Beta-serum Lipid Extraction via Supercritical CO2
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial infant formulas produced from non-human milk lack sufficient levels of essential phospholipids and sphingolipids found in human milk, which are crucial for infant growth and development, and existing extraction methods are costly and inefficient, leaving toxic residues or denaturing proteins.
Innovation Solution
A process involving near critical carbon dioxide extraction and liquid dimethyl ether extraction to produce neutral lipid-depleted or enriched dairy products, specifically beta-serum, which are high in phospholipids and sphingolipids, suitable for infant formulas, reducing lactose content through ultrafiltration and diafiltration to enhance extraction yields and minimize solvent residues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If skim milk is used to reduce saturated fatty acids and butyric acid, then levels of undesirable components are reduced, but phospholipid and sphingolipid levels become significantly lower than in human milk
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the milk fat components by separating neutral lipids from polar lipids through selective extraction. The phospholipid-rich fraction is isolated and concentrated, allowing skim milk to be modified with specific lipid components rather than using whole milk fat, thus reducing saturated fatty acids while maintaining phospholipid levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts polar lipids from milk using supercritical carbon dioxide extraction followed by fractionation. This selective extraction removes neutral lipids while concentrating phospholipids and sphingolipids, enabling the production of infant formula with reduced saturated fatty acids but maintained or enhanced phospholipid content.
2Quantity of substance
If conventional solvent extraction is used to obtain lipid extracts, then phospholipid and sphingolipid levels can be increased, but the process becomes expensive and requires extensive toxicity and safety studies
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces conventional chemical solvent extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide extraction. This substitution eliminates toxic solvent residues, reduces safety testing requirements, and simplifies regulatory approval while maintaining effective phospholipid extraction and concentration capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the extraction parameters by using supercritical carbon dioxide at controlled temperature and pressure, followed by fractionation. This parameter change enables selective extraction of polar lipids without the need for toxic organic solvents, reducing production costs and regulatory barriers.
3Quantity of substance
If buttermilk is included in infant formulas, then phospholipid and sphingolipid levels are higher than in reduced-fat dairy products, but the levels are still not high enough for whey-dominant infant formula
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary concentration of phospholipids through supercritical carbon dioxide extraction and fractionation before incorporating the lipid fraction into infant formula. This preliminary action ensures that the phospholipid concentration is sufficiently high to match human milk levels when added to whey-dominant formula, overcoming the limitation of buttermilk's lower phospholipid 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 process effectively increases the levels of desirable lipids in dairy products, enhancing gut maturation, reducing infection risk, preventing allergies, and optimizing neural development, while being safer and more cost-effective with minimal solvent residues, making them suitable for infant formulas.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the beta-serum to a near critical carbon dioxide extraction process
Implementation Method 2
liquid dimethyl ether extraction to produce neutral lipid-depleted or enriched dairy products
Implementation Method 3
reducing lactose content through ultrafiltration and diafiltration
Data Source
AI summary
Processes for producing dairy products having lower levels of neutral lipids, and/or higher levels of polar lipids, by extraction using near critical carbon dioxide or dimethyl ether. These products may be used as ingredients in infant formulas. Infant formulas containing beta-serum are also claimed. “Beta-serum” means an aqueous dairy ingredient separated from dairy streams containing greater than 60% fat which have been through phase inversion from an oil-in-water to a water-in-oil emulsion, such as the serum produced during the production of butter oil.