Gracilaria Seaweed Starter Composition for Higher Enzyme Activity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing soy sauce starters have single flavors and insufficient enzyme activity, limiting the development and utilization of Gracilaria resources and the bioavailability of its nutrients.
Innovation Solution
A seaweed starter is prepared using Gracilaria meal, combined with aspergillus oryzae and aspergillus niger strains, enhancing enzyme secretion and spore counts, and incorporating these strains into the fermentation process to improve enzyme activity and flavor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional soy sauce starter is used, then the fermentation process is simple, but the enzyme activity and flavor complexity are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite raw materials including Gracilaria meal (30-50 parts), soybean meal (20-40 parts), and wheat meal (10-30 parts) to create a complex substrate that supports diverse microbial growth and enzyme production, resolving the contradiction between simple process and high enzyme activity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple Aspergillus strains (A. oryzae, A. niger, and/or A. terreus) in specific ratios to create a multi-strain starter culture, merging their complementary enzyme systems to achieve high enzyme activity while maintaining a unified fermentation process
2Quantity of substance
If single strain starter is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the spore counts and enzyme secretion ability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite microbial system by combining multiple Aspergillus strains with different enzymatic capabilities, achieving high spore counts and comprehensive enzyme secretion while managing the complexity through defined ratio ranges (e.g., A. oryzae:A. niger = 1:1 to 1:5)
Solution Approach 2:
Each Aspergillus strain in the mixture contributes multiple functions: spore production, enzyme secretion (protease, amylase, lipase), and flavor compound generation, allowing the system to achieve diverse outcomes through a relatively simple multi-strain approach
3Adaptability or versatility
If Gracilaria resources are not utilized, then the starter production is simple, but the nutritional value and flavor uniqueness are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary processing of Gracilaria by drying and grinding it into meal form before use in the starter, preparing the raw material in advance to simplify the main fermentation process while maximizing the nutritional and flavor benefits of Gracilaria
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 seaweed starter significantly increases enzyme activity, spore counts, and flavor complexity, promoting high-value utilization of Gracilaria resources and enhancing the quality of seafood-flavor soy sauce.
Implementation Method 1
adding a starter-making strain spore suspension into the sterilized fermentation raw material, performing constant-temperature culture, and performing ventilation and starter making for 48-96 hours to obtain a seaweed starter
Implementation Method 2
The seaweed starter that is prepared has a significantly increased number of spore counts, a good fermentation performance, stronger enzyme secretion ability of enzyme-producing strains
Data Source
AI summary
A preparation method of a seaweed starter includes: wetting cooked soybean meal with water, adding wheat meal and stirring same, adding seaweed meal to obtain a fermentation raw material and sterilizing same; adding a starter-making strain spore suspension into the sterilized fermentation raw material, performing constant-temperature culture, and performing ventilation and starter making for 48-96 hours to obtain a seaweed starter. The starter-making strains are aspergillus oryzae and aspergillus niger, and wherein in terms of a mass ratio, a strain ratio of aspergillus oryzae to aspergillus niger is 1:1-1:5, an inoculum amount of the starter-making strain spore suspension is 3-5% of the fermentation raw material, and the seaweed meal is Gracilaria meal; and wherein in terms of a mass ratio, an addition ratio of the cooked soybean meal to the wheat meal to the Gracilaria meal is 5:2:1-3.