Equol-Producing Fermented Soybean Hypocotyl Material
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing equol, a metabolite with anti-estrogen actions, are inefficient, and soybean hypocotyls, rich in isoflavones, are costly and allergenic, making them unsuitable for industrial production and consumption, especially for non-equol-producing individuals.
Innovation Solution
Fermenting soybean hypocotyls using equol-producing microorganisms like Lactococcus garvieae to produce an equol-containing fermented soybean hypocotyl material, which reduces allergens and increases equol content, making it suitable for food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If soybean hypocotyls are used as starting material for equol production, then isoflavone content is improved, but cost and allergenicity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates equol from the fermented soybean hypocotyl mixture, separating the beneficial equol component from the allergenic soybean proteins. This extraction process removes the harmful allergic components while retaining the desired equol product, resolving the contradiction between high isoflavone content and allergenicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fermentation process using equol-producing bacteria serves as an intermediary transformation. The bacteria convert daidzein in soybean hypocotyls to equol, effectively transforming the allergenic starting material into a non-allergenic end product through biological mediation, thus resolving the allergenicity issue while maintaining high isoflavone content.
2Quantity of substance
If soybean hypocotyl extract is used for equol production, then equol content is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses whole soybean hypocotyls or less processed forms as starting material rather than expensive purified extracts. This approach uses cheaper, less refined materials that can be effectively utilized through fermentation, significantly reducing manufacturing costs while still achieving high equol content in the final product.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the processing parameters from using purified extracts to using whole or minimally processed soybean hypocotyls. By adjusting the starting material form and utilizing fermentation conditions optimized for whole materials, the process achieves cost reduction while maintaining effective equol production.
3Device complexity
If conventional fermentation methods are used, then production process is simple, but equol yield is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs lactic acid bacteria that perform multiple functions: they ferment carbohydrates to produce lactic acid (preserving the simple fermentation process) and simultaneously produce equol from daidzein (increasing equol yield). This multi-functional microorganism approach resolves the contradiction between process simplicity and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite fermentation system combining soybean hypocotyls (providing daidzein substrate) with equol-producing lactic acid bacteria. This composite approach integrates the substrate and transformant in a single fermentation process, achieving high equol yields without complicating the overall process flow.
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
The process results in a high equol content fermented soybean hypocotyl material that can be safely consumed by individuals with soybean allergies, offering superior physiological benefits and efficient resource utilization, with enhanced equol-derived effects compared to traditional methods.
Implementation Method 1
a known method of producing equol is subjecting a raw material containing daidzein compounds to fermentation treatment by microorganisms (hereinafter referred to as equol-producing bacteria) which metabolize daidzein to produce equol
Implementation Method 2
have anti-estrogen actions associated with binding to estrogen receptors (hereinafter referred to as ER) and estrogen-like actions
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the invention is to provide an equol-containing fermented soybean hypocotyl material that is useful for foods, pharmaceutical preparations, cosmetic products, etc.The equol-containing fermented soybean hypocotyl material of the invention is obtained by fermenting soybean hypocotyls using at least one microorganism having an equol-producing ability by utilizing at least one daidzein compound selected from the group consisting of diadzein glycosides, daidzein, and dihydrodaidzein.