AU1852199A

AU1852199A - Alternative method for processing fruit for juice and wine making

Info

Publication number: AU1852199A
Application number: AU18521/99A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Donald Bruce Buchanan
Original assignee: Buchanan Wines P L
Current assignee: Buchanan Wines Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1999-03-03
Filing date: 1999-03-03
Publication date: 2000-09-07

Description

Australia Patents Act 1990 Complete Specification Standard Patent An alternative method for processing fruit for juice and wine making.

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:

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*S Alternative Method for Processing Fruit for Juice and Wine making This invention relates to an improved method of processing fresh fruit which reduces the capital cost of equipment and or the running cost and or the floor space required: allows continuous batch processing, and a change in the style of wine and juice produced.

For centuries wine has been made by fermenting the juice of fruit in contact with the skins or by fermenting the juice separately to produce wines of different flavour and colour.

To extract the flavour, colour and tannins from red fruit and grapes in particular, for example, either high labour and energy loads are necessary to constantly remix the skins and juice during the fermentation stage to extract the skin components or expensive specialised vessels are necessary to perform the same function.

Specialised vessels are capital intensive, require a large floor area as well as many support services and are then only utilised for a very short period during the year when the fruit ripens.

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Non specialised equipment is less expensive and can be utilised for other purposes such as storage of product outside of the processing period but either requires b. much higher labour and extra equipment to use for the purpose of extraction but may not function as effectively as a means of obtaining the desired result.

The use of heat to extract the flavour and colour components prior to fermentation is not new to the fruit and wine industry, nor is the use of specialised enzymes.

Prior to this invention the whole skins and juice mixture called the mash has been heated via a secondary heating medium.

These problems are overcome by the invention described hereafter: oo All methods and equipment currently used in the manufacture of wine or for 9 processing fruit is based around utilising the total fruit components either hot or cold to dissolve and carry the desired skin components.

In one form of this invention red wine is manufactured from fresh grapes by first separating the easily removed juice proportion and then extraction of the critical components from the skins, seeds and juice left with hot water, in purpose built in line processing equipment.

The hot water used may contain the addition of allowable fruit acids, specialised enzymes and anti oxidants.

This sweet, acidified, water extract is concentrated back to the desired legal volume by the removal of the water component by one of the many recognised methods, vis. freeze concentration, reverse osmosis, vacuum concentration, falling film, rising film.

The extract is then utilised by adding it back to the original volume of juice obtained from the batch of grapes or a reduced volume to modify the quality of wine ultimately produced.

The juice and extracted component are fermented either together or separately in conventional vessels and then handled as for normally processed wine.

The water washing of the skins and pulp as fresh fruit rather than attempting to reclaim components of the skin following fermentation has quality and economic advantages, as well as increases the recovery of useable components.

0000* In another form of the invention the seeds are separated from the skins prior to hot water extraction steps. Each extract which yields different but valuable phenolic extracts are concentrated individually giving greater options for modifying the juice or wine products made.

In another form of the invention the waste products from the processes can be utilised to value add for production of grape seed oil, compost, tartaric acid.

0* To assist in the understanding of the invention references will now be made to the accompanying set of drawings Figure 1. is a representation of a traditional or standard method of processing to produce red wine compared to Figure 2. which is one example where the invention is interceded in the process to produce red wine or white wine.

In the example of the invention in figure 2. traditional equipment such as Potter fermenters, Rotary fermenters, Static fermenters, and Static drainers are depicted as the method for separation of the initial juice.

Claims

1. An alternative method of manufacturing red wine consisting of hot water extraction of the skin, seeds and pulp of red grapes followed by concentration to remove the water rather than heating the total grape mash or fermenting in contact with the skins and pulp to extract the critical colour, flavour, tannin and phenolic components.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein pulpy non grape fruit is hot water extracted and concentrated for use in fresh or concentrated juice production.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein white grapes are hot water extracted and concentrated for use in juice or wine manufacture.

4. The method in claim 1 to 3 wherein the temperature and holding time of the water extraction are changed to vary the extract produced. 9

5. The method in claim 1 to 4 wherein the water used is modified with the addition of fruit acids, anti oxidants, enzymes and oak products to vary the extract produced.

6. The method in claim 1 to 5 wherein the extract produced is concentrated utilising a different type of equipment, to produce a variation in the extract produced.

7. The method in claim 1 to 6 wherein the extract produced is added back to a different volume of juice than would be the case under normal conditions of yield per weight of fruit.

8. The Method in claim 1 to7 wherin the extract produced is created by using existing equipment which has been reconfigured and used in combinations to create the condition requireds.

9. The method in claim 1 to 8 wherin the process is utilised to recover and handle mouldy, diseased, or physically damaged fruit to produce improved wine or juice.