Process for production of a hop concentrate

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION FROM HOPS OF A HOP CONCENTRATE FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF A BREWED BEVERAGE WHICH INCLUDES THE STEPS: (A) EXTRACTING HOPS WITH A WATER-IMMISCIBLE ORGANIC SOLVENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, LOW BOILING PETROLEUM SOLVENTS AND CHLORINATED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS TO OBTAIN AN ORGANIC HOPS EXTRACT SOLUTION; (B) EXTRACTING ALKALI-SOLUBLE CONSTITUENTS FROM THE HOPS EXTRACT SOLUTION OBTAINED FROM STEP (A) WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AN ALKALINE SUBSTANCE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM CARBONATE AND POTASSIUM CARBONATE; (C) SEPARATING THE EXTRACT SOLUTIONS OBTAINED FROM STEPS (A) AND (B) NTO AN ORGANIC PHASE AN AN AQUEOUS PHASE, RESPECTIVELY; (D) HEATING THE SEPARATED AQUEOUS PHASE TO CONVERT HUMULONES OF THE A-ACIDS OF HOPS INTO SIO-HUMULONES; (E) OXIDIZING LUPULONES AND LUPULONE-LIKE SUBSTANCES OF THE B-ACIDS OF HOSP IN THE SEPARATED ORGANIC PHASE INTO HULUPONES AND HULUPONE-LIKE SUBSTANCES BY PASSING A FREE OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS THROUGH THE ORGANIC PHASE SOLUTION; (F) CONCENTRATING THE AQUEOUS PHASE SOLUTION AND THE ORGANIC PHASE SOLUTION RESPECTIVELY, BY DISTILLING OFF WATER AND SOLVENT UNDER REDUCED PRESSURE WHILE CONTINUING DISTILLATION OF THE ORGANIC PHASE TO REMOVE FROM THE HOP-OILS LOW BOILING ESTERS WITH UNDESIRABLE TASTE CHARACTERISTICS, AND (G) RECOVERING CONCENTRATED EXTRACTS FROM BOTH PHASES FOR SUBSEQUENT ADDITION TO WORT.