PROCESS AND COMPOSITION FOR REDUCING CHILL HAZE IN BEVERAGES

摘要

A process and composition for removing certain undesirable components from beverages which tend to form a haze upon chilling utilizes an adsorbent including a silica component and a tannic acid component. The form of the silica component includes a silica gel and a metal-substituted silica gel, preferably a magnesium-substituted silica xerogel. The form of the tannic acid component includes tannic acid powder, in which case the adsorbent is simply a physical blend of tannic acid powder and the silica component. The form of the tannic acid component also includes a reaction product of tannic acid formed on the silica component during formation, such as by washing the silica hydrogel with a tannic acid solution. The adsorbent is particularly well-suited to reducing chill haze in beer. In addition to removing proteins which cause chill haze, the adsorbent of the present invention tends to remove some other components such as iron, without requiring the time-consuming process steps of allowing adsorbent to settle and decanting the beverage as is normally the case with tannin chillproofing and without requiring excessive energy to be applied during filtration.