Systems and processes for obtaining natural preservatives and nutritional supplements
Inventors
Assignees
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-12234496-B1
Publication Date
2025-02-25
Expiration Date
Abstract
A process for producing products containing organic salts from biodegradable feedstocks includes fermenting biodegradable feedstock using natural consortia of microorganisms to produce a first product stream including carboxylic acid salts, suspended solids and water; removing suspended solids from the first product stream to produce a second product stream including carboxylic acid salts; concentrating the second product stream to produce a third product stream and water; and further drying the third product stream to remove water and produce a fourth product stream including dry carboxylic acid salts.
Core Innovation
A process is described for producing products containing carboxylic acid salts from a biodegradable feedstock by fermenting the feedstock using a natural consortia of microorganisms to produce a first product stream comprising the carboxylic acid salts, suspended solids, and water. The carboxylic acid salts comprise C2-C5 short-chain fatty acid salts, C6-C9 medium-chain fatty acid salts, or a combination of C2-C5 short-chain fatty acid salts and C6-C9 medium-chain fatty acid salts. The resulting stream is treated to separate solids and water from the salts.
Suspended solids are removed from the first product stream to produce a second product stream comprising the carboxylic acid salts and water. The second product stream is concentrated by removing a portion of the water to produce a third product stream and water, where the third product stream is sufficiently concentrated to cause crystallization of at least a portion of the carboxylic acid salts contained therein. Crystallized carboxylic acid salts are recovered from the solution as they form.
As crystallized carboxylic acid salts are separated, salts still remaining in solution form a fourth stream comprising fractionated carboxylic acid salts. At least a portion of the fourth stream, and in the second independent formulation at least a portion of the recovered crystallized carboxylic acid salts, is recycled to the fermenting step. Dry carboxylic acid salts are produced by drying at least a portion of the recovered crystallized carboxylic acid salts to remove water.
An alternative described flow further recovers and upgrades salt products by acid extraction to recover free carboxylic acids, followed by purification and/or fractionation of the free acids, re-neutralization to carboxylic acid salts, and subsequent concentration, crystallization, and drying to yield salt products. This alternative is used to produce purer and more customized salt products by fractionating salt compositions derived from the recovered carboxylic acids.
Claims Coverage
Two independent claims are provided, and both share the same core inventive feature set: fermentation with a natural consortia, removal of suspended solids, concentration to induce crystallization, recovery of crystallized carboxylic acid salts while producing a fractionated stream, recycling of fractions to fermentation, and drying to produce dry carboxylic acid salts.
Fermenting biodegradable feedstock with natural consortia to produce carboxylic acid salts stream
Fermenting the biodegradable feedstock using a natural consortia of microorganisms to produce a first product stream comprising the carboxylic acid salts, suspended solids, and water, wherein the carboxylic acid salts comprise C2-C5 short-chain fatty acid salts, C6-C9 medium-chain fatty acid salts, or a combination of C2-C5 short-chain fatty acid salts and C6-C9 medium-chain fatty acid salts.
Removing suspended solids and concentrating to induce crystallization
Removing the suspended solids from the first product stream to produce a second product stream comprising the carboxylic acid salts and water; concentrating the second product stream by removing a portion of the water to produce a third product stream and water, wherein the third product stream is sufficiently concentrated to cause crystallization of at least a portion of the carboxylic acid salts contained therein.
Recovering crystallized salts and forming a fractionated salts stream
Recovering the crystallized carboxylic acid salts from the solution as they form, wherein the salts still remaining in solution after the separation of the crystallized carboxylic acid salts form a fourth stream comprising fractionated carboxylic acid salts.
Recycling fractionated salts and/or recovered crystallized salts to fermentation
Recycling at least a portion of the fourth product stream to the fermenting step; and, in an alternative independent formulation, recycling at least a portion of at least one of the fourth product stream and the recovered crystallized carboxylic acid salts to the fermenting step.
Drying recovered crystallized carboxylic acid salts to produce dry salts
Drying at least a portion of the recovered crystallized carboxylic acid salts to remove water and produce a fifth product stream comprising dry carboxylic acid salts.
The independent claims cover producing carboxylic acid salts from a biodegradable feedstock by fermentation with a natural consortia, solids removal, water concentration to induce crystallization, recovery of crystallized salts while generating a fractionated salts stream, recycling of fractions back to fermentation, and drying to produce dry carboxylic acid salts.
Stated Advantages
Natural/clean-label production from varied feedstocks.
Salt fractionation to desired salt profiles (fractionated carboxylic acid salts and crystallized carboxylic acid salts).
Purification and fractionation from recovered free acids to yield purer and more customized salt products.
Documented Applications
Producing nutritional supplements (human/animal) using dry carboxylic acid salts and/or fractionated salt products.
Producing natural preservatives (food/feed) using salt products produced from biodegradable feedstocks.
Interested in licensing this patent?