GB2160593A

GB2160593A - Carbonic liquids for human consumption

Info

Publication number: GB2160593A
Application number: GB08416051A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dr Gyorgy Timar; Dr Peter Lonyai
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-06-15
Filing date: 1984-06-19
Publication date: 1985-12-24
Also published as: FR2566630A1; AU2958084A; DE3422734C2; GB8416051D0; ATA195684A; CA1218261A; FR2566630B1; AU568544B2; IN161642B; AT389034B; DE3422734A1; GB2160593B

Abstract

A product suitable for use in the production of carbonic liquids for human consumption, particularly aqueous carbonic soil drinks, comprises a pressure-tight, closed vessel containing a mixture of liquid carbon dioxide and flavouring and/or purifying agent, which are soluble in liquid carbon dioxide. Preferred flavourings are essential oil-based substances and preferred purifying agents are chresolate or menthol-based disinfectants. The vessel may be employed with conventional soda siphons and may be used to provide a hygenic, healthy sugar-free drink.

Description

SPECIFICATION Product suitable for use in the production of carbonic liquids for human consumption, particularly carbonic soft drinks and process for preparation and storing thereof This invention relates to a product suitable for use in the production of carbonic liquids for human consumption, particularly carbonic soft drinks and a process for the preparation thereof.

Water saturated with carbon dioxidecom- monly referred to as "soda-water' '-is well known and wide-spreadly consumed all over the world. The popularity of this soft drink can be characterized by the figure that in the German Federal Republic its consumption amounted to 26.7 litres/person in 1978.

Soda-water can be prepared by absorbing carbon dioxide in drinking water under pressure. Thus soda-water can either be manufactured on industrial scale or produced in households by using pressure-resistant bottles (sodasiphons) having a volume of 1-2 litres. The cartridges contain liquid carbon dioxide.

Home-made soda-water has generally a suitable quality but sometimes the potable water used for the preparation thereof is of poorer quality or the minor contaminations of carbon dioxide may cause an undesired flavour Although soda-water has a refreshing effect per se and a considerable curative power as well /see F. Feldhaus: Deutsche Apotheker Zeitung Vol. 90, page 992/ its taste is considered to have no specific character and for this reason it is often consumed flavoured by fruit syrups having a high sugar content or with alcoholic drinks. This mode of consumption of soda-water is however unfavourable from the health point of view; it is namely well-known that high carbohydrate consumption leads to obesity and related cardiovascular diseases and-particularly in children-to the detrioration of the teeth.The health hazards of the consumption of alcoholic drinks are generally known. Moreover the production and marketing of flavouring syrups requires considerable additional labour- and cost-expenditure and further transport and storing investments.

It is known that the preparation of potable water of good quality constitutes a world-wide problem to the experts and requires high investments and operation expenditure. The treatment of water often causes additional problems because although the consumers obtain treated and purified water from the pipeline system or from wells, this water does not frequently comply with hygiene requirements According to the process described in US patent No. 2,220,146 sweetening and flavouring agents are filled into siphon cartridges known per se in addition to gaseous carbon dioxide, preferably in the form of a concentrated liquid essence syrup having a high sugar content.The disadvantage of this method is that when piercing the seal of the syphon cartridge the poorly soluble sweetening-flavouring liquid only partially leaves the cartridge together with the gaseous carbon dioxide, in other words it remains adhered to the internal wall of the cartridge, thus contaminating the cartridge itself, the piercing pin and the channels too. The residue practically cannot be removed by simple methods.

In order to overcome the above problem the following method is disclosed in US patent No. 2,322,183: in the neck-part of a cartridge filled with gaseous carbon dioxide--i.e.

above the gas field-a thin-walled capsule comprising a dose of syrup concentrate is seated. It is equipped with a check valve opening toward the compartment and closing toward the capsule. On screwing the bulb the hollow pin pierces the wall of the capsule, bending the pierced out partion down. The bore of the piercing pin is then in communication with the compartment and accordingly the liquid is displaced by the gas from the bulb opening the check value and entering the compartment. This method is however very expensive and moreover the removal of the contaminants from the channels/nozzle/ constitutes a serious problem and therefore this process is not generally used in practice.

According to US patent No. 4,186,215 carbonic soft drinks are produced by using chemicals capable for evolving carbon dioxide (e.g. carbonates and acids) and flavouring compounds, e.g. essential oils. The said three components are placed at the bottom of a vessel/e.g. a glass/ being seperated from each other by means of a permeable wall. On pouring water into the vessel the said substances are partially dissolved and the resultant chemical reaction generates carbon dioxide.

