WO2025233414A1

WO2025233414A1 - Low carb beer and low carb beer concentrate

Info

Publication number: WO2025233414A1
Application number: PCT/EP2025/062525
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eric Richard Brouwer; Zita OCSKAY
Original assignee: Heineken Supply Chain BV
Current assignee: Heineken Supply Chain BV
Priority date: 2024-05-07
Filing date: 2025-05-07
Publication date: 2025-11-13
Anticipated expiration: 2026-11-07

Abstract

The invention relates to an alcoholic beer with a low carbohydrate content, said beer comprising: · 2-12% ABV ethanol; · 0-5 g/L of carbohydrates; · 3-100 mg/L of free amino acids. The invention also relates to an alcoholic beer concentrate with a low carbohydrate content, said beer concentrate comprising: · at least 15 wt.% ethanol; · 0-80 milligrams of carbohydrate per gram of ethanol; · 0.05-2 milligrams of free amino acids per gram of ethanol. Also provided is a method of preparing an alcoholic beer isolate, said method comprising passing a quantity of the beer through a column packed with reversed-phase sorbent to produce an aqueous effluent containing carbohydrates; and passing a quantity of ethanolic liquid through said column to produce an ethanolic eluate.

Description

LOW CARB BEER AND LOW CARB BEER CONCENTRATE

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an alcoholic beer with a reduced carbohydrate content as well as to an alcoholic beer concentrate with a reduced carbohydrate content

The invention further relates to a method of preparing an alcoholic beer isolate by:

• passing a quantity of beer through the column packed with reversed-phase sorbent to produce an aqueous effluent containing carbohydrates;

• passing a quantity of ethanolic liquid containing 50-100 wt.% ethanol and 0-50 wt.% water through the column packed with the reversed-phase sorbent to produce an ethanolic eluate.

The invention also provides a process of preparing an alcoholic beer or an alcoholic beer concentrate by combining at least a part of the aforementioned ethanolic eluate with an aqueous liquid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Beer is a universally popular beverage, consumed worldwide. Beer is commonly produced by a process that comprises the following basic steps: mashing a mixture of grain and water to produce a mash; separating the mash in wort and spent grain; boiling the wort in the presence of, to produce a boiled wort; fermenting the boiled wort with live yeast to produce a fermented wort; subjecting the fermented wort to one or more further process steps (e.g. maturation and filtration) to produce beer; and packaging the beer in a sealed container, e.g. a bottle, can or keg.

In recent years, the beer market has witnessed a significant increase in demand for low carbohydrate (‘low carb’) or ‘light’ beers. Low-carb beers differ from ordinary beers in that the concentration level of starch-derived non-fermentable carbohydrates, and hence the caloric content of the beer is reduced.

At present, there are several methods for the production of low carb beer. The first method uses addition of exogenous enzymes to the mash to convert virtually all polysaccharide components into fermentable sugars. The second method is to replace malt and cereal grain with 100% fermentable sugars, such as sucrose or glucose syrup. Yet another method is to simply dilute the beer.

WO 2006/081530 discloses a method for treating a sugar-containing beverage to lower its sugar content, comprising:

• passing a stream of a beverage into contact with a packed bed capable of selectively removing sugar from the beverage; and

• separating a sugar-diminished beverage from the packed bed.

WO 2017/077084 describes an adsorption system for accumulating flavoring substances from beer, including at least one working chamber, in which at least one sorption agent is arranged as a stationary phase.

US 5,308,631 describes a process for obtaining alcohol-free beer from an alcoholic beer, consisting of:

(a) bringing into contact an alcoholic beer with a solid adsorbent consisting of a hydrophobic zeolite to form an aqueous eluent phase and products adsorbed on said adsorbent;

(b) separating the aqueous eluent phase from the adsorbent;

(c) thermally desorbing said adsorbed products to form a desorbed phase;

(d) recovering the desorbed phase;

(e) separating the desorbed phase into an alcoholic phase and an aromatic aqueous phase; and

(f) reconstituting an alcohol-free beer by mixing the aqueous phases recovered at the end of (b) and (e).

