Functional Oil Powder via Cyclodextrin and Microfluidic Emulsification
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing edible oil powders involve high-temperature processes that degrade active substances and require food additives like magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide, leading to stability and encapsulation issues and negative customer perception.
Innovation Solution
A method using cyclodextrin and a microfluidic device to emulsify and lyophilize functional oils, forming a coating layer and achieving homogeneous solutions for stable oil powders without the need for additional dispersing agents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If high-temperature heat treatment is performed in emulsifying and spray drying steps, then the emulsification and drying processes can be completed, but the active substances in the edible oil are destroyed and rancidity and oxidation are accelerated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the temperature parameter from high-temperature heat treatment to low-temperature or ambient temperature processing. The spray drying process is replaced with a freeze-drying or low-temperature drying method, maintaining the drying function while eliminating the harmful thermal effects that destroy active substances and accelerate oxidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes phase transition of water from liquid to solid (freezing) and then sublimation from solid to gas (freeze-drying), replacing the traditional liquid-to-gas evaporation process. This phase transition approach enables drying without high-temperature exposure, preserving the integrity of active substances in the edible oil.
2Reliability
If food additives such as dispersing agents are added to extend shelf life, then the encapsulation and stability properties are improved, but the number of additives increases leading to negative customer perception
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the need for food additives such as dispersing agents from the formulation. By optimizing the emulsification process and using appropriate drying methods, the invention achieves stable oil powder without relying on additional additive substances, thereby reducing the quantity of substances added to the final product.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables the edible oil and emulsifier system to self-stabilize without external additives. The proper selection of emulsifier and control of processing parameters allow the system to maintain encapsulation and stability properties inherently, making additional dispersing agents unnecessary.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If edible oils are processed into powders to extend shelf life and improve edibility, then the storage stability and direct consumption feasibility are improved, but the active substances are degraded due to heat treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the drying temperature parameter from high-temperature spray drying to low-temperature freeze-drying or similar low-temperature drying methods. This parameter change enables the powder form to be achieved while preserving active substances that would otherwise be degraded by thermal exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs freeze-drying phase transitions (liquid→solid→gas) instead of thermal evaporation (liquid→gas). This allows water removal and powder formation to occur without high-temperature exposure, extending shelf life while protecting temperature-sensitive active substances from degradation.
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 method produces functional oil powders with excellent encapsulation and stability, extending shelf life and allowing direct consumption, while avoiding the use of additives that affect customer perception.
Implementation Method 1
cyclodextrin forms a coating layer on the surface of the functional oil contained in the emulsified solution
Implementation Method 2
secondary emulsification is performed with a microfluidic device by passing the modified emulsified solution through the microfluidic device
Implementation Method 3
the homogeneous solution is lyophilized to obtain the functional oil powder
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is related to a method of manufacturing a functional oil powder. By using cyclodextrin and a microfluidic device, not only can the required temperature and time of an emulsification step decrease, but the obtained functional oil powder also can have excellent properties of encapsulation and stability. After a storage period, the functional oil powder hardly becomes wet. Moreover, there is no grease discharge and the microorganisms can hardly grow therein. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to make the product of the functional oil.