Low-Sodium Bouillon Composition Using Starch and Maltodextrin Ratio
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers seek to reduce their salt intake due to health concerns, and existing bouillon products often rely on high sodium content for flavor and structure, making it challenging to create a low-sodium alternative that maintains taste and production efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A composition for making bouillons, soups, and gravies without added kitchen salt, utilizing a specific ratio of native starch and maltodextrin/glucose syrup, along with vegetable oil and flavorings, which can be processed in regular machinery to produce a clear, flavorful product with minimal sodium content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If kitchen salt and monosodium glutamate are used to improve taste and structure, then the bouillon achieves desired flavor and structural properties, but the sodium content becomes excessively high which is harmful to consumer health
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes kitchen salt and monosodium glutamate from the traditional bouillon formulation to eliminate excessive sodium content. This extraction of harmful ingredients is compensated by introducing alternative components (starch, maltodextrin, glucose syrup, vegetable oil, and flavorings) that maintain the bouillon's structural integrity and taste quality without relying on high sodium levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent fundamentally changes the compositional parameters of the bouillon by eliminating salt and MSG and replacing them with a specific ratio of starch (10-50%), maltodextrin/glucose syrup (10-50%), vegetable oil (0-10%), and flavorings (0.05-12%). This parameter change transforms the bouillon from a high-sodium product to a low-sodium alternative while maintaining functional properties through the synergistic interaction of the new ingredient system.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional bouillon ingredients are removed to reduce sodium content, then health benefits improve, but the structural properties and production efficiency may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a multi-functional ingredient system where starch and maltodextrin/glucose syrup serve multiple purposes: they provide structural matrix, control water activity, enable proper texture, and facilitate production in standard equipment. Vegetable oil contributes to mouthfeel and flavor carrier functions, while flavorings compensate for the removal of salt and MSG. This multi-functionality ensures that eliminating traditional ingredients does not compromise manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material system combining starch, maltodextrin, glucose syrup, vegetable oil, and various flavorings in specific proportions. This composite approach allows the ingredients to work synergistically, where the carbohydrate matrix provides structure and the oil-flavoring combination delivers taste, replacing the dual function previously served by salt and MSG alone. The composite material maintains production efficiency while achieving low sodium content.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If salt is eliminated from the composition, then health concerns are addressed, but the flavor intensity and consumer acceptance may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces vegetable oil as an intermediary substance that enhances flavor delivery and perception. The oil acts as a carrier for hydrophobic flavor compounds, improving their solubility and release characteristics. Additionally, the carbohydrate matrix (starch, maltodextrin, glucose syrup) serves as an intermediary that controls the release kinetics of flavor compounds, ensuring sustained flavor perception without relying on high sodium levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the concentration and type of flavorings (0.05-12% of beef, chicken, meat, or vegetable flavor) to compensate for the removal of salt and MSG. By carefully adjusting flavoring parameters and using the carbohydrate-oil matrix to enhance flavor delivery, the formulation maintains adequate flavor intensity despite the elimination of traditional salty umami sources.
Data Source
AI summary
The objective of the current invention is to provide a composition that can be used for making bouillons, soups and gravies, and that is free from kitchen salt. Such composition has now been developed, preferably in the form of a solid or pasty cube, for preparing a bouillon, to which no kitchen salt has been added, and which contains a specific ratio of native starch and maltodextrin and/or glucose syrup. This ratio between these ingredients leads to a good quality composition that can be prepared in the same way as regular compositions for making bouillons that do contain kitchen salt.