Agglomerated Oat Powder Spray Drying for Drinkable Food
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional oatmeal products are inconvenient for on-the-go consumption due to the need for cooking and utensils, and existing powdered oatmeal formulations tend to clump and have poor dispersability in liquids, making them messy and difficult to consume.
Innovation Solution
The development of agglomerated grain powders, such as oat flour, which are easily dispersible in liquids and provide a smooth texture, allowing for the creation of drinkable food products that combine the powders with milk, fruit components, and other ingredients, ensuring convenience and ease of consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional oatmeal is prepared in a bowl and spoon, then it provides nutritional benefits and health benefits, but it requires cooking and utensils that are inconvenient for on-the-go consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms oatmeal from a traditional solid food requiring bowl and spoon into a drinkable product by changing its physical state and delivery form. The oatmeal is processed into a powder that can be mixed with liquid and consumed directly, eliminating the need for cooking and traditional utensils while maintaining nutritional benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential nutritional components of oatmeal and delivers them in a concentrated powder form that can be quickly reconstituted with liquid. This extraction approach removes the need for traditional preparation methods while preserving the health benefits of oatmeal
2Ease of operation
If powdered oatmeal is prepared using drum dried process, then it can be consumed without cooking, but it tends to clump and have poor dispersability in water or other fluids
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the drying method from drum drying to spray drying, which creates a different particle structure and morphology. This parameter change in the drying process results in powder that disperses better in liquid without clumping, while maintaining the convenience of ready-to-mix formulation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates powder with non-uniform particle size distribution, where a mixture of fine and coarse particles is produced. The fine particles fill gaps between larger particles, preventing clumping and improving overall dispersability in liquid while maintaining good texture
3Ease of operation
If powdered oatmeal is used in drinkable formulations, then on-the-go consumption is enabled, but the product becomes messy and difficult to consume due to clumping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the powder characteristics through spray drying to achieve optimal particle size, density, and surface properties. These parameter changes ensure the powder dissolves smoothly in liquid without forming clumps, eliminating the messiness problem while maintaining the convenience of drinkable format
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary processing of the oatmeal through hydrolysis and spray drying to pre-establish the desired dispersibility and dissolution properties. This preliminary action ensures that when the consumer simply mixes the powder with liquid, it disperses smoothly without requiring additional effort or creating mess
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The agglomerated grain powders enable the production of a healthy, convenient, and mess-free drinkable food product that maintains nutritional benefits, with improved solubility and dispersability, making it suitable for on-the-go consumption while maintaining the health benefits of traditional oatmeal.
Implementation Method 1
This powder is generally used in baby food and dry powder blend applications. However, such powdered oatmeal tends to clump and have poor dispersability in water or other fluids.
Implementation Method 2
the use of agglomerated powders provided excellent dispersability in liquids and eliminated problems of prior liquid formulations. The agglomerated powder dissolves easily without clumping and provides a smooth texture.
Data Source
AI summary
A drinkable food product comprises a liquid and a hydrolyzed, dried, agglomerated grain powder.