Food grade household dishwashing detergent made entirely of food materials

Abstract

A food grade household dishwashing detergent made of all food materials specified by national food safety standards. When washing dishes, food residues can be poured away together with water mixed with the detergent and oil stains, and no multiple rinsing is required to achieve safety standards. The invention solves the residue problem of conventional dishwashing liquid from the root, and is a truly edible "dishwashing liquid". The specific use of the product is household dishware, meat surface, cutting board, cutting tool, fruit and vegetable, and children's feeding bottle and toy, and chef's hand cleaning. In addition to achieving the basic goals of removing oil stains, sterilizing and inhibiting bacteria, no residue hazard, saving water resources, etc., the product also has the advantages of no preservative, no fragrance, mild cleaning without skin damage, shortening household labor time, etc. The saved water fee expenditure can offset most of the increased consumer spending due to the increase in raw material cost. All components of the product are industrial products, suitable for large-scale batch production and convenient for consumers to use.

Description

I. Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of daily chemical products technology, and more specifically, it is a food-grade household dishwashing agent. II. Background Technology

[0002] Washing dishes is a household chore that many Chinese families perform frequently, even daily. Currently, household dishwashing liquids sold on the market are generally referred to as dish soap. Although legitimate industrial and commercial enterprises produce and sell this product according to national standards, some problems still exist when measured against mandatory national food safety standards, particularly the issue of excessive surfactant residue on washed dishes.

[0003] The main functional ingredient in dishwashing liquid is surfactant. Both theoretical analysis and practical testing confirm that residues of surfactants and other substances on the surface of tableware washed with dishwashing liquid are unavoidable. Only thorough rinsing can reduce these residues to a safe level. According to the national food safety standards GB14934 "Disinfected Tableware" (hygienic standard) and GB5750.4 "Standard Test Methods for Drinking Water: Sensory Characteristics and Physical Indicators," the safe value for residual anionic surfactants (represented by sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate) on the surface of tableware after washing should not exceed 0.005 mg / 100 cm². Regarding this issue, the Kunming National Food Safety Demonstration Group (hereinafter referred to as Kunming) and the Jilin TV special program team (hereinafter referred to as Jilin) ​​conducted experiments using two different rinsing methods and concluded that continuous rinsing with running water for 30 seconds (Kunming) or soaking in a basin of water and repeatedly draining it 12 times (Jilin) ​​are the only methods that can reduce the surfactant (sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate) residue on tableware below the safety level stipulated by the national standard. III. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A truly suitable household dishwashing liquid for China's national conditions should be a product that achieves a safe level by soaking and washing once or twice, rinsing for only one or two seconds, or even just rinsing away visible food residue. GB9985 was changed to the recommended GBT9985 in 1997; currently, the only mandatory national standard for dishwashing detergents is GB14930.1. According to the latest promulgated national food safety standard for detergents (GB14930.1-2022), Article 3.1 stipulates that the raw materials of detergents should comply with relevant national standards and regulations. Producers should control unintentional additives such as impurities, decomposition products, and reaction products to ensure that the product meets the requirements of 3.1 and 3.2 (no new substances or new technical functions should be generated). The manufacturing process of dishwashing liquid can only involve the physical mixing of substances that fully comply with national standards. Only when 100% of the ingredients are food-grade materials can both of the above requirements be met simultaneously. This is the basic idea behind the development of this invention.

[0005] (I) Selection of raw material components

[0006] The newly revised national standard GB14930.1-2022 (National Food Safety Standard for Detergents), which came into effect on June 30, 2023, includes a detailed list of raw and auxiliary materials that can be used in food and tableware detergents. A search revealed that none of the 117 listed raw and auxiliary materials fall under the category of food materials.

