Abstract: Isomerization of alpha acids contained in hop extracts obtained with liquid or fluid CO.sub.2 or organic solvents is carried out by mixing the extract with one or more adsorption agents and treating the resulting mixture in a closed pressurized container with fluid CO.sub.2 under a pressure greater than 50 bars and at a temperature greater than 33.degree. C. to form iso-alpha acids. During isomerization in the container, essentially no iso-alpha acids become dissolved in the fluid CO.sub.2 and the iso-alpha acids are removed from the container as a dry substance. Adsorption agents that may be used are bentonite, fuller's earth, and alkali and alkaline earth metal salts or oxides.

Abstract: Hop extracts useful in the preparation of anactinic or light stable malt beverages are obtained by a method which does not use organic solvents. The extracts are obtained by first treating a crude hop extract containing humulone with an aqueous reducing solution, heating the resulting mixture to form reduced isohumulone, acidifying the reaction mixture to form an aqueous phase and an organic phase, and then adjusting the temperature to facilitate the separation of the two phases. The organic phase which is obtained contains the desired isomerized and reduced humulone and it can be used per se as an anactinic brew kettle flavoring additive for beer or ale. In a preferred embodiment, the organic phase is further treated with an amount of an aqueous KOH solution sufficient to neutralize the reduced isohumulone and to form both an aqueous phase and a solid phase.

Abstract: When preparing hop extract containing iso-alpha-acids, improved yield of iso-alpha-acids is obtained by contacting a solution of extracted alpha-acids in a water-immiscible non-polar liquid with a sufficiently strong aqueous solution of acid to provide a pH of less than 1 in an aqueous phase that separates from the non-polar liquid. After contacting with the acid, the alpha-acids are isomerized such as by forming alpha acid salts and heating the salts.

Abstract: A method of providing a high quality iso-.alpha.-acid preparation is described. The method involves extracting a high quality primary extract containing .alpha.-acids from hops using liquid CO.sub.2 and isomerizing the .alpha.-acids in the primary extract. The liquid CO.sub.2 extraction is performed at a sub-critical temperature of not less than -5.degree. C. The primary extract contains .alpha.-acids, .beta.-acids, hop oil and usually no significant amounts of other organic compounds originating from the hops. In the preferred method the primary extract is not purified and the isomerization is performed by boiling an alkaline solution of the extract. This boiling can be utilized to remove the hop oil. The .beta.-acids can be readily removed by acidifying the solution of iso-.alpha.-acid and filtering off the precipitated .beta.-acids. The iso-.alpha.

Abstract: A method of preparing an extract from hops comprises contacting the hops to be extracted with carbon dioxide in the liquid state to dissolve the matter to be extracted in the liquid carbon dioxide, heating the solution of extract to evaporate carbon dioxide from the solution of extract, compressing and condensing the evaporated carbon dioxide vapor to re-form liquid carbon dioxide, and re-cycling the liquid carbon dioxide to contact the material to be extracted. At least part of the heat evolved from the carbon dioxide vapor after its compression and during its change of state from vapor to liquid carbon dioxide is used to cause the change of state of the liquid carbon dioxide in the solution of the extract to evaporate the carbon dioxide from the solution of the extract.A plant for the preparation of an extract of hops by extraction with liquid carbon dioxide is also disclosed together with modifications of the plant to enhance the recovery of hop oils or to obtain a separate extraction of the hop oils.

Abstract: A method of preparing an extract from a material comprises contacting the material to be extracted with carbon dioxide in the liquid state to dissolve the matter to be extracted in the liquid carbon dioxide, heating the solution of extract to evaporate carbon dioxide from the solution of extract, compressing and condensing the evaporated carbon dioxide vapor to re-form liquid carbon dioxide, and re-cycling the liquid carbon dioxide to contact the material to be extracted. At least part of the heat evolved from the carbon dioxide vapor after its compression and during its change of state from vapor to liquid carbon dioxide is used to cause the change of state of the liquid carbon dioxide in the solution of the extract to evaporate the carbon dioxide from the solution of the extract.

