Nutritional Tablet Porous Fiber Matrix for Rapid Dissolution

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Solution Overview

Problem

Formulating nutritional tablets that balance hardness for handling with rapid solubility, especially for infant formula and medical foods, is challenging due to the need for both strength and quick dissolution, which existing methods like effervescent systems or specific powder features cannot effectively achieve without compromising cost or safety.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating dietary fibers such as galactooligosaccharides and long chain fructooligosaccharides improves the solubility and hardness of nutritional tablets, allowing them to dissolve quickly while maintaining sufficient strength for handling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the tablet is made hard and strong to withstand handling and transport, then the breaking strength is improved, but the dissolution speed deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebreaking strengthVSAvoiddissolution speed

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies porous materials by incorporating dietary fibers (inulin, chitosan, cellulose, or starch) into the tablet matrix, creating a porous structure that allows water penetration and accelerates dissolution while maintaining mechanical strength through the fiber network

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses composite materials by combining nutritional ingredients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) with dietary fibers in a unified tablet matrix, where the fibers provide both structural integrity and dissolution enhancement through their porous nature

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Speed

If effervescent systems like bicarbonate are used to improve dissolution speed, then the dissolution rate is improved, but harmful factors increase due to foam formation and salt content

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedissolution rateVSAvoidfoam formation and salt content

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the typically harmful effect of dietary fibers (which can increase viscosity and affect texture) into a beneficial dissolution mechanism, where the fibers create porous structures that accelerate water penetration and tablet disintegration without producing foam or excessive salt content

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses dietary fibers as an intermediary substance that mediates between the nutritional ingredients and water, creating a porous network that facilitates controlled water penetration and rapid dissolution without requiring effervescent additives

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 use of dietary fibers enhances the solubility and hardness of nutritional tablets, ensuring they dissolve within 60 seconds like powder products, maintaining stability during transport and handling, and reducing oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, thus improving the nutritional composition's effectiveness and shelf life.

Implementation Method 1

the solubility of the tablet is improved while having a sufficient hardness

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAbsorption: Absorption (physical)

Implementation Method 2

specific powder features like loose density, and specific free fat content and compressing circumstances

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPorosity: Porosity

Implementation Method 3

the tablets should dissolve quick enough, i.e. comparable with the corresponding powder formulae

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDissolution: Solvation

Data Source

PatentEP2488043B2Improved nutritional tablet

Publication Date: 2021.02.24 NV NUTRICIA

Figure 1

AI summary

To improve the solubility and the speed of dissolution of nutritional tablets comprising protein, fat and carbohydrates, dietary fibers are included in the nutritional tablets.