Phycobiliprotein Extraction via Salt and Acidification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies face challenges in producing high-quality, palatable, and sustainable phycobiliprotein-containing micro-organism-based food products due to issues such as strong odor, fishy taste, and low stability at low pH and high temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A method involving reacting phycobiliprotein-containing micro-organisms with water and a salt to create an aqueous suspension, followed by acidification to a pH between 2 and 7, and then removing solids to obtain a stable phycobiliprotein-containing composition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If phycobiliprotein-containing micro-organisms are used as a sustainable protein source, then protein demand can be met with low land requirements, but the strong odor and fishy taste limit their utilization in food products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts phycobiliproteins from the micro-organisms through cell disruption and separation processes, isolating the valuable protein components while leaving behind the odorous and tasteless unwanted components in the solid residue that is removed during centrifugation or filtration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates different quality zones in the processing system: the aqueous phase contains purified phycobiliproteins with desirable properties, while the solid phase contains the odorous components that are separated and discarded, allowing the final product to have localized high quality without the harmful properties
2Quantity of substance
If phycobiliprotein-containing micro-organisms are processed into food products, then nutritional value can be improved, but low stability at low pH and high temperatures reduces product quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes processing parameters including pH control during extraction, temperature management, and ionic strength adjustment to maintain phycobiliprotein stability throughout the processing workflow, ensuring the final product retains both nutritional value and stability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary cell disruption and extraction under optimized conditions before final product formulation, preparing the phycobiliproteins in advance under controlled parameters that preserve their stability properties for subsequent food product applications
3Productivity
If conventional extraction methods are used, then phycobiliproteins can be obtained, but the processing technologies are underdeveloped and produce low quality and non-palatable food products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the processing into distinct sequential steps: cell disruption, extraction, centrifugation, and purification, with each step optimized to produce intermediate products of increasing quality, transforming underdeveloped conventional processing into a refined multi-stage methodology
Solution Approach 2:
The patent produces composite food products that incorporate purified phycobiliproteins with other food ingredients, creating novel products with enhanced nutritional profiles and improved sensory properties that overcome the limitations of using micro-organisms directly
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 method achieves stable and high-yield extraction of phycobiliproteins, improving color stability, nutritional profile, and palatability, while maintaining sustainability and long-term stability.
Implementation Method 1
reacting phycobiliprotein-containing micro-organisms, water and a salt for a duration of at least 1 hour to provide an aqueous suspension
Implementation Method 2
obtaining an acidic aqueous suspension having a pH between 2 and 7 starting from the aqueous suspension obtained in step a)
Implementation Method 3
removing the solids from the acidic aqueous suspension to obtain the phycobiliprotein-containing micro-organism-based composition
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method of producing a phycobiliprotein-containing micro-organism-based composition, the method comprising the steps of a) reacting phycobiliprotein-containing micro-organisms, water and a salt for a duration of at least 1 hour to provide an aqueous suspension, b) obtaining an acidic aqueous suspension having a pH between 2 and 7 starting from the aqueous suspension obtained in step a), c) removing the solids from the acidic aqueous suspension to obtain the phycobiliprotein-containing micro-organism-based composition. The invention further relates to an aqueous and a dried phycobiliprotein-containing micro-organism-based water soluble extract composition and a aqueous and a dried phycobiliprotein-containing micro-organism-based non-water soluble extract composition.