Personalized Nutraceutical Dispensing System for Precise Ingredient Dosage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for personalized nutrition deliver ineffective or harmful dietary supplements due to their reliance on population averages, requiring individuals to consume excessive amounts of certain nutrients and insufficient amounts of others, making it challenging to meet individual health needs effectively and economically.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a library of active nutraceutical ingredients, a software module, and a dispensing unit that receives prescription information to dispense precise quantities of active ingredients, forming customized nutraceutical products tailored to individual health needs, packaged and delivered in various forms such as granulated powers, tablets, or soft gels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If population average-based supplements are used, then manufacturing cost is reduced and production is simplified, but nutritional effectiveness for individual subjects deteriorates and may become harmful
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the nutraceutical formulation into multiple discrete active ingredients, each dispensed separately based on individual subject needs. The system divides the supplement into component parts (vitamins, minerals, botanicals, etc.) that can be independently selected and combined, allowing customization while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through automated dispensing of pre-formulated components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of nutraceutical formulation by allowing variable dosages of multiple active ingredients based on individual subject characteristics. The software module adjusts the quantity and combination of each active ingredient according to subject-specific data, transforming the fixed population-average approach into a dynamic, parameter-adjustable formulation system.
2Reliability
If personalized formulations are created for each subject, then nutritional effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a universal platform system that handles all personalized formulations through a single integrated manufacturing apparatus. The dispensing unit, software module, and packaging system work together as a multi-functional platform that can produce any customized nutraceutical formulation without requiring separate production lines, thereby managing complexity while enabling personalization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers and reuses standardized components and processes across different formulations. By maintaining a library of pre-characterized active ingredients and using repeatable dispensing and packaging procedures, the system eliminates the need to recreate formulations from scratch for each subject, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining personalization.
3Quantity of substance
If subjects consume large quantities of existing products to meet individual needs, then some nutritional needs are met, but excessive amounts of certain actives are consumed and others are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring the concentration and composition of each active ingredient to the specific needs of the individual subject. Rather than using uniform high-dose formulations that may over-supply certain nutrients, the system adjusts the local concentration of each active ingredient based on subject-specific requirements, ensuring adequate intake without excessive amounts of any single component.
Solution Approach 2:
The system avoids excessive action by dispensing only the necessary quantity of each active ingredient required to meet the subject's specific nutritional needs. The software module calculates precise dosages for each component, preventing both under-dosing and over-dosing, and the dispensing unit delivers only the required partial amount of each active rather than full-strength formulations that would require consumption of large quantities.
4Productivity
If population average supplements are manufactured, then production efficiency is maintained, but adaptability to individual health needs is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamics into the nutraceutical manufacturing process by enabling real-time adjustment of formulation parameters based on individual subject data. The software module dynamically selects and adjusts the combination and quantity of active ingredients for each subject, while the automated dispensing system dynamically configures each batch, allowing high-level customization without sacrificing production efficiency through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-characterizing and pre-packaging individual active ingredients in standardized forms before final formulation. This preliminary preparation of components allows for rapid assembly of customized formulations when subject-specific requirements are determined, maintaining production efficiency while enabling adaptability to individual needs.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to the delivery of personalized nutraceutical products to a subject, comprising a library of actives; a software module; and a dispensing unit. In certain aspects, the system further comprises a packaging unit and a delivery unit. According to certain aspects, the library of actives comprises a plurality of active nutraceutical ingredients formulated for precise dispensing. In further aspects, the software module is constructed and arranged to receive prescription information for the subject and to output dispensing instructions to the dispensing unit. In still further aspects, the dispensing unit is constructed and arranged to receive dispensing instructions from the software module and to dispense one or more actives from the library of actives to form a nutraceutical product, and wherein the dispensing instructions are derived from the prescription information and customized to the nutritional needs of the subject.