EP-A 0 627 485 describes a process for removing unwanted components from beverages by the following successive steps:

• removing valuable flavour substances from the beverage;

• removing unwanted components from the beverage;

• dissolving the valuable flavour substances in a suitable solvent;

• adding the dissolved flavour substances back to the beverage; or removing unwanted component together with valuable flavour substances; separating the valuable flavour substances from the unwanted components; dissolving the valuable flavour substance in a suitable solvent; adding the dissolved flavour substances back to the beverage.

Along the people's pursuit of a healthy lifestyle there is an ever increasing need for convenience. The popularity of domestic appliances for preparing and dispensing carbonated beverages from concentrated syrup, such as Sodastream® has increased in recent years. These appliances produce carbonated beverages by carbonating water and mixing the carbonated water with a flavoured syrup. Given the high flexibility and convenience provided by these appliances, it would be desirable to have available beer concentrates from which low carb beer can be produced using similar appliances.

WO 2018/134285 describes a method for preparing a concentrate comprising the steps of

A) subjecting beer or cider (1) to a first concentration step to obtain a retentate (2) and a permeate (3) comprising alcohol (3a) and volatile flavour components (3b),

B) subjecting the permeate (3) to an adsorption step whereby the volatile flavour and alcohol containing permeate is passed over or through an adsorption unit,

C) recovering the flavour components (3b) from the adsorption unit in a further recuperation process

D) combining the retentate (2) with the flavour components (3b).

US 2016/230133 describes a method of preparing a concentrate from an alcoholic beverage, comprising:

• subjecting an alcoholic beverage to a membrane process by which at least some water and alcohol pass through a membrane to be part of a permeate and other components of the alcoholic beverage do not pass through the membrane and are part of a retentate;

• freezing water in the retentate to form ice; and

• removing ice from the retentate to reduce water content and form a beverage concentrate having a solids concentration of at least 30% and an alcohol concentration of 20% or less.

JP 2024 027171 describes beer taste beverages having an original extract concentration of 9.00% (m/m) or more, a total nitrogen amount of 25 mg/100 mL or more and a FAN content of 8.5 mg/100 mL or more.

EP-A 3816273 describes a fermented malt alcoholic beverage having a carbohydrate content of 0.5% by mass or less and comprising 1.0% by mass or more of polydextrose. US 2023/084750 describes a single serve capsule comprising at least two compartments, wherein a first compartment comprises a liquid beer concentrate of an alcohol-free beer and wherein a second compartment comprises an alcoholic liquid.

WO 2023/012217 describes a process of manufacturing a liquid alcoholic beer concentrate, said process comprising:

• providing a low alcohol beer having a free amino nitrogen content of 8-400 mg/L;

• removing at least 70 wt.% of the water present in the low alcohol beer;

• combining the low alcohol beer concentrate with alcoholic liquid to produce a liquid alcoholic beer concentrate having an ethanol content of 10-60 wt.%.

CN 102 095 810 describes a method for detecting furan and pyran compounds in beer, said method comprising solid phase extraction analysis with GC-MS.

US 2019/144802 describes a method of accumulating flavouring substances by passing a flavouring substance-containing fluid selected from the group of beer, beer-containing beverages, beer wort, hops, hop extract, malt water, malt beer, malt wort and brewery specific ingredients through a working chamber in which a sorption agent is arranged as a stationary phase

EP-A 3 351 613 describes a method for preparing beer concentrate, comprising the steps of:

• subjecting beer to a membrane filtration step to obtain a retentate and a permeate comprising alcohol and volatile flavour components,

• passing the volatile flavour and alcohol-containing permeate over or through an adsorption unit,

• recovering one or more of the flavour components from the adsorption unit,

• combining the retentate with the flavour components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventors have developed a novel method for the production of an alcoholic beer isolate that contains no more than a very limited amount of carbohydrates. This beer isolate can be combined with carbonated water to produce a low carb alcoholic beer. This low carb alcoholic beer, besides a very low carbohydrate content, also has a very low free amino acid content. Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention relates to an alcoholic beer with a low carbohydrate content, said beer comprising:

• 2-12% ABV ethanol;

• 0-5 g/L of carbohydrates;

• 3-100 mg/L of free amino acids.

