The present invention relates to a composition that is added to a beverage to reduce the presence of sulphites in that beverage. In particular the invention relates to the provision of a composition including molybdenum and hydrogen peroxide to improve the drinkability of beverages, in particular wine and beer.

Background to the Invention

Sulphite additives are widely used in the food industry as antioxidants, preservatives and anti-browning agents. Despite its value and potency, a majority of consumers view sulphite addition to wine and other beverages as unnatural and unhealthy. In 1996 the US FDA estimated that 1 % of the US population had an increased degree of sensitivity to sulphites and asthmatics appeared to be especially susceptible, with estimates that up to 5% may risk adverse reactions with sulphite exposure. In the 1 970s, reports started emerging that associated exposure of sulphites with adverse reactions. These included triggering anaphylactic reactions as well as a wide range of other symptoms, such as dermatitis, uticaria, flushing, hypotension, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Most reports describe the triggering of broncho-constriction in asthmatic patients. Most non-asthmatic individuals can tolerate up to 5ppm S02, whereas 20-25% of people with airway hyper responsiveness (AHR) to methacholine are also hyper responsive to S02 and may experience bronchoconstriction when exposed to 0.25-2ppm of S02. Anecdotally, alcoholic drinks seem to be common triggers for asthma. One study has reported that 32.1 % of asthmatic outpatients reported a worsening of asthma symptoms after alcohol consumption. A further study reported 33% of asthmatics surveyed associated alcoholic drinks with triggering asthma, with wines being the most frequent triggers. There was also a significant association between wine-induced asthma and asthma triggered by sulphite- containing foods. Alcoholic drinks and particularly wines appear to be important triggers for asthmatic responses. It appears that ethanol in alcoholic drinks is not the causative agent because ethanol has been used to treat asthma for many years and has been shown to have a bronchodilatory effects. Sulphite in wine is normally at much higher concentrations than the levels found to induce asthma in sensitive individuals. Total sulphite (bound and free) in wine is permitted to a concentration of less than 1 30ppm in bottled wine and less than 300ppm in cask wine. Hydrogen peroxide has been used to remove sulphite from wine; however its addition can rapidly and significantly alter the flavour of wine, reducing the wines acceptability.

Object of the Invention

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a method of and a composition for reducing the amount or effect of sulphites in beverages including alcoholic beverages. It is also an object of the invention to provide beverages which contain a reduced amount of sulphite or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Summary of the Invention

The invention provides a composition for addition to a beverage, in which the composition comprises a solution of hydrogen peroxide and molybdate in specific concentrations.

Preferably the composition comprises a concentration of between 1 .5% and 2.2% hydrogen peroxide and more preferably 1 .8% to 2.2 % hydrogen peroxide.

The actual concentration varies depending on the type of beverage to which the composition is to be added.

For treating white wine, a concentration of 2.2% hydrogen peroxide for treating an individual standard glass (150ml) of white wine is preferred.

For treating red wine, a concentration of 2.00% hydrogen peroxide for treating an individual standard glass (1 50ml) of white wine is preferred. Preferably, for treating a single glass (150ml) of white wine a 0.14-0.19ml dosage of the composition is used where the composition has a concentration of 1 .5- 2.2% (by vol.) hydrogen peroxide.

More preferably a 0.14 dosage is used with a concentration of 2.2% (by vol.) hydrogen peroxide.

Preferably, for treating a single glass (1 50ml) of red wine a 0.14-0.19 dosage of the composition is used where the composition has a concentration of 1 .5-2.2% (by vol.) hydrogen peroxide.

More preferably a 0.19 dosage is used with a concentration of 2.0% (by vol.) hydrogen peroxide.

Preferably, for treating a standard bottle of white wine (750ml) a 1 .7-2.1 ml dosage of the composition is used where the composition has a concentration of 1 .5-2.2% (by vol.) hydrogen peroxide.

More preferably a 2.0ml dosage is used with a concentration of 2.0% (by vol.) hydrogen peroxide.

Preferably, for treating a standard bottle of red wine (750ml) a 1 .7-2.1 ml dosage of the composition is used where the composition has a concentration of 1 .5- 2.2% (by vol.) hydrogen peroxide.

More preferably a 2.0ml dosage is used with a concentration of 1 .8% (by vol.) hydrogen peroxide. Preferably the composition comprises about 0.0012-0.005% (by weight) molybdenum.

More preferably the composition contains about 0.0025% (by weight)

molybdenum. The concentration of molybdate is substantially the same whether the composition is intended for addition to white or red white and whether it is intended for addition to a single standard glass or to a single standard bottle. Preferably the amount of hydrogen peroxide is 1 to 1 0Oppm of beverage.

