Pullulan Capsule Production via Direct Fermentation Fluid
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for producing pullulan empty capsules face challenges due to high energy consumption and equipment costs in the drying process, which affects the quality of the pullulan and restricts production capacity.
Innovation Solution
A method that eliminates the separate drying process by directly using the purified pullulan fermentation fluid for capsule preparation, linking raw material production with capsule production, and forming capsules without the need for a melting process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional drying process is used to produce pullulan raw material, then pullulan can be obtained as solid product, but energy consumption is large and equipment cost is high
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the separate drying process from the conventional pullulan production flow. By directly using the fermentation broth as capsule material, the patent removes the energy-intensive drying step while still obtaining solid capsule shells through a different mechanism (direct forming from concentrated fermentation fluid).
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the pullulan production process with the capsule manufacturing process into a single integrated flow. The fermentation broth that would traditionally be dried separately is now directly utilized as the capsule-forming material, combining raw material production and product manufacturing into one continuous process.
2Quantity of substance
If conventional drying process is used to produce pullulan raw material, then solid pullulan product is obtained, but equipment cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the separate drying process from the conventional pullulan production flow. By directly using the fermentation broth as capsule material, the patent removes the energy-intensive drying step while still obtaining solid capsule shells through a different mechanism (direct forming from concentrated fermentation fluid).
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the pullulan production process with the capsule manufacturing process into a single integrated flow. The fermentation broth that would traditionally be dried separately is now directly utilized as the capsule-forming material, combining raw material production and product manufacturing into one continuous process.
3Quantity of substance
If drying process is used to prepare pullulan raw material, then pullulan can be obtained, but raw material quality deteriorates due to film distortion and browning
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts what would traditionally be considered waste (the fermentation broth that requires drying) into a direct resource for capsule manufacturing. By using the concentrated fermentation broth directly without drying, the process avoids the harmful effects of drying (film distortion, browning) while still producing high-quality capsule shells.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state parameters used in capsule manufacturing. Instead of using dried solid pullulan that requires melting, the process uses concentrated fermentation broth directly in a semi-solid state, allowing direct forming without the quality-degrading drying and subsequent melting steps.
4Quantity of substance
If separate drying process is used to produce pullulan raw material, then pullulan can be obtained, but production time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the pullulan production process with the capsule manufacturing process into a single integrated flow. The fermentation broth that would traditionally be dried separately is now directly utilized as the capsule-forming material, combining raw material production and product manufacturing into one continuous process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a continuous production flow where the fermentation broth moves directly from the fermentation stage to the capsule forming stage without interruption for drying. This continuous process eliminates idle time and maintains productive action throughout the entire manufacturing sequence.
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
This approach reduces equipment costs and energy consumption, stabilizes raw material quality, and increases productivity while ensuring consistent capsule quality.
Implementation Method 1
fermenting Aureobasidium pullulans cells to produce a pullulan fermentation liquor
Implementation Method 2
transferring the concentrated fermentation liquor into a gel storage tank having a temperature control function; pumping the concentrated fermentation liquor from the gel storage tank into a transfer tank to form a capsule gel liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A method for the production of empty pullulan capsules eliminate the need to dry pullulan solid product, thereby reducing the equipment cost and energy consumption. The pullulan raw material production can be linked directly with the capsule production to provide a unique approach for empty capsule formation. The purified pullulan fermentation fluid can be directly used in capsule preparation, thus removing the need for a melting process. On the one hand, the method may decrease material consumption, save the cost of equipment and labor, reduce production time and increase productivity. On the other hand, the method may reduce the fluctuating of raw material quality in the re-melting process and guarantee a more stable capsule production and quality.