Beverage Capsule with Powder and Pellet Blend for Extraction Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current beverage capsules lack the ability to vary extraction kinetics, provide intense beverages, and offer a range of coffee styles without altering the capsule's volume or affecting beverage flow, leading to limitations in producing different characteristics such as aromatic or sensory attributes.
Innovation Solution
The capsule combines non-compacted beverage extractable powder with compacted pellets of beverage extractable powder, where the pellets have a largest dimension of at least 3.5 mm, arranged randomly within the capsule, to alter extraction kinetics and intensity, allowing for different beverage characteristics without changing the capsule's volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the capsule uses only non-compacted beverage powder, then the beverage flow is good, but the extraction kinetics cannot be varied and the beverage intensity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage precursor is segmented into two distinct forms: non-compacted powder and compacted pellets. This segmentation allows each form to contribute differently to the extraction process - the non-compacted powder provides good flow and initial extraction, while the compacted pellets provide delayed extraction and increased intensity, thereby varying extraction kinetics and beverage characteristics without affecting overall flow
2Quantity of substance
If the capsule volume is increased to provide more beverage precursor, then the beverage intensity increases, but the capsule size and beverage flow are affected
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state and density parameters of the beverage precursor by creating compacted pellets from the same coffee powder. This allows increasing the quantity of beverage precursor (up to 10g or more) in the same capsule volume by utilizing the high density of compacted pellets, thereby increasing beverage intensity without altering capsule size or affecting flow characteristics
3Productivity
If compacted pellets are used to increase beverage intensity, then the extraction kinetics are improved, but the beverage flow may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule is designed with non-uniform distribution of beverage precursor forms. The compacted pellets are positioned in specific zones where they provide delayed extraction and increased intensity, while non-compacted powder is distributed in areas that maintain good liquid flow paths. This local quality differentiation ensures that beverage intensity is enhanced without compromising overall flow characteristics
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a capsule for the preparation of a beverage in a beverage machine by feeding liquid in the capsule and extracting a beverage out of the capsule, wherein the capsule comprises containment walls forming an interior cavity containing beverage precursor; wherein the beverage precursor comprises a combination of non-compacted beverage extractable powder and pellets of compacted beverage extractable powder and wherein the largest dimension of each pellet is at least 3.5 millimeters. The invention enables to confer different beverage characteristics, for example, change the beverage extraction and aroma release kinetics, make more intense beverages and/or improve the beverage flow released from the capsule.