Composition Evaluation Device for Multi-Component Food Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for evaluating the functionality of foods based on a single responsible component are inadequate, as they fail to accurately account for the combined effects of multiple components, leading to inefficient and costly analysis and potential misevaluation of food functions.
Innovation Solution
A composition evaluation device and method that analyzes multiple components, calculates molecular descriptors, estimates activity values using a learned model, and computes a total activity score by considering the chemical structures and amounts of components, enabling comprehensive evaluation of food functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If food function is evaluated based on a single responsible component, then the evaluation process is simple, but the evaluation accuracy is insufficient and may lead to misevaluation of food functions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the food evaluation process into multiple independent analysis modules: (1) component identification module that detects various components in food, (2) molecular descriptor calculation module that computes chemical structure features, (3) activity value estimation module that predicts biological activities, and (4) total activity score calculation module that integrates multiple activities. This segmentation allows comprehensive multi-component analysis while maintaining systematic organization and manageable complexity.
2Measurement precision
If all components of food are taken into consideration for accurate function evaluation, then the evaluation accuracy improves, but the time and cost required for analysis increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing molecular descriptors for known chemical structures in a database before actual food analysis. When analyzing food components, the system first checks if the component structure exists in the database, and if so, directly retrieves pre-computed descriptors and activity values without performing redundant calculations. This preliminary preparation significantly reduces analysis time for routine evaluations while maintaining comprehensive multi-component analysis capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating simplified representations of complex molecular structures through molecular descriptors - numerical values that capture essential structural features without requiring full structural analysis. These descriptor copies allow the system to estimate biological activities rapidly by comparing descriptor patterns rather than performing complete structure-activity relationship calculations for each component, thereby reducing computational time while preserving evaluation accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If all components of food are taken into consideration for accurate function evaluation, then the evaluation accuracy improves, but the cost of analysis increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by designing a multi-functional evaluation system that can assess multiple biological activities (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, etc.) simultaneously through a single integrated analysis framework. The same molecular descriptor calculation and activity estimation modules serve multiple evaluation purposes, eliminating the need for separate specialized analyses for each biological function. This universal approach reduces overall analysis cost while enabling comprehensive multi-component, multi-function evaluation of food products.
Data Source
AI summary
A composition evaluation device included an analyzer that analyzes a plurality of contained components that are contained or estimated to be contained in a composition and also analyzes component amounts of the plurality of contained components, a molecular descriptor calculator that calculates molecular descriptors related to chemical structures of the contained components, an activity value estimator that estimates activity values of the contained components, based on the molecular descriptors, and a score calculator that calculates a total activity score of the plurality of contained components from the estimated activity values of the contained components and the component amounts.