Fermented Broccoli Sprout Sulforaphane Supplement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Broccoli sprouts, a source of sulforaphane, spoil quickly and are prone to contamination, limiting their use as a dietary supplement due to stability and safety issues with commercially available sulforaphane powders and pills being short-lived.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the combination of broccoli sprouts with Lactobacillus strains for lactic acid fermentation to transform glucosinolate into sulforaphane, creating a durable and microbiologically safe nutritional supplement that can be ingested, eliminating the need for chewing or physical breakdown and reducing contamination risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fresh broccoli sprouts are used as a source of sulforaphane, then the nutritional benefits and anti-cancerogenic effects are achieved, but the product spoils quickly and is prone to contamination with coliform bacteria
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the broccoli sprouts through lactic acid fermentation, transforming glucosinolate into sulforaphane while altering the pH and microbial composition. This parameter change converts a perishable vegetable into a stable fermented supplement that resists spoilage and bacterial contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful glucosinolate compound, which is unstable and can degrade in fresh sprouts, into the beneficial sulforaphane through controlled fermentation. The potential harm of spoilage and contamination in fresh sprouts is transformed into the benefit of a stable, safe fermented product with extended shelf-life.
2Ease of operation
If sulforaphane is extracted and powdered for commercial availability, then convenience is improved, but the powder becomes unstable and must be consumed within thirty minutes of mixing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite fermented mixture containing sulforaphane, lactic acid bacteria, and other fermentation byproducts. This composite structure provides a protective matrix that stabilizes the sulforaphane, allowing it to remain stable in powder form without requiring immediate consumption after mixing.
Solution Approach 2:
The lactic acid bacteria and fermentation byproducts act as intermediaries that protect and stabilize the sulforaphane in the powdered supplement. These intermediary substances prevent degradation and maintain stability, eliminating the need for immediate consumption that plagues conventional sulforaphane powders.
3Quantity of substance
If broccoli sprouts are consumed directly to obtain sulforaphane, then the full nutritional profile is achieved, but chewing and physical breakdown are required which reduces convenience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-fermenting the broccoli sprouts to convert glucosinolate into sulforaphane before consumption. This preliminary biochemical transformation eliminates the need for chewing and physical breakdown during consumption, while preserving and even enhancing the nutritional content through the fermentation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of chewing and physical breakdown with a biochemical system of lactic acid fermentation. Instead of requiring mechanical disruption of plant cells to release sulforaphane, the fermentation process chemically transforms glucosinolate into sulforaphane, eliminating the need for chewing while maintaining nutritional benefits.
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 produces a stable sulforaphane-containing supplement with extended shelf-life, ensuring nutritional benefits while avoiding the drawbacks of fresh broccoli sprouts, such as spoilage and contamination, and providing a convenient delivery method.
Implementation Method 1
causing the mixture to undergo lactic acid fermentation, transform a glucosinolate within the cruciferous vegetable to sulforaphane
Data Source
AI summary
Processes for producing a nutritional supplement that contains sulforaphane, and supplements formed thereby. Such a process includes combining a cruciferous vegetable, for example, broccoli sprouts, with strains of Lactobacillus, Streptococcus and Bifidobacterium to form a mixture, causing the mixture to undergo lactic acid fermentation, transform a glucosinolate within the cruciferous vegetable to sulforaphane, and yield a fermented mixture that contains sulforaphane, and then producing from the fermented mixture a supplement that can be ingested by an individual.