The alcoholic beer isolate that is produced by the novel method of the present invention can also be combined with water to produce low carb beer concentrate. Thus, a second aspect of the invention relates to an alcoholic beer concentrate with a low carbohydrate content, said beer concentrate comprising:

• at least 15 wt.% ethanol;

• 0-80 milligrams of carbohydrate per gram of ethanol;

• 0.05-2 milligrams of free amino acids per gram of ethanol.

The method of producing a low carb beer concentrate according to the present invention utilizes a column packed with reversed-phase sorbent to subject alcoholic beer to reversed phase chromatography. The inventors have unexpectedly found that when alcoholic beer is passed through a column packed with reversed-phase sorbent, virtually all components that are essential to the appearance (e.g. colour and foaming) and taste of the beer, except for ethanol, are retained by the adsorbent. Ethanol, water and non-essential components, notably carbohydrates and a fraction of the free amino acids, are hardly retained by the sorbent. Furthermore, it was found that the retained components can be released very effectively by subsequently eluting the column with ethanol or aqueous ethanol. Thus, an ethanolic beer isolate is obtained that can be combined with carbonated water to produce a low carb alcoholic beer of excellent quality.

Accordingly, a third aspect of the invention relates to a method of preparing an alcoholic beer isolate, said method comprising the following successive steps:

(a) providing a beer having an ethanol content of 0-12% ABV;

(b) providing a column packed with reversed-phase sorbent;

(c) passing a quantity of the beer through the column packed with reversed-phase sorbent to produce an aqueous effluent containing carbohydrates;

(d) passing a quantity of ethanolic liquid containing 50-100 wt.% ethanol and 0-50 wt.% water through the column packed with the reversed-phase sorbent to produce an ethanolic eluate, wherein the ratio between the total volume of ethanolic liquid that is passed through the packed column and the total volume of beer that was previously passed through the same packed column is in the range of 1 :50 to 1 :10.

A fourth aspect of the invention relates to a process of preparing an alcoholic beer or an alcoholic beer concentrate, said method comprising the aforementioned method of preparing alcoholic beer isolate, followed by combining at least a part of the ethanolic eluate with an aqueous liquid.

A fifth aspect of the invention relates to a process of preparing an alcoholic beer or an alcoholic beer concentrate, said process comprising a method of preparing an alcoholic beer isolate comprising the following successive steps:

(a) providing a beer having an ethanol content of 0-12% ABV;

(b) providing a column packed with reversed-phase sorbent;

(d) passing a quantity of ethanolic liquid containing 50-100 wt.% ethanol and 0-50 wt.% water through the column packed with the reversed-phase sorbent to produce an ethanolic eluate, wherein the alcoholic beer or beer concentrate is produced by combining at least a part of the ethanolic eluate with an aqueous liquid; and wherein the ethanol in the ethanolic liquid is obtained by removing ethanol from the aqueous effluent or by removing ethanol from the beer before it is passed through the column.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the present invention relates to an alcoholic beer with a low carbohydrate content, said beer comprising:

• 2-12% ABV ethanol;

• 0-5 g/L of carbohydrates;

• 3-100 mg/L of free amino acids.

The term “beer” as used herein refers to a yeast fermented malt beverage that has optionally been hopped. Beer is commonly produced by a process that comprises the following basic steps: • mashing a mixture comprising malted barley, optionally supplementary grains and water to produce a mash;

• separating the mash in wort and spent grains;

• boiling the wort to produce a boiled wort;

• fermenting the boiled wort with live yeast to produce a fermented wort;

• subjecting the fermented wort to one or more further process steps (e.g. maturation and filtration) to produce beer; and

• packaging the beer in a sealed container, e.g. a bottle, can or keg.

Hop or hop extract is usually added during wort boiling to impart bitterness and floral, fruity flavour notes to the final beer.

Whenever reference is made herein to an amino acid, unless indicated otherwise, what is meant is the free amino acid.

Concentrations of individual free amino acids may suitably be determined by HPLC.

The term “or” as used herein should be construed as “and/or”, unless specified otherwise.

The term “a” or “an” as used herein is defined as “at least one” unless specified otherwise.

Numerical ranges expressed in the format "from x to y" are understood to include x and y.

Whenever components A and B are said to be present in a weight ratio of x, what is meant is that the concentration of component A in wt.% divided by the concentration of component B in wt.% equals x.

