Nutritional Buffer Composition for Amino Acid Palatability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Nutritional products containing amino acids like N-acetyl-cysteine and glycine often have unpleasant tastes, which can lead to poor patient compliance due to their acidic, astringent, or sulfury flavors, making it difficult to administer them orally in a palatable form.
Innovation Solution
A nutritional product comprising a buffer composition that adjusts the pH to a range of 3.7 to 7.5, preferably 4.2 to 6.5, using sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, or potassium hydroxide, significantly reduces the perceived sourness and unpleasant taste, thereby improving palatability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If amino acids like N-acetyl-cysteine and glycine are used in nutritional products, then therapeutic value and health benefits are improved, but unpleasant taste and poor palatability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
A buffering agent is introduced as an intermediary substance to modify the pH environment of the nutritional product. This mediator interacts with the acidic amino acids to reduce their sour taste perception, allowing the therapeutic benefits of the amino acids to be preserved while significantly improving palatability and patient compliance
Solution Approach 2:
The pH parameter of the nutritional product is deliberately changed by adding buffering agents to achieve a pH range of 3.7-7.5. This parameter modification transforms the taste profile of the amino acids, reducing unpleasant sourness and astringency while maintaining the therapeutic efficacy of the active ingredients
2Ease of operation
If buffering agent is added to improve palatability, then patient compliance is improved, but product complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than adding multiple complex components, the solution focuses on modifying a single key parameter (pH) through the addition of buffering agents. This approach improves patient compliance while maintaining relatively simple product formulation and manufacturing 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 buffering process effectively masks the undesirable taste of amino acids, enhancing patient compliance and therapeutic value by making the product more palatable and easier to consume.
Implementation Method 1
A nutritional product comprising a buffer composition, an amino acid and optionally a vitamin and/or a mineral. The buffer composition adjusts the pH to a range of 3.7 to 7.5, preferably 4.2 to 6.5
Data Source
AI summary
A nutritional product having a pH from about 3.7 to about 7.5, preferably from about 4.2 to about 6.5 includes a buffer composition and an amino acid dissolved in a liquid, and the amino acid is present in an amount that at least partially includes the amino acid in at least one of free form, dipeptides, or tripeptides. The amino acid can include a combination of at least one N-acetyl-cysteine or functional derivative thereof and at least one glycine or functional derivative thereof. The buffer composition may include at least one of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium hydroxide, or potassium hydroxide. The sodium bicarbonate and the potassium bicarbonate can be present in a molar ratio from about 1:1 to about 10:1.