Wine processing and liquid processing apparatus and methods

Abstract

A method of improving the quality of wine during the production, fermentation and/or aging process comprising the steps of providing sound energy source(s) capable of generating sound energy over a plurality of frequency ranges, coupling the sound energy source(s) to the wine, determining a specific frequency range within the frequency ranges that resonate undesirable yeast, exposing the wine containing the undesirable yeast to sound energy sweeping through a bandwidth around the specific frequency to cause the yeast to act as a cavitation nucleus and implode. Further, using sound energy to degas oxygen, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide from the wine and to cause the sonochemical effect simulating aging. Additionally, for a sweeter wine, the sound energy is used to end the fermentation process by inactivating all the yeast.

1 . A method to improve quality of wine to produce wine with improved flavor and less headache producing chemicals, comprising:
 (a) at beginning of a fermentation process to turn grape juice into wine, applying a burst of sweeping megasonics to a liquid with the grape juice to implode undesirable yeast,   (b) coupling sweeping ultrasonics at a different frequency from said sweeping megasonics to the liquid to degas sulfur dioxide to an acceptable level,   (c) periodically during the fermentation process, applying a burst of sweeping megasonics to the liquid to implode any undesirable yeast that began to multiply, and   (d) at termination of the fermentation process, coupling at least one of said sweeping megasonics and said sweeping ultrasonics to the liquid to achieve at least one of inactivating remaining yeast that are viable, degasing carbon dioxide, oxygen and sulfur dioxide, and producing sonochemical effect of aging.   
     
     
         2 . A method as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said sweeping megasonics has a center frequency between 350 kHz and 15 MHz and a bandwidth between 0.1 percent and 7 percent of the center frequency. 
     
     
         3 . A method as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said sweeping ultrasonics has a center frequency between 18 kHz and 349 kHz and a bandwidth between 3 percent and 20 percent of the center frequency. 
     
     
         4 . A method as set forth in  claim 1 , the step of coupling at least one of said sweeping megasonics and said sweeping ultrasonics to the liquid comprising coupling, sequentially or serially, said sweeping megasonics and said sweeping ultrasonics to the liquid. 
     
     
         5 . A method to improve quality of wine, comprising during a fermentation process to produce wine performing the steps of:
 (a) shifting the natural bubble size population of a partially fermented wine to a smaller bubble population size,   (b) coupling sweeping ultrasonics to the partially fermented wine having said smaller bubble population size, and   (c) applying said sweeping ultrasonics to the partially fermented wine having said smaller bubble population size to increase density of cavitation implosions within said partially fermented wine to inactivate viable yeast by disrupting cell walls of the viable yeast with shock waves from said implosions,   whereby the fermentation process is stopped resulting in a sweeter wine that has improved flavor due to sonochemical effect of the applied sweeping ultrasonics.   
     
     
         6 . A method as set forth in  claim 5 , wherein said application of sweeping ultrasonics is for a time period having duration between 4 minutes and 20 minutes. 
     
     
         7 . A method as set forth in  claim 5 , wherein said sweeping ultrasonics has a center frequency between 18 kHz and 349 kHz and a bandwidth between 3 percent and 20 percent of the center frequency. 
     
     
         8 . A method to improve quality of wine to produce a wine with improved flavor and less headache producing chemicals, comprising:
 (a) at beginning of a fermentation process of turning grape juice into wine, a burst of sweeping megasonics is applied to a liquid with the grape juice to implode undesirable yeast,   (b) periodically during the fermentation process, a burst of sweeping megasonics is applied to the liquid to implode any undesirable yeast that began to multiply, and   (c) at termination of the fermentation process said sweeping megasonics is coupled to the liquid to inactivate remaining yeast that are viable, to degas carbon dioxide, oxygen and sulfur dioxide, and to produce the sonochemical effect of aging.   
     
     
         9 . A method as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein said sweeping megasonics has a center frequency between 350 kHz and 15 MHz and a bandwidth between 0.1 percent and 7 percent of the center frequency.