Poor-Water-Soluble Agent Compositions Using Surfactant Emulsification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Many nutritional supplements and natural flavor/color oils have poor water solubility, limiting their concentration in aqueous solutions and products, which reduces bioavailability and uniform distribution, thereby hindering their effective use in food, drinks, and nutritional supplements.
Innovation Solution
Development of novel water-miscible compositions comprising poor-water-soluble agents, such as lipophilic nutritional supplements and natural flavor/color oils, enhanced with surfactants to increase solubility and bioavailability, using a process involving mixing, homogenization, ultrasonication, and pasteurization to create stable emulsions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If poor-water-soluble agents are added to aqueous solutions, then the concentration of nutritional supplements can be increased, but the water solubility decreases leading to poor distribution and reduced bioavailability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs solubility enhancers and emulsifiers as intermediary substances that facilitate the mixing of poor-water-soluble nutritional supplements with aqueous solutions. These intermediaries reduce surface tension and promote uniform distribution, thereby maintaining high concentration while improving apparent solubility and bioavailability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes ultrasonic processing to change physical parameters of the mixture, creating micro-emulsions or nano-emulsions where the poor-water-soluble agents are dispersed at the molecular or sub-molecular level. This parameter change in dispersion size dramatically improves solubility and distribution while maintaining high concentration.
2Reliability
If natural flavor oils and color oils are added to food and drinks, then health benefits are improved, but uneven distribution occurs due to poor water solubility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies ultrasonic vibration to break down oil droplets into fine dispersions throughout the aqueous medium. This mechanical vibration energy creates stable emulsions where natural flavor and color oils are uniformly distributed, eliminating separation and ensuring consistent health benefits in each serving.
Solution Approach 2:
Emulsifiers and surfactants serve as intermediaries between the hydrophobic oil components and hydrophilic aqueous phases. These intermediaries enable stable mixing and uniform distribution of natural flavor and color oils in food and beverage products.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional mixing methods are used for poor-water-soluble agents, then the process is simple, but the bioavailability and concentration achieved are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs cyclic ultrasonic processing followed by brief resting periods, creating periodic action that progressively breaks down aggregates and forms stable micro-emulsions. This alternating cycle of intense mixing and stabilization achieves superior bioavailability while remaining manufacturable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical mixing with ultrasonic cavitation, which uses acoustic energy to create micro-bubbles that collapse and generate intense localized mixing. This substitution achieves much higher dispersion quality and bioavailability without significantly complicating the manufacturing process.
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 compositions achieve unexpectedly high concentrations of poor-water-soluble agents, improving bioavailability and ensuring uniform distribution in beverages and solid foods, thereby enhancing health benefits and usability.
Implementation Method 1
enhanced with surfactants to increase solubility and bioavailability
Implementation Method 2
using a process involving mixing, homogenization, ultrasonication, and pasteurization
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are novel compositions for improving bioavailability of poor-water-soluble agents, which can include nutritional supplements and other ingredients as set forth herein. Also described herein are methods of making the composition and apparatuses used to make the compositions.