Ratios mentioned herein are based on weight/weight, unless indicated otherwise. Similarly, all percentages are percentages by weight (w/w) unless otherwise indicated.

When multiple preferred ranges are described in the format "from x to y" for a specific feature, it should be understood that all ranges combining the different endpoints are also contemplated.

If, for a particular component, a range of 0% to y% or less than y% is recited, said ingredient may be absent. The concentrations of individual free amino acids as referred to herein can suitably be determined using the AccOTag™ method (Waters™) - Ethylene Bridged Hybrid Cis reversed phase column; detection: MS I electrospray ionization.

The total concentration of free amino acids is calculated by summing the concentrations of the following free amino acids: alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine and valine.

The alcoholic beer of the present invention preferably has an ethanol content in the range of 2.2-8% ABV, more preferably in the range of 2.4-6% ABV and most preferably in the range of 2.6-5.5% ABV.

The carbohydrate content of the beer preferably is in the range of 0-3 g/L, more preferably in the range of 0-1 g/L and most preferably in the range of 0-0.3 g/L.

Free amino acids preferably are present in the beer in a concentration of 4-80 mg/L, more preferably of 5-60 mg/L, most preferably of 10-50 mg/L.

Preferably, the beer has a protein content of 0-1 g/L, even more preferably 0-0.05 g/L and most preferably 0-0.1 g/L. The term “protein” as used herein refers to a polymer that comprises a linear chain of at least 10 amino acid residues.

The protein that is present in the beer preferably is selected from barley protein, wheat protein, oats protein, corn protein, rice protein and combinations thereof.

According to a preferred embodiment, at least 50 wt.%, more preferably at least 70 wt.% and most preferably at least 80 wt.% of the protein present in the beer is barley protein.

The beer of the present invention preferably has a free amino nitrogen content of not more than 50 mg/L, more preferably of not more than 30 mg/L and most preferably of not more than 10 mg/L. The FAN content of a beer can suitably be determined using EBC method 9.10.1.

Tryptophan preferably constitutes at least 5 wt.%, more preferably 7-20 wt.% and most preferably 8-16 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids present in the beer. Serine preferably constitutes at least 1 wt.%, more preferably 2-12 wt.% and most preferably 2.5-8 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids present in the beer.

Aspartic acid preferably constitutes 1.2-10 wt.%, more preferably 1.5-8 wt.% and most preferably 2.0-6.0 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids present in the beer.

Arginine preferably constitutes 1.4-12 wt.%, more preferably 1.8-10 wt.% and most preferably 2.2-8 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids present in the beer.

According to a preferred embodiment, the combination of aspartic acid, glycine, serine and tryptophan constitutes at least 10 wt.%, more preferably 14-40 wt.% and most preferably 16- 32 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer.

Proline preferably constitutes less than 60 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids, more preferably 10-50 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids and most preferably 20-40 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids present in the beer.

The combination of leucine and isoleucine preferably constitutes 0.6-6 wt.%, more preferably 1-5 wt.% and most preferably 1 .5-4.5 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids present in the beer.

Preferably, the combination of alanine, isoleucine, leucine and valine constitutes 0-20 wt.%, more preferably 2-15 wt.% and most preferably 4-12 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the combination of aspartic acid, glycine, serine and tryptophan constitutes X wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer, the combination of alanine, isoleucine, leucine and valine constitutes Y wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer, and X/Y exceeds 1.0. More preferably, / is in the range of 1.5 to 10, even more preferably in the range of 2.0 to 8.0 and most preferably in the range of 2.5 to 6.0.

Preferably, the beer contains at least 10 mg/L of amyl alcohols, even more preferably 15-100 mg/L of amyl alcohols. The term ‘amyl alcohols” as used herein refers to alcohols with the fomula C5H11OH. Typical examples include pentan-1-ol, 3-methylbutan-1-ol and 2- methylbutan-1-ol. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the beer contains 0-0.1 g/L, more preferably 0-0.03, most preferably 0-0.01 g/L of fermentable sugars selected from glucose, fructose, maltose, sucrose, maltotriose and combinations thereof.

