Seaweed Concentrate Flavor Composition for Meat-Free Umami
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Solution Overview
Problem
The food industry faces challenges in creating savory and meaty flavors in meat-free or meat-reduced products without using chemically derived ingredients, while addressing consumer preferences for natural ingredients and avoiding unpleasant taste impressions.
Innovation Solution
A food product comprising a seaweed concentrate or product derived therefrom, enhanced with specific flavor components such as 2-methylbutyraldehyde, 5-methylfurfural, furfural, 2(E)-decenal, isobutyr aldehyde, glutamate, and ribonucleotides like AMP, CMP, and GMP, which enhance umami and meaty flavors without meat or meat-derived ingredients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If chemically derived flavour ingredients are used to enhance savoury flavour, then the savoury flavour is improved, but legal constraints and consumer preferences for natural ingredients are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by using seaweed-derived natural compounds (containing specific amino acids, nucleotides, and volatile compounds) instead of chemically derived flavour ingredients, thereby maintaining flavour enhancement while complying with legal and consumer requirements for natural ingredients
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs natural seaweed extracts and their volatile compounds as temporary, natural flavour enhancers that provide the desired savoury taste without the long-term legal and consumer issues associated with chemically derived ingredients, effectively replacing them as the preferred flavouring system
2Adaptability or versatility
If meat-free alternatives are used to replace meat, then meat-free nutrition is achieved, but unpleasant taste impressions and reduced pleasure are caused
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the flavour composition parameters of meat-free products by incorporating seaweed-derived compounds with specific volatile components and nucleotides, which change the taste profile from unpleasant to authentic meat-like flavour, thereby eliminating harmful taste impressions while maintaining meat-free status
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a flavour copy of meat by using seaweed extracts containing similar volatile compounds and nucleotide structures that replicate the complex taste profile of meat, allowing consumers to experience authentic meat-like flavour without actual meat or meat-derived ingredients
3Object-affected harmful factors
If natural flavour sources like seaweed are used, then consumer preference for natural ingredients is met, but achieving authentic meat-like taste is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the chemical composition parameters of seaweed extracts by controlling the content and ratio of volatile compounds, amino acids, and nucleotides, thereby achieving precise control over the flavour profile to produce authentic meat-like taste while maintaining natural ingredient status
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite flavour system by combining multiple seaweed-derived components (volatile compounds, amino acids, nucleotides) in specific proportions, resulting in a synergistic effect that achieves authentic meat-like taste more effectively than any single natural ingredient alone
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a food product having an enhanced and improved savoury and/or meaty flavour which is at least partially obtained from a seaweed concentrate or product derived therefrom wherein the food product comprises at least 3, preferably (4) and most preferred all (5) components from the group of (2)-methylbutyraldehyde, (5)-methylfurfural, furfural, 2(E)-decenal, and isobutyr aldehyde. Also the process is found for making a food product by combining an edible product and flavour product providing a meaty flavour to food products, and the process for making such flavour composition.