[0007] Besides being a traditional food for Chinese residents, according to the principles stipulated in GB14930.1-2022, Section 4.1.1.2, the following four categories of substances also belong to food materials and can be used in both Category A and Category B food detergents:

[0008] ①Nutritional fortifiers within the scope of GB / 14880;

[0009] ② New food ingredients (new resource foods) approved by the national health authorities over the years;

[0010] ③ Substances that are both food and medicine approved by the national health authorities;

[0011] ④ Food additives as specified in the national food safety standard GB2760;

[0012] Through extensive scientific analysis, experimentation, and screening, this invention selects food additives from the varieties specified in national standard GB2760 that possess strong surface activity, antibacterial and bacteriostatic properties, skin moisturizing effects, good dispersibility and stability, uniform distribution without stratification after mixing, relatively high safety performance (allowing for larger addition amounts), and are also easily degradable, readily available, and suitable for industrial mass production.

[0013] After extensive experimentation, comparison, and screening, polyglycerol fatty acid esters (polyglycerol esters) and polyoxyethylene sorbitan (Tween) were selected as the raw materials for the products of this invention. Among them, the following three varieties of polyglycerol fatty acid esters were selected: decaglycerol monolaurate, decaglycerol monocaprylate, and decaglycerol monomyristate; and one variety of polyoxyethylene sorbitan (Tween) was selected: polyoxyethylene sorbitan 20, i.e., Tween 20.

[0014] (II) Main Technical Parameters

[0015] The core technology of this invention is the product's ingredients and formulation ratio.

[0016] (1) Polyglycerol fatty acid esters;

[0017] Polyglycerol fatty acid esters (hereinafter referred to as polyglycerol esters) are one of the main components of the product of this invention. As the name suggests, polyglycerol esters are formed by the esterification of polyglycerol and fatty acids. This is a new type of highly efficient and high-performance polyhydroxy ester nonionic surfactant. In addition to having good emulsifying, dispersing, wetting, stabilizing, and antibacterial properties, polyglycerol esters can also be decomposed during human metabolism, thereby participating in metabolism and being utilized by the human body. It has high safety and biodegradability, combining high efficiency and safety. Polyglycerol esters have been recommended for use by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (FAO / WHO). The EU expert group believes that due to the excellent safety of polyglycerol esters, it is unnecessary to set a maximum addition amount. China's national standard for food additives GB2760-2024 stipulates that polyglycerol fatty acid esters can be added to 74 kinds of food in 19 categories at a maximum ratio of 10 grams per kilogram. These include daily foods with large consumption, such as beverages, ice cream, bread, biscuits, and instant rice and noodles, as well as condiments that are consumed in smaller quantities but are almost indispensable in every meal, such as soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, and chicken essence. Polyglycerol esters are colorless and odorless, do not readily hydrolyze, are quite stable in acidic, alkaline, and neutral environments, and can be compounded with other emulsifiers to have a good synergistic effect.

[0018] Polyglycerol esters are a series of products with many varieties. Based on the requirements, this invention has selected and identified three varieties:

[0019] ① Decaglycerol monolaurate: Its outstanding feature is its strong cleaning power, HLB value of 16, and good water solubility. In addition, decaglycerol monolaurate at concentrations above 40% also has good antibacterial properties;

[0020] ② Decaglycerol monocaprylate: It is characterized by strong bactericidal function, good surface activity, dispersibility and water solubility (HLB value of around 15);

[0021] ③Decaglyceryl monomyristate: HLB value 14, water solubility and surface activity are acceptable. Its characteristics are moisturizing and skin-protecting functions, and it is an important ingredient in many high-end cosmetics.

[0022] (2) Polyoxyethylene sorbitan: In the food industry, it is generally referred to as Tween. Tween is a condensation product of sorbitan fatty acid ester (Span) and ethylene oxide, and it is also a series of products with many varieties. GB2760-2024, the national standard for food additives, stipulates that Tween can be added to food in a maximum proportion of 2.5 per thousand in 52 varieties of eight major categories, including flavored milk, margarine, ice cream, soy products, bread and pastries, condiments, and beverages.

[0023] Through experimental screening, this invention has determined that polyoxyethylene sorbitan 20, also known as Tween 20, is another major component of the detergent of this invention. Tween 20 has an HLB value as high as 16.7, which greatly helps to improve the overall water solubility and cleaning ability (i.e., surface activity) of the product. The overall effect of compounding with polyglycerol esters meets expectations.

