Global trends in food manufacturing emphasize automation, supply chain resilience, and the production of high-quality, functional ingredients to meet evolving consumer demands. As populations grow and dietary preferences shift towards convenient and health-conscious options, the need for efficient, scalable, and consistent processing technologies becomes paramount. This patent aligns with these trends by offering a robust solution for producing essential food components, enabling manufacturers to reduce operational complexities, enhance product consistency, and respond effectively to market pressures for both cost-efficiency and superior quality.
Optimizes QE value to precisely control starch gelatinization and pulverization, reducing quality variation by 20%.
Enables high-efficiency production with existing twin-screw extruders, potentially doubling output compared to batch methods.
Reduces energy consumption by 20% and minimizes raw material loss, significantly cutting manufacturing costs.
This patent protects a method for producing gelatinized starch powder using a heated shear pulverizer with a specific QE value of 400 or more. The claims define the invention with a clear numerical index, establishing a robust and difficult-to-invalidate scope of protection, even after overcoming four prior art challenges.
This patent primarily covers the process control for starch gelatinization. White space exists in novel extruder hardware designs, advanced post-processing techniques for starch powder, or integrating this starch into complex biodegradable polymer formulations.
Assuming an annual production of 1,000 tons of gelatinized starch powder per facility. This technology could reduce energy costs by ~20% (~$50K/year, AI est.), decrease raw material loss by improving defect rates by 5% (~$100K/year, AI est.), and lower labor costs due to increased productivity (~$50K/year, AI est.).
X: Production Efficiency
Y: Product Quality Stability