AU2011100640A4 - A gall preparation and use thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a concentrated gall solution which acts as a suspension medium to suspend a tint or like product (including pharmaceutical(s)), as a cleaning agent and/or adhesive products for domestic and industrial applications. The refinement of gall by concentration means minimises the impact of gall colouration, which in turn minimises the any discolouration of a suspended tint.

Description

5 TITLE OF THE INVENTION A gall preparation and use thereof FIELD OF THE INVENTION 0 The present invention relates to concentrated gall and the preparation and use thereof and in particular to the use of concentrated gall for: a) a suspension medium to suspend additives such as a tint or pharmaceutical; b) an adhesive; c) a cleaning agent; or 5 d) a combination of a) to c) above. The invention has been developed primarily for use in as an improvement and/or an alternative to the synthetic agents. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not restricted this particular field of use. 0 COPYRIGHT NOTICE This document is subject to copyright. The reproduction, communication and distribution of this document is not permitted without prior consent from the copyright owner, other than .5 as permitted under section 226 of the Patents Act 1990. PROBLEMS OF THE PRIOR ART Gall has a poorly documented history for use in medicine and in the arts, for example, to 30 help the paint flow. Surfactants Cleaning products are often added to an aqueous medium such as water to act as a surfactant, that is, to lower the surface tension of the water. 35 5 Tints are often unable to be added to water, due to the surface tension of the water causing a tint to remain on the surface of the water without allowing it to be diffused in a manner suitable for application to a surface. Therefore, when tints are used to color paint, ink, plastic, fabric, cosmetics, food and other materials, or to produce artistic effects such as marbling they need to be added to a medium which has properties of a surfactant. 0 When a surfactant is present in an aqueous medium, it binds particles such as tint (or lifts contaminants when acting as a cleaning product) to allow the particle (the tint and/or contaminant) to be suspended until it is attached to an absorbent material, including canvas, industrial surfaces, skimmer etc., which the particle will then bind to. Surfactants, in 5 having hydrophilic and hydrophobic qualities which alters the surface tension of an aqueous medium, also provide unique adhesive characteristics. Many domestic and/or industrial surfactants, when acting as surfactants, binders, adhesives and/or wetting agents, are semisynthetic or synthetic including acrylics, vinyl-acrylics, vinyl '0 acetate/ethylene (VAE), polyurethanes, polyesters, melamine resins, and epoxies, which often have environmental disadvantages. Synthetic suspension and wetting agents, when used as an additive for watercolour painting, have ethanol or like solvents present, which produce gases and act a contaminant .5 which may not be preferable for the paint qualities or culturally acceptable. Also, tints or compounds such as pharmaceuticals, when mixed with alcohol can also lead to inconsistency in the availability of the suspended product when used applications, for example, artistic, pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic applications. 30 Ethanol, and other alcohols, also may produce fumes and consequently a risk for use in environments where marbling solutions are required in greater volumes. For example, marbling solutions used in classes for artistic marbling may have multiple trays of suspension solutions present which place an unnecessary risk to the class. In specific cultures where the marbling arts are active, the use of alcohol in the solution may also not 35 be culturally acceptable. 2 5 The derivation of products suitable as a surfactant for use as a wetting agent or binding agent in conjunction with tints, cleaning agent and/or adhesive products for domestic and industrial applications for uses in has, in recent times, concerned synthetic products, which is not an attractive option to many end users. Therefore a non-synthetic alternative is sought. This has long proved to be very challenging since natural options have not been 0 viable options due to their odour, discolouration and production outcomes being highly variable in their efficacy as a cleaning product, adhesive or as a tint suspension medium. This has translated to inconsistent artistic, industrial and cosmetic outcomes. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 5 It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative. A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only. 10 Detailed description of preferred embodiments According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided method for producing a suspension medium including the steps of: a) concentrating gall to about 10% to about 75% by volume; then 25 b) purifying gall by filtration; for use as: i. a suspension medium to suspend additives such as a tint or pharmaceutical; ii. an adhesive; 30 iii. a cleaning agent; or iv. a combination of a) to c) above. 