An object of the present invention is to provide a product and a process for the preparation thereof which enables the productions of carbonic liquids suitable for human consumption and meeting both the hygienic and consumers' requirements by means of a simple and readily feasible method by using conventional cartridges and siphons used for the preparation of soda-water.

According to this invention, we propose a product suitable for use in the production of carbonic liquids for human consumption, comprising an openable, pressure-tight, vessel containing mixture of liquid carbon dioxide, and one or both of a flavouring and/or a purifying agent, which are soluble in liquid carbon dioxide.

The present invention is based on the recognition that several natural or synthetic essential oil-based flavourings, which may be aromatic, and purifying agents such as disin fectants are well-soluble in liquid carbon dioxide. Therefore on opening the vessel, e.g. by piercing a sealing, substantially all the flavouring leaves the vessel from the inside of the vessel containing the condensed carbon dioxide and dissolved flavouring and purifying agents and no contaminants remain on the internal wall of the vessel, which may comprise a conventional cartridge and pin. The present invention is based on the further recognition that while the said flavourings and purifying agents are not soluble at all or poorly soluble in water at atmospheric pressure they can be substantially completely dissolved in water by spraying them under pressure exceeding atmospheric.If condensed liquid carbon dioxide containing the dissolved substances is stored in closed spaci.e. in a conventional pressure-tight siphon cartrid gland thereafter free exit is provided for the condensed carbon dioxide towards the water being in the pressure-tight closed spa ce-i.e. a conventional siphon---e.g. by piercing the sealing of the cartridge, a flavoured and/or purified carbonic liquid is obtained which possesses all the favourable properties of soda-water and is moreover free of syrups having a high carbohydrate content.

We have studied the solubility of various flavourings and purifying agents in liquid carbon dioxide. The experiments are carried out by using a pressure-tight glass-wall apparatus surrounded with a wire screen. The solubility of the test substances could be easily observed in this equipment. It has been found that while syrup concentrates are unable to form solutions, the natural and synthetic flavour substances based on essential oils are very readily soluble in liquid carbon dioxide.

Thus at 0 C in liquid carbon dioxide lemon oil, tangerine oil and orange oil are soluble to 25%, 23% and 21%, respectively/this corresponds to more than 1 ml of soluble flavouring in a siphon cartridge used for the production of 1 litre of soda-water/. The solubility of solid menthol is higher than 5% and the other menthol-based substances also possess similar solubility characteristics. Vitamin C being generally present in citrus extracts is also easily soluble and forms 3% solutions.

According to the process of the present invention liquid carbon dioxide is admixed with a flavouring and/or a purifying agent which are soluble in liquid carbon dioxide, introducing the mixture into a pressure-tight vessel and closing the said vessel.

According to a preferred process of the present invention liquid carbon dioxide is-applied by condensing gaseous carbon dioxide in a vessel containing the flavouring and/or purifying agent this step results in admixture of the liquid carbon dioxide with the flavouring and/or purifying agent. As vessel preferably empty siphon cartridges can be used which are closed with a piercable/breakable/sealed after the liquid carbon dioxide comprising the disinfectant and/or the aroma substance is led into the cartridge.

According to a further process according to the present invention flavouring based on natural and/or synthetic essential oils are used and admixed with liquid carbon dioxide, preferably in a ratio of 0.001-50 ml---parti- cularly between 0.05 and 1 ml--of flavouring related to 1 litre of water.

According to a still further process of the present invention a chresolate type disinfectant is used/e.g. amyl metachresol/ or a menthol-based disinfectant-preferably solid menthol-is admixed with liquid carbon dioxide. It is preferred to add 0.001-0.1 g-par- ticularly 0.01 9 of liquid disinfectant to liquid carbon dioxidecalculated for 1 litre of water.

According to a still further preferred embodiment of the process of the present invention a flavouring of fruit flavour character or an agent of menthol, caramel, Scotch whisky or similar flavour and taste is admixed with liquid carbon dioxide.

According to a further feature of the present invention there is provided a product suitable for use in the production of carbonic liquids ready for human consumption. The said product comprises a mixture of liquid carbon dioxide and a flavouring and/or purifying agent soluble in liquid carbon dioxide.

The present invention enables the production of carbonic liquids suitable for human consumption by a readily feasible simple method eliminating the use of syrup concentrates having a high carbohydrate content and involving hygiene and health hazards.

The advantages of the present invention can be summarized as follows: The present invention eliminates or strongly reduces the consumption of soft drinks prepared by using granulated sugar. Thus on the one hand a large amount of sugar can be saved while on the other hand an article of consumption being highly disadvantageous for hygiene and health reasons and having a high carbohydrate content is replaced by harmless and safe substances. Thus the risks of obesity and caries are eliminated or strongly reduced.

