Solid Food Coating for Liquid Immersion Texture Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Solid foods like cereal and granola lose their crispy texture and fail to impart an integrated flavor when mixed with liquid foods, leading to reduced palatability over time.
Innovation Solution
Coating a core food with a fat/oil composition and a finely pulverized product of insoluble dietary fibers, ensuring a specific mass ratio to maintain crispy texture and enhance flavor integration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cereal or granola is mixed with dairy products, then the solid food absorbs moisture and becomes easier to eat, but the crispy texture is lost and palatability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by coating the core food with a water-repellent substance before mixing with liquid food. This pre-applied repellent layer actively prevents moisture absorption that would otherwise occur upon contact with liquid, thereby maintaining crispy texture during the eating process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a water-repellent substance as an intermediary layer between the core food and the liquid food. This intermediary coating prevents direct contact between moisture and the core food, allowing the solid and liquid foods to coexist without the solid food absorbing excessive moisture and losing its texture.
2Stability of the object's composition
If cereal or granola is mixed with dairy products, then moisture is absorbed and the food softens over time, but the seasoned components transfer to the liquid food and the solid food becomes tasteless
Solution Approach 1:
The water-repellent coating is applied in advance to prevent the transfer of seasoned components from the core food to the liquid food. By establishing this protective barrier before mixing, the patent prevents the loss of seasoned components that would otherwise dissolve into the liquid during the eating process.
3Stability of the object's composition
If syrup and oil are sprayed on corn flakes to maintain crispy texture, then the texture is maintained for a short period, but the effect lasts only 5 minutes which is too short compared to eating time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of the coating material from conventional syrup and oil to a water-repellent substance with specific properties (contact angle of 90° or more). This parameter change in the chemical composition and surface properties of the coating enables significantly longer texture maintenance duration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite coating structure consisting of a water-repellent substance combined with optional edible powder materials. This composite material approach creates a more effective and longer-lasting protective layer compared to simple syrup or oil coatings.
4Stability of the object's composition
If arginine or arginine salt is added to cereal food to improve texture, then texture is maintained for 3 minutes, but this is still too short compared to eating time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the coating mechanism from chemical modification (arginine addition) to physical barrier formation (water-repellent coating). This parameter change in the approach achieves significantly extended texture maintenance duration.
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 effectively maintains crispy texture and imparts integrated flavor to solid foods when mixed with liquids, improving palatability and maintaining texture for an extended period.
Implementation Method 1
a water-repellent coating having a contact angle of 90° or more with water is formed on the surface of the core food
Implementation Method 2
the coating materials are dried, thereby a water-repellent coating having a contact angle of 90° or more with water is formed on the surface of the core food
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
To provide a solid food which does not get soaked and maintains crispy texture for a long time at eating even if mixed with a liquid food to be added, imparts integrated impression in taste with the liquid food to be added, and has improved palatability as a single meal such as appearance and flavor. A solid food in which a core food is coated with a fat/oil composition containing a finely pulverized product of an edible part and/or an inedible part of a foodstuff containing an insoluble dietary fiber, wherein a ratio of a total mass of a mass of the finely pulverized product of an edible part and an inedible part of a foodstuff containing an insoluble dietary fiber and a mass of the fat/oil composition to a surface area of the core food is 0.1 g or more per 100 cm2, and/or a ratio of a mass of the finely pulverized product of an edible part and an inedible part of a foodstuff containing an insoluble dietary fiber to a surface area of the core food is 0.03 g or more per 100 cm2.