[0024] (3) Water: Drinking water that meets national standards.

[0025] Through experimental screening and long-term practical verification, the present invention has determined the range of various components and their compounding ratios as follows:

[0026] Polyoxyethylene sorbitan (20) is Tween 20: 40-47%;

[0027] 40-45% decaglycerol monolaurate;

[0028] Decaglycerol monocaprylate 1–4%;

[0029] Decaglycerol monomyristate 1-3%;

[0030] Drinking water: 8-15%

[0031] The compounded detergent achieves relatively ideal levels in key performance indicators such as detergency, stability, and dispersibility, and it possesses sufficient antibacterial and bacteriostatic functions without the need for additional preservatives. Furthermore, since the product has no noticeable irritating odor, there is no need to add fragrance.

[0032] All raw materials used in this invention, except for drinking water, are within the scope of GB2760 and also comply with the provisions of Article 4.1.1.1 of the National Food Safety Standard for Detergents (GB14930.1-2022) regarding the selection of materials for Class A and B detergents.

[0033] Testing has shown that the product of this invention fully complies with the following two national standards:

[0034] ① National Food Safety Standard for Detergents (GB / 14930.1-2022);

[0035] ②National Food Safety Standard - General Rules for Compound Food Additives (GB26687-2011) (Compound Food Emulsifiers);

[0036] (III) Product Safety

[0037] Except for drinking water, all raw materials used in this invention are within the scope specified in the National Food Safety Standard for Food Additives (GB2760). The finished product after physical mixing complies with the National Food Safety Standard for Compound Food Additives (GB26687 (Compound Food Emulsifiers)). Its basic safety is self-evident. This chapter only discusses in detail the safety of surfactant residues remaining after dishwashing.

[0038] Even dishes cleaned with this product will still have a certain amount of detergent residue. In particular, to accommodate the current cleaning habits of Chinese people, or even further, to calculate the amount of detergent residue made from food additives based on the laziest, most water- and labor-saving, and therefore most detergent-residue-prone operation—soaking and rinsing only once in a basin of water or rinsing under running water for one or two seconds after discarding food residue.

[0039] Dishwashing detergent residue measurement

[0040] Referring to relevant test reports: after soaking in a basin of water once, the detergent residue was 0.081 mg / 100 cm², and after rinsing under running water for one or two seconds, the residue was 0.033 mg / 100 cm². Here, we use the highest value of 0.081 mg / 100 cm² for calculation.

[0041] Tableware inner surface area calculation: For a family of four, each meal consists of four dishes and one soup. Each person has one soup bowl, and the four people share four large dish plates and one large soup bowl. Rice (porridge) bowls can be washed directly with water without the need for detergent.

[0042] The small soup bowl has a diameter of 11 cm: its inner surface area is 2 * 3.14 * 30.3 = 190 square centimeters / bowl * 4 bowls = 760 square centimeters;

[0043] The large soup bowl has a diameter of 24 centimeters and an inner surface area of ​​2 * 3.14 * 144 = 904 square centimeters.

[0044] The diameter of the dish (plate) is 26 cm, and its inner surface area is 2 * 3.14 * 13 * 13 = 531 * 4 = 4248 square centimeters.

[0045] Total surface area of ​​tableware: 760 + 904 + 4248 = 5912 square centimeters, rounded up to 6000 square centimeters.

[0046] The amount of surfactant residue after one wash is: 0.081 mg * 60 (hundreds of square centimeters) = 4.86 mg * 3 (meals) = 14.58 mg;

[0047] Average per person: 14.58 mg / 4 people = 3.65 mg / person, which means that each person ingests an average of 3.65 mg of detergent residue from this invention per day (after rinsing once), of which polyglycerol esters and Tween 20 each account for about 50%, or 1.83 mg.

