The basic principle of this dealcoholization technology is the pressure driven separation of a water/alcohol-mixture from the alcoholic beverage through a semi-permeable membrane. The amount of remaining alcohol in the final product can be controlled with high flexibility and will be equal or lower than 0.5% ABV. Since this process takes place at low temperatures, no heatrelated off-flavors are produced. Choosing the right pore size also prevents the loss of valuable aromatic substances. The product is treated in a closed system so that no oxygen pickup occurs. This process is characterized by low energy consumption.

In the first step, the concentration phase, a mixture of water and alcohol is separated from the product so that the volume of the product is reduced between 30 and 50 %. The second step causes a further reduction of the alcohol content by washing the remaining product with de-aerated water. The f inal alcohol content and the final volume of the dealcoholized product is determined by adding de-aerated water in the third step (Re-dilution phase).

Standardized membrane dealcoholization skids are available for daily production batches from 8 to 100 hl.