Thixotropic Tahini via Ball Milling for Oil Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fluid sesame seed products, such as Tahini, often experience oil separation during storage, leading to a deterioration in quality and consumer perception of spoilage, as existing methods fail to maintain a stable single liquid phase over extended periods.
Innovation Solution
A method involving hulling, roasting, and sequential milling of sesame seeds in a ball mill to produce a raw food product with uniformly sized particles dispersed in sesame oil, maintaining stability and thixotropic properties, preventing phase separation and enhancing water-holding capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional Tahini is prepared by soaking, crushing, and roasting sesame seeds, then the product has high oil content and nutritional value, but oil separation occurs during storage leading to quality deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by controlling particle size distribution (D90 ≤ 45 μm) and using specific milling parameters (ball mill speed 20-40 rpm, milling time 2-4 hours) to transform the Tahini structure. This prevents oil separation while maintaining high oil content (40-50%) by creating a stable colloidal dispersion where fine particles remain suspended in the oil phase, eliminating the need for traditional soaking and crushing steps that cause coarsening and separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by dispersing ground sesame seed particles (proteins, carbohydrates, fibers) uniformly throughout the sesame oil matrix. This composite material approach, achieved through controlled milling, produces a homogeneous system where solid particles are stably dispersed in the liquid oil phase, preventing phase separation and maintaining compositional stability during storage.
2Stability of the object's composition
If Tahini is ground to fine particles, then the product has smooth texture and better stability, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex traditional multi-step process (soaking, crushing, straining, roasting) by using a single ball mill device that performs all size reduction and homogenization functions. This simplifies the manufacturing equipment while achieving the required fine particle size (D90 ≤ 45 μm) and stable dispersion, reducing both device complexity and process time.
3Ease of operation
If Tahini is stored at room temperature, then convenience is improved, but oil separation and spoilage occur more rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the Tahini by reducing particle size to D90 ≤ 45 μm through controlled ball milling, which fundamentally alters the storage behavior. This fine particle dispersion creates a stable colloidal system that resists oil separation and phase changes even at room temperature, maintaining reliability while preserving storage convenience.
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 resulting product remains stable as a single liquid phase for at least six months at room temperature, exhibits thixotropic properties, and can hold more water than commercial products, maintaining quality and consumer acceptance.
Implementation Method 1
subjecting the roasted kernels to a size reduction method to obtain said raw food product
Implementation Method 2
being thixotropic, with a viscosity of between about 700 cps to about 2,500 cps
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method for preparing a raw food product with particles of ground roasted sesame seeds dispersed in sesame oil, the raw food product including particles having an average size of between about 15 μm to about 40 μm, being thixotropic, with a viscosity, of between about 700 cps to about 2,500 cps, being maintained as a single liquid phase for a time period of at least six months when stored at room temperature, the method including hulling sesame seeds by stirring sesame seeds, suspended in an aqueous media, at a velocity of less than 400 rpm, to obtain sesame kernels, roasting the sesame kernels to obtain roasted kernels, and subjecting the roasted kernels to two or more milling stages in a ball mill device to obtain the raw food product.