Protein-Polysaccharide Complex for Alcohol Encapsulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for delivering ethyl alcohol in non-beverage forms, such as Jell-O shots, face challenges with structural instability, leakage, and undesirable organoleptic qualities, making them unsuitable for commercial production and consumer preference.
Innovation Solution
A consumable protein-polysaccharide macromolecular complex delivery system is developed, where ethyl alcohol is encapsulated in amorphous regions of a protein-polysaccharide complex polymeric structure, formed through complex coacervation of a protein and polysaccharide in an acidic ethyl alcohol-water solution, using animal proteins like gelatin and polysaccharides like pullulan, which provides structural integrity and controlled release upon chewing or oral exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If gelatin is used to form a gel structure for ethyl alcohol delivery, then the product can be easily manufactured and consumed, but the gel loses structural integrity and leaks when temperature rises above 35 degrees Celsius
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines gelatin with alternative gelling agents (agar, carrageenan, pectin, or starch) to create a composite gel structure. This composite approach leverages the thermal stability of plant-based gelling agents to compensate for gelatin's temperature sensitivity, while maintaining the ease of manufacture through similar preparation processes. The synergistic combination resolves the contradiction by preserving structural integrity at higher temperatures without sacrificing manufacturing simplicity.
2Device complexity
If ethyl alcohol is encapsulated in gelatin shells, then the delivery system is simple, but the ethyl alcohol diffuses through the shell causing leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite gel matrix where multiple gelling agents work together to form a denser, less permeable structure. This composite approach reduces alcohol diffusion by creating a more tortuous path through the gel network, thereby improving leakage prevention without significantly increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the gel's physical-chemical parameters by adjusting the composition ratios of different gelling agents and optimizing the gelling process conditions. These parameter changes result in a gel with reduced porosity and improved barrier properties, effectively preventing ethyl alcohol diffusion while maintaining a simple delivery system structure.
3Ease of operation
If Jell-O shots are prepared without refrigeration, then convenience is improved, but the gel melts and becomes messy upon handling
Solution Approach 1:
By combining gelatin with thermally stable plant-based gelling agents, the composite gel maintains its structure at higher temperatures and during handling without requiring refrigeration. This enables convenient storage and transport at ambient temperatures while preventing the gel from melting and becoming messy, thus resolving both ease of operation and structural stability requirements.
4Ease of manufacture
If plasticized gelatin shells are used for encapsulation, then the shells are flexible and easy to form, but ethyl alcohol diffuses through due to low molecular weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces simple gelatin shells with a composite gel matrix incorporating multiple gelling agents. This composite structure creates a more dense and less permeable network that effectively blocks ethyl alcohol diffusion, while maintaining flexibility and ease of formation through the gel's inherent properties. The composite approach thus resolves the contradiction between manufacturing ease and encapsulation integrity.
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 system maintains shape and form at ambient temperatures, prevents leakage, and releases ethyl alcohol effectively upon chewing, offering a novel, entertaining, and organoleptically minimal delivery method with enhanced structural stability and consumer acceptance.
Implementation Method 1
complex coacervation of a protein and a polysaccharide in an acidic ethyl alcohol-water solution
Implementation Method 2
ethyl alcohol is encapsulated in amorphous regions of a protein-polysaccharide complex polymeric structure
Implementation Method 3
gelatin and polysaccharides like pullulan, which provides structural integrity and controlled release
Implementation Method 4
releasing the encapsulated ethyl alcohol and/or spirits upon chewing or exposure to the environment of the oral cavity
Data Source
AI summary
An protein-polysaccharide macromolecular complex article of manufacture containing encapsulated ethyl alcohol and/or other spirits serving as an entertaining and novel non-beverage method of consuming alcohol. The article of manufacture encapsulates ethyl alcohol and/or other spirits in the amorphous regions of the complex macromolecular structure releasing it only upon chewing and exposure to the environment of the oral cavity. The article of manufacture is stable and capable of retaining shape and form for extended periods of time at ambient temperature allowing for relatively low-cost commercial manufacture and distribution.