# US 9,775,374 B2 · Food steganography > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,775,374 B2 - Document ID: US9775374B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/227,058 - Filed: 2016-08-03 - Published: 2016-11-24 - Granted: 2017-10-03 - Earliest claimed: 2013-08-27 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Kush R. Varshney; Lav R. Varshney - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9775374B2 ## CPC - A23L 27/74: {with a synthetic polymer matrix or excipient, e.g. vinylic, acrylic polymers} - A23L 5/20: Removal of unwanted matter, e.g. deodorisation or detoxification - A23L 27/84: {Flavour masking or reducing agents} - A23L 33/10: using additives (addition of substantially indigestible substances A23L33/21) - A23L 33/30: {Dietetic or nutritional methods, e.g. for losing weight (A23L33/10 takes precedence)} - B01F 35/213: of the properties of the mixtures, e.g. temperature, density or colour - B01F 35/88: by feeding the materials batchwise - G01N 30/00: Investigating or analysing materials by separation into components using adsorption, absorption or similar phenomena or using ion-exchange, e.g. chromatography {or field flow fractionation} (G01N3/00, G01N5/00, G01N7/00, G01N9/00, G01N11/00, G01N13/00, G01N15/00, G01N17/00, G01N19/00, G01N21/00, G01N22/00, G01N23/00, G01N24/00, G01N25/00, G01N27/00, G01N29/00 take precedence) - G01N 30/86: Signal analysis - G01N 30/8651: {Recording, data aquisition, archiving and storage} - G01N 33/0001: {by organoleptic means} - G01N 33/0004: {Gaseous mixtures, e.g. polluted air} - G01N 33/02: Food - A23V 2002/00: Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs - B01F 2101/06: Mixing of food ingredients - G01N 2030/025: {Gas chromatography} - A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B) - B01F: MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING (mixing paints B44D3/06) - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - A23V: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION ## Abstract The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for calculating a food additive. A first method includes identifying chemical compounds of an averse food ingredient, identifying chemical compounds of a flavorful food ingredient and calculating a set of chemical compounds for the food additive such that an olfactory perception of a mixture of the averse food ingredient, the flavorful food ingredient and the food additive is the same as an olfactory perception of only the flavorful food ingredient. A first device includes a database storing information identifying chemical compounds of an averse food ingredient and identifying chemical compounds of a flavorful food ingredient, and a processor for calculating a food additive such that an olfactory perception of flavors of a mixture of the averse food ingredient, the flavorful food ingredient and the food additive is the same as an olfactory perception of only the flavorful food ingredient. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A device, comprising: a database configured for storing information relating to individual chemical compounds; a processor communicatively coupled to the database and configured for formulating a food additive comprising a combination of the individual chemical compounds such that a first predicted human olfactory perception is the same as a second predicted human olfactory perception, where the first predicted human olfactory perception is of flavors of a mixture of a first food ingredient comprising a first subset of the individual chemical compounds, a second food ingredient comprising a second subset of the individual chemical compounds that includes at least one chemical compound not included in the first subset of the individual chemical compounds, and the food additive, and the second predicted human olfactory perception is of only the second food ingredient; and a hardware compound mixer for physically mixing the combination of the individual chemical compounds, under the direction of the processor, to produce the food additive in a form that is suitable for human consumption. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the processor performs steps comprising: minimizing a difference between a vector projection of the mixture in a perceptual space with a vector projection of the second food ingredient in the perceptual space. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The device of claim 2, wherein the minimizing the difference comprises normalizing a solution to a vector representation of an olfactory white in the perceptual space. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The device of claim 2, wherein the perceptual space comprises a multidimensional space where each dimension is associated with a different olfactory or flavor perceptual descriptor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The device of claim 2, the perceptual space comprises a multidimensional space where at least one dimension is associated with at least two different olfactory or flavor perceptual descriptors. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The device of claim 2, wherein the formulating the food additive comprises determining a set of physicochemical properties for the food additive, where the determining the set of physicochemical properties for the food additive is based upon at least one correlation between the perceptual space and a physicochemical space. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the processor performs steps comprising: determining a set of physicochemical properties for the food additive such that the predicted olfactory perception of flavors of the mixture is the same as the predicted olfactory perception of only the second food ingredient. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The device of claim 7, wherein the processor performs steps further comprising: selecting the combination of the individual chemical compounds such that, when the combination of the individual chemical compounds is combined to form the food additive, the food additive comprises the set of physicochemical properties. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, further comprising: a gas chromatograph for identifying the first subset of the individual chemical compounds in the first food ingredient and the second subset of the individual chemical compounds in the second food ingredient. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the combination of the individual chemical compounds making up the food additive is formulated based upon an availability of one or more individual chemical compounds present in the combination of the individual chemical compounds or such that a cost of the combination of the individual chemical compounds is minimized. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the processor further performs steps comprising: determining a set of physicochemical properties of the first subset of the individual chemical compounds of the first food ingredient; and determining a set of physicochemical properties of the second subset of the individual chemical compounds of the second food ingredient. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11, wherein the determining the set of physicochemical properties of the first subset of the individual chemical compounds of the first food ingredient comprises performing a database lookup to match the first subset of the individual chemical compounds of the first food ingredient with their respective physicochemical properties, and wherein the determining the set of physicochemical properties of the second subset of the individual chemical compounds of the second food ingredient comprises performing a database lookup to match the second subset of the individual chemical compounds of the second food ingredient with their respective physicochemical properties. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The device of claim 11, wherein the processor further performs steps comprising: determining a first set of vectors in a physicochemical space based upon the set of physicochemical properties of the first subset of the individual chemical compounds of the first food ingredient; and determining a second set of vectors in the physicochemical space based upon the set of physicochemical properties of the second subset of the individual chemical compounds of the second food ingredient. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, wherein the physicochemical space comprises a multidimensional space where each dimensions is associated with a different physicochemical property. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, wherein the physicochemical space comprises a normed multidimensional space where at least one dimension is associated with at least two different physicochemical properties. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, the processor further performs steps comprising: calculating a first vector projection associated with the mixture of the first food ingredient, the second food ingredient, and the food additive in a perceptual space, wherein the calculating the first vector projection is based on the first set of vectors in the physicochemical space and the second set of vectors in the physicochemical space; and calculating a second vector projection associated with the second food in the perceptual space, wherein the second vector projection is based on the second set of vectors in the physicochemical space. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The device of claim 1, wherein the first food ingredient is predicted to be adversely perceived by a human based upon a correlation between a physicochemical space describing measurable qualities of the first subset of the individual chemical compounds of the first food ingredient and a perceptual space describing perceptual qualities of the first subset of the individual chemical compounds of the first food ingredient. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The device of claim 17, wherein the measurable qualities comprise relative intensities of the individual chemical compounds present in the first subset of the individual chemical compounds of the first food ingredient.