Lutein Microcapsules Without Emulsifiers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microcapsule formulations for lutein and lutein esters require emulsifiers, leading to air entrapment, chemical degradation, increased costs, and complexity, while also having a less natural and less stable composition with inferior color intensity and oxygen barrier properties.
Innovation Solution
A microcapsule comprising lutein or lutein esters embedded in a low bloom fish gelatine matrix without added emulsifiers, utilizing fish gelatine as the sole dispersing agent, which simplifies the production process, enhances chemical stability, and improves color intensity and oxygen barrier properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If emulsifiers are added to microcapsule formulation, then the microcapsule can be produced with proper dispersion, but air is trapped in the powder particles forming hollow spheres leading to chemical degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes emulsifiers from the microcapsule formulation entirely, extracting the harmful element that causes air entrapment and chemical degradation while maintaining dispersion quality through alternative means (low bloom fish gelatine matrix and controlled processing)
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the gelatine bloom strength parameter to low bloom (≤100 bloom), which fundamentally alters the matrix properties to enable proper dispersion without requiring emulsifiers, thereby avoiding air entrapment and maintaining chemical stability
2Ease of manufacture
If emulsifiers are used in the formulation, then the microcapsule can be produced, but the preparation becomes more expensive and time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts emulsifiers from the formulation, eliminating the need for expensive emulsification steps and reducing production time while maintaining manufacturability through low bloom fish gelatine
3Ease of manufacture
If emulsifiers are added to the formulation, then the microcapsule can be produced, but the list of ingredients increases and the label becomes less clean
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes emulsifiers from the ingredient list, achieving a cleaner label with fewer ingredients while maintaining producibility through the low bloom fish gelatine matrix
4Strength
If high bloom fish gelatine is used in the matrix, then the microcapsule has good structural properties, but the color strength and oxygen barrier properties are inferior
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the gelatine bloom strength parameter from high (>200 bloom) to low (≤100 bloom), which fundamentally improves color strength and oxygen barrier properties while maintaining adequate structural properties for microcapsule formation
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 solution provides microcapsules with improved chemical stability, enhanced color strength, and a cleaner label, while being more cost-effective and suitable for applications in tablets, dairies, and beverages, with reduced sensitivity to oxidation and improved compression properties.
Implementation Method 1
a microcapsule comprising at least one active substance selected from lutein and lutein esters, embedded in a matrix comprising low bloom fish gelatine
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The invention relates to a microcapsule comprising at least one active substance selected from lutein and luteinesters embedded in a matrix comprising fish gelatine and optionally one or more other matrix components, wherein the content of said at least one active substance calculated as free lutein is from 0.5 to 25 % of total weight of the microcapsule, and which microcapsule does not comprise any added emulsifier. The invention further relates to a process of preparing the microcapsule as well as uses and products comprising the microcapsule.