Infant Formula Extrusion Process for Nutrient Preservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing infant formula are inefficient in terms of water and energy usage, and often subject the product to high temperatures, which can degrade its nutritional quality and increase production costs, while also limiting the use of extrusion processes due to equipment constraints.
Innovation Solution
A process combining protein hydrolysis with extrusion for drying infant formula, which minimizes water and energy consumption, maintains low temperatures to preserve nutrients, and allows for the use of both heat-treated and non-heat treated proteins, enabling the production of a versatile and cost-effective infant formula that mimics human milk more closely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional spray-drying methods are used to manufacture powdered infant formula, then the product can be produced with established equipment, but water and energy consumption are high and the process is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental processing parameters by replacing spray-drying with extrusion cooking, operating at lower temperatures (60-80°C vs. typical spray-drying temperatures) and different moisture contents, which significantly reduces energy consumption while maintaining production efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the thermal spray-drying system with a mechanical extrusion system that uses shear heat and friction during extrusion to achieve water removal and product formation, eliminating the need for high-energy spray-drying equipment
2Reliability
If high temperatures are applied during processing to ensure product safety and quality, then bacterial loads are reduced, but nutritional quality degrades and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary heat treatment and bacterial reduction before the extrusion step, allowing the final extrusion to occur at lower temperatures that preserve nutritional quality while maintaining product safety achieved in the preliminary heating stage
Solution Approach 2:
The extrusion process provides continuous heating and processing at controlled low temperatures, maintaining bacterial reduction while avoiding the thermal degradation that occurs with intermittent high-temperature spray-drying
3Use of energy by moving object
If extrusion processes are used to manufacture infant formula, then water and energy consumption are minimized, but equipment constraints limit the process applicability
Solution Approach 1:
The invention demonstrates that standard extrusion equipment, originally designed for other applications, can be adapted to manufacture infant formula by adjusting process parameters, making the energy-efficient extrusion process accessible to existing manufacturers without requiring specialized equipment
4Manufacturing precision
If protein hydrolysis is combined with extrusion for drying infant formula, then nutritional quality is improved and water usage is minimized, but this is an unprecedented process requiring new methodology
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the protein hydrolysis step with the extrusion drying process into a single integrated operation, where hydrolyzed proteins are incorporated into the extrusion feed, allowing simultaneous protein modification and water removal without requiring separate complex equipment trains
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 results in a cost-effective, energy-efficient, and nutritionally superior infant formula with reduced heat exposure, capable of producing a wide range of products, including hypoallergenic formulas for toddlers, with improved reconstitution behavior and low free fat content, while being adaptable to existing manufacturing setups.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the homogenized emulsion into an extruder, independently adding digestible carbohydrates and optionally dietary fibres to the extruder and extruding the contents of the extruder to obtain an extruded material
Implementation Method 2
subjecting the aqueous mixture to a protein hydrolysis step
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention concerns a process for manufacturing an infant formula product comprising: (a1) providing an aqueous mixture having a protein component and a carbohydrate component, (a2) subjecting the aqueous mixture to a protein hydrolysis step, (a3) subjecting the aqueous mixture to a heat treatment step; (b) mixing the heat-treated aqueous mixture comprising hydrolyzed protein with a lipid component; (c) subjecting the aqueous mixture comprising the lipid component, the carbohydrate component and the heat-treated hydrolyzed protein component to a homogenization and emulsification step to obtain a homogenized oil-in-water emulsion having a total solids content in the range of 45-80 wt %; (d) conveying the homogenized emulsion into an extruder, independently adding digestible carbohydrates and optionally dietary fibres to the extruder and extruding the contents of the extruder to obtain an extruded material; (e) preparing an infant formula product from the extruded material. The invention further concerns Infant formula product obtainable by the process according to the invention and to a modular system suitable for performing the process according to the invention.