German Patents Method for Making Hemp Juice

Who is Galathea Bisterfeld von Meer, you might wonder? She’s the inventor of a now U.S.-patented method for making hemp juice.

It appears that while much of the United States was busying itself with news about hemp pilot programs earlier this year, this German lady straight up took a piece out of the future hemp juice market. In February, she and a group called Claremont Collection GmbH (Hamburg, Germany) secured a patent for both a method of obtaining hemp juice and a method for making hemp beverages, wherein hemp juice is mixed with yeast and then fermented.

Fibers and oils can be extracted from multiple parts of the hemp plant, including its seeds, stems, leaves, and shives (the woody core of the plant). But some of these plant parts are also rife with juice, as the patent explains:

The hemp juice can be obtained from three different parts of the hemp: a) the upper leafy third of the hemp stem for a beverage with strong flavor and dark color; b) the fibrous part of the remaining two thirds of the hemp stem for a beverage with a less strong flavor and medium color; and c) the shives for a light beverage with light color.

Juice from the hemp leaf is reportedly richest in protein (containing all eight essential amino acids), calcium, fatty acids, and polyphenols. The juice from the more fibrous materials provides more minerals overall, such as copper and iron. The woody shives actually yield the sweetest of hemp’s juices.

When hemp juices go to market, manufacturers will be able to sell this raw material as a stand-alone juice or incorporate it into liquid products such as wines, sodas, and syrups. The patent holder says hemp juice can be used for humans and animals, and also for topical applications. Of course, hemp juice can be made from a variety of species that are low in psychoactive THC, thus distinguishing this product from marijuana.

Robby Gardner
Associate Editor
Nutritional Outlook magazine
robby.gardner@ubm.com
 

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