Preferably the amount of molybdate is 0.01 to 100ppm final concentration in the beverage.

Preferably the beverage is an alcoholic beverage and more preferably is wine.

Preferably the composition is in the form of a solution. More preferably the solution is adapted to be added to the beverage at the point of consumption.

More preferably the product is adapted to be added to the beverage by a specifically designed dispenser. The dispenser may be in the form of a dispenser bottle/spray and/or sachet and/or dispenser widget and/or bulk dispensing container.

The composition may be packages for addition to a standard (750ml) bottle of wine or may be packages to be added to a single standard glass (1 50ml) of wine. Most preferably the product is adapted to be dispensed from a dropper bottle, sachet or other container to achieve the final concentration of the sol ution in either the glass, bottle or bulk container of the wine, beer or other beverage.

The invention provides a method of adding a product to a beverage wherein the composition comprises a solution of hydrogen peroxide and molybdate of specific ratio.

The invention also provides a composition for addition to a beer in which the composition comprises a concentration of 0.5-0.75% (by vol.) hydrogen peroxide and 0.0012-0.005% (by weight) molybdenum.

Preferably the composition contains about 0.0025% (by weight) molybdenum. This composition is applied as a dose of 0.14-0.19mls to a bottle of beer

(375mls).

The invention also provides a method of treating a sample of beer by adding a dosage of 0.14-0.19mls of composition per 375mls of beer.

The invention provides a method of adding a composition to wine, beer and other beverages at the point of consumption to reduce sulphites in the beverages.

The invention also provides a method of adding the composition to a beverage to reduce sulphite in a controlled manner.

The invention also provides a method of adding the composition to a beverage to alter the flavour of wine and beer favourably. The invention also provides a method of using the composition to rapidly mature wine.

The invention also provides a method of using the composition according to the invention to improve the health of wine and beverage consumers.

The invention also provides a method of adding molybdenum to wine, beer or other beverage, in combination with hydrogen peroxide to reduce sulphite levels, to modify flavour and to provide a vehicle for molybdenum supplementation in the diet.

According to another broad aspect of the invention there is provided a method of reducing sulphites from a beverage comprising adding to the beverage a composition comprising a combination of molybdate and hydrogen peroxide to form permolybdate.

The applicant has found that addition of hydrogen peroxide and molybdenum in specific ratios and volumes can reduce sulphite in wine and beer. This combination, when used in appropriate ratios can also enhance the flavour of wine and beer. Furthermore, addition of the molybdenum (as any form of soluble molybdenum compound) has the added health benefits of supplementing the molybdenum intake that has been found to enhance natural antioxidant enzymes in the body. One of these enzymes is sulphite oxidase, an antioxidant enzyme that aids the body to remove sulphites in the body. Supplementation with molybdenum can also restore the activities of other antioxidant enzymes, such as xanthine oxidase, and protect the liver against chemical damage, especially from alcohol intake. The combination of hydrogen peroxide and molybdenum modulates the removal of sulphite in wine and beer and can also alter the flavour of wine to improve acceptability.

It is acknowledged that the terms "comprise", "comprises" and "comprising" may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an excl usive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, these terms are intended to have an inclusive meaning- i.e. they will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components which the use directly references, but also to other non-specified components or elements.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the following results and embodiments as way of illustration only.

Example 1

Experiments with a wide range of peroxide concentrations showed that it was possible to reduce the total sulphite level in white and red wine from 100 - 130 mg/L to about 5 mg/L by addition of hydrogen peroxide, but above about 5ppm (v H2O2/V wine) addition level of H2O2 the wine off-flavours and off-odours became significant and significantly affected the flavour and colour of the wine. The reduction in SO2 was generally closely proportional to the amount of H2O2 added to the wine, except that lower levels of added H2O2 reduced the SO2 more than would be expected from a pure stoichiometric relationship. This may be due to the complex nature of the equilibrium between added H2O2 and varying levels of free and bound (reversible and irreversible) SO2 in the wines.

Example 2

Further experiments with a wide variety of wines demonstrated that addition of 5ppm hydrogen peroxide (v H2O2/V wine) immediately prior to consumption reduced sulphite to low levels prior to consumption. Furthermore, in some wines flavour was hardly affected while in others the flavour and aroma were altered in only a small way. Often these small changes in flavour and aroma were perceived favourably as an increase in fruit intensity and/ or a decrease in acidity.

Generally, the addition of hydrogen peroxide at the levels used in the experiments (5ppm hydrogen peroxide (v H2O2/V wine)) seemed to accelerate maturing processes normally only seen after wine had been cellared for a number of years.

