Cryogenic aroma recovery
AssigneeNestec S.A.
InventorYousef Ghodsizadeh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for recovering volatile aroma components from aroma-bearing vegetable materials such as roast and ground coffee. A carrier gas is passed through the vegetable material to strip aromas therefrom, and the resulting aroma-laden gas is contacted with a cryogenic liquid such as liquid nitrogen to condense the aromas from the gas. The carrier gas has a boiling point equal to or lower than that of the cryogenic liquid. Because the efficacy of the condensation step is substantially independent of the gas flow rate, the optimum gas flow rate for effective stripping may be used without loss of aromas at the condensation step.
Claims16
A process comprising obtaining and separating aromas from an aroma-bearing particulate vegetable material and directing the aromas to a trap having a screen member immersed in a cryogenic liquid via a carrier gas which is non-condensing in the cryogenic liquid, such that the carrier gas flows through the screen member of the trap and such that the aromas are collected by the screen member in the trap in contact with the cryogenic liquid, and then removing the collected aromas in a solid form from the cryogenic liquid.
A process comprising obtaining and separating aromas from aroma-bearing particulate vegetable materials, directing the aromas via a carrier gas to a trap having a screen member immersed in a cryogenic liquid which is maintained at a temperature not higher than about -195.degree. C. and wherein the carrier gas has a boiling point not higher than the temperature of the cryogenic liquid such that the carrier gas flows through the screen member of the trap and does not condense in the cryogenic liquid as the carrier gas passes into and through the cryogenic liquid as the aromas are collected by the screen member in the trap in contact with cryogenic liquid, and then removing the collected aromas in a solid form from the cryogenic liquid.
A process comprising obtaining and separating aromas from aroma-bearing particulate vegetable materials, directing the aromas via a carrier gas to a trap having a screen member immersed in a bath of liquid nitrogen maintained in equilibrium at its atmospheric-pressure boiling temperature wherein the carrier gas has a boiling point not higher than the maintained temperature of the liquid nitrogen such that the carrier gas flows through the screen member of the trap and does not condense in the liquid nitrogen as the carrier gas passes into and through the liquid nitrogen as the aromas are collected by the screen member in the trap in contact with the liquid nitrogen, and then removing the collected aromas in a solid form from the liquid nitrogen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.