Fiber finish composition made using plant-based oils, its use and manufacturing

Abstract

This invention relates to a composition, suitable as a fiber finish, containing a mixture of fatty acid esters with the following shares of specific fatty acids, wherein the fatty acid composition is the result of the blending of two or more different plant-based oils. Further aspects of the present invention are a cellulosic fiber containing a fiber finish that comprises this composition, the use of this fiber for the manufacture of hygiene articles and for other sanitary, hygiene, medical and baby care products, for cosmetics and for applications to the damaged skin, and a process for the manufacture of the composition that includes a blending procedure of two or more different plant-based oils.

Description

[0001] Lenzing AG, PL0825-WO

[0002] Fiber finish composition made using plant-based oils, its use and manufacturing

[0003] This invention relates to a composition, suitable as a fiber finish, containing a mixture of fatty acid esters with the following shares of specific fatty acids, wherein the fatty acid composition is the result of the blending of two or more different plant-based oils. Further aspects of the present invention are a cellulosic fiber containing a fiber finish that comprises this composition, the use of this fiber for the manufacture of hygiene articles and for other sanitary, hygiene, medical and baby care products, for cosmetics and for applications to the damaged skin, and a process for the manufacture of the composition that includes a blending procedure of two or more different plant-based oils.

[0004] Prior Art

[0005] Menstrually occurring toxic shock syndrome, a severe and sometimes fatal multi-system disease associated with infection or colonization by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, has been linked to the use of tampons during menstruation. The disease is believed to be caused by toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 , the toxin produced by S. aureus strains-.

[0006] S. aureus growth on fibers therefore is an important parameter to be evaluated. However, the critical parameter to determine TSS risk increase is the TSST-1 production, which of course is linked to S. aureus growth but even more to environmental factors. For hygiene products, in particular products in contact with mucosal skin, such as intravaginal hygiene products, it is required to find a system that would not act antibacterial but would inhibit toxin production of certain bacteria, such as S. aureus.

[0007] Several attempts were made to protect the users of feminine hygiene products such as tampons from the toxic shock syndrome. One potentially promising approach seems to be the application of glycerol monolaurate (GML) to the feminine hygiene products. Lenzing AG, PL0825-WO

[0008] EP 0395099 A2 discloses the topical treatment of tampons or other absorbent hygiene products with a solution of GML and / or similar compounds in order to reduce the amount of toxins produced by bacteria. However, the treatment methods disclosed in EP 0395099 A2 will not work for the durable treatment of fibers and the topical treatment of semi-finished products like tampons requires additional process steps as well as additional, highly sophisticated devices for the handling of the semi-finished products.

[0009] EP 0483812 A1 discloses cotton fibers that are coated with GML, and the coated fibers are processed into tampons. However, according to the experience of the inventors of the present invention it is very problematic to coat fibers with pure GML in a way that allows regular processing of the fibers into tampons or other absorbent hygiene products. The GML coating is very sticky and therefore would cause big problems in the fiber processing devices such as cards.

[0010] EP 0483835 A1 discloses a liquid composition for use in intimate feminine hygiene such as douches, suppositories, gels, washes, as well as contraceptives. This liquid composition shall comprise a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and a compound which is effective to inhibit the production of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 by S. aureus bacteria when said product is exposed to said bacteria. The composition may comprise GML and / or lauric acid. The application to absorbent feminine hygiene products such as tampons is not mentioned and the disclosed compositions will not be suitable for such applications.

[0011] EP 1103276 A1 as well discloses the use of GML to inhibit the production of of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 by S. aureus bacteria, however only in its description of the prior art, while the invention claimed in EP 1103276 A1 concerns the use of ether, amine or amide compounds for the same purpose. EP 1103276 A1 does not mention blends of GML with the other compounds.

[0012] GML and similar compounds are also used in other sanitary, hygiene and medical products, such as wound care and others. Lenzing AG, PL0825-WO

[0013] DE 3309530 C1 discloses a hygienic absorption liner such as a topsheet, which is impregnated with a skincare composition which consists of triglycerides and / or partial glycerides of coconut oil fatty acids having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, also in mixtures with glycerides of other natural, plant-based fatty acids. Toxic shock syndrome as well as S. aureus bacteria are not mentioned in DE 3309530 C1 at all. This composition would not be applicable on tampons simply due to its application properties such as melting properties, etc..

