Liquid Food Composition Semi-Solidification via pH-Triggered Gelation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gelation techniques for liquid foods are inadequate in maintaining physical properties during dilution, ease of intake, storage stability, and preventing tube clogging, especially for enteral nutrition in elderly and patients post-surgery.
Innovation Solution
A liquid food composition semi-solidified in the stomach, containing alginic acid, a calcium or magnesium compound, soybean protein, and an emulsifier like lysolecithin, with controlled particle size distribution and ultrasonic treatment to prevent aggregation and maintain a liquid state during storage and distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a gelling agent is added to liquid food to achieve semi-solidification, then gastroesophageal reflux and aspiration pneumonia are prevented, but the food requires additional preparation time and water, and physical properties are altered due to dilution
Solution Approach 1:
The gelling agent is preliminarily mixed with the liquid food in a one-pack type container, so that when the food is used, the gelling agent is already incorporated and ready for immediate semi-solidification in the stomach, eliminating the need for separate preparation steps
Solution Approach 2:
The gelling agent is designed to remain dissolved in neutral conditions during storage and transport, then undergoes parameter change (gelation) only when exposed to acidic conditions in the stomach, allowing the food to maintain liquid physical properties during storage while achieving semi-solidification when needed
2Reliability
If a gelling agent is added to liquid food to achieve semi-solidification, then gastroesophageal reflux and aspiration pneumonia are prevented, but the food becomes diluted and physical properties are greatly altered
Solution Approach 1:
The gelling agent is designed to remain dissolved in neutral conditions during storage and transport, then undergoes parameter change (gelation) only when exposed to acidic conditions in the stomach, allowing the food to maintain liquid physical properties during storage while achieving semi-solidification when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The acidic environment of the stomach acts as an intermediary that triggers the gelation of the gelling agent, allowing the food to maintain its liquid state during neutral storage while achieving semi-solidification only when the acidic trigger is encountered
3Speed
If carrageenan is added to liquid food as a semi-solidifying agent, then the food is semi-solidified quickly, but the food has high viscosity and requires considerable force to pass through a tube, causing tube clogging
Solution Approach 1:
The gelling agent is designed to remain dissolved in neutral conditions during storage and transport, then undergoes parameter change (gelation) only when exposed to acidic conditions in the stomach, allowing the food to maintain liquid physical properties during storage while achieving semi-solidification when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The food composition dynamically changes its viscosity based on the environment: it maintains low viscosity in neutral conditions for easy tube feeding, then transitions to high viscosity semi-solid state in the acidic stomach environment to prevent reflux and aspiration
4Ease of manufacture
If gelling agent is preliminarily mixed in food, then the food is ready for immediate use, but the food is solidified with time and requires two-liquid mixing for use
Solution Approach 1:
The gelling agent is designed to remain dissolved in neutral conditions during storage and transport, then undergoes parameter change (gelation) only when exposed to acidic conditions in the stomach, allowing the food to maintain liquid physical properties during storage while achieving semi-solidification when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The acidic environment of the stomach acts as an intermediary that triggers the gelation of the gelling agent, allowing the food to maintain its liquid state during neutral storage while achieving semi-solidification only when the acidic trigger is encountered
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 ensures easy intake, stable physical properties, and prevents tube clogging, providing a nutritionally satisfactory formulation that is effective in preventing gastroesophageal reflux and other gastrointestinal issues.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid food composition being semi-solidified in an acidic region
Implementation Method 2
with controlled particle size distribution and ultrasonic treatment to prevent aggregation
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a liquid food composition capable of semi-solidifying in the stomach, which is a one-pack type product containing a water-soluble dietary fiber preliminarily added thereto and in the form of a liquid that can be easily taken, and stably sustains the liquid nature thereof during distribution and storage. The liquid food composition, which is capable of semi-solidifying in an acidic region, comprises a water-soluble dietary fiber (a), a specific metal compound (b), a protein (c) and an emulsifier (d), and the particle size distribution of particles contained in said liquid food composition shows two or more peaks in a neutral region.