JPS61252246A - Transparent gel composition - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a transparent gel compsn. which is uniform and suitable for use as foods, cosmetics, etc., by mixing a polyhydric alcohol, a lower alcohol, carrageenan as a gelling agent and water in a specified weight ratio. CONSTITUTION:At least 0.01wt% polyhydric alcohol (A) (e.g. glycerol or propylene glycol), at least 3wt% lower alcohol (B) (e.g. methanol or isopropanol), 0.01-8wt% carrageenan (C) as a gelling agent, water (D) and additives (E) such as perfume, dye, etc. are mixed in such a proportion that the combined quantity of components A and B is 70wt% or below, thus obtaining the desired transparent gel compsn. Any of kappa-, iota- and lambda-carrageenans may be used. However, a compsn. contg. lambda-carrageenan is preferred because of its excellent extendability.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to transparent gel compositions.

[Prior Art] In recent years, products with various functions in various fields such as food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals have become obsolete in response to consumer needs, including gels containing polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin and propylene glycol. It is also used in various applications such as toothpaste, fragrance, gel hair preparation, cream, ointment base, and soft capsules.

These gel-like products can be prepared by adding a substance having gelling ability such as agar or carrageenan, and examples of aromatic agents are shown in JP-A-58-167507, for example.

However, there is a problem in that certain fragrances and chemicals are not sufficiently dissolved in polyhydric alcohol aqueous solutions.

As a countermeasure to this problem, when turning water-insoluble and alcohol-soluble fragrances and chemicals into gels, a method has been used in which they are emulsified and dispersed in a polyhydric alcohol/water system and then gelled. However, with this method, only a milky-white opaque product could be obtained, and the request for a transparent gel-like product could not be met. In such cases, it is recommended to add a lower alcohol as a third component. Attempts have been made to eliminate the need for emulsification and dispersion and to create a uniformly dissolved and transparent gelling solution.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, when a lower alcohol is added, that is, in a system of lower alcohol, polyhydric alcohol, and water at a certain concentration or more,
There was a problem that when combined with a gelling agent, it became cloudy and a transparent gel could not be obtained.In view of the current situation, the present inventors made an aqueous solution system in which a polyhydric alcohol and a lower alcohol are simultaneously present to make it transparent. The present invention was developed with the aim of gelling.

[Means for Solving the Problems] That is, the gist of the present invention is that the polyhydric alcohol is 0.01% by weight or more and the lower alcohol is 3% by weight or more.

The total concentration of polyhydric alcohol and lower alcohol is 70% or less, and carrageenan as a gelling agent is 0%.
．． It is a transparent gel composition which is an aqueous solution containing 8% by weight of Ol.

In the present invention, the polyhydric alcohol is used for the purpose of increasing water retention, preventing the gel from drying out, improving the application feeling, fineness of the texture, spreadability, etc. As the polyhydric alcohol, glycerin, ethylene glycol,
Examples include phlopylene gelicol and the like. This polyhydric alcohol needs to be used in an amount of 0.01% by weight or more for the above purpose.

Lower alcohols are used to give a refreshing feeling when applying a gel and to improve the miscibility of oil-soluble substances. Examples of lower alcohols include methanol, ethanol, n-propatool, impropatool, etc. having 1 to 5 carbon atoms. monoalcohols can be used. This lower alcohol needs to be used in an amount of 3% by weight or more for the above purpose.

Polyhydric alcohols are inherently incompatible with gelling agents such as carrageenan, and lower alcohols are poor solvents for carrageenan, making it difficult to produce aqueous solutions containing high concentrations of these alcohols. The total concentration of alcohol and lower alcohol must be 70% or less.

In place of carrageenan used in the present invention, carboxymethylcellulose sodium salt, tamarind gum, pullulan,
Even if gum arabic, gelatin, guar gum, locust bean gum, sodium polyacrylate, xanthan gum, etc. were used as gelling agents, gels with excellent transparency could not be obtained, and only by using carrageenan could gel properties with excellent gel properties be obtained. A gel-like material with excellent transparency can be obtained.

