Aqueous Drink Concentrate Composition for Faster Frozen Melting
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing frozen ready-made drinks and cocktails take too long to melt, which is problematic in professional settings and at home, and there is a lack of high-end, non-alcoholic alternatives with natural flavors.
Innovation Solution
An aqueous concentrate comprising a sweetener, polysaccharide, and emulsifying agent, optionally with ethanol, is formulated to increase melting rate and provide high-end drinks, with optional ethanol content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a frozen ready-made drink is used, then the drink can be prepared in advance and stored, but it takes too long to melt and provides a drink slowly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the frozen drink by incorporating specific ratios of sweeteners (20-60 wt%), polysaccharides (1-5 wt%), and emulsifying agents (0.05-0.5 wt%). These parameter changes modify the melting characteristics, enabling the frozen drink to melt significantly faster while maintaining its ready-made convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite frozen drink material combining multiple components: water, sweeteners (such as glucose or sorbitol), polysaccharides (such as inulin or chitosan), and emulsifying agents. This composite formulation synergistically accelerates melting while preserving the pre-prepared advantage, resolving the contradiction between advance preparation and rapid melt-down.
2Speed
If a high proportion of sweetener is added to increase melting rate, then the melting rate increases, but the drink becomes too sweet
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the sweetener concentration parameter within a specific range (20-60 wt%) and combines it with polysaccharide (1-5 wt%) and emulsifying agent (0.05-0.5 wt%) parameters. This multi-parameter optimization achieves enhanced melting rate while controlling sweetness to acceptable levels, preventing the harmful effect of excessive sweetness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces polysaccharides and emulsifying agents as intermediary substances that mediate between the sweetener and the melting process. These intermediaries enhance the melting rate through their specific properties (polysaccharide chain structure and emulsifying action) while diluting the direct impact of high sweetener content on perceived sweetness.
3Speed
If ethanol is added to increase melting rate, then the melting rate increases, but the drink becomes alcoholic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the compositional parameters by using alternative melting-enhancing agents (polysaccharides and emulsifying agents) instead of relying on high ethanol content. This parameter substitution achieves the desired melting rate acceleration while maintaining non-alcoholic or low-alcoholic status, avoiding the harmful effect of high alcohol content.
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 concentrate significantly accelerates melting and can be used to create high-end alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks with natural flavors, addressing the melting time issue and flavor authenticity.
Implementation Method 1
The major effect of the sweetener is freezing point depression
Implementation Method 2
By adding an emulsifying agent, the aqueous concentrate may have an overrun, i.e. it may comprise gas bubbles, such as air bubbles
Implementation Method 3
the polysaccharide may, inter alia, stabilize an overrun
Data Source
AI summary
An aqueous concentrate to be diluted into a drink. The concentrate, apart from water, comprising a flavouring, a sweetener, a polysaccharide and an emulsifying agent.