Granular Soup with High Fat Flowability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Soup granules with high fat concentration experience flowability issues, leading to difficulties in filling and adherence problems due to fat oozing out, which complicates the filling process and container handling.
Innovation Solution
A granular food product combining specific fatty acid esters, such as (poly)glycerin fatty acid esters and sucrose fatty acid esters, with a polyol and fat, which enhances flowability and allows for the formation of oil droplets when hot water is added, while maintaining a high fat content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the concentration of fat contained in soup granules is increased, then the taste and palatability of instant foods can be enhanced, but the flowability of the soup granules deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the fat component by using specific fatty acid esters (poly)glycerin fatty acid esters with controlled polymerization degrees and sucrose fatty acid esters with specific HLB values. These parameter changes allow the fat to remain stable at high concentrations without oozing, thereby maintaining flowability while enhancing taste and palatability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite fat system consisting of multiple types of fatty acid esters combined together. This composite material approach creates a synergistic effect where the different ester components work together to prevent fat separation and maintain granule flowability at high fat concentrations, resolving the contradiction between fat content and flowability.
2Quantity of substance
If the concentration of fat contained in soup granules is increased, then the appearance and aroma of the instant food can be improved, but the filling process control deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By modifying the chemical parameters of the fat component to use stable fatty acid esters, the patent prevents fat from oozing onto the granule surface. This maintains a consistent granule exterior that flows predictably through filling equipment, thereby preserving filling amount control precision even at high fat concentrations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses spray-dried or freeze-dried fat powders as a stable, disposable form of fat incorporation. These dried fat powders can be precisely measured and filled without the handling issues of liquid or semi-solid fats, enabling accurate filling control while maintaining high fat content in the final product.
3Reliability
If individually packaged liquid or semi-solid seasoning oil is attached to instant food, then the aroma of the seasoning oil can be maintained, but the production cost is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fat component directly into the soup granule matrix through incorporation during granule formation. This combines the seasoning oil functionality with the granule structure itself, eliminating the need for separate packaging while maintaining aroma and taste properties throughout the product lifecycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the fat from liquid or semi-solid to a stable powder form through spray drying or freeze drying. This parameter change allows the fat to be integrated into the granule production process without requiring additional packaging steps, thereby reducing production costs while preserving aroma.
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 solution ensures high flowability and precise filling of soup granules with a high fat content, preventing adherence and allowing for effective oil droplet formation when heated, thus improving handling and consumer experience.
Implementation Method 1
the fatty acid ester forms a network structure in the presence of liquid or semi-solid fat and incorporates the liquid or semi-solid fat into the network structure
Implementation Method 2
the fat is roughly emulsified in the gel or solid
Implementation Method 3
the network structure of the fatty acid ester collapses in hot water at 90° C. to 100° C., releasing roughly emulsified, relatively large chunks of fat to the outside, thereby forming oil droplets of the fat
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a granular food that contains a fat or oil at a high concentration, yet has a high fluidity suitable for filling containers, and is capable of forming oil droplets when hot water is poured thereto. A granular food according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises (A) at least one fatty acid ester selected from the group consisting of a (poly)glycerol fatty acid ester having an average degree of polymerization in the glycerol moiety of 1-8 and a sucrose fatty acid ester having an HLB value of 8 or less, (B) a polyol, (C) a fat or oil and (D) a food material. In this granular food, the sum of angle of repose and angle of collapse is 87° or less and the compressibility is 15% or less.