Solid Milk Compression Molding Hardening Treatment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for producing solid milk from powdered milk struggle to achieve a balance between solubility and handling strength, with conventional solid milk often experiencing cracking or collapse during transportation and having inadequate dissolution rates in warm water.

Innovation Solution

A method involving compression molding of powdered milk, followed by a hardening treatment to create a surface layer with controlled porosity and hardness, resulting in a solid milk with enhanced solubility and handling strength.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the solid milk is made harder to improve handling strength, then transportation resistance is improved, but solubility deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandling strengthVSAvoidsolubility
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies local quality by creating a surface layer with different properties from the core. The surface layer has higher crystalline lactose content (10-50 wt%) and controlled porosity (30-70%) to provide hardness and handling strength, while the core maintains lower crystalline lactose content and higher porosity to ensure rapid solubility. This spatial differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between strength and solubility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes physical and chemical parameters to resolve the contradiction. By controlling the crystalline lactose content parameter (10-50 wt% in surface layer), porosity parameter (30-70%), and moisture content parameter (5-15%), the invention achieves both handling strength and solubility. The specific parameter ranges allow the surface layer to be hard while the overall structure remains soluble.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the solid milk is made softer to improve solubility, then dissolution speed is improved, but handling strength deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesolubilityVSAvoidhandling strength
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies local quality by creating a surface layer with different properties from the core. The surface layer has higher crystalline lactose content (10-50 wt%) and controlled porosity (30-70%) to provide hardness and handling strength, while the core maintains lower crystalline lactose content and higher porosity to ensure rapid solubility. This spatial differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between strength and solubility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes physical and chemical parameters to resolve the contradiction. By controlling the crystalline lactose content parameter (10-50 wt% in surface layer), porosity parameter (30-70%), and moisture content parameter (5-15%), the invention achieves both handling strength and solubility. The specific parameter ranges allow the surface layer to be hard while the overall structure remains soluble.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Strength

If the solid milk has high crystalline lactose content to improve hardness, then handling strength is improved, but solubility deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovehardnessVSAvoidsolubility
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies local quality by creating a surface layer with different properties from the core. The surface layer has higher crystalline lactose content (10-50 wt%) and controlled porosity (30-70%) to provide hardness and handling strength, while the core maintains lower crystalline lactose content and higher porosity to ensure rapid solubility. This spatial differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between strength and solubility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes physical and chemical parameters to resolve the contradiction. By controlling the crystalline lactose content parameter (10-50 wt% in surface layer), porosity parameter (30-70%), and moisture content parameter (5-15%), the invention achieves both handling strength and solubility. The specific parameter ranges allow the surface layer to be hard while the overall structure remains soluble.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Reliability

If the solid milk has low crystalline lactose content to improve solubility, then dissolution speed is improved, but hardness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesolubilityVSAvoidhardness
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies local quality by creating a surface layer with different properties from the core. The surface layer has higher crystalline lactose content (10-50 wt%) and controlled porosity (30-70%) to provide hardness and handling strength, while the core maintains lower crystalline lactose content and higher porosity to ensure rapid solubility. This spatial differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between strength and solubility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes physical and chemical parameters to resolve the contradiction. By controlling the crystalline lactose content parameter (10-50 wt% in surface layer), porosity parameter (30-70%), and moisture content parameter (5-15%), the invention achieves both handling strength and solubility. The specific parameter ranges allow the surface layer to be hard while the overall structure remains soluble.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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 method produces a solid milk that dissolves quickly in warm water while maintaining sufficient hardness for easy handling, reducing the risk of breakage during transportation.

Implementation Method 1

compression molding of powdered milk

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Implementation Method 2

hardening treatment to create a surface layer with controlled porosity and hardness

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPorosity control: Porosity

Data Source

PatentEP4029379B1Method for producing compression-moulded powdered milk
Publication Date: 2026.04.15 MEIJI CO LTD
  • EP4029379B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4029379B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4029379B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

Provided are a method for producing a solid food having suitable solubility and easily handled strength and a method for producing a solid milk having suitable solubility and easily handled strength. The method for producing a solid food having a solid form obtained by compression molding a food powder includes: compression molding the food powder to form a compression molded body of the food powder; and performing a hardening treatment on the compression molded body of the food powder, in which the hardening treatment includes placing the compression molded body of the food powder under an environment of a humidity of 100%RH or less and a temperature of higher than 100°C.