3 5 According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided suspension medium including gall concentrate in the range of about 10% to about 75% by volume for use as: i. a suspension medium to suspend additives such as a tint or pharmaceutical; ii. an adhesive; 0 iii. a cleaning agent; or iv. a combination of a) to c) above. The present invention thus provides a new or alternative method for producing a suspension medium for use as to suspend additives such as a tint or pharmaceutical, as an 5 adhesive, as a cleaning agent, or in combination. For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be performed, a preferred embodiment will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only. DETAILED DESCRIPTION 10 A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The following detailed description provides the skilled addressee with an understanding of the invention. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the applications described below. 25 Gall, when obtained from cows (therefore the term "ox gall") contains free acids as a mixture of taurocholic acid and glycoholic acid. Gall consists of surfactant, in the form of bile salt anions have a hydrophilic side and a hydrophobic side, and therefore tend to aggregate around droplets of fat (triglycerides and phospholipids) to form micelles, with the 30 hydrophobic sides towards the fat and hydrophilic toward the water and has this charge forms fat droplets coated with bile which prevents fat droplets from re-aggregating into larger fat particles randomly. Gall as a surfactant is the means that enables a gall solution to act as a cleaning agent, adhesive, or a medium to suspend a tint. 4 5 Gall as a surfactant Gall is derived from natural sources such as cows (therefore the term "ox gall"). In its natural form, gall consists of bile acids and salt, pigments, fats, and inorganic salts. The bile acids include cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, glycocholic acid and taurocholic acid, which act as sequestrants that serve as ion exchange resins, which trap and release ions of 0 different types. Bile acid sequestrants exchange anions such as chloride ions. Raw gall (or otherwise known as bile) has a green to yellowish brown fluid colour, which can discolour a suspended tint application. Further, raw gall has a foul odour, making it less suitable as an option for domestic and industrial applications. 5 Concentrated gall The present invention relates to a composition which comprises a concentrated gall solution which contains a bile acid, or a complex of the bile acid and a bile salt, to act to suspend a tint or like product (including pharmaceutical(s)) and therefore acting as a suspension O medium, cleaning agent and/or adhesive products for domestic and industrial applications. This refinement of gall by concentrating it minimises the impact of gall colouration, which in turn minimises the any discolouration of, say, a suspended tint. The inventor has found that the need for the use of alcohol in a gall solution is removed if the gall is added into solution as a concentrate. '5 Discussion of gall as documented to date reveals that galls differ between species with focus only on factors that may affect physiological efficacy of the gall. The inventor's investigations have found that there is a dearth of investigation, experimentation and/or documentation concerning the industrial use of gall with regard to the effects of gall as a 30 cleaning agent, adhesive, or a medium to suspend tint. Gall, when concentrated in an aqueous medium, acts as a surfactant for use as a wetting agent or binding agent in conjunction with tints for artistic and cosmetic applications. An example of such an application is using gall as a marbling agent to suspend tint (or a 35 suspension agent for cosmetics and/or pharmaceuticals), as an adhesive and/or as a cleaning agent. These effects have been isolated in ranges of concentrations (described 5 5 below) through the gall acting as a surfactant. Gall, when acting as a surfactant, reduces the surface tension of water. The extent of the reduction of the cohesive forces in water is dependent on the concentration of gall present. Concentrated gall is an aqueous solution, which is partially water insoluble/oil soluble and 0 water soluble. These qualities enable gall to suspend a tint or other compounds such as a pharmaceutical and/or act as an adhesive or cleaning agent. This has a broad range of applications in artistic, industrial, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications such as in: A. compounds requiring suspension applications including: 1. pharmaceuticals such as creams and ointments, 5 