Red imported fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid ester and preparation process thereof

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of solenopsis invicta bait, and particularly relates to a solenopsis invicta bait formula based on tea saponin fatty acid ester and a preparation process, which comprises tea saponin fatty acid ester, a bait matrix, an attractant, a humectant and a filler, and the tea saponin fatty acid ester is specifically composed of tea saponin, long-chain fatty acid and a solvent; the bait matrix is specifically composed of a mixture of corn flour, wheat flour and soybean flour, and the proportion is controlled to be 2:1:0.5; the attractant is specifically composed of a sugar and a flavoring agent, the sugar can be one of glucose and sucrose, and the flavoring agent is specifically vanilla essence; and the attractant can improve the attraction of the bait formula. The application increases the hydrophobicity of tea saponin through chemical modification, so that the interaction between tea saponin and the wax layer of solenopsis invicta is more intense, the defense mechanism of solenopsis invicta can be quickly destroyed, and the ant control effect is improved; the sugar attractant and the natural flavoring agent in the bait can effectively attract solenopsis invicta to feed, so that more ants can contact the active ingredients.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of red imported fire ant bait technology, specifically to the formulation and preparation process of red imported fire ant bait based on tea saponin fatty acid esters. Background Technology

[0002] Red imported fire ants are social insects with a complex social structure, including worker ants, male ants, and queen ants. They typically build nests in the soil, and these nests can be very large. As an invasive species, they have an extremely high reproductive capacity, producing thousands of new females a year and rapidly spreading their population. Red imported fire ants compete with and prey on other insects, leading to a decline in native insect populations and affecting the ecological balance. Red imported fire ants are among the most dangerous ants in the world. They are highly aggressive, and children, the elderly, and people with allergies are considered high-risk groups. Invasions of red imported fire ants often cause severe ecological disasters, posing a significant threat to biodiversity conservation and agricultural production. They frequently infest homes, schools, lawns, and other areas, increasing the chance of contact with people and causing frequent stings. Furthermore, their gnawing on electrical wires often leads to short circuits and even small fires. Chemical control is the most common method for controlling red imported fire ants. As of April 2021, there were 45 pesticide formulations registered for the control of red imported fire ants. The active ingredients of pesticides registered for the control of red imported fire ants include indoxacarb, flufenoxuron, and cypermethrin.

[0003] The existing technology has the following defects or problems: Existing red imported fire ant baits may cause ecological imbalance by affecting other non-target organisms due to poor target selectivity when targeting specific pests (such as red imported fire ants). Meanwhile, the product itself has insufficient penetration into the waxy protective layer, resulting in an insignificant application effect. In addition, many commercial baits lack sufficient attractiveness, leading to low contact rates and reduced insecticidal effects.

[0004] It should be noted that the above content falls within the inventor's technical knowledge and does not necessarily constitute prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a red fire ant bait formulation and preparation process based on tea saponin fatty acid esters, solving the current problems.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a red fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid esters, comprising: Tea saponin fatty acid ester, wherein the tea saponin fatty acid ester is specifically composed of tea saponin, long-chain fatty acids and solvent; The bait substrate is specifically composed of a mixture of corn flour, wheat flour, and soybean flour in a ratio of 2:1:0.5. An attractant, specifically composed of sugars and flavoring agents, wherein the sugars may be glucose or sucrose, and the flavoring agent is vanilla extract. The attractant can enhance the attractiveness of the bait formulation. A humectant, selected from glycerin and honey, is used to ensure that the bait retains moisture during storage. The filler is selected from cellulose and bentonite, and is used to improve the physical properties of the feed.

[0007] In some embodiments, the tea saponin is extracted from tea leaves and its purity is controlled to be above 90%. The long-chain fatty acids are stearic acid and palmitic acid, which can ensure their molecular chain length. The solvent is anhydrous ethanol to ensure compatibility with tea saponin and fatty acids.

[0008] Another technical problem to be solved by this invention is to propose a preparation process for a red imported fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid esters, comprising the following steps: Step 1: Extract a certain amount of tea saponins from tea leaves, and weigh out long-chain fatty acids for later use. Step 2: Add the weighed tea saponin and long-chain fatty acids to the reaction flask, along with a catalyst to catalyze the reaction. Then add anhydrous ethanol as a solvent to ensure the reactants are fully mixed. Step 3: Heat the reaction in an oil bath while stirring until the reaction is complete. After the reaction is complete, cool to room temperature. Step 4: Wash the reaction solution with water to remove soluble impurities. Step 5: Extract and separate tea saponin fatty acid esters, and then remove the internal solvent to obtain pure tea saponin fatty acid esters. Step Six: In a mixer, add the bait base and mix evenly, then add the attractant and mix thoroughly. Step 7: Then add the tea soap fatty acid ester obtained from the above steps and stir evenly until a viscous wet binder is formed. Step 8: Add appropriate amounts of humectant and filler as needed to adjust the humidity and physical state of the mixture; Step 9: Place the mixture in a mold to form small granules, then place it in a baking oven for drying to ensure its stability during storage.

