Colored ice for ice sculptures and method for its production and use

Abstract

The present application provides a kind of colored ice making liquid, colored ice formed by it and use, the component of the colored ice making liquid includes: natural pigment extract, ethanol and water, the mass ratio of the natural pigment extract and the water is not more than 1:4000;The mass ratio of the ethanol and the water is 1: (9-10000). The present application provides a kind of colored ice for ice sculpture, the colored ice has good transparency, does not fade, color is uniform;And use natural pigment, raw material source is abundant, reduces the potential risk of health, does not add auxiliary additive, non-toxic and harmless, also will not cause environmental pollution after melting;Production cost is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of colored ice preparation technology, and in particular to a colored ice for ice sculpture, its preparation method, and its uses. Background Technology

[0002] In the depths of winter, step into a dreamlike world crafted from ice and snow, and experience the charm of ice lanterns. Ice lanterns are a unique winter attraction; as night falls, colorful lights embedded within blocks of ice illuminate the scene, showcasing the beauty of ice and snow. Across China, vibrant ice and snow art continues to bring aesthetic enjoyment to people. Ice sculptures come in countless forms, exuding a unique artistic charm. However, during the day, only colorless, transparent, or slightly white ice sculptures can be seen, lacking vibrant colors. To enable the display of colorful ice landscapes during the day, various water-soluble pigments are currently being dissolved in water and frozen into colored ice.

[0003] Chinese patent CN200610010450.4 discloses a method for preparing colored ice, which uses water, twelve different colored watercolors and water-soluble transparent liquid as the main raw materials, mixes them, and then freezes them into colored ice. Although the addition of water-soluble transparent liquid makes the prepared colored ice have good light transmittance and uniform color, the water-soluble transparent liquid AlCl3·H2O·C3H8O2 is a chemical reagent, and the watercolor liquid contains not only colorants but also binders and other additives. After the colored ice melts, these components will cause environmental pollution. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this invention is to provide colored ice for ice sculpture, its preparation method and uses, in order to solve the problem of environmental pollution caused by colored ice in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above and other related objectives, the present invention is obtained through the following technical solution.

[0006] This invention provides an ice-making liquid for colored ice, the components of which include: natural pigment extract, ethanol and water, wherein the mass ratio of the natural pigment extract to water is not greater than 1:4000; and the mass ratio of ethanol to water is 1:(9-10000).

[0007] For example, the mass ratio of natural pigment extract to water can be 1:4000, 1:5000, 1:5714, 1:6000, 1:7000, or 1:8000. When preparing colored ice, if too much natural pigment extract is used, the transparency of the colored ice will decrease, it will melt more easily, and color fading may occur. Therefore, the preferred mass ratio of natural pigment extract to water is 1:5700–8000.

[0008] For example, the mass ratio of ethanol to water can be 1:10000, 1:1000, 1:100, 1:51, 1:19, 1:10, or 1:9. When preparing colored ice, if the mass ratio of ethanol to water is too high, the colored ice will easily melt; if ethanol is not added, the color of the colored ice will be uneven. The preferred mass ratio of ethanol to water is 1:(19–10000).

[0009] Preferably, the natural pigment extract is obtained by soaking natural plants in ethanol as the extractant.

[0010] More preferably, the natural plant is selected from one or two of the stems and / or roots of plants containing mahogany pigments and the leaves of plants containing chlorophyll.

[0011] More preferably, when the natural plant is the stem and / or root of a plant containing mahogany pigment during soaking and extraction, the fineness of the natural plant is 50 mesh to 100 mesh.

[0012] More preferably, when the natural plant is a leaf of a plant containing chlorophyll during the soaking extraction, the thickness of the natural plant is 0.1 to 8 mm.

[0013] More preferably, the extraction time is 10-720 min. For example, it can be 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 40 min, or 50 min.

