Microbial Protein Egg Replacement via pH and Heat Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional egg-like plant-based products lack texture and digestibility, and often have an unpleasant flavor and nutrient deficiencies, posing health risks due to poor digestibility and inability to replicate the nutritional profile of eggs.
Innovation Solution
A method involving mixing protein microbial biomass powder with water, hydrating, high-speed mixing, emulsifying with oil, homogenizing, and heating to create an egg replacement product with specific pH and nutrient composition, using sodium chloride and citric acid to achieve a pH of 3.5-4.0, resulting in a product with improved texture and nutritional content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional plant-based products are used to create egg-like alternatives, then the products can be produced with lower saturated fat and higher fiber, but they lack proper texture, have poor digestibility, and develop unpleasant bean-off flavors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental material parameter from plant-based proteins to microbial protein biomass, which fundamentally alters the digestibility and flavor profile while maintaining the low saturated fat advantage. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by selecting a different biological source that inherently possesses better digestibility characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite product by combining microbial protein biomass with specific plant-based components and processing methods, achieving a hybrid material that combines the low saturated fat benefit of plant-based products with the superior digestibility and flavor profile of microbial proteins.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If plant-based products are used to create egg-like alternatives, then the products can be produced with antioxidants and lower saturated fat, but they are poor in essential nutrients like iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12, choline, and lutein
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the nutritional parameter profile by switching from plant-based to microbial protein biomass, which naturally contains higher levels of essential nutrients including iron, vitamin B12, and choline, while maintaining the low saturated fat advantage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a nutritionally enhanced composite product by combining microbial protein biomass with fortified plant-based components, achieving a synergistic combination that delivers complete nutritional profile including all essential nutrients.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional plant-based egg alternatives are produced, then the products can be made with available plant materials, but they fail to replicate the egg-like texture and characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material composition parameter from plant-based proteins to microbial protein biomass, which possesses inherent textural properties that closely mimic egg characteristics, thereby resolving the texture replication issue while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses microbial protein biomass as a superior copy of egg protein structure and behavior, achieving more accurate replication of egg-like texture and characteristics compared to plant-based alternatives.
4Ease of manufacture
If plant-based egg alternatives are produced through cell culture and homogenization, then the products can be manufactured with existing techniques, but they lack proper digestibility and may cause health risks due to endotoxin translocation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the biological source parameter from plant cells to microbial protein biomass, which has different cell wall composition and lower endotoxin content, fundamentally reducing the harmful factor while maintaining manufacturing process compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of endotoxin-containing plant-based products into a benefit by selecting microbial protein biomass that naturally has lower endotoxin content, turning a health risk into a safety advantage.
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 an egg replacement product that is digestible, nutrient-rich, and free from the 'bean-off' flavor, providing a vegan and vegetarian alternative with high-quality protein, iron, and vitamins like B12, while reducing endotoxin levels and improving mouthfeel.
Implementation Method 1
mixing a protein microbial biomass powder with water to obtain a wet mixture; hydrating the wet mixture at room temperature
Implementation Method 2
mixing the hydrated wet mixture with an oil at high speed and emulsifying the mixed wet mixture
Implementation Method 3
heating the homogenized wet mixture up to from 85 C up to 90 C degrees
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method of producing an egg replacement food product that includes mixing a protein microbial biomass powder with water to obtain a wet mixture, hydrating the wet mixture at room temperature, mixing the wet mixture at high speed, hydrating the mixed wet mixture at 6 C degrees, mixing the hydrated wet mixture with an oil at high speed and emulsifying the mixed wet mixture, homogenizing the emulsified mixed wet mixture, heating the homogenized wet mixture up to from 85 C up to 90 C degrees, and adding sodium chloride (NaCl) and citric acid to the heated wet mixture and mixing to obtain pH from 3.5 up to 4.0.