Bouillon Tablet Preparation with Humid Native Starch Binding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bouillon tablet manufacturing processes face challenges in binding ingredients without using fat, particularly with hygroscopic amorphous ingredients, leading to issues like crust formation, lumps, and undesirable texture changes, especially when using maltodextrin, which is not commonly found in domestic kitchens.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating humid native starch with a moisture content of 19-21% and a water activity of 0.4-0.6 into the bouillon tablet composition to activate hygroscopic amorphous ingredients, eliminating the need for maltodextrin and ensuring efficient binding without solid-solid interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hygroscopic amorphous ingredients are used to bind bouillon tablet ingredients without fat, then the nutritional quality is improved, but crust formation and lumps occur during mixing
Solution Approach 1:
Humid native starch acts as an intermediary substance between water and hygroscopic amorphous ingredients. The starch granules absorb water and swell, creating a humid environment that gradually activates the binding properties of hygroscopic ingredients without causing sudden crust formation or lumps during mixing
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the moisture content parameter of native starch to 19-21%, creating humid native starch with specific water activity (0.4-0.6). This parameter control allows gradual water release and activation of binding agents, preventing premature crust formation while ensuring proper binding
2Reliability
If maltodextrin is used as a binding agent, then the binding efficiency is improved, but the ingredient becomes less familiar to consumers and may cause undesirable texture evolution
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces maltodextrin with native starch that has been modified only by controlling its moisture content (19-21%) and water activity (0.4-0.6). This parameter-based modification maintains the functional properties needed for binding while using a familiar, naturally occurring ingredient that consumers recognize and accept
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses native starch, a common and inexpensive kitchen ingredient, instead of specialized additives like maltodextrin. This substitution reduces manufacturing costs and improves consumer acceptance while achieving the required binding efficiency through controlled humidity rather than chemical modification
3Reliability
If water is added directly to activate hygroscopic amorphous ingredients, then the binding activation is improved, but crust formation and lumps occur requiring mixer shutdown
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary action by pre-humidifying native starch to 19-21% moisture content before adding it to the mixture. This pre-prepared humid starch gradually releases water to activate hygroscopic binding agents during the mixing process, enabling continuous operation without crust formation or lumps that would require shutdown
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
This approach allows for faster moisture transfer, reduces manufacturing costs, and prevents undesirable texture changes such as post-hardening, ensuring a minimum hardness for easy handling and dissolution.
Implementation Method 1
This surprisingly allows for a faster moisture transfer
Implementation Method 2
These are activated in the bouillon mixture by the addition of water
Data Source
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Figure 2
AI summary
The present invention relates to bouillon tablets, in particular to a process for preparing a bouillon tablet. The process comprises mixing an ingredient composition comprising crystalline ingredients, hygroscopic amorphous ingredients, humid native starch and less than 10 % fat, pressing the ingredient composition into a tablet and packaging the tablet.