2. paint, cosmetics such as lipsticks and nail polish; and 3. industrial environments, such as flooring, walls and tiles, fluids for decoration; B. cleaning applications: 4. cleaning uses where synthetic products are detrimental to the user (individuals with allergies or those who select a more natural cleanser); and 0O 5. environmental control for uses in situations such as spillages that need to be dispersed, including oil spillages (for example, in ocean oil spillages where synthetic products may have untested and potentially detrimental impact(s)) and other uses in contaminant control regimes; C. adhesive uses: 5 6. where synthetic products are potentially detrimental to the user (such as glues which are safe for use by children and/or individuals with allergies); and While there are currently no reported pharmaceutical, artistic, industrial and cosmetic trials looking at differences in gall, with respect to tint, cleaning or adhesion, and/or suspension 30 qualities, evidence through studies performed by the inventor suggest consistency in outcome in artistic, industrial and cosmetic applications is dependent on the gall concentration used. The chemical reason that gall qualities vary relative to the gall concentration is that gall has 35 a high variation in the degree of surfactant present. Therefore, the influence of gall concentration at specific threshold concentration influences the consistency of gall 6 5 surfactant binding. Consequently, the concentration variation of gall able to be exploited so as to influence the degree of binding, which in turn, result in enhanced cleaning effects, adhesion, and the suspension of tint(s) at increased gall concentrations. The higher the concentration of gall results in more surfactant present. Moreover, gall has a buffering action where bile and bile salts are in equilibrium which shifts as the concentration 0 increases. The increase in gall concentration is also noted as lowering the variation in gall concentrate qualities as the gall concentration increases. Gall refinement The refinement of gall, via concentration and separation so any contaminants or impurities 5 can be removed, results in a bulk solution of gall concentrate. This gall concentrate may be made through boiling off any excess solution, such that gall aggregates are assembled. Small aggregates are added to water to influence the properties of the gall solution for suspension of tints, adhesion and cleaning. For example, when used in the marbling arts, the extent of marbling (or tint adhesion) onto an absorbent surface is influenced by gall '0 concentration. Gall concentrate ranges The concentrations of gall concentrate relative to raw gall, on a percentage based on weight of fluid (water) removal from the raw gall solution, resulted in active ranges at a minimum .5 of 10% to 70%. This is a volume concentration of the raw concentrate is expressed as a volume fraction of the volume of the original gall: that is, a 30% concentrate solution of gall is, for example, 700 mL of concentrated gall extracted, such that 300 mL of solution is from the original raw gall solution of 1,000 mL, expressed as a percentage. 30 The range of gall concentrate chosen is dependent on the outcome required: for example, in the marbling arts where tints are marbled onto paper, a range chosen can vary depending on artist requirements, but usually falls into the range of 10% to 40%. If the absorbent surface is not paper but a fabric then the concentration required will be in the higher (more concentrate) range of 30% to 40%. 35 7 5 From our investigation, there has been no previous disclosure in the prior art pertaining to where the concentration of the gall influence as a surfactant to influence the application of a tint onto an absorbent surface, as in the marbling arts. The present invention relates to a concentrated gall solution comprising bile acids, or a 0 complex of the bile acids and bile salts to receive a tint as a suspension. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the gall concentrate as an aqueous solution does not dissolve an added tint. In some embodiments of the invention, a composition is provided which comprises a 5 concentrated gall solution which contains a bile acid, or a complex of the bile acid and a bile salt, to suspend a tint or like compound (including a pharmaceutical), wherein the tint is in suspension in the concentrated gall medium. In embodiments containing the concentrated gall and an additive such as the tint, the amounts of each are such that when combined together in the composition they are sufficient to allow the tint to leave the solution to O enable a marking or marbling effect (dependent on the concentration of the gall and the added tint) on a surface over which the solution has passed. In some embodiments of the invention, a composition is provided which may increase intensity of the tint leaving the solution. Such a composition may permit administration of 5 lower concentrations tint to be added to the gall concentrate and/or alter marbling effect of the tint. