Carrageenan Casing for Soft Cheese in Stuffed Crust Pizza

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cheese products with casings, such as alginate-coated soft cheeses, do not fully break down during cooking, leading to undesirable texture and flavor in stuffed crust pizzas.

Innovation Solution

Using carrageenan as a casing for soft cheese products, which degrades at a suitable low temperature in a moist environment without requiring additional processing steps, ensuring a smooth and flavorful cheese experience in pizzas.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If alginate coating is used on soft cheese, then the cheese can be handled and placed in pizza crust, but the coating does not fully break down during cooking

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandling easeVSAvoidcoating breakdown

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the chemical composition parameter of the coating material from alginate to carrageenan. Carrageenan has different thermal and chemical properties that enable it to break down at lower temperatures during cooking, resolving the issue of incomplete coating breakdown while maintaining handling ease through the same encapsulation method

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The carrageenan coating is designed as a temporary, disposable structure that serves its purpose during handling and cooking, then completely breaks down during the cooking process. This disposable approach eliminates the need for the coating to persist in the final product, solving the breakdown reliability issue

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Reliability

If phosphate solution treatment is added to break down alginate coating, then coating breakdown improves, but manufacturing process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoating breakdownVSAvoidprocessing steps

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the phosphate solution treatment step from the manufacturing process. By selecting carrageenan as the coating material, the breakdown function is achieved through the material's inherent properties rather than through additional chemical treatment steps, thereby simplifying the overall manufacturing process while maintaining reliable coating breakdown

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The carrageenan coating is designed to self-break down during cooking through its inherent thermal and chemical properties in the cooking environment. This self-service capability eliminates the need for external phosphate treatment, reducing manufacturing complexity while ensuring complete breakdown

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Strength

If semi-hard cheese rope is used, then the cheese maintains shape during handling, but it collapses during cooking creating cavity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveshape retentionVSAvoidstructural integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The carrageenan coating forms a flexible yet protective shell around the soft cheese. This thin film casing provides the necessary structural support for handling operations while being thin enough to allow the soft cheese inside to maintain its shape and prevent cavity formation during cooking, resolving both shape retention and structural integrity issues

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

4Object-generated harmful factors

If soft cheese is used, then the mouthfeel and flavor carrying capability improves, but the cheese cannot be handled for stuffing operations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemouthfeel qualityVSAvoidhandling capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The soft cheese is nested inside a carrageenan coating casing, creating a nested structure where the inner soft cheese provides superior mouthfeel and flavor carrying capability, while the outer carrageenan casing provides the structural integrity needed for handling and stuffing operations. This nested arrangement resolves both quality and handling requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

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 carrageenan casing effectively breaks down during cooking, maintaining the soft cheese's integrity and flavor, while providing ease of handling and aesthetic appeal in stuffed crust pizzas.

Implementation Method 1

the coating will not break down fully when introduced into a pizza base and cooked under normal conditions

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal degradation: Pyrolysis

Implementation Method 2

when an alginate coated cheese product is formed, the coating will not break down fully when introduced into a pizza base and cooked under normal conditions (in terms of temperature and time)

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHydrolysis: Hydrolysis

Data Source

PatentUS12310381B2Cheese product with carrageenan casing

Publication Date: 2025.05.27 HL COMMODITY FOODS LTD

AI summary

A cheese product with a carrageenan casing comprises soft cheese encapsulated in a casing comprising carrageenan. The cheese product can be manufactured by forming a coating comprising carrageenan around a soft cheese, for example by co-extruding the soft cheese within a liquid coating material comprising carrageenan such that the coating material forms a tubular coating around the cheese. The cheese product can be used to form the stuffing in a stuffed-crust pizza.