Plant-Based Protein Microcapsules for High-Shear Liquid Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing encapsulation techniques using synthetic polymers are unsuitable for pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic applications due to environmental concerns and stability issues, and conventional plant protein-based methods result in unstable microcapsules under acidic, alkaline, or high-shear conditions, limiting their use in liquid product formulations.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a plant-based protein hydrogel using miscible co-solvents, followed by shear treatment and drying, to create biodegradable microcapsules that maintain structural integrity in liquid formulations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If spray drying techniques are used to prepare plant protein-based microcapsules, then large-scale production is achieved, but the microcapsules are not structurally stable in water or under acidic, alkaline conditions, elevated temperatures and/or under high shear forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the protein material by using transglutaminase crosslinking to form stable covalent bonds between protein molecules. This creates a chemically modified protein network that maintains structural integrity under acidic, alkaline, thermal, and high-shear conditions while still enabling spray drying for large-scale production
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by combining plant protein with transglutaminase enzyme treatment to form a crosslinked gel network. This composite material integrates the biodegradability and sustainability of plant proteins with the structural stability typically associated with synthetic polymers, resolving the contradiction between environmental friendliness and processing stability
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional protein hydrolysis methods are used to prepare spray-dried material, then the material achieves low viscosity at high shear rate, but the resultant microcapsules are not structurally stable under processing conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces transglutaminase as an intermediary enzyme that mediates the formation of crosslinks between protein molecules. This enzymatic crosslinking creates a stable three-dimensional network structure that provides both the desired viscosity characteristics for spray drying and the structural stability required for resistance against acidic, alkaline, thermal, and mechanical stress
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the phase transition of plant protein from a soluble state to a crosslinked gel state through transglutaminase treatment. This phase transition creates a stable network structure that maintains structural integrity under various processing conditions while still allowing the material to be processed through spray drying
3Reliability
If synthetic polymers are used for encapsulation, then robust and stable microcapsules are formed, but they are detrimental to the environment and have limited permitted exposure levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs biodegradable plant-based proteins as a replacement for persistent synthetic polymers. These natural protein materials provide sufficient encapsulation stability during product shelf-life and processing, then naturally degrade in the environment, eliminating the long-term environmental harm associated with synthetic polymer microcapsules
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite protein-based encapsulation material that combines the biodegradability of plant proteins with the structural stability of crosslinked networks. This composite approach achieves synthetic-polymer-like robustness while maintaining environmental compatibility and avoiding the harmful effects of conventional synthetic encapsulants
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 produces stable, biodegradable microcapsules that protect active ingredients and retain integrity under acidic, alkaline, and high-shear conditions, enabling their incorporation into liquid products.
Implementation Method 1
inducing the plant-based protein in the solution to undergo a sol-gel transition to form a plant-based protein hydrogel
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for preparing a microcapsule and to a method for preparing a microcapsule composition. The present invention also relates to the microcapsule and the microcapsule composition per se. The present invention also relates to uses of the microcapsules and to methods involving the microcapsule, including to prepare a formulated product. The present invention also relates to the formulated product per se.