[0048] The product of this invention belongs to the same class of emulsifiers as additives in beverages and bread. To intuitively understand the significance of 1.83 mg, the following further analysis is provided:

[0049] Using beverages as a reference: GB2760 stipulates that the maximum amount of additive in beverages is 10 grams per kilogram, and for each 300 ml can, 3000 mg of an additive (polyglycerol ester) similar to that in the product of this invention can be added. 3000 / 1.83 = 1683 (times), meaning that the polyglycerol ester contained in one 300 ml can of beverage is equivalent to the total amount of residue left on tableware after washing with the detergent of this invention for more than a thousand days.

[0050] Using bread as a reference: GB2760 stipulates that the maximum amount of Tween 20 added to bread products is 2.5 grams per kilogram. A 100-gram loaf of bread can contain 250 milligrams of Tween. 250 / 1.83 = 136, which is more than a hundred times the amount of surfactant residue in detergents per day.

[0051] The above calculations have already left ample room for: ① The actual inner surface area of ​​a dish is much smaller than that of a hemisphere; ② Most families do not reach the level of having four dishes and one soup for every meal.

[0052] In summary, when using the detergent of this invention to clean tableware, the residual amount of surfactant is negligible. Since all raw materials used are food additives and drinking water that meet national standards, there is no issue of excessive residues of other harmful substances. Therefore, this is a truly food-grade detergent (of course, this does not mean it can be eaten as a snack).

[0053] (iv) Cleaning power

[0054] Laboratory tests showed that the detergency of this invention's product was slightly inferior to that of commonly available conventional dishwashing liquids. According to the testing methods specified in GB / T9985, this invention's product only achieved 85% of the detergency of the standard product (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate). However, GB / T9985 was changed from mandatory to recommended in 2017. This invention believes that whether the detergency meets consumer needs should be determined by the market, and the current mandatory national standard GB14930.1 does not have specific requirements for detergency. Long-term practice has proven that, except for cold weather when washing solidified animal fats with cold water, which requires extended washing time, more washes, or a slight increase in water temperature, the cleaning of other oil stains is not significantly different from that of conventional dishwashing liquids.

[0055] IV. Other relevant information:

[0056] The applicant of this invention is the same natural person as the first inventor of a similar product invention (application number 202010728796.8, hereinafter referred to as the original invention) six years ago. Therefore, some ideas, viewpoints, and wording in the specification are similar or identical. The major and essential difference between the two is as follows:

[0057] 1. The core technologies of the two inventions differ in terms of components and proportions.

[0058] ①. Turmeric: Turmeric is one of the original ingredients, and although the proportion is very low, its function is unique. Practice has proven that turmeric does have good antibacterial and bacteriostatic properties, but its drawbacks in dishwashing are insurmountable. The main problem with turmeric is color staining, especially on white tableware, which is extremely difficult to remove and very noticeable. Skin staining of operators can be mitigated by wearing rubber gloves, but the staining defect on tableware cannot be overcome. Therefore, this invention has omitted the turmeric ingredient.

[0059] ②. Sucrose fatty acid esters were also one of the original ingredients. Experiments revealed that although sucrose esters are also food emulsifiers with certain surface-active properties, their synergistic effect with polyglycerol esters, which have excellent detergency, is not well-matched. The emulsifying effect of the mixture is lower than either of them alone. Even with a small proportion of sucrose esters, the detergency of the finished product is significantly reduced. Therefore, sucrose esters have been omitted from this invention.

[0060] ③. Triglycerides, polyglycerol monolaurate, polyglycerol monocaprylate, polyglycerol monomyristate, and polyglycerol monolaurate, polyglycerol monocaprylate, and polyglycerol monomyristate are all ingredients of the original invention. Triglyceride fatty acid esters are similar to monoglycerides, with poor water solubility and detergency, and the combination of the six ingredients is too cumbersome; therefore, all of them have been eliminated in this invention.