[0014] More preferably, the plant containing the redwood pigment is selected from one or more stems of legumes and / or persimmons. The legumes are selected from one or more of the following: *Pterocarpus santalinus*, *Pterocarpus anddamanianus*, *Pterocarpus erinaceus*, *Pterocarpus indicus*, *Pterocarpus macrocarpus*, *Pterocarpus marsupium*, *Dalbergia odorifera*, *Dalbergia latifolia*, *Dalbergia louvelii*, *Dalbergia melanoxylon*, *Dalbergia nigra*, *Dalbergia granatum*, *Dalbergia odorifera*, *Dalbergia odorifera*, *Dalbergia granatum*, *Dalbergia odorifera*, *Dalbergia retusa*, *Millettia laurentii*, *Millettia laurentii*, and *Cassia fistula*. The persimmons are selected from one or more of the following: *Ebony*, *Ebony sclerotium*, *Ebony antheridium*, *Ebony sulawesi*, and *Ebony hainanensis*.

[0015] More preferably, the plant containing chlorophyll is a plant of the genus *Ficus* in the family Moraceae. The *Ficus* plant is specifically the Bodhi tree.

[0016] More preferably, the extractant further includes water, and the mass percentage of ethanol in the extractant is at least 50 wt%. For example, it can be 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 100%.

[0017] More preferably, the liquid-to-solid ratio during extraction is 5–15 mL / g. Even more preferably, it is 10 mL / g.

[0018] More preferably, ultrasonic extraction is used during extraction.

[0019] More preferably, the ultrasonic power is 400-1200W. For example, it can be 400W, 600W, 800W, 1000W, or 1200W.

[0020] More preferably, after ultrasonic extraction, solid-liquid separation and evaporation are performed.

[0021] More preferably, the solid-liquid separation process employs centrifugation and filtration, with a centrifugation speed of 5000-8000 r / min and a centrifugation time of 5-10 min.

[0022] The present invention also provides the use of the ice-making liquid described above for preparing colored ice.

[0023] The present invention also provides colored ice, wherein the above-described ice-making liquid is solidified to form the colored ice.

[0024] Preferably, the curing process employs a low-temperature cooling treatment.

[0025] The present invention also provides the use of the colored ice for ice sculpture.

[0026] This invention provides an ice-making liquid that forms colored ice for ice sculpture. The colored ice has good transparency, does not fade, and has uniform color. It uses natural pigments with abundant raw material sources, reducing potential health risks. No auxiliary additives are added, making it non-toxic and harmless. It will not cause environmental pollution after melting. The production cost is low. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification.

[0028] Before further describing specific embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described below; it should also be understood that the terminology used in the embodiments of the present invention is for describing specific embodiments and not for limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. Test methods in the following embodiments that do not specify specific conditions are generally performed under conventional conditions or as recommended by the respective manufacturers.

[0029] When numerical ranges are given in the embodiments, it should be understood that, unless otherwise stated in the present invention, both endpoints of each numerical range and any value between the two endpoints may be selected. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this invention have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In addition to the specific methods, apparatus, and materials used in the embodiments, based on the knowledge of the prior art possessed by one of ordinary skill in the art and the description of this invention, any prior art methods, apparatus, and materials similar to or equivalent to those described, apparatus, and materials in the embodiments of this invention may be used to implement the present invention.

[0030] Example 1

[0031] This embodiment provides a specific ice-making liquid, the preparation method of which is as follows:

[0032] (1) Preparation of natural pigment extract: 100g of anhydrous ethanol was added to 10g of sandalwood powder, and ultrasonic treatment was performed at 1200W for 50min. Then, high-speed centrifugation was performed at 8000rpm for 10min. After centrifugation, solid impurities were removed to obtain liquid, which was then evaporated to dryness to obtain natural pigment extract.

[0033] (2) Preparation of ice-making liquid: Add 7.91g of anhydrous ethanol to 0.05g of natural pigment extract, and after complete dissolution, add 400g of water and mix well to obtain the ice-making liquid. The mass ratio of natural pigment to water in the ice-making liquid is 1:8000.

[0034] The mass ratio of ethanol to water is 1:51.

