Short-Fiber Cellulose Confectionary for Stable Opacity and Texture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers desire visually and texturally stable heat-and-eat foods that do not contain certain ingredients like titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, and emulsifiers, while maintaining opacity and creamy texture, especially after heating or freeze/thaw cycles.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating short fiber length cellulose (3.0% to 3.5% by weight) with specific fat and water content, and avoiding certain additives, to achieve opacity and stability without titanium dioxide and emulsifiers, using conventional manufacturing equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If titanium dioxide and calcium carbonate are used to improve opacity, then the confectionary achieves high opacity, but the product contains undesirable ingredients that consumers want to avoid
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes titanium dioxide and calcium carbonate from the formulation entirely, extracting the harmful whitening agents while maintaining opacity through alternative means (cellulose and fat matrix structure). This directly resolves the contradiction by eliminating undesirable ingredients while preserving the desired optical property.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the fat component (using structuring fats with specific melting points above room temperature) and cellulose fiber length (optimizing at less than 35 μm) to achieve opacity without traditional whitening agents. This parameter optimization allows the confectionary to maintain high opacity while being free of undesirable ingredients.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If emulsifiers are removed to meet consumer demands, then the confectionary is free of undesirable ingredients, but the product loses stability during heating and freeze/thaw cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the fat and water phases to self-emulsify through mechanical shear during mixing, eliminating the need for added emulsifier chemicals. The structuring fat and cellulose work together to provide natural stabilization during heating and freeze/thaw cycles, achieving both consumer safety and product stability requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite system where structuring fats (with melting points above room temperature) and cellulose fibers work synergistically to provide structural stability and texture maintenance during thermal processing, replacing the function of chemical emulsifiers with a physical composite structure.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If short fiber length cellulose is used to achieve opacity without additives, then the confectionary avoids undesirable ingredients, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies a precise parameter range for cellulose fiber length (less than 35 μm, with at least 95% passing through a No. 400 US Mesh Size sieve) to achieve optimal opacity and texture. This controlled parameter specification enables the use of cellulose as a functional ingredient without additives, though it requires careful manufacturing control.
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 confectionary maintains high opacity and creamy texture through heating and freeze/thaw cycles, reducing spread and graininess, while being cost-effective and avoiding undesirable ingredients.
Implementation Method 1
Incorporating short fiber length cellulose (3.0% to 3.5% by weight) with specific fat and water content, and avoiding certain additives, to achieve opacity and stability without titanium dioxide and emulsifiers
Implementation Method 2
a fat content of about 10% to about 20% by weight of the confectionary, with at least 75% of the fat content being provided by a structuring fat having a melting point above room temperature
Data Source
AI summary
A confectionary that contains 3.0% to 3.5% of a short fiber length cellulose is described. The confectionary maintains a good opacity and texture after heating and good visual and textural stability over shelf life or at least one freeze/thaw cycle. A confectionary can typically have a relatively high moisture content, relatively low fat content, and relatively low non-fat solids content and retain the desired stability, opacity, and texture attributes. In some cases, a confectionary can exclude certain ingredients that consumers prefer to avoid.