Solid Milk Compression Molding Porosity Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for converting powdered milk into a solid form struggle to achieve a balance between solubility and strength, often resulting in products that are either fragile and poorly soluble or hard but difficult to handle, with issues like 'oil off' due to free fat oxidation and aggregation.

Innovation Solution

A method involving compression molding of powdered milk under controlled conditions of porosity, fat content, and humidity to create solid milk with a porosity of 30%-60%, incorporating 5%-70% fat and 0.5%-4% free fat, which allows for easy handling and rapid solubility without additives.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If powdered milk is compressed into solid state, then strength and ease of handling are improved, but solubility deteriorates due to reduced surface area

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovestrengthVSAvoidsolubility
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies porous materials by controlling the porosity of the compressed milk solid to be within 10-50%. This creates an internal porous structure that maintains strength while enabling rapid water penetration and dissolution, resolving the contradiction between strength and solubility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing multiple parameters including porosity (10-50%), water content (1-10%), and fat content (1-5%). By adjusting these parameters within specific ranges, the invention achieves both adequate strength for handling and high solubility for rapid dissolution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If powdered milk is compressed into solid state, then ease of handling and measurement are improved, but solubility deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of handlingVSAvoidsolubility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies porous materials by controlling the porosity of the compressed milk solid to be within 10-50%. This creates an internal porous structure that maintains strength while enabling rapid water penetration and dissolution, resolving the contradiction between strength and solubility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing multiple parameters including porosity (10-50%), water content (1-10%), and fat content (1-5%). By adjusting these parameters within specific ranges, the invention achieves both adequate strength for handling and high solubility for rapid dissolution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Strength

If powdered milk is pressed to make solid state, then strength is improved, but free fat oozes out and oxidizes causing flavor degradation

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovestrengthVSAvoidfree fat oxidation
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by controlling the fat content to be 1-5% and porosity to be 10-50%. These parameter optimizations prevent excessive free fat generation during compression while maintaining adequate strength, thereby preventing flavor degradation from fat oxidation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the potentially harmful free fat into a beneficial lubricating agent during compression by controlling fat content and porosity parameters, preventing both flavor degradation and manufacturing issues while maintaining product strength.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

4Ease of manufacture

If powdered milk is compressed into solid state, then ease of transportation is improved, but solubility deteriorates due to smaller surface area

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of transportationVSAvoidsolubility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies porous materials by controlling the porosity of the compressed milk solid to be within 10-50%. This creates an internal porous structure that maintains strength while enabling rapid water penetration and dissolution, resolving the contradiction between strength and solubility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing multiple parameters including porosity (10-50%), water content (1-10%), and fat content (1-5%). By adjusting these parameters within specific ranges, the invention achieves both adequate strength for handling and high solubility for rapid dissolution.

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 solid milk with optimal hardness and solubility, preventing degradation and 'oil off' issues, while maintaining flavor and ease of measurement and transportation.

Implementation Method 1

compression molding of powdered milk under controlled conditions of porosity, fat content, and humidity to create solid milk with a porosity of 30%-60%

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Implementation Method 2

solid milk with a porosity of 30%-60%, incorporating 5%-70% fat and 0.5%-4% free fat, which allows for easy handling and rapid solubility

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPorosity: Porosity

Data Source

PatentEP3189735B1Method of making agglomerated milk powder
Publication Date: 2019.10.02 MEIJI CO LTD
  • EP3189735B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3189735B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3189735B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The present invention is based on knowledge that basically, solid milk provided with both of adequate strength and solubility can be obtained by using only powdered milk as ingredient to be provided with compression molding under state where the porosity and the free fat is controlled within predetermined ranges, and then humidified and dried. Namely, solid milk having porosity of 30%-60%, and method of making solid milk including: a compression step for compressing powdered milk to obtain a solid form of compressed powdered milk; a humidifying step for humidifying the compressed powdered milk obtained by the compression step; and a drying step for drying the compressed powdered milk humidified by the humidifying step achieves the object of providing solid milk having preferred solubility and strength, and method of making the same.