Microencapsulated Microbial Culture Storage Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Microbial cultures, such as lactic acid bacteria, are sensitive to environmental stresses during freezing and freeze-drying, and existing cryo/lyo protectants have limited impact on storage stability, necessitating expensive refrigeration for maintaining viability, especially at elevated temperatures.
Innovation Solution
Microencapsulation of microbial cultures at high ratios of encapsulation matrix to core material using a coacervate-forming encapsulation matrix, which shields the microbial culture and enhances storage stability at elevated temperatures, allowing for storage without refrigeration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cryo/lyo protectants are used to protect microbial cultures during freezing and freeze-drying, then viability during processing is improved, but storage stability at elevated temperatures remains limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite encapsulation matrix comprising multiple components (proteins, carbohydrates, and other compounds) that work synergistically to provide both processing protection and long-term storage stability. This composite structure allows the material to maintain microbial viability during freezing and freeze-drying while simultaneously providing enhanced stability during storage at elevated temperatures, resolving the contradiction between processing protection and storage stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical and chemical parameters of the protective system by transitioning from conventional cryo/lyo protectants to an encapsulation matrix with specific properties (protein content, carbohydrate content, and other compounds). This parameter change enables the material to provide dual functionality: protecting during processing and stabilizing during storage, thereby resolving the contradiction between viability during processing and storage stability.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If microbial cultures are stored at ambient or elevated temperatures, then refrigeration costs are reduced, but viability of the microbial cultures deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the stability parameters of the microbial culture system by introducing an encapsulation matrix with specific compositional parameters (proteins, carbohydrates, other compounds). This parameter change allows the cultures to maintain viability at ambient and elevated temperatures without refrigeration, resolving the contradiction between energy cost and viability.
Solution Approach 2:
The encapsulation matrix acts as an intermediary between the microbial cultures and the environmental stressors (temperature, humidity). This intermediary structure protects the cultures from direct exposure to harsh conditions, enabling storage at elevated temperatures while maintaining viability, thus resolving the contradiction between refrigeration cost and viability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If high ratios of encapsulation matrix to core material are used, then storage stability is enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the ratio parameters of the encapsulation matrix components (proteins, carbohydrates, other compounds) to achieve high storage stability. By carefully controlling these compositional parameters, the invention enhances storage stability while managing manufacturing complexity through defined formulation ranges and standardized production processes.
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 microencapsulated microbial cultures maintain viability for extended periods at 37°C, providing enhanced storage stability and eliminating the need for refrigerated storage, making them suitable for applications in areas where cooling is not feasible.
Implementation Method 1
selecting a coacervate-forming encapsulation matrix which efficiently shield the entrapped microbial culture
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to microencapsulated microbial cultures with high storage stability and methods for producing these. In particular, the present invention relates to microbial cultures formulated at high ratios of encapsulation matrix material to core material.