Preferably, the beer comprises 0-100 mg/L potassium, more preferably 0-50 mg/L potassium.

The beer preferably contains 3 to 80 mg/L, more preferably 5 to 50 mg/L and most preferably 6 to 40 mg/L of hop acids selected from iso-alpha acids, hydrogenated iso-alpha acids, hulupones and combinations thereof.

According to a preferred embodiment, the combination of ethanol and water constitutes at least 98 wt.%, more preferably at least 99 wt.% of the beer.

Another aspect of the invention relates to an alcoholic beer concentrate with a low carbohydrate content, said beer concentrate comprising:

• at least 15 wt.% ethanol;

• 0-80 milligrams of carbohydrate per gram of ethanol;

• 0.05-2 milligrams of free amino acids per gram of ethanol.

The present invention offers the advantage that it enables the preparation of a high concentrated alcoholic beer concentrate as the concentrate has a very low carbohydrate content and further because an essentially water-free concentrate can be produced. The alcoholic beer concentrate of the present invention preferably has an ethanol content in the range of 18-95 wt.%, more preferably in the range of 20-90 wt.%, even more preferably of 25- 80 wt.% and most preferably of 30-75 wt.%.

The carbohydrate content of the alcoholic beer concentrate preferably is in the range of 0-40 milligrams per gram of ethanol, more preferably in the range of 0-20 milligrams per gram of ethanol.

Expressed differently, the carbohydrate content of the beer concentrate preferably is in the range of 0-10 g/L, more preferably in the range of 0-5 g/L and most preferably in the range of 0-3 g/L. Free amino acids preferably are present in the beer concentrate in a concentration of 0.10-1.5 milligrams per gram of ethanol, more preferably of 0.12-1.2 milligrams per gram of ethanol and most preferably 0.15-1.0 milligrams per gram of ethanol.

Expressed differently, free amino acids preferably are present in the beer concentrate in a concentration of 20-2,000 mg/L, more preferably of 30-1 ,000 mg/L

The protein that is present in the beer concentrate preferably is selected from barley protein, wheat protein, oats protein, corn protein, rice protein and combinations thereof.

According to a preferred embodiment, at least 50 wt.%, more preferably at least 70 wt.% and most preferably at least 80 wt.% of the protein present in the beer concentrate is barley protein.

Tryptophan preferably constitutes at least 5 wt.%, more preferably 7-20 wt.% and most preferably 8-16 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids present in the beer concentrate.

Serine preferably constitutes at least 1 wt.%, more preferably 2-12 wt.% and most preferably 2.5-8 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids present in the beer concentrate.

Aspartic acid preferably constitutes 1.2-10 wt.%, more preferably 1.5-8 wt.% and most preferably 2.0-6.0 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids present in the beer concentrate.

Arginine preferably constitutes 1.4-12 wt.%, more preferably 1.8-10 wt.% and most preferably 2.2-8 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids present in the beer concentrate.

According to a preferred embodiment, the combination of aspartic acid, glycine, serine and tryptophan constitutes at least 10 wt.%, more preferably 14-40 wt.% and most preferably 16- 32 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer concentrate.

Proline preferably constitutes less than 60 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids, more preferably 10-50 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids and most preferably 20-40 wt.% of the total amount of amino acids present in the beer concentrate.

The combination of leucine and isoleucine preferably constitutes 0.6-6 wt.%, more preferably 1-5 wt.% and most preferably 1 .5-4.5 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids present in the beer. Preferably, the combination of alanine, isoleucine, leucine and valine constitutes 0-20 wt.%, more preferably 2-15 wt.% and most preferably 4-12 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer concentrate.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the combination of aspartic acid, glycine, serine and tryptophan constitutes X wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer concentrate, the combination of alanine, isoleucine, leucine and valine constitutes Y wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer concentrate, and X/Y exceeds 1.0. More preferably, / is in the range of 1.5 to 10, even more preferably in the range of 2.0 to 8.0 and most preferably in the range of 2.5 to 6.0.

