SBIR Phase I: Imparting Soluble Polysaccharide Functionality to Insoluble Fiber Found in Food Processing Byproduct Streams

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是创造一种新的基于纤维的配料，其特性：1)使食品和饮料味道更好，成本更低，2)具有易于理解的干净标签配料声明，以及3)采用与食品配料的良好制造实践一致的可持续工艺。这项拟议的新技术将从天然原料中制造功能食品配料，并与目前销售的其他增稠、悬浮或亲水胶体配料相比，提高可持续性，例如果胶、羟丙基甲基纤维素和/或羧甲基纤维素。以特定数量的原材料产生的最终产品量衡量的产量，比普通的亲水胶体高两到三倍，而原材料是果汁和/或食品生产中产生的纤维副产品流，否则这些副产品将被浪费或用于其他低价值目的。即使在种植作物短缺的时期，全球也可以以合理的价格获得足够数量的原材料。尽管食品加工产生了大量的废弃植物材料，但由于经济、感官(味道、质地、气味)和技术限制(如持水性、悬浮性、口感)，它们在食品中的使用有限，没有强烈的化学修饰，拟议的技术将克服这些限制。在用于悬浮和增稠用途的12亿美元的潜在市场中，有2.4亿-3.6亿美元的市场需求具有竞争力的价格成分，具有本项目概述的属性，这一基于纤维的技术平台的成功商业化将满足这一需求。该第一阶段研究项目的技术目标是将一种变革性、高功能、低成本和清洁的标签新纤维平台商业化，该平台在果汁、汤、蛋黄酱和沙拉酱等食品和饮料中保持稳定，不会随着时间的推移而发生化学、微生物或感官降解。建议纤维的典型使用率预计不到1%，但在最终食品或饮料产品中具有显著的技术功能，例如悬浮、增稠、乳化。与其他亲水胶体成分的流变学和感官比较将在一系列应用中证明其有效性。由于其天然组成，纤维平台可耐受pH 2-10范围内的碱性和酸性条件，热稳定性高达100 oC，并可经受多次冻结/融化循环。原料将含有15-45%的天然果胶含量，5-20%的半乳糖醛酸含量，并将来自柑橘、甜菜和马铃薯的生产过程。所提出的纤维平台将产生比现有增稠器大三到四倍的悬浮力和增稠力，从而导致使用率更低、味道更干净、成本更低。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is to create a new fiber based ingredient with properties that: 1) makes foods and beverages that taste better and cost less, 2) has a clean label ingredient statement that is easily understood and not artificial, and 3) is made utilizing a sustainable process consistent with good manufacturing practices for food ingredients. The proposed new technology will make functional food ingredients from natural raw materials and improve sustainability compared to other thickening, suspending, or hydrocolloid ingredients sold today, e.g. pectin, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and/or carboxymethylcellulose. The production yields, as measured by the amount of final product produced from a given amount of raw material, is two to three times greater compared to common hydrocolloids while the raw materials are fibrous byproduct streams made from juice and/or food production that would otherwise be waste or used for other low value purposes. The raw materials are also available globally in sufficient quantities at reasonable prices even during periods of cultivated crop shortages. Despite the abundance of waste plant materials from food processing, they have limited use in foods due to economic, sensorial (taste, texture, smell) and technological constraints, e.g. water holding capacity, suspending properties, mouthfeel, without intense chemical modification, which the proposed technology will overcome. Of the $1.2 billion addressable market for hydrocolloid ingredients used for suspending and thickening purposes, there is a $240-360 million market demand for competitively priced ingredients with the properties outlined in this project and a successful commercialization of this fiber based technology platform will meet this demand. The technical objectives of this Phase I research project are to commercialize a transformational, highly functional, low cost, and clean label new fiber platform that remains stable without chemical, microbiological, or sensory degradation over time in food and beverages such as juice, soup, mayonnaise, and salad dressing. Typical usage rates of the proposed fibers are expected to be less than 1% yet having a significant technical function, e.g. suspending, thickening, emulsification, in the final food or beverage product. Rheological and sensory comparisons to other hydrocolloids ingredients will demonstrate the effectiveness in a range of applications. Due to its natural composition, the fiber platform will withstand alkaline and acidic conditions ranging from pH 2-10, be thermally stable up to 100 oC, and withstand multiple freeze/thaw cycles. Raw materials will contain native pectin levels from 15-45%, galacturonic acid levels of 5-20%, and will be sourced from citrus, sugar beet, and potato production processes. The proposed fiber platform will produce suspending and thickening power three to four times greater than current thickeners, which will result in a lower use rate, cleaner taste, and lower cost.