Plant-Based Beverage with Oat and Chickpea Proteins for Microbiome Health
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current nutritional plant-based beverages often suffer from low solubility and nutrient density, failing to adequately support microbiome health, which is crucial for overall health and wellness, and have a higher environmental impact compared to animal-based products.
Innovation Solution
A plant-based beverage comprising oat-derived and chickpea-derived proteins, prebiotic fibers like inulin, and vitamins, which are mixed and processed to enhance solubility and nutrient density, and administered to alter the gut microbiome, reducing gas production and pH, and increasing short-chain fatty acid production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If current plant-based beverages are used, then environmental sustainability is improved, but nutrient density and solubility are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple plant-based protein sources (pea protein, rice protein, hemp protein) and prebiotic fibers (inulin, pectin, beta-glucan) into a single beverage formulation. This merging of ingredients allows the product to achieve high nutrient density while maintaining the environmental sustainability of plant-based ingredients, resolving the contradiction between environmental benefit and nutritional adequacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The beverage uses composite protein blends from different plant sources (pea, rice, hemp) rather than single protein sources. This composite approach enhances overall protein quality and nutrient density while maintaining plant-based environmental benefits, directly addressing the limitation of current plant-based beverages.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If current plant-based beverages are used, then environmental sustainability is improved, but solubility is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs hydrolyzed plant proteins instead of intact proteins, changing the molecular structure and physical properties of the protein components. This parameter change significantly improves solubility and digestibility while maintaining the plant-based composition, resolving the contradiction between environmental sustainability and solubility.
Solution Approach 2:
The beverage includes prebiotic fibers (inulin, pectin, beta-glucan) as intermediary substances that enhance the solubility and stability of the protein blend. These fibers act as mediators that improve the overall solubility of the plant-based protein mixture without compromising environmental sustainability.
3Quantity of substance
If current plant-based beverages are used, then basic nutrition is provided, but microbiome health support is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage formulation serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides complete plant-based protein nutrition while also containing specific prebiotic fibers that support microbiome health. This multi-functionality allows a single product to address both nutritional needs and microbiome support, resolving the contradiction between basic nutrition and specialized health functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The prebiotic fibers in the beverage (inulin, pectin, beta-glucan) selectively feed beneficial gut bacteria, allowing the microbiome to benefit directly from the beverage composition. The ingredients themselves perform the function of microbiome support without requiring additional mechanisms, enabling the protein-nutrition product to also serve microbiome health.
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 beverage provides a nutritionally dense, sustainable option that effectively supports microbiome health by altering the gut microbiota, reducing gas production, and lowering intestinal pH, thereby improving overall health and wellness.
Implementation Method 1
The beverage further comprises a prebiotic fiber... altering the gut microbiota, reducing gas production and pH, and increasing short-chain fatty acid production
Data Source
AI summary
A plant-based beverage is disclosed. The beverage comprises: (a) an amount of a first liquid; (b) an amount of an oat-derived protein; and (c) an amount of a chickpea-derived protein. In some embodiments, the beverage further comprises a prebiotic fiber. A method for making a plant-based beverage comprising: liquids mixed to make a liquid mixture comprising: an amount of water; an amount of liquid flavor; an amount of a plant-based oil; solids are added to the mixture comprising: an amount of oat-derived protein; an amount of chickpea-derived protein; agitating the mixture until the solids are dispersed in solution. A method of altering the microbiome in the gastrointestinal tract of a subject is disclosed. The method comprising: orally administering to the subject a liquid comprising: an oat protein and a chickpea protein; so as to alter the microbiome in the gastrointestinal tract of the subject as compared to an untreated control.