Preferably, the beer concentrate contains at least 60 mg/L of amyl alcohols, even more preferably 100-2,000 mg/L of amyl alcohols. The term ‘amyl alcohols” as used herein refers to alcohols with the fomula C5H11OH. Typical examples include pentan-1-ol, 3-methylbutan-1-ol and 2-methylbutan-1-ol.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the beer concentrate contains 0-2 g/L, more preferably 0-1 , most preferably 0-0.5 g/L of fermentable sugars selected from glucose, fructose, maltose, sucrose, maltotriose and combinations thereof.

Preferably, the beer contrate comprises 0-1 g/L potassium, more preferably, 0-0.5 g/L potassium.

The beer concentrate preferably contains 20 to 1 ,600 mg/L, more preferably 40 to 1 ,200 mg/L and most preferably 80 to 800 mg/L of hop acids selected from iso-alpha acids, hydrogenated iso-alpha acids, hulupones and combinations thereof.

According to a preferred embodiment, the combination of ethanol and water constitutes at least 95 wt.%, more preferably at least 97 wt.% and most preferably at 98 wt.% of the beer concentrate.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of preparing an alcoholic beer isolate, said method comprising the following successive steps:

(a) providing a beer having an ethanol content of 0-12% ABV;

(b) providing a column packed with reversed-phase sorbent;

(c) passing a quantity of the beer through the column packed with reversed-phase sorbent to produce an aqueous effluent containing carbohydrates; (d) passing a quantity of ethanolic liquid containing 50-100 wt.% ethanol and 0-50 wt.% water through the column packed with the reversed-phase sorbent to produce an ethanolic eluate, wherein the ratio between the total volume of ethanolic liquid that is passed through the packed column and the total volume of beer that was previously passed through the same packed column is in the range of 1 :50 to 1 :10.

The present method of preparing an alcoholic beer isolate can be regarded as a form of reversed-phase chromatography. Reversed-phase chromatograph is a chromatographic method that employs a hydrophobic stationary phase in combination with a polar mobile phase. In the present method, water, ethanol, carbohydrates and a fraction of the free amino acids hardly bind to the stationary phase (reversed-phase sorbent). However, the bulk of the remaining solute is effectively retained. Thus, if a volume of alcoholic beer is passed through the column, the aqueous stream leaving the column contains the bulk of the water, ethanol and carbohydrates of the original beer as well as a fraction of the free amino acids. Subsequent elution of the column with ethanol or an ethanolic mixture of ethanol and water yields an eluate that mainly differs from the original beer in that water, carbohydrates and a fraction of the free amino acids have been removed.

Besides carbohydrates, the aqueous effluent that is produced in the present method typically contains ethanol, free amino acids and minerals.

The inventors have found that the adsorbed beer components can be released most effectively from the reversed-phase sorbent by eluting the column in a direction that is opposite to the direction in which the alcoholic beer was passed through the column. Accordingly, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the ethanolic liquid is passed through the column in a direction that is opposite to the direction in which the alcoholic beer was passed through the column.

The present method can suitably be carried out using a variety of reversed-phase sorbents. Preferably, the reversed-phase sorbent is selected from silica-based sorbents, alumina-based sorbents, polymeric sorbents based on styrene-divinylbenzene, methacrylate or polyvinylalcohol and combinations thereof. Suitable examples of silica-based sorbents include C4-C24 alkyl silanes, especially C12-C20 alklyl silanes. Octadecylsilane (or octadecyl-bonded silica) is an example of an alkyl silane that may suitably be employed as a reversed-phase sorbent in the present method. Examples of polymer sorbents that may suitably be employed in the present method include poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) resins.

The beer preferably has a temperature of 0-50 °C, more preferably a temperature of 1-25 °C while it passes through the column.

The ethanolic liquid that is employed in the present method preferably contains 70-100 wt.% ethanol and 0-30 wt.% water. Most preferably, the ethanolic liquid contains 85-100 wt.% ethanol and 0-15 wt.% water.

The combination of ethanol and water preferably constitutes at least 95 wt.%, more preferably at least 98 wt.% and most preferably at least 99 wt.% of the ethanolic liquid.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the ratio between the total volume of beer that is passed through the packed column and the weight of the total amount of reversed-phase sorbent that is present in the packed column exceeds 30 mL/g, more preferably it is in the range of 50 to 5,000 mL/g, most preferably in the range of 80 to 1 ,000 mL/g, and most preferably in the range of 100 to 500 mL/g.