[0009] In some embodiments, the catalyst is specifically concentrated sulfuric acid with a specific gravity of 1-2%.

[0010] In some embodiments, the oil bath heating reaction temperature needs to be controlled at 60-80 degrees Celsius, and the reaction time is 4-6 hours. The reaction status can be detected by thin-layer chromatography.

[0011] In some embodiments, the extraction method is specifically selective solution extraction, and the solvent removal is specifically carried out by vacuum evaporation.

[0012] In some embodiments, the internal temperature of the baking oven needs to be controlled at 40-50 degrees Celsius, while the moisture content inside the bait needs to be reduced to below 10%.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a red imported fire ant bait formulation and preparation process based on tea saponin fatty acid esters, which has the following beneficial effects: Since the core components of the waxy layer of insect body walls are long-chain alkanes, fatty acid esters, and wax esters, all of which are strongly hydrophobic substances, their function is to form a dense hydrophobic barrier to prevent the loss of body water; tea saponin itself is an amphiphilic triterpenoid saponin (hydrophilic sugar chain + hydrophobic saponin), but the hydrophobicity of its natural structure is relatively weak, and its hydrophobic interaction with the waxy layer is insufficient, resulting in limited penetration efficiency. This application describes a red imported fire ant bait formulation and preparation process based on tea saponin fatty acid esters. By chemically modifying the structure of tea saponin, this application specifically strengthens the hydrophobic interaction between tea saponin and the waxy layer of the insect's body wall, optimizes its amphiphilic balance, and significantly enhances its ability to destroy the waxy layer of the insect's body wall. in: Tea saponin fatty acid esters can effectively penetrate the waxy body wall of red imported fire ants, enhance their contact killing effect, significantly improve the poisoning efficiency against red imported fire ants, and thus effectively reduce their numbers. This application uses chemical modification to increase the hydrophobicity of tea saponin, making its interaction with the waxy layer of red imported fire ants stronger, which can quickly destroy their defense mechanism and improve the ant-killing effect. The sugar attractant and natural fragrance in the bait can effectively attract red imported fire ants to feed, ensuring that more ants come into contact with the active ingredients and enhancing the overall effect of the bait. In addition, the tea saponin used in this application is a plant-derived ingredient with natural origin, which has a lower environmental risk compared with traditional chemical pesticides and can reduce the negative impact on the ecological environment and non-target organisms. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0016] It should be understood that the step numbers used in the text are for ease of description only and are not intended to limit the order in which the steps are performed.

[0017] It should be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0018] The terms “comprising” and “including” indicate the presence of the described feature, whole, step, operation, element and / or component, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0019] The term “and / or” refers to any combination of one or more of the associated listed items, as well as all possible combinations, and includes these combinations.

[0020] In this implementation plan: the red fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid esters includes: Tea saponin fatty acid esters are specifically composed of tea saponin, long-chain fatty acids, and solvents. Tea saponins are extracted from tea leaves, with a purity controlled at over 90%. Stearic acid and palmitic acid are selected as long-chain fatty acids to ensure their molecular chain length. Anhydrous ethanol is selected as the solvent to ensure compatibility with tea saponins and fatty acids. The bait substrate is specifically composed of a mixture of corn flour, wheat flour, and soybean flour, with the ratio controlled at 2:1:0.5. Attractants are specifically composed of sugars and flavoring agents. The sugars can be either glucose or sucrose, and the flavoring agent is vanilla extract. Attractants can enhance the attractiveness of bait formulations. The humectant used is glycerin, which ensures that the bait retains moisture during storage. The filler, made of cellulose, is used to improve the physical properties of the feed.

[0021] Please see Figure 1 Based on the above-mentioned red imported fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid esters, a preparation process for the red imported fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid esters is proposed, including the following steps: Step 1: Extract a certain amount of tea saponins from tea leaves, and weigh out long-chain fatty acids for later use. Step 2: Add the weighed tea saponin and long-chain fatty acids to the reaction flask, along with a catalyst to catalyze the reaction. Then add anhydrous ethanol as a solvent to ensure the reactants are fully mixed. The catalyst is specifically concentrated sulfuric acid with a specific gravity of 1-2%; Step 3: Heat the reaction in an oil bath while stirring until the reaction is complete. After the reaction is complete, cool to room temperature. The oil bath heating reaction temperature needs to be controlled at 60-80 degrees Celsius, and the reaction time is 4-6 hours. The reaction status can be detected by thin-layer chromatography. Step 4: Wash the reaction solution with water to remove soluble impurities. Step 5: Extract and separate tea saponin fatty acid esters, and then remove the internal solvent to obtain pure tea saponin fatty acid esters. The extraction method is specifically selective solution extraction, and the solvent is removed by vacuum evaporation. Step Six: In a mixer, add the bait base and mix evenly, then add the attractant and mix thoroughly. Step 7: Then add the tea soap fatty acid ester obtained from the above steps and stir evenly until a viscous wet binder is formed. Step 8: Add appropriate amounts of humectant and filler as needed to adjust the humidity and physical state of the mixture; Step 9: Place the mixture in a mold to form small granules, then place it in a baking oven for drying to ensure its stability during storage; The internal temperature of the baking oven needs to be controlled at 40-50 degrees Celsius, and the moisture content of the bait needs to be reduced to below 10%.