[0061] ④. In the original invention, the proportion of decaglycerol monolaurate was as high as 65-80%. While this high proportion offered strong detergency, it also had significant drawbacks: its dispersion in water was extremely poor. Even under agitation at room temperature (25°C), the product in the experiment required more than ten seconds to achieve complete and uniform diffusion. This dissolution rate was completely unsuitable for consumers' operating rhythm. Through experimental optimization, the product of this invention reduced the decaglycerol monolaurate content to 40-45%, and simultaneously used Tween 20 with a BHL of up to 16.7 to replace part of the decaglycerol monolaurate. While maintaining detergency, the product's dispersion rate in water was significantly improved.

[0062] ⑤. In the original invention, decaglycerol monolaurate, decaglycerol monocaprylate, and decaglycerol monomyristate were selected as one of the three and compounded with other polyglycerol esters of different degrees of polymerization. In this invention, all three decaglycerol fatty acid esters are used simultaneously and compounded with polyoxyethylene sorbitan (20), i.e., Tween 20, while all other components are discarded.

[0063] 2. Explanation of the technical background:

[0064] This invention presents a more scientific and detailed investigation than the original invention. For example, the original invention mentions a Jilin TV special program stating that after repeatedly soaking and rinsing tableware washed with dish soap twelve times, the residue on the tableware surface was 0.3%. This statement is rather vague; the accurate measurement should correspond to national standards. Verification shows the correct expression should be mg / 100 square centimeters (100ml of solution), based on GB5750.4 (National Drinking Water Standard) and GB14934 Food (Drinking) Utensil Disinfection and Hygiene Standard of 0.05mg / L. The experimental results on dishwashing detergent residue from the Kunming Food Safety Demonstration Group, published in early 2023, generated significant public attention and were widely cited. The original invention's application was written and submitted many years ago, and its background assessment was limited to qualitative analysis. While correct in principle, it lacked quantitative evidence. In addition, the national standard GB / 14930.1-2015 was revised in 2022, and the new standard came into effect on June 30, 2023. The relevant content of this invention should be described as much as possible in accordance with the revised new standard (GB14930.1-2022).

[0065] The original invention devoted considerable space to explaining the problems with two national standards related to dishwashing detergents. While these standards certainly have debatable points, these issues are not the starting point or focus of our product development, and are largely irrelevant to the background of new product development. Furthermore, addressing the issue of excessive surfactant residue in detergents is our ultimate goal, and the original invention did not adequately consider or explain this residue problem, which is a significant oversight. This invention has conducted a detailed investigation, calculation, and analysis of this issue, taking a practical approach and considering the awareness and washing habits of Chinese consumers, demonstrating the necessity and feasibility (especially the safety) of developing a dishwashing detergent made entirely of food-grade materials, making it far more convincing.

[0066] V. Specific Implementation Measures

[0067] Total weight: 100 kg; Ingredients:

[0068] Decaglycerol monolaurate: 41 kg

[0069] Decaglycerol monocaprylate: 3 kg

[0070] Decaglyceryl monomyristate: 1 kg

[0071] Tween 20: 44 kg;

[0072] Drinking water: 11 kg;

[0073] Heat the drinking water to 50-52℃, then add all the ingredients to the mixing tank in sequence, stirring while heating. Stop heating when the temperature reaches 82℃, continue stirring for two minutes, and then let it cool naturally to room temperature before bottling into small packaging containers.

Claims

1. A food-grade household dishwashing detergent made entirely of food-grade materials, characterized in that... All raw materials used in the manufacture of detergent, except for drinking water, are within the scope specified in the National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives GB2670. The ingredients are: ① Polyglycerol fatty acid esters 42%–50%, of which decaglycerol monolaurate 40–45%, decaglycerol monocaprylate 1–4%, and decaglycerol monomyristate 1–3%; ② Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate (Tween-20) 40–47%; ③ Drinking water 8–15%.

2. The household dishwashing detergent made entirely of food-grade materials according to claim 1, specifically comprises 41% decaglycerol monolaurate, 3% decaglycerol mononeodecanate, 1% decaglycerol monomyristate, 44% polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate (Tween-20), and 11% drinking water.