The ratio between the total volume of ethanolic liquid that is passed through the packed column and the total volume of beer that was previously passed through the same packed column is preferably in the range of 1 :30 to 1 :12, and most preferably in the range of 1 :25 to 1 :15.

The ethanol in the ethanolic liquid that is used in the present method preferably originates from the beer that is treated in the present method. In one embodiment, the ethanol in the ethanolic liquid is obtained by removing ethanol from the aqueous effluent. Accordingly, the beer that is passed through the column has an ethanol content of 3-12% ABV, preferably of 3.5-10% ABV and most preferably of 4-7% ABV, ethanol is removed from the aqueous effluent, and at least a part of the ethanol that is removed from the aqueous effluent is reused as part of the ethanolic liquid. Preferably at least 50%, more preferably at least 80% of the ethanol that is removed is reused as part of the ethanolic liquid. Most preferably all of the removed ethanol is reused as part of the ethanolic liquid so as to produce an ethanolic eluate that contains all the ethanol that is present in the beer of step (a).

In an alternative embodiment, the ethanol in ethanolic liquid is obtained by removing ethanol from the beer before it is passed through the column. Accordingly, the beer of step a) has an ethanol content of 0-1 % ABV and is obtained by removing ethanol from beer having an ethanol content of 3-12% ABV, preferably of 3.5-10% ABV, most preferably of 4-7% ABV, and at least a part of the ethanol that has been removed is applied in the ethanolic liquid. Preferably at least 50%, more preferably at least 80% of the ethanol that is removed is reused as part of the ethanolic liquid. Most preferably all of the removed ethanol is reused as part of the ethanolic liquid so as to produce an ethanolic eluate that contains all the ethanol that is present in the alcoholic beer that was dealcoholized to produce the beer of step (a).

In an advantageous embodiment of the present method, virtually no beer is left in the column packed with reversed-phase sorbent after the beer has been passed through it. This may be achieved by letting the column run dry before passing the quantity of ethanolic liquid through it. This embodiment makes it possible to produce an ethanolic eluate that is essentially water- free or an ethanolic eluate that a very low water content (e.g. less than 30 wt.% water).

Another aspect of the invention relates to a process of preparing an alcoholic beer or an alcoholic beer concentrate, said process comprising the preparation of an alcoholic beer isolate as described herein before, followed by step (e) producing a beer or beer concentrate by combining at least a part of the ethanolic eluate with an aqueous liquid.

Yet another aspect of the invention relates to an alternative process of preparing an alcoholic beer or an alcoholic beer concentrate, said process comprising a method of preparing an alcoholic beer isolate comprising the following successive steps:

(a) providing a beer having an ethanol content of 0-12% ABV;

(b) providing a column packed with reversed-phase sorbent;

(d) passing a quantity of ethanolic liquid containing 50-100 wt.% ethanol and 0-50 wt.% water through the column packed with the reversed-phase sorbent to produce an ethanolic eluate, wherein the alcoholic beer or beer concentrate is produced by combining at least a part of the ethanolic eluate with an aqueous liquid; and wherein the ethanol in the ethanolic liquid is obtained by removing ethanol from the aqueous effluent or by removing ethanol from the beer before it is passed through the column. In this alternative process, the ratio between the total volume of ethanolic liquid that is passed through the packed column and the total volume of beer that was previously passed through the same packed column preferably is in the range of 1 :50 to 1 :10. Preferred embodiments of the method of preparing an alcoholic beer isolate that is employed in this process have already been presented herein before.

Preferably, the aforementioned processes yield an alcoholic beer or an alcoholic beer concentrate as described herein before.

In the present processeses, to produce a beer, the ethanolic eluate and the aqueous liquid are preferably combined in a weight ratio of 1 :3 to 1 :30, more preferably a weight ratio of 1 :4 to 1 :20 and most preferably a weight ratio of 1 :5 to 1 :15. The aqueous liquid used to prepare a beer preferably is carbonated water. The aqueous liquid used in the preparation of a beer preferably is carbonated water.