[0014] EP 1371379 B1 also discloses absorbent articles containing a skincare composition on at least a portion thereof. According to EP 1371379 B1 this composition contains two components with skincare functions and a third component that functions as a cristallization accelerator, in order to enable an industrially feasible coating process. A suitable cristallization accelerator is, among others, GML because of its melting properties. The composition is in particular coated on topsheets of hygiene products such as diapers, incontinence pads and sanitary napkins that are in contact with the outer skin of humans. Toxic shock syndrome as well as S. aureus bacteria are not mentioned in EP 1371379 B1 at all. This composition would not be applicable on tampons simply due to its application properties such as melting properties, etc..

[0015] Problem

[0016] In view of this prior art there is still a need for a simple and economical way to obtain feminine hygiene products such as tampons and other products critical with regard to their application to the human body which reduce the production of toxins by bacteria such as toxic shock syndrome toxins by S. aureus bacteria. Furthermore, such products are desired to be made of renewable resources and to be biodegradable, in particular as the other compounds of those products, the fibers, can already fulfill both criteria.

[0017] Description Lenzing AG, PL0825-WO

[0018] It is an object of the present invention to provide a composition, suitable as a fiber finish, containing a mixture of fatty acid esters with the following shares of specific fatty acids, calculated as the shares of a pure fatty acid mixture: a. 10 - 50 weight-%, preferably 15 - 40 weight-%, more preferably 20 - 30 weight-% lauric acid, b. 1 - 20 weight-%, preferably 5 - 15 weight-%, more preferably 6 - 12 weight-% myristic acid and c. 5 - 89 weight-%, preferably 30 - 89 weight-%, more preferably 50 to 67 weight-% of unsaturated C18-fatty acid(s), wherein the fatty acid composition is the result of the blending of two or more different plant-based oils.

[0019] The unsaturated C18-fatty acid(s) may contain 1 or more unsaturated C-C- bonds per molecule, preferably between 1 and 5 unsaturated C-C-bonds per molecule, more preferably between 1 and 3 unsaturated C-C-bonds per molecule. Preferred unsaturated C18-fatty acids are one or more of the group containing oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid. The alcohol component(s) of the fatty acid esters may be any suitable alcohol component(s) used for the manufacture of known fiber finishes. In particular suitable are ethoxylated compounds, polyethylene glycols and polyethylene oxides. The concentration of the fatty acids in the composition according to the invention can be determined by the known methods of HPLC, in particular equipped with an Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD), and gas chromatography, in particular equipped with a Flame Ionization Detector (FID) or Mass Spectrometer (MS) detector, of the fatty acid esters.

[0020] The esterification of the fatty acid compositions according to the invention can be done by the generally known methods, e.g. by Fisher synthesis. It was found that the most suitable alcoholic components are polyethylene glycols (PEG) with a molecular weight of between 100 and 1000. It is common in the industry to identify PEGs by their molecular weights. For example, a PEG with a molecular weight of about 300 g / mol is named “PEG 300”. Other suitable alcoholic components are e.g. glycerin ethoxylates. Active contents of the fatty acid esters in the ready solution typically range from 50 to 100%. Lenzing AG, PL0825-WO

[0021] The composition according to the invention may be applied to the fibers in a fiber production plant by any usual fiber finishing device under usual process conditions. This is one of the big advantages of the present invention over the prior art where additional, expensive treatment steps and devices would have to be introduced into a production plant. The composition according to the invention may be applied in a quantity of between 0.05 and 0.30 % (w / w), preferably between 0.05 and 0.20 % (w / w), and especially preferred between 0.05 and 0.18 % (w / w), always in relation to the finished cellulose fiber, on the fiber surface. Lower quantities would result in poor processability of the fibers as well as unsufficiently low reduction of desired production of toxins by bacteria such as toxic shock syndrome toxins. Higher quantities would not only be economically disadvantageous but also would make the fibers more slippery and may cause poor processability of the fibers.

[0022] The fiber finish composition according to the invention as well as the fibers finished with this composition can be used for feminine hygiene products such as tampons as well as for other sanitary, hygiene and medical products (e.g. wound care), for baby care products (e.g. diapers and wet wipes), for cosmetics (prevention of acne etc.) and in general for all applications to the damaged skin (e.g. damaged by sunburn).

