Controlled Impact Extraction for Viable Wheat Embryo Products
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for isolating wheat embryos from wheat berries result in contamination with endosperm particles and tritin, leading to low purity and viability, hindering their use in industrial-scale cell-free protein synthesis.
Innovation Solution
A method involving controlled acceleration and single-impact milling of wheat berries to dislodge intact embryos, followed by separation from bran and endosperm using techniques like screening, color sorting, and floatation, with optional pre-treatment to enhance embryo viability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional methods are used to produce wheat germ, then the process is simple and cost-effective, but the resulting product is contaminated with endosperm particles and tritin, reducing purity and viability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the wheat berry into distinct components (embryo, endosperm, bran) through controlled mechanical action. The embryo is dislodged from the endosperm and bran through specific impact forces, allowing separate collection of each component. This segmentation enables high-purity embryo extraction while managing process complexity through systematic separation stages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the embryo from the wheat berry by applying controlled mechanical forces that dislodge the embryo from the endosperm and bran. The extraction process uses specific impact parameters to release the embryo intact, separating it from contaminating endosperm particles that contain tritin, thereby achieving high purity without requiring overly complex separation systems.
2Productivity
If wheat berries are crushed to extract embryos, then embryo release is achieved, but the embryos are damaged and viability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using controlled mechanical forces specifically targeted at the embryo-endosperm interface rather than crushing the entire wheat berry. The mechanical action is localized to dislodge the embryo intact from its surroundings, preserving embryo structure and viability while achieving efficient release. This localized approach prevents the damage associated with general crushing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary action by pre-conditioning the wheat berries through controlled moisture adjustment and staged mechanical processing. The embryos are dislodged through controlled impacts before final separation, ensuring they remain intact and viable. This preliminary dislodging action prevents subsequent damage during separation and maintains embryo reliability for downstream applications.
3Manufacturing precision
If repeated beating is used to separate wheat germ, then separation is achieved, but the process creates fissures and breaks in embryos that are lethal to viability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic action through staged mechanical processing rather than continuous repeated beating. The embryo dislodging process occurs in controlled stages with specific impact parameters, allowing separation to be achieved without excessive mechanical trauma. This periodic, controlled approach maintains separation purity while preserving embryo integrity and viability, avoiding the lethal fissures and breaks caused by repeated random beating.
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
Produces high-purity, viable wheat embryos with minimal tritin and decomposition products, suitable for industrial-scale protein synthesis.
Implementation Method 1
accelerating a plurality of wheat berries toward an impact surface, impacting each of the plurality of wheat berries against the impact surface, in response to the impacting step, dislodging at least some of the wheat embryos from the wheat berries
Implementation Method 2
separating the dislodged wheat embryos from the bran and the endosperm to produce an intermediate purified wheat embryo product
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for producing a purified wheat embryo product are disclosed. In one embodiment, producing a purified wheat embryo product includes the steps of: accelerating a plurality of wheat berries toward an impact surface, impacting each of the plurality of wheat berries against the impact surface, dislodging at least some of the wheat embryos from the wheat berries in response to the impacting step such that the dislodged embryos are intact, and separating the dislodged wheat embryos from the bran and the endosperm to produce an intermediate purified wheat embryo product.