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the concentrated gall solution maintains the bile acids, or a complex of the bile acids and bile salts, dissolved thus maintaining a relatively 30 clear solution for suspension of tints. In a further embodiment of the invention, the composition may be used as a formulation to suspend cosmetic tints and / or pharmaceutical compounds in solution without dissolving the compounds into the aqueous medium of the gall concentrate. Therefore, the 35 availability of the tint and /or pharmaceutical remains unchanged when administered onto a surface such as skin or the inner lining of the stomach/digestive tract. 8 5 It is an advantage of this invention that the gall concentrate containing bile acid, or a complex of bile acids and bile salts, allows an additive such as a tint or pharmaceutical to be suspended in solution without dissolving. The addition of tint or a pharmaceutical can be added to the concentrated gall solution at 0 concentrations that is required for the preference of the user's desired result. That is, if a stronger marbling effect is required then more tint can be added. Likewise, the preferred concentration of a pharmaceutical to be optimally bio-available can be chosen. To enable the suspension of a tint or a pharmaceutical, the added tint or a pharmaceutical 5 must not be dissolved into the gall concentrate. This can be achieved by selecting the gall concentrate that is optimal to such the additive. Specific testing requires specific testing to be performed with any such additive/compound to ensure that the additive, such as the tint or pharmaceutical, is chemically incompatible with the gall concentrate. Thus far, commonly known tints tested by the inventor have all been suspended in the gall '0 concentrate within the ranges specified. Gall contains bicarbonates that increase the alkalinity of the solution resulting in the development of galls with greater consistency and predictability in artistic, industrial and cosmetic outcomes. This alkalinity also helps lower inconsistent suspension of added .5 compounds. Further, the alkalinity of this gall concentrate suspension media has antibacterial qualities to keep the gall concentrate suspension media sterile. Differences in the manufacturing process can result with differences in the gall qualities. It is known that the artistic, industrial and cosmetic efficacy of surfactants can be affected by the 30 manufacturing. To reduce gall batch to batch variations in suspension effectiveness, gall concentration is made in bulk solutions which further assists in overcoming production variations of gall concentrate, such that the its effectiveness to bind tints, act as an adhesive or to act as a cleansing agent, is optimised. 9 5 A preferred embodiment of a suspension of concentrated ox gall The present invention provides a range of effective gall concentrations. These gall concentrations result in gall aiding suspensions of compounds such as tints and/or pharmaceutical, so that they are able to be consistently transferred to a surface. Such as surface when includes paper, or fabric for artistic uses or skin and body surfaces for 0 pharmaceutical applications. Gall concentrations acting as a medium to suspend compounds is provided in an improved or alternative manner to that known in the prior art. This gall is distinct from known galls, as shown by the artistic, industrial and cosmetic applications. The preferred embodiments enable effective gall concentrations, which are in a purified 5 form as discussed below, due to the gall surfactants reducing the surface tension of water by adsorbing at the liquid-gas interface. Surfactants reduce the surface tension of water by adsorbing at the liquid-gas interface, thereby producing compounds with potentially greater industrial efficacy. '0 In a first preferred embodiment, the concentration for cleaning, adhesion and for binding/suspension of compound such as a tint or a pharmaceutical so that tint is clear results at a 10% concentration (based on a weight of moisture/emulsion). This concentration may appear "apple juice" like, which can then at higher concentration result in molasses (at 70%) like appearances; however, this does not colour the result at the lower 25 concentration. All comments in the detailed description apply to all embodiments and arrangements of the invention, unless specifically stated otherwise. 