Sialyllactose Concentration via Ultrafiltration Membranes

Solution Overview

Problem

Commercially available sialic acid-containing ingredients for foods, especially infant formulas, often lack natural oligosaccharide-bound sialic acid, which is abundant in human milk, and are either synthetically produced or primarily bound to proteins, not meeting the nutritional profile of human milk.

Innovation Solution

A sialyllactose concentrate is derived from natural ruminant milk using ultrafiltration and diafiltration with thin film polyamide membranes, concentrating oligosaccharide-bound sialic acid to levels matching human milk, and can be incorporated into various food products.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If sialic acid is obtained from commercial sources, then it is readily available, but it lacks natural oligosaccharide-bound sialic acid and is either synthetically produced or primarily bound to proteins

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts sialyllactose specifically from the oligosaccharide fraction of bovine milk through ultrafiltration and diafiltration processes, separating it from proteins and other milk components. This extraction method obtains naturally oligosaccharide-bound sialic acid while excluding synthetic production methods, thus resolving the contradiction between availability and nutritional profile accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Manufacturing precision

If sialic acid is concentrated from bovine milk, then oligosaccharide-bound sialic acid is obtained, but the concentration is much lower than in human milk

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs ultrafiltration with membranes of specific molecular weight cut-off (10-100 kDa) and diafiltration processes to concentrate sialyllactose from bovine milk. These parameter changes in membrane selection and filtration conditions enable achieving concentrations of 5-25% sialyllactose in the retentate, significantly increasing the quantity of oligosaccharide-bound sialic acid while maintaining its natural form.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If ultrafiltration and diafiltration are used to concentrate sialyllactose, then oligosaccharide-bound sialic acid is enriched, but the process complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent utilizes ultrafiltration membranes with defined pore sizes (molecular weight cut-off 10-100 kDa) to separate and concentrate sialyllactose from bovine milk. The porous membrane structure enables selective passage of molecules based on size, achieving enrichment of oligosaccharide-bound sialic acid while managing process complexity through standardized membrane technology.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

4Manufacturing precision

If sialyllactose concentrate is produced from bovine milk, then a natural source is obtained, but the initial concentration of sialic acid is low

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary ultrafiltration to concentrate the oligosaccharide fraction containing sialyllactose before subsequent diafiltration steps. This preliminary concentration action reduces the volume requiring further processing and increases the efficiency of obtaining natural oligosaccharide-bound sialic acid from bovine milk, addressing the productivity concern while maintaining natural origin.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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 process effectively enriches food products, such as infant formulas, with oligosaccharide-bound sialic acid, providing a nutritional profile similar to human milk, enhancing cell communication and molecular interactions.

Implementation Method 1

The concentrate is prepared by ultrafiltration of a milk product containing naturally occurring sialyllactose using an ultrafiltration membrane to obtain an ultrafiltration retentate

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectUltrafiltration: Semipermeable Membrane

Implementation Method 2

followed by diafiltration of the ultrafiltration retentate using an ultrafiltration membrane

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDiafiltration: Semipermeable Membrane

Implementation Method 3

optionally followed by reverse osmosis and/or drying

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectReverse osmosis: Reverse Osmosis

Data Source

PatentEP1951060B1A concentrate derived from a milk product enriched in naturally occurring sialyllactose and a process for preparation thereof

Publication Date: 2017.11.01

AI summary

A concentrate derived from milk or a milk product comprising sialyllactose in amounts higher than the normal amounts found in the milk or milk product and a process for preparation of such a concentrate by ultrafiltration and diafiltration using a thin film polyamide based membrane. The concentrate is suited for use in nutritional products.