Cold Infusion Fortification of Coffee Beans
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a global issue of vitamin and mineral deficiencies due to inadequate nutrient intake, and existing strategies for addressing this problem are not efficiently delivering essential nutrients to large populations without requiring significant changes in dietary habits.
Innovation Solution
A cold infusion process for fortifying coffee beans, corn, or soy beans with various vitamins, minerals, and botanicals by mixing them with a solution containing a bridge initiator for acid salt bias and acid at a temperature below 120°F, allowing the fortifying agents to bind to the beans' endosperm, thereby creating acid linkages for effective nutrient delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If fortifying agents are added to commonly consumed staples, then nutrient delivery to large populations is improved, but the complexity of the fortification process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter to below 120°F to prevent degradation of heat-sensitive nutrients while maintaining effective fortification. This parameter modification allows nutrient delivery without requiring complex temperature control systems or specialized equipment, thus resolving the contradiction between nutrient delivery effectiveness and process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary solution containing fortifying agents, bridge initiators, and acids that facilitates nutrient binding to the staple food matrix. This intermediary approach enables efficient nutrient delivery while simplifying the overall process by combining multiple functions (fortification, binding, pH adjustment) into a single application step
2Manufacturing precision
If hot processing is used to infuse fortifying agents, then penetration into the bean structure is improved, but degradation of heat-sensitive nutrients occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the temperature parameter from hot processing to cold processing (below 120°F), which prevents degradation of heat-sensitive nutrients while still achieving effective penetration through the use of extended contact time and chemical facilitators (acids and bridge initiators) that enhance absorption without thermal energy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-treating the coffee beans with acids and bridge initiators before or during the cold infusion process. This preliminary chemical preparation opens up the bean structure and creates binding sites, enabling effective nutrient penetration without the need for high temperatures that would cause degradation
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 process enables the creation of fortified coffee beans that can provide enhanced health benefits, such as improved mental alertness, joint health, and immune system support, while maintaining the beans' physical structure and shelf life, allowing for efficient nutrient delivery without altering dietary habits.
Implementation Method 1
mixing them with a solution containing a bridge initiator for acid salt bias and acid at a temperature below 120°F, allowing the fortifying agents to bind to the beans' endosperm, thereby creating acid linkages for effective nutrient delivery
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to a cold infusion process for fortifying coffee beans with one or more vitamin, non-vitamin, mineral, non-mineral, botanical, hormone, herb, neutraceutical, lipid, carbohydrate, amino acid, acid, salt, prebiotic, or probiotic functional additives. This invention also discloses an infused coffee bean produced by the process of infusing the coffee bean at a temperature of less than about 120° F. with a solution comprising water, a bridge initiator for acid salt bias, fortifying agent(s), and an acid in a quantity sufficient to reach a pH of about 3.65. Further, this invention provides a method for the infusion of a coffee bean with at least one fortifying agent at approximately room temperature.