Gellan Gum Double Setting Temperatures via Deacylation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gellan gum products either have high setting temperatures, resulting in soft and flexible gels, or low setting temperatures, resulting in firm and brittle gels, making them unsuitable for various applications, and there is a lack of gellan gum products with double setting temperatures within a suitable range.
Innovation Solution
A method involving pretreatment, deacylation, removal of metal ions, pH adjustment, and heating of gellan gum fermentation broth, followed by alcohol precipitation and drying to produce a gellan gum product with double setting temperatures of 30°C-40°C and 40°C-65°C, achieved by adding alkali metal salts and using metal ion chelating agents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If high acyl gellan gum is used, then the gel forms at high setting temperature (70°C-90°C), but the gel texture becomes soft and flexible which is not suitable for all applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the acyl content of gellan gum through controlled deacylation during fermentation. By adjusting fermentation parameters (pH, temperature, time) and adding specific ions (Ca2+, Mg2+), the patent creates a gellan gum product with dual setting temperatures (30°C-40°C and 40°C-65°C) while maintaining desirable gel texture, thus resolving the contradiction between setting temperature and gel texture.
2Temperature
If low acyl gellan gum is used, then the gel forms at low setting temperature (20°C-50°C), but the gel texture becomes firm and brittle which is not suitable for all applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by controlling the degree of deacylation during fermentation to achieve a balanced acyl content. This results in a gellan gum product that sets at dual temperatures (30°C-40°C and 40°C-65°C) while producing gel texture that is neither too soft nor too brittle, thus resolving the contradiction between low setting temperature and gel texture quality.
3Temperature
If conventional compounding of high acyl and low acyl gellan gum is used, then double setting temperatures are achieved, but the setting temperatures remain in the ranges of individual components (70°C-90°C and 20°C-50°C)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the extraction principle by directly extracting and preparing gellan gum with dual setting temperatures from fermentation broth through controlled deacylation, rather than compounding separate high acyl and low acyl products. This eliminates the need for separate production and mixing processes, achieving dual setting temperatures (30°C-40°C and 40°C-65°C) in a single product with simpler manufacturing.
4Productivity
If deacylation is performed on gellan gum fermentation broth, then gellan gum is obtained, but it only has single setting temperature and gel texture which is not desirable for certain products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing fermentation conditions (pH 6.0-8.0, temperature 25°C-37°C, time 18-48 hours) and adding specific ions (Ca2+ at 0.01-0.1 mol/L or Mg2+ at 0.02-0.2 mol/L) during deacylation. These parameter adjustments enable the production of gellan gum with dual setting temperatures (30°C-40°C and 40°C-65°C) and versatile gel texture, thus resolving the contradiction between production efficiency and application range.
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 resulting gellan gum product exhibits desirable gel textures and properties, suitable for a wide range of applications, including desserts, dairy products, and meat products, offering improved flexibility and stability.
Implementation Method 1
adjusting pH of the pretreated fermentation broth with an alkali to 8.0 to 13.0, stirring, adjusting pH to 6.0-7.0 with an acid
Implementation Method 2
adding a metal ion chelating agent into the deacylated fermentation broth, and stirring to obtain fermentation broth with metal ions removed
Implementation Method 3
precipitating by using alcohol the hot gel solution of step (5), separating, drying, and milling to obtain the gellan gum product
Implementation Method 4
heating the fermentation broth with pH adjusted of step (4), to 80 °C-98 °C and keeping the temperature to obtain hot gel solution
Data Source
AI summary
A gellan gum product having double setting temperatures, its preparation method and use thereof are provided. The obtained product has low setting temperatures, and the provided preparation method has the advantages of simple pretreatment of fermentation broth, shortened production cycle and direct extraction of such gellan gum product from the fermentation broth.