Phytase Granules Thermal Stability Fluid Bed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid enzyme formulations for animal feed face challenges in achieving homogeneous distribution due to their liquid nature, require specialized and costly equipment for application, and suffer from storage stability issues, while thermostable coatings for dry enzyme granules add complexity and cost to the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
A liquid enzyme formulation comprising a thermostable enzyme, a buffer, a stabilizer, and an anti-microbial, which can be used without the need for a protective coating, and a granulated enzyme formulation that includes a carrier, buffer, stabilizer, binding agent, and anti-microbial, allowing for improved thermal stability and ease of use in fluid bed granulation processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If liquid enzyme formulations are used to avoid heat inactivation during pelleting, then enzyme activity is preserved, but homogeneous distribution becomes difficult and specialized expensive equipment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the physical state parameter of the enzyme formulation from liquid to granulated/dry form. This parameter change allows the enzyme to be applied during mixing before pelleting, eliminating the need for specialized post-pelleting liquid application equipment while preserving enzyme activity through the use of thermostable enzyme variants that can withstand pelleting temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs standard, widely-available granulation equipment rather than specialized expensive liquid application systems. By using conventional dry ingredient handling and granulation equipment that is already present in most feed mills, the solution eliminates the need for costly specialized equipment while achieving effective enzyme delivery.
2Ease of operation
If dry enzyme granules are added before pelleting to simplify application, then ease of operation improves, but high temperatures during pelleting inactivate the enzyme
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thermal stability parameter of the enzyme by using thermostable enzyme variants that can withstand the high temperatures of the pelleting process. This allows dry granules to be added before pelleting without enzyme inactivation, combining the simplicity of dry ingredient handling with enzyme survival through temperature-resistant variants.
3Reliability
If liquid enzyme formulations are used, then enzyme activity is maintained, but storage stability becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the enzyme formulation from liquid phase to solid granulated phase. This phase transition improves storage stability by reducing microbial growth risk and chemical degradation that occur in liquid formulations, while maintaining enzyme activity through thermostable variants that can be applied effectively after granulation and drying.
4Reliability
If thermostable coatings are applied to dry enzyme granules to ensure thermal stability, then enzyme activity is preserved during pelleting, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the thermostability function from the coating approach and implements it directly in the enzyme variant itself. By using inherently thermostable enzyme variants rather than coating them, the solution eliminates the complex coating process while achieving the same goal of preserving enzyme activity during high-temperature pelleting.
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 formulations ensure high thermal stability of enzymes during the pelleting process, maintaining activity across a range of temperatures without the need for costly coatings, and facilitate efficient production and distribution in animal feed, enhancing nutritional value and reducing waste.
Implementation Method 1
a buffer, wherein the buffer is selected from the group consisting of: a sodium citrate, potassium citrate, citric acid, sodium acetate, acetic acid, sodium phosphate, potassium phosphate and any combination thereof
Implementation Method 2
a stabilizer, wherein the stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of: a sucrose, a sorbitol, a mannitol, a glycerol, a trehalose, a sodium chloride, a sodium sulphate, or any combination thereof
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid enzyme formulation, an enzyme granule formulation, methods for manufacturing enzyme granules using a fluid bed dryer, wherein the enzyme granules are thermostable without the need for a thermostable coating is provided. The enzyme granules are phytase granules used in the manufacturing of an animal feed, wherein the phytase granule is thermostable without the need for a thermostable coating and the phytase retains about 63% to about 134% of its activity after pelleting at 80°C.