Two-stage cooling for insect paste microbial safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing insect-based nutrient streams face challenges in increasing production rate and maintaining quality, with issues such as microbial contamination, flavor, and color defects, limiting their commercial viability as a protein source in food and feed products.
Innovation Solution
A two-stage cooling method and cooling assembly for insect paste production, which rapidly cools heated insect pulp to below 10°C, maintaining low microbial counts and improving water holding capacity and protein dispersibility index, resulting in a high-quality insect paste suitable for consumption or further processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional single-stage cooling methods are used to cool heated insect pulp, then the cooling process is simple, but the production time is extended and microbial growth risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling process is divided into two distinct stages: a first cooling phase that rapidly reduces temperature from heating temperature to 45-35°C, and a second cooling phase that further cools to below 35°C. This segmentation allows optimization of each phase independently, achieving faster overall cooling while controlling microbial growth at each stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The first cooling phase performs preliminary cooling action to rapidly reduce the temperature to an intermediate range (45-35°C) before the second phase completes the cooling. This preliminary action removes the most critical heat quickly, reducing the time the pulp remains in the dangerous temperature zone where microbial growth occurs.
2Loss of time
If rapid cooling is applied to heated insect pulp, then production time is reduced, but water holding capacity and protein dispersibility may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling process uses dynamic control of cooling intensity through two phases: an intensive first phase for rapid temperature reduction, and a gentler second phase that completes cooling while preserving quality. This dynamic approach adapts the cooling rate to the temperature stage, achieving both speed and quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the cooling parameters (temperature range, cooling rate) between two phases. The first phase operates at higher temperature differential for rapid cooling, while the second phase uses lower temperature differential to complete cooling gently, thereby achieving both time reduction and quality preservation.
3Reliability
If extended cooling time is used to ensure microbial safety, then microbial count is reduced, but production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The first cooling phase rushes through the dangerous temperature zone (above 35°C) where microbial growth is most active, quickly transitioning the pulp to the safer temperature range. This skipping of the critical time period minimizes microbial exposure while maintaining production efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The two-phase cooling process maintains continuous cooling action without interruption, ensuring the pulp continuously loses heat and transitions through temperature zones. This continuous useful action prevents microbial growth opportunities while optimizing total cooling time for production efficiency.
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 enables the rapid production of insect paste with improved microbial safety, water retention, and protein dispersibility, enhancing its suitability for food and feed applications while reducing production time and microbial growth risks.
Implementation Method 1
a first container (2) for containing heated insect pulp L1; the first container (2) being in fluid connection with the upstream end (4) of a first pipe p1; the downstream end (5) of the first pipe p1 being in fluid connection with the upstream end (6) of an inner pipe (8) of a first cooling unit (7)
Implementation Method 2
the outer pipe (9) being in fluid connection with a source (10) of a first cooling medium c1 and a second driver (d2); the second driver (d2) being configured for flowing the first cooling medium c1 through the outer pipe (9) in opposite direction to heated insect pulp L1 flowing through the inner pipe (8)
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to the batch-wise provision of insect paste, such as paste from minced and heated black soldier fly larvae. In addition, the invention relates to a cooling assembly for batch-wise provision of the insect paste. Moreover, the invention relates to an insect paste and to an insect paste obtainable with the method. Finally, the invention relates to a food product, food ingredient, feed product or feed ingredient comprising the insect paste.