Flavoured soda-water containing no carbohydrates can be an effective means of the fight against obesity because people who dislike the taste of running water or tap water are no longer compelled to consume soft drinks flavoured with syrups having a high carbohydrate content. The present invention also enables the simple and reasonable readily feasible disinfection of non-purified water. Reference is made to the fact that in all places equipped with a water-pipeline system the preparation of potable water of suitable quality and quantity being devoid from flavour and tasting the disinfectant or the purifying agent constitutes a still unsolved problem all over the world. The said problem may be eliminated by the present invention. A further advantage is that the technology of manufacture is a simple one.

Further details of the present invention are to be found in the following Examples without limiting the scope of protection to the said Examples.

Example 1 Into an empty siphon cartridge 0.1 ml of a lemon-flavour essential oil soluble in liquid carbon dioxide is introduced/the product is available under the commercial name "Lemon A' '-Lemon 875024/, whereupon gaseous carbon dioxide is condensed in the cartridge.

Liquid carbon dioxide is formed in an amount which is generally required to prepared 1 litre of soda-water. By this step the flavouring is admixed with the liquid carbon dioxide. The cartridge is closed in a known manner, e.g. by means of a piercable seal. The product is now ready for use. One dose of the product is sufficient for the preparation of 1 litre of flavoured aroma-containing carbonic soft drink being free of carbohydrates.

Example 2 Into an empty siphon cartridge 0.01 ml of amyl metachresol disinfectant being soluble in liquid carbon dioxide is introduced /this disinfectant is available under the commercial name "Flugin"/, whereupon in the cartridge so much liquid carbon dioxide is formed by condensing gaseous carbon dioxide which is required to produce 1 litre of soda-water. By this step the disinfectant is admixed with the liquid carbon dioxide. The cartridge is closed in a known manner by using a piercable sealing and the product is ready for use. The cartridge thus obtained enables the preparation of disinfected soda-water from water being unsuitable for human consumption for hygiene reasons.

Example 3 An amount of liquid carbon dioxide required for the preparation of 1 litre of soda-water is admixed with 0.1 ml of a "Tangerine-B" aroma substance and 0.01 g of menthol.

These substances are soluble in liquid carbon dioxide. The liquid is filled into an empty siphon cartridge which is then closed with a piercable sealing. Thus the cartridge is made suitable for being put on the market. The cartridge enables the production of 1 litre of flavoured and disinfected carbon soft drink even if water being unsuitable for hygienic purposes and having an undesired taste is used.

Claims

1. A product suitable for use in the production of carbonic liquid for human consumption, comprising an openable, pressuretight, vessel containing a mixture of liquid carbon dioxide, and one or both of a flavouring and/or a purifying agent, which are each soluble in liquid carbon dioxide.

2. A product as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vessel comprises a siphon cartridge having a frangible seal.

3. A product as claimed in any of claims 1 or 2, wherein the flavouring comprises natural and/or synthetic essential oil-based substances.

4. A product as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flavouring comprises an agent of fruit pulp character or of menthol, caramel, scotch whisky or similar flavour or taste.

5. A product as claimed in claim 1, including 0.001 to 5 ml preferably 0.05 to 1.0 ml of flavouring calculated for one litre of water.

6. A product as claimed in claim 1, including chresolate-type disinfectant, e.g. amylmetachresole.

7. A product as claimed in claim 1, including menthol based disinfectant, preferably solid menthol.

8. A product as claimed in claim 1, including 0.001 to 0.1 ml, preferably about 0.01 ml of liquid disinfectant calculated for one litre of water.

9. A product as claimed in claim 1, including 0.001 to 0.19 preferably about 0.01g of solid disinfectant calculated for one litre of water.

1 0. A product as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9 including 0.1 to 50 per cent by volume, preferably about 0.5 to 10 per cent by volume of flavouring and/or purifying agent calculated for the liquid carbon dioxide.

11. A process for the preparation of a product as claimed in claim 1, which comprises mixing liquid carbon dioxide with a flavouring and/or a purifying agent which are soluble in liquid carbondioxide. introducing the mixture thus obtained into a pressure-tight vessel and closing said vessel.

1 2. A process as claimed in claim 11, which comprises introducing gaseous carbon dioxide into a pressure-tight vessel containing flavouring and/or purifying agent, liquifying the carbon dioxide in the vessel and closing said vessel.

1 3. A process as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein the pressure-tight vessel comprises a siphon cartridge and the process further comprises closing said vessel with a frangible seal after the introduction of the mixture to the said vessel.

14. A product suitable for use in the production of carbonic liquids for human consumption, substantially as herein described.

1 5. A process for the preparation of a product suitable for use in the production of carbonic liquids for human consumption, substantially as herein described.

16. An aqueous carbonic drink made from a product according to claim 1.