In the present processes, to produce a beer concentrate, the ethanolic eluate and the aqueous liquid are preferably combined in a weight ratio of 2:1 to 1 :5, more preferably a weight ratio of 1 :1 to 1 :4 and most preferably a weight ratio of 1 :1.5 to 1 :3. The aqueous liquid used to prepare a beer concentrate preferably is non-carbonated water. The aqueous liquid used in the preparation of a beer concentrate preferably is non-carbonated water.

The invention also relates to a beer or a beer concentrate that is obtained by the aforementioned processes.

The invention is further illustrated by the following non-limiting examples.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

An alcoholic beer concentrate was produced using reverse phase chromatography starting from a commercial lager-type beer having an ethanol content of 5% ABV. The following reversed-phase sorbent was used: octadecylsilane sorbent.

The concentrate was produced by passing 100 mL of beer through a preparative column containing 1 mL of the sorbent. After the beer had been passed through the column, the column was washed with 50 mL of water. Next, the column was reversed and eluted with 5 mL of ethanol 100%. The ethanolic eluate so obtained was reconstituted by adding carbonated water to a final concentration of 5% ABV. The reconstituted beer so obtained had the typical yellow colour of a lager, as well as satisfactory foaming properties. Evaluation of the reconstituted beer by an expert panel showed that the beer had a pleasant taste similar to that of ordinary lagers.

The reconstituted beer, as well as the original beer were analysed. The analytical results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1

Fructose + glucose + maltose + maltotriose + sucrose Comparative Example A

To allow a comparison between the reconstituted beer of Example 1 and commercially available low carb beers, 6 of such low carb beers were analysed. The results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2

Fructose + glucose + maltose + maltotriose + sucrose

Claims

1. An alcoholic beer with a low carbohydrate content, said beer comprising:

• 2-12% ABV ethanol;

• 0-5 g/L of carbohydrates; and

• 3-100 mg/L of free amino acids.

2. Beer according to claim 1 , wherein the beer has a free amino nitrogen content of not more than 50 mg/L.

3. Beer according to claim 2, wherein at least 50 wt.% of the protein contained in the beer is barley protein.

4. Beer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein proline constitutes less than 60 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer.

5. Beer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the combination of aspartic acid, glycine, serine and tryptophan constitutes at least 10 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer.

6. Beer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the combination of aspartic acid, glycine, serine and tryptophan constitutes X wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer and the combination of alanine, isoleucine, leucine and valine constitutes Y wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer, and wherein X/Y exceeds 1.0.

7. Beer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the beer contains at least 10 mg/L of amyl alcohols.

8. An alcoholic beer concentrate with a low carbohydrate content, said beer concentrate comprising:

• at least 15 wt.% ethanol;

• 0-80 milligrams of carbohydrates per gram of ethanol;

• 0.05-2 milligrams of free amino acids per gram of ethanol.

9. Beer concentrate according to claim 8, wherein proline constitutes less than 60 wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the beer concentrate.

10. Beer concentrate according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the combination of aspartic acid, glycine, serine and tryptophan constitutes X wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the alcoholic beer concentrate and the combination of alanine, isoleucine, leucine and valine constitutes Y wt.% of the total amount of free amino acids that is present in the alcoholic beer concentrate, and wherein X/Y exceeds 1.0.

11. A method of preparing an alcoholic beer isolate, said method comprising the following successive steps:

(a) providing a beer having an ethanol content of 0-12% ABV;

(b) providing a column packed with reversed-phase sorbent;

12. Method according to claim 11, wherein the ethanolic liquid is passed through the column in a direction that is opposite to the direction in which the alcoholic beer was passed through the column.

13. Method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the beer has an ethanol content of 3-12% ABV, wherein ethanol is removed from the aqueous effluent and wherein at least a part of the ethanol that is removed from the aqueous effluent is reused as part of the ethanolic liquid.

14. Method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the beer has an ethanol content of 0-1% ABV and is obtained by removing ethanol from beer having an ethanol content of 3-12% ABV, and wherein at least a part of the ethanol that has been removed is applied in the ethanolic liquid.

5. A process of preparing an alcoholic beer or beer concentrate, said process comprising a method of preparing an alcoholic beer isolate according to any one of claims 11-14, followed by step (e) producing a beer or beer concentrate by combining at least a part of the ethanolic eluate with an aqueous liquid.