Low Sugar Shaped Snack Binder Using Hydrolyzed Starch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current low-sugar snack bars face challenges in binding ingredients effectively without using high-calorie sweet binders, leading to issues with adhesion and shaping, resulting in products that are either too moist or fall apart.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mixture of partially enzymatic hydrolyzed starch and partially acid-hydrolyzed starch is used to create a low-calorie binder composition that improves adhesion and shaping of snack products, allowing for the production of low-sugar snack bars with desired shapes like bars, clusters, or bites.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If sugar-syrup based adhesive is used to adhere components, then adhesion and shaping are improved, but sugar content and calories increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the binder by using polyol-based adhesives (sucrose polyesters) instead of traditional sugar syrups. This substitution maintains the binding functionality while fundamentally altering the sugar content profile, achieving adhesion without high sugar levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs polyol-based binders that serve as effective adhesives for the snack bar matrix but do not require long-term stability or sweetness retention. These binders fulfill their binding function during manufacturing and initial storage without needing to maintain sugar-like properties throughout the product shelf life.
2Quantity of substance
If polyol-based binders are used, then sugar content is reduced, but adhesion and shaping capabilities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite binder system that combines polyol-based adhesives with additional functional ingredients such as fats, oils, waxes, and protein hydrolysates. This composite approach compensates for the weaker adhesion properties of polyols alone by integrating multiple binding mechanisms within the snack bar matrix.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary substances such as emulsifiers and surfactants that facilitate bonding between polyol-based binders and food components. These intermediaries enhance the interfacial adhesion between the low-sugar binder and ingredients like nuts, cereals, and dried fruits, overcoming the limited binding strength of polyols alone.
3Use of energy by moving object
If binder composition is reduced to lower calories, then product density decreases, but shaping precision worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the physical and chemical parameters of the binder composition, including viscosity, melting point, and solidification behavior, to achieve optimal shaping properties. By carefully selecting polyol molecular weights, fat types, and additive combinations, the binder maintains sufficient structural integrity during forming while keeping calorie content low.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different binder compositions to different regions or layers of the snack bar to optimize local shaping properties. For example, higher binder concentration may be used in the core for structural stability, while lower concentration is used in surface layers for crispness and shape definition, achieving overall shaping precision with reduced total calories.
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 results in a low-sugar snack product with improved adhesion and forming capabilities, maintaining desired shapes and moisture levels, enhancing shelf life and consumer appeal.
Implementation Method 1
a binder composition which mixture binds the food component or the food component mixture to each other
Implementation Method 2
drying the snack product at an elevated temperature
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
Snack product comprising a food component selected from the group consisting of nuts, dried or infused fruits, seeds, beans, puffed cereals and any mixtures thereof, held together with a binder composition and a method for the manufacturing of a snack product by providing a food component or food component mix comprising nuts, dried or infused fruits, seeds, beans, puffed cereals or any mixtures thereof, providing an aqueous binder mixture comprising a acid hydrolysed starch and/or a enzymatically hydrolyzed starch; mixing the food component mix and the binder mixture; shaping the snack product; and drying the snack product at an elevated temperature. The use of a binder composition for providing a shaped snack product is also claimed.