Example 3

Further experiments showed the level of free and total sulphite could be significantly reduced in red and white wine with addition of hydrogen peroxide and molybdate. Furthermore, the rate of the reaction could be modulated to reduce the probability of generating unacceptable off-flavours.

For red wine a range of molar ratios of hydrogen peroxide to molybdate from 100:0 to 4:1 reduced free sulphite to lower than the detectable limit of the test (< 10ppm), whereas a ratio of 2:1 reduced free sulphite from 31 ppm to 12ppm. Addition of the solution increased the fruit and wood flavours in the wine.

For white wine the free sulphite was reduced from 18ppm to < 10ppm and the total sulphite was reduced to 77ppm. Addition of the solution increased the fruit flavours and perceived citrus flavour character of the wine. Example 4

In other experiments the level of free and total sulphite could be significantly reduced in red and white wine with addition of hydrogen peroxide and molybdate. Furthermore, the rate of the reaction could be modulated to reduce the probability of generating unacceptable off-flavours.

For red wine a range of molar ratios of hydrogen peroxide to molybdate from 100:0 to 4:1 reduced free sulphite to lower than the detectable limit of the test (< 10ppm), whereas a ratio of 2:1 reduced free sulphite from 31 ppm to 12ppm. Storage of the wine with solution added for 7hrs resulted in a further reduction in both free sulphite to < 10ppm and total sulphite from 100 to 78ppm.

For white wine, both total (100 to 78ppm) and free sulphite (20 to < 10ppm) could be reduced by addition of hydrogen peroxide and molybdate and this was greatest after a suitable contact period of the solution and the wine.

Wherein the foregoing description reference has been made to integers or components having known equivalents then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth.

Example 5

A test was conducted to determine the range of concentrations of the ingredients hydrogen peroxide and molybdenum which would work according to the invention when applied to beer. Applicant found that beers containing floral and fruity notes were more susceptible to being reduced when the wine formula was added a general "dullness" was perceived in tasting. A range of 0.5 - 1 .0% solutions were tested and it was found that at 0.5% it was barely detectable in altering taste and had minimum impact on floral/fruity/vegetable notes. It was found that the optimum solution was in the range of 0.5-0.75% depending on the style of beer.

It was found by experimentation that an amount of 0.14-0.19mls of the solution when added to 375mls of beer provided the most beneficial result whilst retaining flavour and palatability. Example 6

A test was conducted to determine the range of concentrations of the ingredients hydrogen peroxide and molybdenum which would work according to the invention. The best concentrations were also determined. The measurements had to fall within the food guidelines of FSANZ (Food Safety Australia New Zealand) Code 1.3.3. Results

The table below (table A) provides the useful ranges and preferred amounts of ingredients in the composition according to the present invention.

Table A

The molybdenum was added to the composition in two stages: first the molybdenum was diluted 4g per litre and the resulting solution further diluted 6.2ml per litre final solution to obtain the preferred range of concentrations.

The final concentration in the beverage should be less than 5 parts per million to conform to standard food guidelines.

Within this specification, a single glass is assumed to be about 150ml of liquid.

A single bottle is assumed to be the international standard of 750ml.

Although this invention has been described by a way of example of possible embodiments, it is to be appreciated that improvements and/or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, there are a number of ways in which the product may be administered. For example, a dropper bottle could be attached to a glass or bottle in which the beverage is contained. Administration could be by way of spray application to the glass in which the beverage is contained. The product could alternatively be provided by way of sachet treatment for addition to a bottle or other container. Alternatively a capsule or tablet could be dissolved in a glass or bottle or other container in which the beverage is contained. The invention could also be applied to other applications. For example, it could be applied to fruit juice or dried fruit immediately prior to consumption.

The product could also be used with dried potato at its point of reconstitution prior to consumption.

The product could also be added to relish and other preservatives prior to consumption.

The product could also be added to seafood which has been treated with sulphur dioxide. For example, shrimp and prawns are sometimes treated with S02 when processed at sea. In addition to the above, the addition of thiamine (vitamin B1 ) is envisaged. The thiamine could be added to the product combination of hydrogen peroxide/molybdenum. This may assist in prevention of loss of B1 (sulphites are known to destroy vitamin B1 ). The loss of vitamin B1 could be reversed by the addition of thiamine to prevent diseases such as beriberi. It may also improve memory and result in a healthier liver function, and healthy hair and skin.

Industrial Applicability

The composition according to the present invention will be useful in the beverage industry and in particular in the wine and beer manufacturing industry. It can be added to the beverage to make the beverage more drinkable to the consumer. In addition, the composition can be sold as a separate product which can be added to a bottle of wine after opening or which can be added to an individual drink to make the drink more palatable and healthier for the consumer.