[0035] This embodiment provides a colored ice, prepared by the following method:

[0036] Add the above-mentioned ice-making liquid into the mold cavity, place it in a low-temperature environment below -10℃ for freezing treatment, and after it becomes solid, demold it to obtain colored ice.

[0037] Example 2

[0038] This embodiment provides a specific ice-making liquid, the preparation method of which is basically the same as that in Example 1, except that the amount of anhydrous ethanol used in the ice-making liquid is 0.4g. The mass ratio of ethanol to water in the ice-making liquid is 1:1000.

[0039] This embodiment provides a colored ice, and the preparation method is the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0040] Example 3

[0041] This embodiment provides a specific ice-making liquid, the preparation method of which is basically the same as that in Example 1, except that the amount of anhydrous ethanol used in the ice-making liquid is 21.05g. The mass ratio of ethanol to water in the ice-making liquid is 1:19.

[0042] This embodiment provides a colored ice, and the preparation method is the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0043] Example 4

[0044] This embodiment provides a specific ice-making liquid, the preparation method of which is basically the same as that in Example 1, except that the amount of anhydrous ethanol used in the ice-making liquid is 44.5g. The mass ratio of ethanol to water in the ice-making liquid is 1:9.

[0045] This embodiment provides a colored ice, which is prepared in a manner that is basically the same as that in Example 1, except that the cooling temperature is -20°C.

[0046] Example 5

[0047] This embodiment provides a specific ice-making liquid, the preparation method of which is basically the same as that in Example 1, except that the amount of natural pigment used in the ice-making liquid is 0.1g. The mass ratio of the natural pigment extract to water in the ice-making liquid is 1:4000.

[0048] This embodiment provides a colored ice, and the preparation method is the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0049] Example 6

[0050] This embodiment provides a specific ice-making liquid, the preparation method of which is basically the same as that in Example 1, except that the amount of natural pigment used in the ice-making liquid is 0.07g. The mass ratio of the natural pigment extract to water in the ice-making liquid is 1:5714.

[0051] This embodiment provides a colored ice, and the preparation method is the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0052] Example 7

[0053] This embodiment provides a specific ice-making liquid, and the preparation method is basically the same as that in Embodiment 1, except that the raw material is Bodhi leaves. 1g of Bodhi leaves are cut into pieces and the chlorophyll is extracted. The extraction time is 8h.

[0054] Comparative Example 1

[0055] This comparative example is the same as Example 1, except that the amount of natural pigment used in the ice-making liquid is 0.5g. The mass ratio of the natural pigment extract to water in the ice-making liquid is 1:800.

[0056] Comparative Example 2

[0057] This comparative example is the same as Example 1, except that the amount of anhydrous ethanol in the ice-making liquid is 100g. The mass ratio of ethanol to water in the ice-making liquid is 1:4. Freezing at temperatures below -20°C does not solidify to form colored ice.

[0058] Comparative Example 3

[0059] This comparative example is the comparative example of Example 1, except that no ethanol was added to the ice-making liquid.

[0060] Comparative Example 4

[0061] This comparative example is the same as Example 1, except that the ice-making liquid was obtained by completely dissolving 0.125g of pigment (40% solids content) in 400g of water. The pigment was ARTSIR formaldehyde-free acrylic paint (deep red), purchased from Hebei Qingzhu Art Materials Technology Co., Ltd.

[0062] The colored ice prepared in Examples 1-7 and Comparative Examples 1-4 was tested for transparency, color fading, melting, and color uniformity. The test results are shown in Table 1. The test methods are as follows:

[0063] (1) Transparency test:

[0064] Instruments used: Xenon lamp light source (model: PLS-SXE300D), Thorlabs digital optical power meter (model: THORLABS PM100D)

[0065] Test conditions: Light source intensity 15.1A, measurement height 23.5cm, test temperature 25℃, initial light intensity 0.027W / cm². 2 .