In other words, even if polysaccharides other than carrageenan, such as tamarind gum and locust bean gum, are homogeneous and transparent in a system of polysaccharide and water/polyhydric alcohol, if even a small amount of lower alcohol is introduced, the gum will precipitate and a uniform gel cannot be obtained. I won't be able to do it. In contrast, the present invention was completed by discovering that when carrageenan is used, a uniform and transparent gel can be obtained even when a lower alcohol is added.

The concentration of carrageenan is required to be 0.01 to 8% by weight, preferably 0.1 to 5% by weight. If the concentration is less than 0.01% by weight, the gelling ability is insufficient;
If it exceeds 8% by weight, it becomes difficult to achieve substantially uniform gelation.

As the carrageenan, any of kappa, iota, and lambda carrageenans can be used, but it is preferable that the carrageenan contains at least lambda carrageenan because it has excellent spreadability.The content of lambda carrageenan in the carrageenan is 10%. % or more and 60% or less.

Various auxiliary agents such as fragrances, coloring agents, and surfactants can be added to the transparent gel of the present invention. When adding such substances, alcohol-soluble ones should be used. It is preferable to dissolve carrageenan in advance in a polyhydric alcohol or lower alcohol, prepare an aqueous solution of carrageenan separately, and then uniformly mix the two.

[Example] The present invention will be further explained using examples.

Example 1 20g of propylene glycol and 25g of ethyl alcohol
A mixture of 1.7 g of carrageenan with kappa carrageenan/lambda carrageenan of 70730 was dispersed in 55 g of water and then uniformly dissolved in a hot bath. A homogeneous and transparent gel was obtained.

When the light transmittance of this gel was measured using visible light at 660 nm, it was 85% when distilled water was taken as 100%. 7 carrageenan
A homogeneous and transparent gel was obtained by dispersing 0/30 carrageenan ig in 50 g of water, then uniformly mixing the solution with a solution dissolved in a hot water bath, and allowing it to cool to room temperature.

Example 3 40g of propylene glycol and 10g of ethyl alcohol
and a solution obtained by dispersing carrageenan Ig containing 70/30 kappa carrageenan/lambda carrageenan in 50 g of water and then uniformly dissolving it in a hot water bath were mixed uniformly and allowed to cool to room temperature. A uniform and transparent gel was obtained.

Example 4 30g of propylene glycol and 20g of ethyl alcohol
After dispersing carrageenan with a ratio of 60/40 of kappa carrageenan/lambda carrageenan, 50 ml of a 2 wt% aqueous solution uniformly dissolved in a hot bath was added to the mixed solution, and after stirring well, the mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature. A uniform and transparent gel was obtained.

Example 5 7 bar rageenan/lambda carrageenan 70/30
After dispersing carrageenan in water, 40 g of a 1% by weight aqueous solution uniformly dissolved in a hot water bath and 20 g of glycerin were mixed. The resulting liquid was clear. Ethyl alcohol was gradually added to this, but the liquid remained transparent even after adding up to 50 g.

When this was allowed to cool to room temperature, a uniform and transparent gel was obtained.

Example 6 Kappa carrageenan/lambda carrageenan was added to a mixture of 30 g of glycerin and 50 g of ethyl alcohol.
After dispersing 0/30 carrageenan Ig, 20mM of an aqueous solution uniformly dissolved in a hot water bath was added, and after stirring well,
When the mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature, a uniform and transparent gel was obtained.

Comparative Example 1 The procedure of Example 5 was repeated except that tamarind gum was used instead of carrageenan, but the gum started to precipitate when 2.8 g of ethyl alcohol was added.

Comparative Example 2 The same procedure as Example 5 was carried out except that locust bean gum was used instead of carrageenan, but 3 g of ethyl alcohol was added.
Gum had already precipitated when it was added.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The polyhydric alcohol is 0.01% by weight or more, the lower alcohol is 3% by weight or more, and the total concentration of the polyhydric alcohol and the lower alcohol is 70% or less, and it is used as a gelling agent. A transparent gel composition which is an aqueous solution containing 0.01 to 8% by weight of carrageenan. 2. The transparent gel composition according to claim 1, wherein the carrageenan contains at least lambda carrageenan.