Choline and Omega-3 Food Composition for Oxidation-Stable Taste
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foods supplemented with choline and omega-3 fatty acids often have unacceptable taste and are prone to degradation, leading to offensive odors and tastes due to oxidation products.
Innovation Solution
A nutritionally enhanced food composition fortified with choline salt and omega-3 fatty acids, including specific amounts of protein, to achieve acceptable taste and odor, with reduced oxidation levels, using packaging materials and storage conditions to maintain quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If choline and omega-3 fatty acids are supplemented to food products, then nutritional enhancement is achieved, but taste becomes unacceptable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses encapsulation technologies (liposomes, micelles, emulsions) as intermediary structures to carry choline and omega-3 fatty acids within the food matrix. These encapsulation systems mask the unpleasant metallic and fishy tastes while delivering the nutritional benefits, effectively mediating between the supplement and the consumer's sensory experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies physical and chemical parameters of the supplement delivery system, including particle size, encapsulation efficiency, and formulation composition. By changing these parameters, the patent achieves both adequate nutritional delivery and acceptable taste profiles, resolving the contradiction between quantity and quality.
2Quantity of substance
If omega-3 fatty acids are added to food products, then nutritional value increases, but oxidation occurs leading to offensive odors and tastes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary protective measures by incorporating antioxidants and using encapsulation systems before the omega-3 fatty acids are exposed to oxidative conditions. This preliminary anti-action prevents oxidation from occurring, thereby maintaining both the nutritional content and sensory quality over extended storage periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates protected environments using inert or reduced-oxygen atmospheres in packaging, and employs encapsulation systems that provide an inert microenvironment around the omega-3 fatty acids. This isolates the supplements from oxygen, preventing oxidation while preserving nutritional value.
3Reliability
If choline and omega-3 fatty acids are fortified in food products, then neural development benefits are achieved, but stability decreases due to degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs nested encapsulation structures where omega-3 fatty acids are enclosed within liposomes or micelles, which themselves are incorporated into the food matrix. This nested arrangement provides multiple protective layers that enhance stability while ensuring the supplements reach the consumer for neural development benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates composite food formulations that integrate choline and omega-3 fatty acids with stabilizing matrices and protective carriers. These composite structures enhance the overall stability of the supplements during storage and processing, ensuring reliability of the neural development benefits.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein is a composition that includes choline or choline salt and omega-3 fatty acid for nutritionally enhancing a food product, as well as the resultant food products. The food product when nutritionally enhanced with the composition has an acceptable taste or acceptable odor or the food product has a peroxide value of less than 50 mEq. Methods of preparing the composition and food products are also are provided. As seen in the accompanying figure the discoveries outlined herein have resulted in an unprecedented level of organoleptic stability over time, with no significant change to key sensory parameters typically seen in products that contain high levels of choline and omega-3 fatty acids.