30 A method of preparing: a preferred embodiment A preferred embodiment provides a novel method for production of marbling on a variety of surfaces including paper, fabric, skin and surfaces such as walls and floors (specifically, the described above) from cows (therefore the term "ox gall"). The production method for preparing a purified gall concentrate includes the steps of: 35 a) removing excess fluid through techniques such as boiling off excess fluid; and 10 5 b) removing impurities by filtering the gall concentrate. The concentration of gall along with the removal of impurities and/or filtration removes the majority of discolouration when added to a solution to aid as a wetting agent or as a suspended tint application. Further, the concentrating and removal of impurities and/or 0 filtration removes the odour that exists with raw gall, making it suitable as an option for domestic and industrial applications. An alternative method involves the steps of: (a) preparing a gall concentrate by boiling off or removing excess fluid and removing all 5 impurities which fall to the base of the solution during the boiling process; (b) remove impurities (e.g. degradation products) from the solution. The solution is filtered with a membrane at the stage of bringing the gall from the boiler to be filtered to a grade that is suitable. Finer mesh is then used in succession to the grade required. Filtration can occur at one or more stages throughout the production 0O method. The filtered concentrate is subsequently place into a plastic pail for storage; and (c) if required, adding the concentrate to water (or an alternate solution/emulsion) at a percentage (between 10% to 70% based on weight of moisture/emulsion). 5 Concentration of the gall product In order to keep a reasonable gall concentration at a safe, constant pressure, the solution concentration should be kept in an air tight environment at room temperature or lower. 1. Purification 30 The production method includes one or more filtration steps to remove impurities that can affect the quality of the end product. This is achieved either by filtration through passing the concentrate through filter membranes; however, the inventor envisages other purification methods to be suitable as a substitute for this method. 2. Colour removal 35 Discolouration of the final product indicates a change of the concentration. Colour removal therefore is important as a way for removing discoloured degradation products. The 11 5 concentrate is made clearer as it is filtered. This has the advantages of not involving additives and minimising the steps and costs in production. Optionally, colour removal may be achieved by perfusion with ingredients such as hydrogen peroxide or chlorine, or with charcoal are common ways of discolouring the concentrate. 0 Method of use: a preferred embodiment Concentrations ranging from percentage of moisture/emulsion are effective in the range of 10% to 75%. High concentrations of gall make the application pose problems due to its increase viscosity when used in cleaning/adhesion/suspension applications. Experiments 5 indicate that concentration in the range from around 10% to 40% would be of artistic uses such as in the marbling arts. The inventor's experiments have shown that the qualities of gall solutions change depending on the gall concentration present, which in turn influences the consistency of gall O tint suspension, cleaning and adhesion properties. The inventor has described the importance of the type of gall (ox gall) and its efficacy in suspension of tint(s), adhesion and cleaning as dependent on concentration and distinguished the concentration effects of gall acting as a binding agent produced by one 5 manufacturing process from that produced by another. Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many different other forms. 30 Dated this 31 May 2011 Applicant's Name: Colotis Pty Ltd 35 By 1 Place Patent Attorneys + Solicitors Patent Attorneys for the Applicant 12

Claims (5)

1. A method for producing a suspension medium including the steps of: a) concentrating gall to about 10% to about 75% by volume; then b) purifying gall by filtration; for use as: i. a suspension medium to suspend additives such as a tint or pharmaceutical; ii. an adhesive; iii. a cleaning agent; or iv. a combination of a) to c) above.

2. A method for producing a suspension medium including a further step of: c) colour removal from the medium by perfusion of the purified gall concentrate with discolouration ingredients such as hydrogen peroxide, chlorine or charcoal to make the suspension medium suitable for artistic uses such as in the marbling arts.

3. The medium according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said gall concentrate in the range of about 10% to about 40% by volume provides the medium to suspend one or more tints for artistic use such as in the marbling arts.

4. A suspension medium including gall concentrate in the range of about 10% to about 75% by volume for use as: i. a suspension medium to suspend additives such as a tint or pharmaceutical; ii. an adhesive; iii. a cleaning agent; or iv. a combination of a) to c) above. 13

5. The medium according to claim 4, wherein said gall concentrate in the range of about 10% to about 40% by volume as a medium to suspend one or more tints for artistic use such as in the marbling arts. 14