Semi-solid food concentrate using salt-sensitive gum
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dry savory food concentrates require high starch content for viscosity, leading to formulation flexibility issues, energy-intensive mixing, and the risk of lumps during dilution, while also being less appealing to consumers due to their appearance and calorie content.
Innovation Solution
A semi-solid food concentrate comprising a salt-sensitive gum, salt-stable structuring material, and water, which maintains the gum in a salted-out state, allowing for a viscous ready-to-eat end product with reduced starch content and improved handling and production efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If high starch content is used to provide desired viscosity in the ready-to-eat end product, then viscosity is improved, but formulation flexibility deteriorates and energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameter by replacing starch with xanthan gum, a different type of thickening agent that provides comparable viscosity at much lower concentrations. This substitution fundamentally alters the formulation composition, allowing greater flexibility in ingredient selection and ratios while maintaining the desired viscous texture in the reconstituted product.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite approach by combining xanthan gum with other ingredients in a concentrated formulation that, when diluted, produces the desired viscous end product. This composite material strategy allows the concentrate to achieve high viscosity upon reconstitution without requiring high starch content during the concentrated state, thereby improving formulation flexibility.
2Temperature
If high starch content is used to provide desired viscosity, then viscosity is improved, but energy consumption during mixing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the concentration parameter by using xanthan gum at significantly lower levels than starch to achieve the same viscosity effect. Since xanthan gum is a highly efficient thickening agent, the concentrate can be formulated with much lower total solid content, resulting in a less viscous mixture during production that requires less mixing energy.
3Temperature
If starch is used as a thickening agent, then viscosity is improved, but product appearance deteriorates due to opaque appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameter by substituting starch with xanthan gum, which has different optical properties. Xanthan gum solutions are naturally more translucent than starch-based products, allowing the reconstituted beverage to have a clearer, more appealing appearance while still providing the necessary viscous texture.
4Temperature
If starch is used as a thickening agent, then viscosity is improved, but product quality deteriorates due to risk of lump formation during dilution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical nature of the thickening agent from starch to xanthan gum, which has superior dispersibility and stability characteristics. Xanthan gum does not undergo gelatinization like starch and is less prone to forming lumps during the dilution process, ensuring more reliable and consistent product quality.
5Temperature
If starch is used as a thickening agent, then viscosity is improved, but consumer acceptance deteriorates due to calorie content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition by replacing starch, a high-calorie carbohydrate, with xanthan gum, which provides similar thickening effects at much lower concentrations and contains fewer calories. This substitution allows the final beverage to maintain its viscous texture while reducing the overall calorie content, improving consumer acceptance among health-conscious consumers.
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 solution provides a semi-solid food concentrate that achieves desired viscosity without high starch levels, enhancing formulation flexibility, reducing energy consumption, and improving consumer acceptance by eliminating lumps and opaque appearance concerns.
Implementation Method 1
a salt-sensitive gum, salt in an amount sufficient to keep the salt-sensitive gum in a salted-out state
Data Source
AI summary
A semi-solid food concentrate in the form of a gel or a paste comprising a salt-sensitive gum, salt in an amount sufficient to keep the salt-sensitive gum in a salted-out state, a salt-stable structuring material in an amount effective to provide a semi-solid food concentrate, water, which semi-solid food concentrate, after dilution in an aqueous liquid, the aqueous liquid being water, can result in a ready-to-eat end product comprising: from 0.1 to 2.5 wt % of salt and from 0.01 wt % to 3.5 wt % of a salt-sensitive gum. the ready-to-eat end product having a viscosity of higher than 15 mPa·s at 20° C., and wherein the salt-stable gelling system is not konjac mannan alone.