurisation step.
• New-3 K&B 150 respondents per New-3 K&B and 120 respondents per each of others New-3 K&B is higher at 0.95 sig. level New-3 K&B is on par

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• 2011
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• 2012
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