Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Fermentation processes – Alcoholic beverage production or treatment to result in...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-15
2001-11-13
Sherrer, Curtis E. (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Fermentation processes
Alcoholic beverage production or treatment to result in...
C426S029000, C426S061000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06316034
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the use of lysozyme in the production of fermented beverages.
Contamination of malt beverages by spoilage bacteria is an ancient problem. Large brewers today commonly filter or heat malt beverages to eliminate spoilage bacteria.
Henning et al.,
Int'l J. Food Microbiol.
3:135-141, 1986, discusses the use of various antibiotics, including nisin, virginiamycin, erythromycin, oleandomycin, and flavomycin, as preservatives for fruit mashes and juices.
Ogden,
J. Inst. Brew.
92:379-383, 1986, discusses the use of nisin to inhibit the growth of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus) during beer production.
Proctor and Cunningham, “The chemistry of lysozyme and its use as a food preservative and a pharmaceutical,”
CRC Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutrition
26:359-395, 1988, reviews the use of lysozyme as a food preservative and a pharmaceutical.
There remains a need for effective methods to prevent contamination of malt beverages, wine, and other fermented beverages by spoilage bacteria during the production process without substantially affecting the quality of the final product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Lysozyme is surprisingly effective in reducing spoilage of fermented products, such as malt beverages, that results from contamination by a spoilage bacterium. Lysozyme is added at a concentration that is effective to inhibit growth of a bacterium (an “effective concentration”) at any of several steps in the process of producing the fermented product, including, but not limited to: addition to a yeast inoculum (e.g., to dried yeast prior to rehydration or to a fresh or rehydrated yeast preparation); addition to a wort prior to or during fermentation to produce a malt beverage; addition during filling operations; etc.
According to one embodiment of the invention related to a method of producing a malt beverage, lysozyme is added directly to yeast before addition of the yeast to a wort to commence fermentation. For example, dry lysozyme can be added to an active dried preparation of yeast prior to rehydration of the dried yeast. Alternatively, lysozyme (dry or in a suspension or solution) can be added to a hydrated yeast preparation. According to other embodiments of the invention, lysozyme is added (i) to the wort prior to or after adding a yeast inoculum to produce a “fermentation mixture” that is allowed to ferment to produce a malt beverage; or (ii) to the malt beverage prior to or at the time of the filling of a container (e.g., a cask or bottle). Additional compounds can also be added to enhance the effectiveness of lysozyme in inhibiting bacterial growth, e.g., chelating agents, butyl p-hydroxybenzoate, a p-hydroxy-benzoic ester, &bgr;-glycopyranose aerodehydrogenase, amino acids, hydrogen peroxide, organic acids, and mixtures thereof.
According to another embodiment of the invention, malt beverages are provided that comprise an effective concentration of lysozyme, including malt beverages made by the methods described above.
According to another embodiment of the invention, methods are provided for making fermented products. Such methods include (i) adding to a sample that includes a fermentable carbohydrate a yeast preparation that includes yeast and an amount of lysozyme that is effective to inhibit the growth of a bacterium in the yeast preparation, and (ii) providing conditions that are conducive to fermentation of the carbohydrate by the yeast. A compound can also be added, for example to the yeast preparation, to enhance the effectiveness of lysozyme in inhibiting bacterial growth. The yeast preparation can be further treated by acid washing the yeast, preferably prior to addition of lysozyme, in order to reduce the bacterial population of the yeast preparation. In one embodiment, the yeast preparation is a dried preparation that includes active dried yeast and a concentration of dried lysozyme (e.g., about 0.5% to about 2.0% dried lysozyme by weight) that is sufficient to effectively inhibit bacterial growth upon rehydration of the yeast preparation. Such dried yeast preparations can be rehydrated by the addition of an aqueous liquid prior to use.
The foregoing and other aspects of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5458876 (1995-10-01), Monticello
patent: 240054 (1986-01-01), None
patent: 46-3114 (1967-01-01), None
Hardwick, W. A., Handbook of Brewing, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1994, pp. 193-194.*
Makki et al, Food Research International, 29 (7) pp. 635-645, 1996.*
Slovak Food Code Jun. 1996 Head III, Part 2, Annex 1, Additives and Technological Auxiliary Compounds in Foods, Part G, I.*
Henning et al., “New aspects for the application of nisin to food products based on the mode of action,”Int'l J. Food Microbiol. 3:135-141 (1986).
Ogden, “Nisin: A bacteriocin with a potential use in brewing,”J. Inst. Brew. 92:379-383 (1986).
Proctor and Cunningham, “The chemistry of lysozyme and its use as a food preservative and a pharmaceutical,”CRC Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutrition26:359-395 (1988).
Stadelman et al., Egg Science and Technology, 2ndEd., AVI Publishing Co., Inc., Westport, Conn., 1977, pp. 74-77, and 190-195.
Bruslind Linda D.
Daeschel Mark A.
Klarquist & Sparkman, LLP
Sherrer Curtis E.
The State of Oregon acting by and through the State Board of Hig
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