High-Protein Bacterial Cells for Dairy and Meat Analogues
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dairy and meat analogues based on vegetable proteins often have low protein content, undesirable flavors, and textures, failing to replicate the properties of animal-derived products effectively.
Innovation Solution
A food component comprising bacterial cells with a crude protein concentration of at least 60 wt% and less than 5 wt% nucleic acid, where at least 50% of the cells are dead, providing high protein content without affecting the microbiome, combined with modified starch and fat to create dairy and meat analogues with improved texture and flavor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If vegetable proteins are used to create dairy and meat analogues, then animal product alternatives are provided, but protein content is low and flavors/textures are undesirable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the protein source from conventional vegetable proteins to bacterial cells, fundamentally altering the compositional parameters. The bacterial cells provide a crude protein concentration of at least 60 wt% of total dry weight, significantly higher than vegetable proteins, while the use of dead cells (at least 50% of total cells) ensures no active microbial metabolism affects flavor or texture negatively.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite food component combining bacterial cells with modified starch and fat. This composite structure allows the high-protein bacterial cells to provide nutritional value while the modified starch and fat components contribute to desirable texture and flavor properties, resolving the contradiction between high protein content and acceptable sensory characteristics.
2Quantity of substance
If live probiotic cells are used, then microbiome is affected beneficially, but protein content is reduced due to nucleic acid content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes nucleic acids from the bacterial cells through a specific processing method. The resulting food component has nucleic acid content reduced to less than 5 wt% of total dry weight, effectively separating the protein-rich cellular material from the nucleic acid components, thereby maximizing protein content.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using live probiotic cells where nucleic acids are present and functional, the invention uses dead cells where nucleic acids are degraded and removed. This inversion approach eliminates the nucleic acid protein competition while maintaining the beneficial protein source, achieving higher net protein content.
3Quantity of substance
If high protein concentration is achieved, then nutritional value increases, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bacterial cells are prepared in advance through a standardized process of cultivation, harvesting, and treatment to achieve the desired protein concentration and nucleic acid reduction. This preliminary preparation creates a ready-to-use food component that can be directly incorporated into final products without complex processing, simplifying the overall manufacturing process.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is food component comprising cells of at least one bacterium, said cells comprising a crude protein concentration of at least 60 wt % of a total dry weight of said cells and nucleic acid at a concentration of less than about 5 wt % of a total dry weight of said cells, wherein at least 50% of a total number of said cells are dead cells. Further provided are food and beverages comprising such food components and methods of manufacture thereof.