[0066] Test Method: Optical Density Method. The optical density method is a method for determining transparency using an optical density instrument. This method determines transparency by measuring the intensity of light after it passes through the sample. The specific test procedures are as follows:

[0067] 1) Place the digital optical power meter on the table, and fix the xenon lamp light source at a height of 23.5cm from the optical power meter. Record the light intensity emitted by the light source at this time as the initial light intensity.

[0068] 2) Place the sample to be tested on the optical power meter and record the intensity of the transmitted light after the light source passes through the sample.

[0069] 3) Calculate the transparency value of each sample, which is the ratio of transmitted light intensity to the initial light intensity of the light source.

[0070] (2) Color fading test: Find a white cloth and rub it back and forth 4 times with the same force on the colored ice surface. Observe whether the white cloth is stained. If the white cloth is not stained, it is judged as no color fading. If the stained area is ≤1 / 5 of the wiping area, it is judged as slight color fading. If the stained area is greater than 1 / 5 of the wiping area, it is judged as obvious color fading.

[0071] (3) Melting test: 0.15dm 3 Place cubes of ice in a beaker and leave at room temperature (25℃) for 0.5 hours. Observe the volume (mL) of liquid in the beaker.

[0072] (4) Color uniformity test: Visually observe the color uniformity of the colored ice. If there is no obvious color inconsistency, it is judged to be color uniform. If there is obvious color inconsistency, such as differences in color depth, it is judged to be color uniform.

[0073]

[0074]

[0075] As can be seen from Examples 1 to 4, as the amount of ethanol gradually increases, the transparency of the colored ice increases, but the colored ice melts faster and its mechanical strength gradually decreases.

[0076] As can be seen from Example 1 and Comparative Example 4, the colored ice prepared using natural plant pigment extracts has significantly better transparency and colorfastness than colored ice prepared using commercially available pigments, and melts relatively slowly.

[0077] As can be seen from Examples 1 and 5-6, excessive use of natural plant pigment extracts can affect the transparency, color loss, and melting of colored ice.

[0078] In summary, the applicant has creatively provided an ice-making liquid that produces colored ice that meets market demand. This colored ice is specifically designed for ice sculpture. This ice-making liquid does not require the addition of other binders or additives, making it safe and environmentally friendly. Furthermore, it melts slowly outdoors, exhibits good color development, uniform color, and is not prone to fading. It also possesses the strength suitable for ice sculpture. Therefore, the technical solution of the ice-making liquid, the colored ice produced from it, and its applications in this application is inventive.

[0079] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ice-making liquid for colored ice used in ice sculpture, characterized in that, The ice-making liquid comprises the following components: natural pigment extract, ethanol, and water, wherein the mass ratio of the natural pigment extract to the water is 1: 5000-8000; the mass ratio of ethanol to water is 1:(9-1000); the natural pigment extract is obtained by soaking natural plants in ethanol as an extractant; the natural plants are selected from one or two of the stems and / or roots of sandalwood and the leaves of Bodhi tree.

2. The ice-making liquid according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the natural plant is the stem and / or root of a plant containing mahogany pigment during soaking and extraction, the fineness of the natural plant is 50 mesh to 100 mesh. And / or, during the soaking extraction, when the natural plant is the leaf of a plant containing chlorophyll, the thickness of the natural plant is 0.1 mm to 8 mm; And / or, the extractant further includes water, and the extractant contains at least 50 wt% ethanol by mass; And / or, during extraction, the liquid-to-solid ratio is 5–15 mL / g; And / or, during extraction, ultrasonic extraction is used.

3. The ice-making liquid according to claim 2, characterized in that, Extraction time is 10-720 min.

4. The ice-making liquid according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ultrasonic power is 400-1200W.

5. The ice-making liquid according to claim 1, characterized in that, After extraction, solid-liquid separation and evaporation are performed.

6. Use of the ice-making liquid as described in any one of claims 1 to 5 for preparing colored ice.

7. A type of colored ice, characterized in that, The colored ice is formed by solidifying the ice-making liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. The use of colored ice as described in claim 7 for ice sculpture.

Images