Purified Collagenase Composition for Stable Food Production

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional collagenase enzyme compositions used in food production have insufficient storage stability, and the addition of stabilizers or antiseptic agents to maintain enzymatic activity reduces effectiveness and raises food safety concerns.

Innovation Solution

A collagenase enzyme composition with substantially no contaminating activity, particularly protease activity, is developed, maintaining a P/C ratio of 2.0 or lower, ensuring a residual collagenase activity of 50% or higher after storage at 40°C for one month.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If stabilizers or antiseptic agents are added to maintain enzymatic activity, then storage stability is improved, but enzymatic activity per weight unit is reduced and food safety concerns arise

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage stabilityVSAvoidenzymatic activity per weight unit
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates contaminating protease activity from the enzyme composition through purification processes. By removing these harmful contaminants, the composition achieves high storage stability without requiring stabilizers or antiseptic agents, thus maintaining high enzymatic activity per weight unit and avoiding food safety concerns.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the purity parameter of the enzyme composition by reducing contaminating activity to extremely low levels (P/C ratio of 2.0 or lower). This parameter change fundamentally alters the storage stability characteristics, allowing the enzyme to remain stable without additional chemical stabilizers that would reduce effective enzymatic activity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If stabilizers or antiseptic agents are added to provide antisepsis, then storage stability is improved, but the use of designated additives increases which raises food safety concerns

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage stabilityVSAvoidfood safety concerns
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes contaminating protease activity through purification, eliminating the need for antiseptic agents. This extraction of harmful elements achieves both storage stability and food safety without requiring designated additives.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the harmful effect of contaminating protease activity into a benefit by using its presence as an indicator for purification optimization. By measuring and reducing P/C ratios, the process transforms a harmful contaminant into a target for elimination, resulting in a safe, stable product without chemical additives.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

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 composition achieves high storage stability and reduces the need for stabilizers, thereby enhancing food production efficiency and safety.

Implementation Method 1

Collagen is a protein found in the skin, tendons, bones, and cartilage of animals... Collagen peptides, which are collagen degradation products, are products obtained by degrading collagen to structural units consisting of three amino acids

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEnzymatic hydrolysis: Hydrolysis

Data Source

PatentEP4623701A1Enzyme composition for producing food
Publication Date: 2025.10.01 NAGASE VIITA CO LTD
  • EP4623701A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4623701A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4623701A1 patent drawing

AI summary

The present invention provides a collagenase enzyme composition with high storage stability that can be used in food production processes while reducing the use of stabilizers and antiseptic agents. The present invention relates to an enzyme composition for producing a food, containing a collagenase and having substantially no contaminating activity.