Dry Cheese Powder Color Blends for Natural Colorant Substitution

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Solution Overview

Problem

Consumers desire cheese products with natural ingredients and fewer synthetically-derived colors, flavors, and preservatives, while existing cheese powders often use synthetic colorants that alter taste, color uniformity, and creaminess.

Innovation Solution

A dry powdered cheese composition using a synergistic blend of naturally-derived colorants, including curcumin compounds, annatto carotenoids, and paprika carotenoids, to achieve a desired color without undesirable taste or appearance, combined with cheese components and processed to maintain taste and appearance similar to conventional products.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If synthetic colorants are used in cheese powders, then the cheese achieves a rich color, but the product contains synthetically-derived colors that consumers want to avoid

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecolor richnessVSAvoidsynthetically-derived colors

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the colorants by using naturally-derived alternatives (curcumin, annatto, paprika) instead of synthetic dyes, while adjusting their concentrations to achieve the desired color richness without synthetic ingredients

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite color system by blending multiple natural colorants (curcumin compounds, annatto carotenoids, paprika carotenoids) together to achieve the rich yellow-orange color traditionally provided by synthetic colorants, combining the strengths of different natural sources

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Object-affected harmful factors

If natural colorants are used in cheese sauce, then the product contains fewer synthetic ingredients, but the cheese sauce may become non-uniform in color and alter the taste

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesynthetic ingredientsVSAvoidcolor uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different natural colorants to different functional roles within the cheese powder system, with each colorant selected for its specific properties (curcumin for brightness, annatto for yellow tones, paprika for orange hues), allowing optimization of both color uniformity and taste profile in different regions of the product

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent achieves color uniformity by carefully controlling the distribution and concentration of multiple natural colorants throughout the cheese powder matrix, ensuring consistent color appearance in reconstituted cheese sauces despite using natural variations in colorant sources

Inventive Principle:

Principle #33Homogeneity

3Object-affected harmful factors

If natural colorants are used in cheese sauce, then the product contains fewer synthetic ingredients, but the cheese sauce may lack the desired creaminess and mouth feel

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesynthetic ingredientsVSAvoidundesirable taste and texture

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses cheese powder matrix components (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) as intermediaries that carry and distribute the natural colorants, ensuring that the colorants are properly integrated into the cheese system without directly interfering with the creaminess and mouth feel properties

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent optimizes the concentration levels of natural colorants and adjusts the physical-chemical parameters of the cheese powder (moisture content, fat distribution, protein structure) to maintain desired texture and taste properties while incorporating natural colorants

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3285593B1Dry-powdered cheese compositions with naturally-derived color blends, method of making and cheese product

Publication Date: 2025.08.20 KRAFT FOODS GROUP BRANDS LLC

AI summary

According to embodiments, dry powdered compositions which may be reconstituted to provide a cheese product include at least one cheese component and a color blend. In some embodiments, the color blend includes from about 49.7% to about 87.1% curcumin compounds by weight based on a total amount of a color portion of the color blend; from about 2.1% to about 42.8% annatto carotenoids by weight based on the total amount of the color portion of the color blend; and from about 7.5% to about 10.8% paprika carotenoids by weight based on the total amount of the color portion of the color blend. In embodiments, the powdered composition includes from about 38.5 ppm to about 733.9 ppm curcumin compounds by weight based on the powdered composition; from about 3.6 ppm to about 165.7 ppm annatto carotenoids by weight based on the powdered composition; and from about 5.8 ppm to about 90.7 ppm paprika carotenoids by weight based on the powdered composition.