Pulse Flour Filling Composition for Ambient-Stable Food Products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food products, such as biscuits and snack bars, often have high fat and calorie content, low dietary fiber, and may contain gluten or dairy, which are undesirable for health-conscious consumers seeking protein and fiber sources.
Innovation Solution
A comestible food filling composition comprising at least 35% pulse flour and 25-50% fat or oil, with a water activity of not more than 0.6 and specific gravity of not more than 1.05, providing ambient stability and aeration to enhance storage life and organoleptic properties, using non-genetically modified pulse flours like chick pea, lentil, or faba bean flours.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional cream fillings with high fat content are used, then the product has desirable texture and flavor, but the calorie content increases and dietary fiber content decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the compositional parameters by using pulse flour (pea, lentil, chickpea) as the base ingredient instead of traditional high-fat cream ingredients. This fundamental parameter change allows the filling to achieve high dietary fiber content while maintaining lower calorie content through the inherent nutritional profile of pulses.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling composition combines multiple ingredients including pulse flour, fats/oils, sugars, and functional ingredients to create a composite material that achieves desirable texture and flavor while improving nutritional profile. The composite nature allows balancing fiber content and calorie density.
2Quantity of substance
If soya ingredients are used to increase protein content, then the protein content improves, but the product becomes allergenic and may contain genetically modified components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts or removes soya ingredients from the filling composition entirely, replacing them with pulse flour from non-GMO sources. This extraction eliminates the allergen concern and GMO issue while maintaining protein content through alternative pulse sources like pea, lentil, and chickpea flour.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses conventional, non-GMO pulse flours that are widely available and generally regarded as safe, replacing specialized soya ingredients. These alternative ingredients have broader acceptance and fewer allergen concerns, making them more suitable for general consumption.
3Quantity of substance
If nuts are used to increase protein and healthy fat content, then the nutritional value improves, but the calorie content increases and nut allergies are triggered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes nuts and nut-derived ingredients from the filling composition, eliminating the allergen risk while maintaining protein content through pulse flour. This extraction allows the product to be safe for consumers with nut allergies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pulse flour as an intermediary ingredient that can provide protein and healthy fats similar to nuts but without the allergen issues. Pulse flour acts as a mediator that achieves the nutritional goals of using nuts while avoiding their harmful allergenic properties.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the filling composition has high water content for desirable texture, then the texture improves, but the storage stability decreases and baking is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the water content parameter within a specific range (10-40%) and combines it with pulse flour ingredients that have inherent water-binding properties. This parameter optimization allows the filling to maintain desirable texture while achieving ambient storage stability without requiring baking.
Solution Approach 2:
The pulse flour ingredients in the filling composition provide self-stabilization through their inherent properties, allowing the filling to maintain texture and stability without requiring external baking or cooking processes. The composition serves itself to achieve storage stability.
5Duration of action of stationary object
If the filling is baked to improve storage stability, then the shelf life improves, but the characteristic creamy texture is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent formulates the filling with specific ingredient ratios and water content parameters that enable ambient storage stability without thermal processing. This parameter optimization allows the filling to achieve long shelf life while preserving the creamy texture characteristic of unbaked fillings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of high water content (which would normally reduce storage stability) into a benefit by using pulse flour ingredients that bind water effectively. This allows the filling to maintain creamy texture associated with higher moisture while achieving storage stability without baking.
Data Source
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AI summary
A comestible non-baked food filling composition comprises a pulse flour and not more than 50% by weight fat, the composition being ambient-stable, having a water activity of not more than 0.6, and having a specific gravity of not more than 1.05. Food products comprising said filling compositions including food products (1) comprising a portion of filling (2) in combination with at least one cooked comestible outer portion (3, 4) that has a water content of not more than 11% by weight based on the total weight of the said outer portion, wherein the comestible outer portion is selected from biscuit, cooked snack dough and granola. The compositions when alone or within the said food products have good organoleptic properties.