METHOD AND REAGENT FOR TREATING BEVERAGE OR INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT Russian patent published in 1999 - IPC

FIELD: food industry. SUBSTANCE: method of treating beverage or intermediate product thereof with pH of liquid phase below 7 involves addition of a reagent obtained by heat treatment of layered silicate. Mixture is agitated, aged until conversion processes caused by reagent contained in beverage are completed, and liquid and solid phases are then separated. Reagent is prepared by affecting layered silicates with high temperatures within the range of 550-1000 C for up to 1 hr. Efficiency of reagent rises when preliminarily crushed in dry state in disintegrator or in liquid medium, advantageously when agitated with beverage being processed. Layered silicates for preparing reagent are selected from the group including: biotite, vermiculite, hydrobiotite, hydrophlogopite, glauconite, illite, montmorillonite, muscovite, and saponite. Reagent contains at least one layered silicate and also its destruction products formed mainly owing to removal of intralayer hydroxyl groups and destruction of structure of octahedral layers. Reagent should have weight losses between 0.1 and 0.4% when calcined at 550 to 1000 C (based on weight of reagent calcined at the first temperature). EFFECT: enhanced efficiency of clarification process and stabilization of beverages processed; improved environmental condition. 10 cl, 1 dwg, 3 tbl