[0023] In a preferred embodiment the composition according to the present invention further contains 0,1 to 50 weight-%, preferably 1 ,0 to 10 weight-%, glycerol monolaurate (GML). It is known from the above-mentioned prior art that the application of GML to fibers, such as cellulosic fibers, may cause problems. Surprisingly it was found that by the composition of the invention as outlined above the GML can be applied to fibers in the same way as commonly known fiber finishes.

[0024] Preferably, the plant-based oils of the composition according to the invention are two or more from a group containing cocoa oil, rape seed oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, soy oil, palm seed oil, olive oil, peanut oil and maize oil. For economic reasons in particular cocoa oil, rape seed oil and sunflower oil are preferred. Lenzing AG, PL0825-WO

[0025] A further aspect of the present invention is a cellulosic fiber, containing a fiber finish, wherein the fiber finish comprises the composition according to the invention as described above. The cellulosic fiber may be any kind of fiber containing or consisting of cellulose molecules, for example a natural cellulose fiber or a man-made cellulose fiber. Preferred fiber types are a wood pulp fiber, a cotton fiber or a man-made cellulosic fiber. In particular preferred are man-made cellulose fibers such as a viscose fiber, a modal fiber, a lyocell fiber, a carbamate fiber or a recycled cellulosic fiber. These fibers may be in the form of individual fibers of definite or indefinite length. Furthermore, the composition according to the invention is in particular suitable for such fibers that are not contacted with water or other coatings or finishing agents in their further processing. The fiber according to the invention may contain between 0.05 and 0.30 % (w / w), preferably between 0.05 and 0.20 % (w / w), and especially preferred between 0.05 and 0.18 % (w / w), always in relation to the finished cellulose, of the composition according to the invention on its fiber surface.

[0026] Yet a further aspect of the present invention is the use of a fiber according to the invention as described above for the manufacture of hygiene articles, in particular for feminine care such as tampons, for other sanitary, hygiene and medical products such as wound care products, for baby care products such as diapers and wet wipes, for cosmetics, such as prevention of acne, and for all applications to the damaged skin, e.g. by sunburn.

[0027] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a process for the manufacture of a composition according to the invention as described above that includes a blending procedure of two or more different plant-based oils. “Different plantbased oils” according to the present invention means that the oils are derived from plants of different kinds, e.g. from cocoa and rape seed. Either the plantbased oils may be blended before esterification or the esterified fatty acid esters may be blended. In some embodiments of the present invention GML is added to the mix of fatty acids. Once the invention is known to the skilled in the art, the blending procedure is simple. The blending can be done by known procedures and devices, e.g. by gravimetrical methods. Suitable blending Lenzing AG, PL0825-WO devices are commercially available carding devices, in particular so-called fiber openers and fiber blenders.

[0028] The invention will now be illustrated by examples. These examples are not limiting the scope of the invention in any way. The invention includes also any other embodiments which are based on the same inventive concept

[0029] Examples

[0030] Cellulosic fibers to be coated with the compositions were viscose fibers of trilobal cross section with 3,3 dtex and a fiber length of 30mm, obtained by Lenzing Aktiengesellschaft (Viscostar).

[0031] Compositions, suitable as a fiber finish, were prepared as follows: Different oil sources were used as raw material. Triglycerides of the oil sources were esterified with Glycerinethoxylate or Polyethylenglycols as alcohol source by adjustment of pH and temperature. Fatty acid esters of two or more different oil sources, such as sunflower, rape seed and coconut, were then combined in 1 :1 blends by simple mixing to obtain the final finish. Additionally, 10% of Glycerin monolaurate (GML) were added to some of the blends as described in Tablel . Sample 3 is a reference sample without GML.

[0032] These compositions were applied to the fibers according to the standard finish procedure in the production process of cellulosic fibers: Fibers were immersed in a finish bath containing 1 g / l of the finish sample according to Table 1 with pH adjusted to 5 for 1 min at 70°C, dewatered to 70-130% (w / w) residual water content and dried at 60 °C for 8 hours to 10±5 % (w / w) residual water content. The finish content of the final fibers was measured by the commonly known methanol extraction method. Lenzing AG, PL0825-WO

[0033] Table 1 :

[0034] A so-called Sledge Test, an internal method of Lenzing Aktiengesellschaft for the evaluation of the processability of fibers, was performed on all fibers: Carded fibers were mounted on a sandpaper and fixed with a weight. A sensor, connected to the weight, measured the frequencies that were generated by fiber-fiber friction when the sandpaper moved slowly in longitudinal direction, thus taking the fibers along.