[0022] Based on the above, this application involves an esterification reaction between the hydroxyl group (R-OH) of tea saponin and a long-chain fatty acid (such as stearic acid, C17H35COOH) to generate an ester derivative (R-OOC-C17H35). Simultaneously, a 17-carbon long-chain hydrophobic group is introduced, significantly enhancing the hydrophobic interaction with the wax layer. The reaction equation is as follows: ; Wherein R-OH: the simplified structure of tea saponin (R represents the saponin aglycone + sugar backbone, and -OH is a modifiable free hydroxyl group).

[0023] The formulation and preparation process of the red imported fire ant bait based on tea saponin fatty acid esters require on-site application evaluation. The specific steps are as follows: 1) Distribute the bait evenly in areas where red imported fire ants are frequently active, at a rate of 100-200 grams per square meter; 2) Based on the observation and record of bait consumption and changes in the activity of red imported fire ants in the area, regularly assess the changes in the number of red imported fire ants after baiting, and conduct statistical evaluations to determine the actual killing effect of the bait.

[0024] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the system embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions in the method embodiments.

[0025] Finally, it should be noted that the above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A red fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid esters, characterized in that, include: Tea saponin fatty acid ester, wherein the tea saponin fatty acid ester is specifically composed of tea saponin, long-chain fatty acids and solvent; The bait substrate is specifically composed of a mixture of corn flour, wheat flour, and soybean flour in a ratio of 2:1:0.

5. An attractant, specifically composed of sugars and flavoring agents, wherein the sugars may be glucose or sucrose, and the flavoring agent is vanilla extract. The attractant can enhance the attractiveness of the bait formulation. A humectant, selected from glycerin and honey, is used to ensure that the bait retains moisture during storage. The filler is selected from cellulose and bentonite, and is used to improve the physical properties of the feed.

2. The red fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid esters according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tea saponin is extracted from tea leaves, and its purity is controlled at over 90%. The long-chain fatty acids are stearic acid and palmitic acid, which can ensure the molecular chain length. The solvent is anhydrous ethanol to ensure compatibility with tea saponin and fatty acids.

3. The preparation process of a red imported fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid esters, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1: Extract a certain amount of tea saponins from tea leaves, and weigh out long-chain fatty acids for later use. Step 2: Add the weighed tea saponin and long-chain fatty acids to the reaction flask, along with a catalyst to catalyze the reaction. Then add anhydrous ethanol as a solvent to ensure the reactants are fully mixed. Step 3: Heat the reaction in an oil bath while stirring until the reaction is complete. After the reaction is complete, cool to room temperature. Step 4: Wash the reaction solution with water to remove soluble impurities. Step 5: Extract and separate tea saponin fatty acid esters, and then remove the internal solvent to obtain pure tea saponin fatty acid esters. Step Six: In a mixer, add the bait base and mix evenly, then add the attractant and mix thoroughly. Step 7: Then add the tea soap fatty acid ester obtained from the above steps and stir evenly until a viscous wet binder is formed. Step 8: Add appropriate amounts of humectant and filler as needed to adjust the humidity and physical state of the mixture; Step 9: Place the mixture in a mold to form small granules, then place it in a baking oven for drying to ensure its stability during storage.

4. The preparation process of the red imported fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid esters according to claim 3, characterized in that: The catalyst mentioned in step two is specifically concentrated sulfuric acid with a specific gravity of 1-2%.

5. The preparation process of the red imported fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid esters according to claim 3, characterized in that: The oil bath heating reaction temperature in step three needs to be controlled at 60-80 degrees Celsius, and the reaction time is 4-6 hours. The reaction status can be detected by thin-layer chromatography.

6. The preparation process of the red imported fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid esters according to claim 3, characterized in that: The extraction method described in step five is specifically selective solution extraction, and the solvent removal is specifically carried out by vacuum evaporation.

7. The preparation process of the red fire ant bait formulation based on tea saponin fatty acid esters according to claim 3, characterized in that: In step nine, the internal temperature of the baking oven needs to be controlled at 40-50 degrees Celsius, and the moisture content of the bait needs to be reduced to below 10%.

Images