Ionic Polymer Catalyst Protein Hydrolysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for hydrolyzing proteins to produce protein hydrolysates are inefficient, leading to incomplete digestion, high costs, and the presence of enzyme inhibitors, resulting in sub-optimal peptide size distributions and absorption properties.
Innovation Solution
A method using ionic polymers to degrade proteins into protein hydrolysates, involving steps such as pre-treating protein feedstock, isolating proteins, and contacting them with ionic polymers to produce a reaction mixture that results in a liquid phase containing protein hydrolysate, with improved solubility and degree of hydrolysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If enzymatic hydrolysis is used to hydrolyze proteins, then the process is relatively safe and selective, but the pH and temperature ranges that optimize enzyme activity maximize protein folding, resulting in high steric hindrance and poorly hydrolyzed proteins with low solubility and absorption
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical nature of the catalyst from biological enzymes to chemical ionic polymers, allowing hydrolysis to proceed under different parameter conditions (pH and temperature ranges) that prevent protein folding and reduce steric hindrance, thereby improving solubility and absorption while maintaining safety
Solution Approach 2:
The invention substitutes the biological enzymatic system with a chemical ionic polymer system, replacing the enzyme-catalyzed mechanism with an ionic polymer-catalyzed mechanism that operates differently to avoid the limitations of enzyme activity optimization
2Temperature
If industrial enzyme mixtures are used for hydrolyzing proteins, then the process can proceed under mild conditions, but the hydrolysis is far from optimal, requiring expensive purification steps to produce peptide mixtures with sub-optimal size distributions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the catalyst type to ionic polymers that maintain activity under mild conditions while providing superior hydrolysis efficiency and producing optimal peptide size distributions without requiring expensive purification steps
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses ionic polymers as catalysts that combine multiple functional groups (carboxylic acid, sulfonic acid, phosphoric acid, or combinations thereof) in a single material, providing enhanced catalytic activity and selectivity compared to enzyme mixtures
3Ease of manufacture
If acid hydrolysis is used to hydrolyze proteins, then the process offers low cost, but it results in complete destruction of tryptophan, partial loss of methionine, and conversion of glutamine into glutamate and asparagine into aspartate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes from strong acid hydrolysis to ionic polymer-catalyzed hydrolysis, maintaining cost-effectiveness while operating under milder chemical conditions that preserve essential amino acids and prevent unwanted conversions
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses ionic polymers as reusable catalysts that provide cost-effective hydrolysis without the amino acid destruction associated with traditional acid hydrolysis, eliminating the need for expensive purification steps
4Productivity
If alkaline hydrolysis is used to hydrolyze proteins, then the process can proceed efficiently, but it results in complete destruction of most amino acids with almost 100% loss
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes from alkaline hydrolysis to ionic polymer-catalyzed hydrolysis, maintaining hydrolysis efficiency while operating under milder chemical conditions that preserve amino acids and prevent complete destruction
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 produces water-soluble protein hydrolysates with improved digestibility and absorption properties, achieving a degree of hydrolysis above 2.5% and generating peptides and amino acids with molecular weights less than 10,000 Da, suitable for various applications in food, animal feed, and cosmetic products.
Implementation Method 1
contacting the protein, the protein concentrate and/or the protein-containing feedstock with a catalyst to form a reaction mixture, wherein the catalyst is an ionic polymer... degrading the protein, the protein concentrate and/or the protein-containing feedstock in the reaction mixture to produce a liquid phase and a solid phase, wherein the liquid phase includes a protein hydrolysate
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to use of ionic polymers (IP) consisting of anions and a polymeric backbone containing cations, in hydrolyzing proteins and protein-containing feedstock to produce protein hydrolysates.