[0035] Table 2:

[0036] Table 2 shows the sledge test values for fibers finished with compositions with (samples 1 ,2,4,5) and without (sample 3) GML. Sledge force is representative for fiber-metal interaction, scroop force is representative for fiber-fiber interaction. Both forces give values (given in Newton [N]) for the effort that is required to separate fiber from metal or fiber from fiber. As one can see, GML- containing compositions result in similar values as compositions without. Thus, it is expected that processability of fibers coated with finishes with GML Lenzing AG, PL0825-WO is maintained and would give similar performance during production of tampons, wound dressings or others.

[0037] Brain heart infusion broth (11 mL) was incubated with 2,5 g of the different finished fiber samples in sterile plastic bags. As a blank a brain heart infusion sample without any fibers was used. All specimen were incubated with 105 cfu / mL of a S. aureus strain in plastic bags and the filled plastic bags kept vertically on a laboratory shaker table at 37°C for 8h. Thereafter excess air was removed and the bags were hermetically sealed. The samples were kneaded withing the bag for 5 seconds and subsequently the fluid was separated from the fibers by squeezing and separately collected for further analysis as follows: Flow cytometry and - for crosscheck of the results - inoculation of a trypticase soy agar plate were used for determining bacterial growth, expressed as cfu / ml (colony-forming units per ml). The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was used for determining the quantity of TSST-1 toxin formed by the bacteria (in [ng / ml]). The results were also given in wt.-%, compared to the amount of TSST-1 toxin formed in the reference blank sample BHI (i.e. without the fibers). The results are shown in Table 3 and Figs. 1 and 2. Table 3 further shows the composition of the fatty acid component in the fiber finish. The missing 9-10% in each sample are other fatty acids originating from the plant-based oil.

[0038] Table 3: Lenzing AG, PL0825-WO

[0039] Fig. 1a shows the quantity of S. aureus growth after 8h of incubation at 37°C, measured by FCM. Fig. 1 b shows the quantity of S. aureus growth after 8h of incubation at 37°C, measured by TSA. Fig. 2 shows the quantity of TSST-1 toxin produced after incubation with S. aureus for 8h at 37°C, measured by ELISA, in relation to the amount of TSST-1 toxin formed in the blank sample. From these results it can be clearly seen that compositions according to the invention, containing GML such as samples 1 ,2,4 and 5, suppress the formation of TSST-1 very significantly while number of S. aureus bacteria is not negatively influenced.

Claims

Lenzing AG, PL0825-WOClaims1. Composition, suitable as a fiber finish, containing a mixture of fatty acid esters, characterized by the following shares of specific fatty acids, calculated as the shares of a pure fatty acid mixture: a. 10 - 50 weight-%, preferably 15 - 40 weight-%, more preferably 20 - 30 weight-% lauric acid, b. 1 - 20 weight-%, preferably 5 - 15 weight-%, more preferably 6 - 12 weight-% myristic acid and c. 5 - 89 weight-%, preferably 30 - 89 weight-%, more preferably 50 to 67 weight-% of unsaturated C18-fatty acid(s), wherein the fatty acid composition is the result of the blending of two or more different plant-based oils.

2. Composition according to claim 1 , further containing 0,1 to 50 weight-%, preferably 1 ,0 to 10 weight-%, glycerol monolaurate.

3. Composition according to claim 1 , wherein the plant-based oils are two or more from a group containing cocoa oil, rape seed oil, sunflower oil, palm oil, soy oil, palm seed oil, olive oil, peanut oil and maize oil.

4. Cellulosic fiber, containing a fiber finish, characterized in that the fiber finish comprises a composition according to claim 1 .

5. Cellulosic fiber according to claim 4, wherein the fiber contains between 0.05 and 0.30 % (w / w), preferably between 0.05 and 0.20 % (w / w), and especially preferred between 0.05 and 0.18 % (w / w) of the composition according to claim 1 as a fiber finish on the fiber surface.

6. Use of a fiber according to claim 4 for the manufacture of hygiene articles, in particular for feminine care such as tampons, for other sanitary, hygiene and medical products such as wound care products, for baby care products such as diapers and wet wipes, for cosmetics, such as prevention of acne, and for all applications to the damaged skin, e.g. by sunburn.

7. Process for the manufacture of a composition according to claim 1 , characterized in that it includes a blending procedure of two or more different plant-based oils.

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