Abstract: The isomerization of humulone or a humulone-containing material is carried out by isomerization at elevated temperature and a pH below 9 in a liquid medium containing at least one salt of a bi-valent metal or of cerium.

Abstract: A method of preparing a hop extract is described in which liquid carbon dioxide is passed at a temperature of from -5.degree. C. to +15.degree. C. through a column of hop material to extract .alpha.-acids contained therein. The method gives a primary extract which is of much higher purity than has been previously described particularly in comparison to presently commercially available solvent extracts.

Abstract: A method of providing a high quality iso-.alpha.-acid preparation is described. The method involves extracting a high quality primary extract containing .alpha.-acids from hops using liquid CO.sub.2 and isomerizing the .alpha.-acids in the primary extract. The liquid CO.sub.2 extraction is performed at a sub-critical temperature of not less than -5.degree. C. The primary extract contains .alpha.-acids, .beta.acids, hop oil and usually no significant amounts of other organic compounds originating from the hops. In the preferred method the primary extract is not purified and the isomerization is performed by boiling an alkaline solution of the extract. This boiling can be utilized to remove the hop oil. The .beta.-acids can be readily removed by acidifying the solution of iso-.alpha.-acid and filtering off the precipitated .beta.-acids. The iso-.alpha.

Abstract: Processes and compositions are described for the use in foodstuff flavor and aroma and perfume and perfumed article aroma augmenting, modifying, altering and enhancing compositions and as foodstuffs, chewing gum, toothpaste, medicinal product, perfume and perfumed article aroma imparting materials of specific isomer and isomer mixtures of 2- and 3-cyclotetradecen-1-ones having the structures: ##STR1## or mixtures of same or mixtures of such 2- and 3-cyclotetradecen-1-ones with cyclotetradecanone having the structure: ##STR2## or cyclododecanone having the structure: ##STR3## Addition of said 2- and 3-cyclotetradecen-1-ones or mixtures is indicated to produce:(a) In food flavorings, a sweet, brown sugar and musky aroma and sweet and musky flavor characteristics (useful for flavor augmentation or enhancement in pear, blackberry, apricot and peach flavors and as a bitterness depressant for such foodstuffs, flavor adjuvants and beverages as black coffee; and(b) In perfumes and perfumed articles, a sweet, musk aro

Abstract: A method of removing haze precursors from wine vinegar and other beverages by passing it through a bed of an ion-exchange resin material in hydrogen form. The resulting clarified wine vinegar is then matured. The resin material is regenerated in situ by sulphuric acid.

Abstract: There is provided a method of processing hops or hop extracts for brewing in which hops and particularly the alpha acids in the hops are stabilized against deterioration and light sensitivity, the process broadly comprising isomerizing a substantial portion of the alpha acids in the hops and contacting said iso-alpha acids witha metallic hydride compound, the metal thereof being suitable for use in foods, until the reaction is substantially completed. In another aspect, the alpha acids present in the hops are converted to their reduced isomerized products which are desirable for brewing. The process is especially suitable for use in pelletizing operations.

Abstract: There is provided a method of processing hops for brewing in which the hops and particularly the alpha acids in the hops are stabilized against deterioration, the process broadly comprising forming an intimate mixture of the hops or hop extracts with one or more oxides of a divalent metal or metals and maintaining the mixture under suitable conditions, preferably at an elevated temperature, e.g., 40.degree.-100.degree. C., until stabilization is substantially completed. In another aspect, the alpha acids present in the hops are converted to their isomerized products, which are desirable for brewing. The process is especially suitable for use in pelletizing operations.

Abstract: Process for extraction of hops utilizing supercritical gases such as carbon dioxide.

Abstract: Bitter substances (isohumulones) are removed from brewers yeast suspensions or brewers yeast autolysates by contacting a yeast suspension or yeast autolysate with a composite adsorbent material containing an adsorbent and magnetic particles embedded in a porous matrix of organic polymeric material having a pore size within the range of 2-30nm, and separating the composite containing isohumulone molecules adsorbed thereto from the suspension or autolysate. The composite may be regenerated by removing the adsorbed isohumulone which can then be recovered.

