Inulin Mixture Modulating Fermentation for Mineral Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Long-chain inulin has a slow fermentation rate in the large intestine, limiting its nutritional benefits and often causing intestinal side effects at high doses, making it difficult to effectively generate improved nutritional effects in humans and mammals.
Innovation Solution
A novel inulin product comprising a mixture of easily fermentable inulin (EFI) and hardly fermentable inulin (HFI) in a specific weight ratio, where EFI is completely or almost completely fermented in the proximal part of the large intestine, and HFI is mainly fermented in the distal part, optimizing fermentation and reducing side effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If long-chain inulin is used to provide nutritional benefits, then mineral absorption and bacterial flora modulation are improved, but fermentation rate is slow and intestinal side effects occur at high doses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines two types of inulin with different fermentation rates - easily fermentable inulin (EFI) and hardly fermentable inulin (HFI) - into a single composition. The HFI provides sustained nutritional benefits and mineral absorption enhancement, while the EFI component accelerates the overall fermentation rate and reduces intestinal side effects by providing readily available substrate for bacterial flora.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite inulin material consisting of multiple components with complementary properties. Specifically, it combines long-chain inulin (providing slow, sustained fermentation and nutritional benefits) with short-chain inulin or oligofructose (providing rapid fermentation and improved tolerability), resulting in a material that exhibits both improved nutritional effects and reduced side effects compared to single-component inulin products.
2Reliability
If high doses of long-chain inulin are administered to achieve nutritional effects, then mineral absorption improves, but intestinal side effects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges HFI (which provides the mineral absorption benefit) with EFI (which reduces side effects) in a synergistic combination. The EFI component acts as a buffer that improves gastrointestinal tolerability, allowing higher effective doses of HFI to be administered without causing excessive intestinal side effects, thereby enhancing mineral absorption while maintaining patient comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The easily fermentable inulin component serves as an intermediary substance that mediates between the HFI and the intestinal environment. It provides a gentler initial fermentation substrate that prepares the gastrointestinal system, reducing the shock and side effects associated with high doses of slow-fermenting inulin, while still allowing the HFI to deliver its mineral absorption benefits.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If pure long-chain inulin is used, then fermentation is sustained in distal intestine, but fermentation rate is too slow to effectively generate nutritional effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges EFI and HFI in a composition where the EFI provides rapid initial fermentation that quickly generates nutritional effects and stimulates bacterial flora, while the HFI component ensures sustained fermentation in the distal intestine. This combination achieves both fast action (within hours) and prolonged duration (throughout the entire large intestine transit), resolving the contradiction between fermentation speed and sustained action.
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 novel inulin product significantly modifies and modulates the bacterial flora, enhances mineral absorption, and provides improved nutritional benefits at lower doses, reducing intestinal side effects and increasing calcium and magnesium absorption, while effectively preventing and treating intestinal disorders and cancers.
Implementation Method 1
EFI is completely or almost completely fermented in the proximal part of the large intestine
Implementation Method 2
HFI is mainly fermented in the distal part of the large intestine
Implementation Method 3
The novel inulin product significantly modifies and modulates the bacterial flora
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to novel inulin products and compositions thereof, to their manufacture, to their use for modifying and modulating the bacterial flora and the fermentation pattern of inulin in the large intestine of humans, mammals or other vertebrates, to their use for providing improved inulin-associated nutritional effects/benefits, as well as to their use for the manufacture of consumer products and compositions for providing said effects/benefits in healthy, disfunctioned and diseased humans, mammals and other vertebrates.The novel inulin products consist of a particular mixture of an easily fermentable inulin (EFI) component and a hardly fermentable inulin (HFI) component.The nutritional effects/benefits include dietary fiber effects, improved mineral absorption, particularly calcium and magnesium, bone mineral density increase, reduction of bone mineral density loss, modulation of lipid metabolism, stimulation of the immune system, and anti-cancer effects. The novel inulin products are particularly suitable for the manufacture of a composition or a medicament for preventing, for postponing and/or for treating osteoporosis in humans, particularly in post-menopausal women and elderly people.