Probiotic Granules with Thermo-Sensitive Gel Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Probiotic microorganisms in liquid-based food products are often destroyed by high temperatures and humidity during preparation, making it challenging to maintain their viability and effectiveness in products like probiotic juices and infant food powders.
Innovation Solution
The development of stabilized probiotic granules coated with a thermo-sensitive gel-forming polymer, which forms a protective gel during heating and dissolves upon cooling, ensuring the survival of probiotics throughout the production and consumption processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If probiotic microorganisms are incorporated into liquid-based food products undergoing heat treatment, then the product can be prepared with improved safety and shelf life, but the high temperature and humidity destroy the probiotic microorganisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the probiotic microorganisms from the liquid food matrix by encapsulating them in hydrophobic particles. This segmentation allows the probiotics to be protected from the aqueous heat treatment environment while still being incorporated into the final liquid product.
Solution Approach 2:
Hydrophobic particles act as an intermediary carrier between the probiotic microorganisms and the liquid food product. These particles protect the probiotics during heat treatment and facilitate their controlled release into the liquid product after cooling, mediating the interaction between incompatible environments.
2Ease of manufacture
If probiotic microorganisms are directly added to hot liquid-based food products, then the preparation process is simple and fast, but the probiotics are destroyed by heat and humidity
Solution Approach 1:
The probiotic microorganisms are pre-encapsulated in hydrophobic particles before being added to the liquid food product. This preliminary encapsulation action protects them during subsequent heat treatment without complicating the manufacturing process, as the pre-formed particles are simply mixed into the product.
3Quantity of substance
If the probiotic composition is resistant to heat and humidity through encapsulation, then probiotic viability is maintained, but the product structure and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses hydrophobic particles with thin film encapsulation to protect probiotic microorganisms. These flexible hydrophobic shells provide effective protection against heat and humidity while maintaining a simple particle structure that does not significantly complicate the overall product formulation.
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 solution effectively protects probiotic bacteria from heat and humidity, maintaining their viability and allowing them to be released in a liquid-based product, enhancing the stability and shelf life of probiotic-containing food products.
Implementation Method 1
coated with a thermo-sensitive gel-forming polymer, which forms a protective gel during heating and dissolves upon cooling
Implementation Method 2
forms a protective gel during heating... effectively protects probiotic bacteria from heat and humidity
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Provided are heat-processed or heat-processible health food products beneficially affecting the consumer's intestinal microbial balance. The food products are particularly liquid-based products which comprise a probiotic component capable of resisting heat and humidity.