Thickened Fish Oil Viscosity Control for Animal Supplement Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fish oil products face challenges due to their offensive smell, low viscosity, and difficulty in delivery to animals, which affects consumer acceptance and the effectiveness of dietary supplements like probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids.
Innovation Solution
Thickening fish oil with agents like silica or wax to create a viscous liquid blend that masks offensive smells and tastes, enhances delivery, and maintains the nutritional integrity of the fish oil and added supplements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fish oil is used as a dietary supplement, then health benefits (omega-3 fatty acids) are provided, but offensive smell adversely impacts consumer acceptance
Solution Approach 1:
A flavoring agent is introduced as an intermediary substance that masks the offensive smell of fish oil. The flavoring agent does not remove the fish oil or its nutrients but mediates the sensory experience, allowing consumers to accept the fish oil supplement despite its natural odor.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensory parameters of the fish oil are changed by adding flavoring agents that modify the smell and taste profile. This transforms the offensive olfactory characteristics while preserving the nutritional composition, making the product more acceptable to consumers.
2Reliability
If fish oil is used in liquid form, then nutrients are bioavailable, but low viscosity makes it messy to dispense
Solution Approach 1:
The viscosity parameter of the fish oil is modified by adding thickening agents. This changes the physical flow characteristics from thin and runny to thicker and more controllable, making dispensing less messy while keeping the oil in liquid form to maintain nutrient bioavailability.
Solution Approach 2:
The fish oil is transformed into a composite material by combining it with thickening agents. This creates a new material system that retains the nutritional properties of fish oil while acquiring improved rheological properties for easier handling and dispensing.
3Reliability
If dietary supplements are delivered in dry powdered form, then moisture protection is maintained, but offensive smell and taste reduce animal willingness to consume
Solution Approach 1:
The physical state parameter of the dietary supplement is changed from dry powder to liquid suspension. This phase transition allows the supplement to be masked within the fish oil matrix, hiding the offensive smell and taste while the low water activity of the fish oil maintains moisture protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The dietary supplement is incorporated into a composite liquid system consisting of fish oil and thickening agents. This composite material provides both moisture protection and sensory masking, solving the dual problem of preserving supplement stability while improving palatability.
4Ease of operation
If probiotics are delivered in soft chewable treats with water activity 0.60-0.75, then delivery is improved, but activated probiotics multiply undesirably in presence of moisture
Solution Approach 1:
The water activity parameter is reduced from 0.60-0.75 in soft chewable treats to below 0.60 in the fish oil-based liquid supplement. This parameter change prevents probiotic activation and unwanted multiplication while maintaining deliverability, as the low water activity keeps probiotics dormant until ingestion.
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 thickened fish oil improves palatability, ease of delivery, and stability of dietary supplements, increasing animal willingness to consume them and reducing mess and oxidation, while maintaining the health benefits of fish oil.
Implementation Method 1
fish oil is thickened using a thickening agent, such as silica, wax, or a combination of both of them, dispersed in the fish oil to facilitate ease of delivery of the fish oil to an animal
Implementation Method 2
The fish oil and the thickening agent form a viscous liquid blend that functions as a delivery medium of nutrients naturally present in the fish oil
Implementation Method 3
The thickening agent is inert to the animal and chemically inert to the fish oil so that the naturally present nutrients of the fish oil are not substantially degraded by the thickening agent
Implementation Method 4
The thickened fish oil improves palatability, ease of delivery, and stability of dietary supplements, increasing animal willingness to consume them and reducing mess and oxidation
Data Source
AI summary
Fish oil is thickened using a thickening agent, such as one or both of silica and wax dispersed in the fish oil to thereby facilitate ease of delivery of the fish oil to an animal. The fish oil and the thickening agent form a viscous liquid blend that functions as a delivery medium of nutrients naturally present in the fish oil. The thickening agent is inert to the animal and chemically inert to the fish oil so that the naturally present nutrients of the fish oil are not substantially degraded by the thickening agent. The viscous liquid blend may also be used as a carrier liquid to deliver an added dietary supplement to the animal.