Integrated Food Ingredient Composition for Rapid Hydration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Food ingredients, such as emulsifiers, that are not readily hydratable often form lumps when exposed to water, leading to unsatisfactory dispersions or suspensions, and existing solutions like using wetting agents or anhydrous organic liquids are disadvantageous.
Innovation Solution
An integrated composition of a food ingredient and a water-soluble particulate material with an average particle size of 10 to 1000 μm, where the two are integrated through spray crystallization, creating channels for improved water ingress and rapid disintegration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If food ingredients like emulsifiers are provided alone, then they may fail to exhibit desired properties, but adding wetting agents or suspending in anhydrous organic liquids increases complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the food ingredient (emulsifier) with a water-soluble particulate material (such as sugar or salt) into a single integrated composition. This merging allows the water-soluble material to act as a hydrating agent that improves water ingress and dissolution of the emulsifier without requiring separate wetting agents or organic liquid carriers, thus reducing compositional complexity while maintaining reliable hydration performance
Solution Approach 2:
The water-soluble particulate material serves as an intermediary substance that facilitates the hydration process. It creates channels and pathways that allow water to penetrate the emulsifier particles more effectively, acting as a mediator between water and the hydrophobic emulsifier without requiring complex wetting agents or organic liquid systems
2Reliability
If spray drying is used to improve hydration, then hydration performance is enhanced, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the composition by incorporating water-soluble particulate materials with specific particle sizes (10-1000 μm) and properties. This parameter change allows the material to hydrate rapidly through dissolution and channel formation without requiring the high-energy spray drying process, achieving good hydration performance with minimal energy input
Solution Approach 2:
The water-soluble particulate material (such as sugar or salt) acts as a sacrificial, low-cost component that dissolves during hydration to create channels for water ingress. This disposable-like approach uses a cheap material that serves its purpose during the hydration process without requiring energy-intensive processing methods like spray drying
3Reliability
If fibers are added to improve hydration, then hydration performance is enhanced, but the composition becomes more complex and requires additional materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using water-soluble particulate materials with specific particle size ranges (10-1000 μm) and specific solubility characteristics. These materials are selected to dissolve at appropriate rates and create optimal channel structures for water ingress, providing effective hydration enhancement without the need to add fibers or other bulk materials that would increase overall composition complexity
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 composition allows for rapid and complete hydration, enhancing the functional properties of food products like whipped cakes with improved whipability without requiring energy-intensive processes like spray drying or the addition of fibers.
Implementation Method 1
When such a product is contacted with water, the water soluble particulate material will start to dissolve and thereby leave tunnels and open areas inside the product
Implementation Method 2
spray crystallising the initial composition such that the food ingredient and the water soluble particulate material are integrated with each other
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a composition comprising (a) a food ingredient, the hydration of which is to be enhanced; (b) a water soluble particulate material, having an average particle size of from 10 to 1000µm; wherein the food ingredient and the water soluble particulate material are integrated with each other.