Biodegradable Coffee Capsule with Crosslinked Polysaccharide Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Coffee capsules are expensive, non-recyclable, and environmentally harmful due to their material composition, and they struggle to maintain flavor over time and achieve consistent flow resistance for different coffee types and grind sizes, making them unsuitable for fully automatic coffee machines.
Innovation Solution
A capsule with a pellet composed of a polysaccharide powder mixture having different average particle sizes and an inert filler, coated with a crosslinked polysaccharide, allowing for adjustable flow resistance and extended flavor preservation, enabling consistent extraction with various coffee types and grind sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If capsules are made from stainless steel, aluminum, or plastics material, then they allow ground coffee to be stored for a longer period of time without loss of flavor, but they are expensive, non-recyclable, and environmentally harmful
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameters from conventional metals and plastics to biodegradable polymers with specific properties (porosity, molecular weight, degradation rate) that can be tuned to achieve both flavor preservation and environmental compatibility. The coating layer parameters (thickness, crosslinking degree) are optimized to control extraction while maintaining biodegradability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite structures combining biodegradable polymer matrices with functional coatings and filler materials. The capsule consists of a biodegradable polymer core with a crosslinked polysaccharide coating, creating a multi-layer composite that provides both protective functions and controlled degradability, resolving the contradiction between durability and environmental harm.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If capsules are made from biodegradable material with standardized size, then they are environmentally friendly, but it is difficult to set the flow resistance and extraction properties to a desired value for different coffee types
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces dynamic adjustability to the capsule system through variable parameters including porosity (5-50%), different polymer types, coating thickness variations, and filler content (0-80%). These dynamic parameters allow the same biodegradable capsule design to be optimized for different coffee types and grind sizes, enabling adaptation to various extraction requirements while maintaining environmental friendliness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality differentiation through the multi-layer structure where the core biodegradable polymer provides environmental compatibility while the crosslinked polysaccharide coating layer provides controlled extraction properties. Different regions of the capsule have different functional properties - the core focuses on biodegradability while the coating focuses on flow resistance control, allowing both environmental friendliness and extraction adaptability.
3Reliability
If the degree of grinding of the powder is increased, then coffee with excellent taste is produced, but the porosity of the capsule decreases and flow resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The crosslinked polysaccharide coating acts as an intermediary layer between the ground coffee powder and the extraction water. This coating mediates the flow resistance by providing a controlled porous structure that allows water to penetrate and extract coffee compounds efficiently, regardless of the powder's fineness. The coating serves as an intermediate barrier that regulates flow while enabling complete extraction of fine-ground coffee.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes porous materials at multiple levels - the biodegradable polymer core has controlled porosity (5-50%) and the crosslinked polysaccharide coating forms a porous network structure. These porous structures provide channels for water flow that are independent of the coffee powder particle size, allowing fine-ground coffee to maintain low flow resistance while achieving excellent extraction and taste quality.
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 capsules are biodegradable, cost-effective, and maintain flavor quality over time, ensuring consistent extraction performance across different coffee types and grind sizes, making them suitable for fully automatic coffee machines while reducing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one coating layer comprises a crosslinked polysaccharide, wherein the crosslinked polysaccharide is obtained by crosslinking a polysaccharide with a crosslinking agent
Implementation Method 2
the flow resistance of such a capsule, a method for producing such a capsule... the finer the degree of grinding of the powder, the lower the porosity of the capsule made from it
Implementation Method 3
hot water is then pressed through the capsule and brewed coffee is produced therefrom
Implementation Method 4
the extraction properties with hot water... the coffee can be extracted from the capsules in the fully automatic coffee machine using the same water pressure in the same time
Implementation Method 5
capsules made of alternative materials... are biodegradable and therefore environmentally friendly... cannot be disposed of biologically
Data Source
AI summary
A capsule for the preparation of a beverage from beverage powder, in particular of coffee from ground coffee, by introduction of water into the capsule comprises a pellet composed of a powder mixture, wherein the pellet is sheathed with at least one coating layer comprising a crosslinked polysaccharide, wherein the powder mixture of the pellet contains i) a polysaccharide-comprising powder having a first average particle size A and ii) a) a polysaccharide-comprising powder having a second average particle size B different from the first average particle size A and/or b) a filler having an average particle size C different from the first average particle size A or identical to the first average particle size A.