Microcrystalline Cellulose Stabilizer with Red Seaweed Flour
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a colloidal microcrystalline cellulose composition that can effectively stabilize liquids without using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) or other attrition aids like salts or acids, while maintaining natural ingredient recognition by consumers and regulators.
Innovation Solution
A coprocessed colloidal composition of microcrystalline cellulose with unrefined and unmodified red seaweed flour derived from Rhodophyta, which is attrited without the need for additional aids, allowing for easy dispersion in various consumable products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is used as a protective hydrocolloid during attrition of microcrystalline cellulose, then the MCC particles are effectively protected from hornification and dispersibility is improved, but the product loses natural ingredient recognition and requires chemically modified components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes CMC from the attrition process, replacing it with an alternative protective mechanism using seaweed flour that contains natural polysaccharides. This extraction eliminates the harmful chemical modification while preserving the protective function during attrition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameter by substituting CMC with seaweed flour containing natural polysaccharides. This parameter change maintains the protective hydrocolloid function while transitioning from chemically modified to naturally recognized ingredients.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If polysaccharides from plant sources are used to replace CMC, then natural ingredient recognition is improved, but the functionality for making stable MCC dispersions deteriorates due to insufficient mechanical force transfer during attrition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite material system combining MCC with seaweed flour that contains multiple polysaccharides working synergistically. This composite approach overcomes the limitations of single polysaccharides by utilizing the combined mechanical force transfer capabilities of different polysaccharide components during attrition.
Solution Approach 2:
The seaweed flour acts as an intermediary substance during attrition, facilitating mechanical force transfer to the MCC aggregates. The natural polysaccharides in the seaweed flour mediate the interaction between the attrition mechanism and MCC particles, enabling effective dispersion without chemical modification.
3Reliability
If multivalent salts such as calcium chloride are added to mitigate polysaccharide functionality issues, then dispersion stability is improved, but the product complexity increases and requires additional attrition aids
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes multivalent salts from the formulation, relying instead on the natural polysaccharide properties of seaweed flour to provide dispersion stability. This extraction simplifies the formulation by eliminating the need for additional chemical aids.
Solution Approach 2:
The seaweed flour polysaccharides provide self-sufficient protective and stabilizing functions during attrition and in the final dispersion, without requiring external multivalent salts or additional aids. The natural polysaccharides serve multiple functions autonomously.
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 achieves stable suspensions with reduced sedimentation in beverages, comparable to systems using CMC or refined carrageenan, while maintaining the naturalness of ingredients, thus addressing consumer and regulatory preferences.
Implementation Method 1
a coprocessed colloidal composition that can be effectively attrited without carboxymethyl cellulose and/or attrition aids such as salts or acids
Implementation Method 2
subjecting hydrolyzed MCC aggregated crystallites, in the form of a high solids aqueous mixture, commonly known as 'wetcake ', to an attrition process, e.g., extrusion, that substantially subdivides the aggregated cellulose crystallites into more finely divided crystallite particles
Implementation Method 3
MCC is hydrolyzed cellulose
Implementation Method 4
dispersed easily in consumable products such as food, beverage, pharmaceutical, industrial, and many other products; including, cool/ambient milk products
Implementation Method 5
An important application for colloidal MCC is stabilization of suspensions, e.g., suspensions of solid particles in low viscosity liquids; and, more specifically, suspension of solids in milk
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a stabilizer composition comprising colloidal microcrystalline cellulose coprocessed with unrefined and unmodified red seaweed flour derived from a red seaweed of the class Rhodophyta.