Sterol Ester Powder with Caseinate Carrier for Aqueous Dispersion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The incorporation of sterol and stanol esters into food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical preparations is hindered by their poor solubility and bioavailability due to insolubility in water and fats, leading to stability and dispersibility issues, and the use of emulsifiers often results in agglomeration and altered bioavailability.
Innovation Solution
Powdered preparations containing milk powder or proteins, particularly caseinates, with high sterol and stanol ester content, and added carbohydrates, which enhance solubilization, wettability, and stability, allowing for easy dispersion without complex equipment and minimizing emulsifier use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sterol and stanol esters are incorporated directly into food preparations, then their cholesterol-lowering properties can be utilized, but their poor solubility in water and fats leads to poor dispersibility and reduced bioavailability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses emulsifiers (such as lecithin, monoglycerides, diglycerides, or proteins like caseinates) as intermediary substances to bridge the gap between water and fat phases. These emulsifiers have both hydrophilic and lipophilic properties, allowing them to solubilize sterol and stanol esters in aqueous food matrices while maintaining their cholesterol-lowering efficacy. This resolves the contradiction by providing a medium that enables both solubility and bioavailability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the physical parameters of sterol and stanol esters by converting them into emulsifiable forms through esterification or complexation with emulsifiers. This changes their solubility characteristics from poorly soluble in water to emulsifiable in aqueous environments, while maintaining their functional properties. The parameter change enables improved dispersibility without sacrificing the active ingredient's effectiveness.
2Quantity of substance
If emulsifiers are used to improve dispersibility of sterol esters, then solubility increases, but the formulations tend to agglomerate and emulsifier content must be declared
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs specific emulsifiers that naturally occur in food systems (such as lecithin from egg yolks or plant oils, and caseinates from milk) as copying natural emulsifying mechanisms. These natural emulsifiers are already familiar to consumers and regulated under existing food laws, avoiding the need to declare novel emulsifiers. They provide effective dispersibility without the agglomeration problems associated with synthetic emulsifiers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the concentration and type of emulsifier to achieve maximum dispersibility at minimal effective doses. By carefully controlling emulsifier content and selecting specific types with appropriate HLB values, the formulation achieves stable dispersion without excessive emulsifier that would cause agglomeration. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction between dispersibility and agglomeration.
3Reliability
If micronization is used to reduce particle size of sterols, then surface area increases and bioavailability improves, but the particles are poorly wettable and aggregate easily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates composite particles consisting of micronized sterol or stanol ester core materials coated or associated with emulsifier molecules. This composite structure combines the high surface area benefits of micronization with the wetting properties of emulsifiers. The emulsifier coating on the micronized particles provides hydrophilic surfaces that improve wettability and prevent aggregation, while the micronized core maintains high bioavailability.
Solution Approach 2:
The emulsifier acts as an intermediary substance between the micronized sterol particles and the aqueous phase. It facilitates wetting by reducing surface tension and preventing particle aggregation through steric or electrostatic repulsion. This intermediary role resolves the contradiction by enabling the micronized particles to be properly wetted and dispersed while maintaining their small size and high bioavailability.
4Quantity of substance
If intensive mixing equipment is used to disperse ground sterol, then dispersibility improves, but such equipment is not normally available to end users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent formulates sterol and stanol esters with built-in emulsifying properties that enable self-dispersion in aqueous environments without requiring intensive mixing equipment. The emulsifier-sterol complexes automatically disperse upon contact with water or aqueous food matrices through simple stirring or shaking that is readily available to end users. This self-service capability resolves the contradiction by providing effective dispersibility through formulation design rather than equipment-intensive processes.
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 formulations enable easy incorporation and storage stability of sterol and stanol esters in various food products and preparations, improving bioavailability and processability while avoiding the use of undesirable emulsifiers.
Implementation Method 1
Powdered preparations containing milk powder or proteins, especially of emulsifiers of the caseinate type
Implementation Method 2
added carbohydrates, which enhance solubilization, wettability, and stability
Implementation Method 3
reduced aggregation and agglomeration properties and improved wettability
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to pulverulent preparations containing the following percentages by weight, (in relation to the total weight of the preparation): (a) between 50 and 90 % esters of sterols and/or stanols; (b) between 5 and 50% milk powder and/or proteins, with the proviso that the preparation contains no other emulsifiers than those in group (b).