Abstract: A method of obtaining lupulin-rich products from hops, which comprises: subjecting frozen hop cones to coarse crushing by a first crusher equipped with a screen having width of openings in the range of 6 - 15 mm and sieving fragments of crushed hops passing therethrough to obtain a first lot of lupulin-rich product as accumulated beneath the sieve; and then subjecting the portion which passed over the screen of the sieve to recrushing by a second crusher equipped with a screen having narrower openings than that of the first crusher a screen having width of openings in the range of 3 - 6 mm, and sieving fragments of recrushed hops passing therethrough to obtain a second lot of lupulin-rich product as accumulated beneath the sieves.The method is performed on hops and particles thereof maintained in the frozen condition.

Abstract: Dried and comminuted hop strobiles are mixed with an inert inorganic adsorbent, such as bentonite, and pressed to form cubes, slabs, pellets etc. which may be stored in containers under vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere. The addition of the adsorbent improves the storage life of the pressed hops in terms of preserving the bitter substances, and further accelerates the disintegration of the pressed hops during wort boiling.

Abstract: A low-cost, highly nutritious starch-NPN liquid feed supplement and method of producing same is provided wherein the supplement exhibits markedly superior protein synthesis and growth-inducing properties as compared with conventional, unprocessed NPN-fortified supplements notwithstanding the fact that the supplements hereof generally have lower theoretical nutritive values than such prior feeds. The preparative method preferably includes the steps of passing an aqueous slurry of a starch-bearing food source and an NPN substance such as urea through a hydrothermal-type cooker along with direct steam for turbulently heating, disrupting and gelatinizing the starch source in the presence of the NPN substance to thereby yield a reacted product which can be fed to ruminants as a low-cost, high-protein food source.

Abstract: An improved method of making hop oil is described involving steam distilling the hop oil under vacuum at a temperature not exceeding 50.degree.C. The distillate can be collected by cooling to less than -20.degree.C. The collected distillate or hop oil extracted therefrom can be used in beer making processes to give beer having a hop character very similar to that obtained by dry hopping.

Abstract: Lupulones, which form a constituent of hop resins which have hitherto been separated and discarded because of their poor solubility, are converted into a hulupone-containing beer-soluble bitter-tasting product by photo-sensitized oxidation in a liquid alkaline medium. However, the oxidation, which is effected by means of oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of one or more sensitizing dyes and under the action of visible light, is only partial; it is discontinued when the oxygen consumption resulting from the reaction exhibits a substantial decline, or when the fall in pH occurring during the reaction substantially ceases.

Abstract: The present invention provides stable aqueous hop extracts suitable for bittering beer which contain substantially no fixed hop seed oil. The hop extracts consists essentially of potassium isohumulate and between 16% and 72% by weight of water.

Abstract: A solid product for use in the flavoring of food or beverages which comprises a water-insoluble calcium, magnesium, nickel, manganese or zinc isohumolone complex and an alkali metal compound selected from sodium or potassium tripolyphosphate or a mixture of the disodium or dipotassium salt of ethylenediamine tetracetic acid with the tetrasodium or tetrapotassium salt of ethylenediaminetetracetic acid, the molar ratio of the alkali metal compound to the isohumulone present in the water-insoluble isohumulone complex being at least 0.8 to 1. The product can be immediately dissolved in water or an aqueous medium to produce a solution containing no significant amount of insoluble residues. The solution can be used, for example, as a bittering additive for beer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a flavoring agent suitable for addition to fermented beer. The flavoring agent is an aqueous solution of water and potassium isohumulates substantially free from lupulones and fixed essential oils of hops. The invention also provides a method for flavoring beer by adding a hop extract consisting essentially of an aqueous solution containing between about 40% and 60% by weight of potassium isohumulates which are substantially free from lupulones and fixed and essential oils of hops.