Saturated Fatty Acid Composition for Bitter Taste Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies lack effective and naturally occurring compounds to block human bitter taste receptors, leading to the use of complex and expensive organic compounds to mask bitter tastes in foods and medicinal compounds, which can deter consumers from consuming nutritionally valuable or medicinal products.
Innovation Solution
The use of certain saturated fatty acids, such as those represented by formula (I), to block a wide range of human bitter taste receptors, thereby reducing the perception of bitterness in ingestible compositions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If complex organic compounds are used to block bitter taste receptors, then bitter taste perception is reduced, but manufacturing cost and chemical complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex, expensive organic bitter taste blockers with simple, naturally occurring saturated fatty acids that are inexpensive to produce and readily available from natural sources, directly addressing the cost and complexity issues
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical parameter from complex organic compounds to simple saturated fatty acid structures (C1-C14 chains), maintaining the bitter taste blocking function while dramatically simplifying the chemical structure and reducing manufacturing complexity
2Object-affected harmful factors
If complex organic compounds are used to block bitter taste receptors, then bitter taste perception is reduced, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes expensive synthetic organic compounds with inexpensive saturated fatty acids that can be obtained from common natural sources or produced through simple processes, directly reducing manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 2:
The saturated fatty acids occur naturally in many foods and can be produced through simple fermentation or extraction processes, reducing the need for complex synthetic manufacturing operations
3Object-affected harmful factors
If sugar and sweeteners are used to offset bitter taste, then bitter taste perception is reduced, but caloric content and sugar intake increase
Solution Approach 1:
The saturated fatty acid acts as an intermediary substance that blocks bitter taste receptors without adding significant calories or sugar, serving as a more healthy alternative to traditional sweetener-based masking strategies
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and utilizes the bitter taste blocking property of saturated fatty acids, separating this function from the caloric and sweetening functions, allowing bitter taste reduction without requiring sugar or caloric sweeteners
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
Saturated fatty acids effectively reduce bitter tastes in ingestible compositions, allowing for the reduction or elimination of animal products and sugars while maintaining taste characteristics, thus enhancing the palatability of nutritionally valuable and medicinal products.
Implementation Method 1
Taste transduction is one of the most sophisticated forms of chemical-triggered sensation in animals. Signaling of taste is found throughout the animal kingdom
Implementation Method 2
Some compounds are known to antagonize hT2 receptors. But many of these are complex organic compounds that may be expensive to make and are not typically found in nature
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure generally relates to certain saturated fatty acids and their use to modify the taste of a composition, such as reducing the bitter taste. In some aspects, the disclosure provides compositions that include such saturated fatty acids. In some embodiments, the compositions are ingestible compositions, including, such as packaged food or beverage products. In some other aspects, the disclosure provides uses of the saturated fatty acid, and related methods, for reducing a bitter taste of an ingestible composition, such as an ingestible composition for use in a food, beverage, oral care, nutraceutical, or pharmaceutical product.