Brown Algae Oral Composition for Tobacco Sensory Replication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tobacco cultivation has significant environmental impacts due to deforestation, chemical use, and soil nutrient depletion, and existing alternatives to tobacco products do not effectively replicate the sensory experience of traditional tobacco products.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the treatment of brown algae (Sargassum and Fucus species) through parboiling, soaking in sodium chloride and sodium carbonate solutions, and mixing with nicotine, tobacco flavor, or glycerine to create a composition that resembles tobacco products, reducing the need for tobacco cultivation and processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If tobacco plants are cultivated to produce oral tobacco products, then the product provides the desired sensory experience and nicotine delivery, but it causes severe environmental damage including deforestation, soil nutrient depletion, and chemical pollution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the copying principle by creating a brown algae-based product that replicates the sensory characteristics, texture, and appearance of traditional tobacco products without using tobacco plants. The processed brown algae mimics the mouthfeel and visual properties of tobacco leaves, providing a convincing alternative that satisfies consumer expectations while eliminating the environmental harm associated with tobacco cultivation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by fundamentally substituting the base material from tobacco plant leaves to brown algae, and by applying specific processing parameters (parboiling, soaking in sodium chloride and sodium carbonate solutions) to transform the algae into a product with tobacco-like properties. This material substitution and parameter optimization resolves the contradiction by achieving tobacco resemblance through non-tobacco means
2Object-affected harmful factors
If existing alternative products are used to substitute tobacco, then the environmental impact is reduced, but the products fail to replicate the sensory experience and texture of traditional tobacco products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the copying principle by creating a brown algae-based product that replicates the sensory characteristics, texture, and appearance of traditional tobacco products without using tobacco plants. The processed brown algae mimics the mouthfeel and visual properties of tobacco leaves, providing a convincing alternative that satisfies consumer expectations while eliminating the environmental harm associated with tobacco cultivation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining processed brown algae with other components to create a composite product that achieves the desired sensory experience. The combination of brown algae base material with additional ingredients produces a composite structure that mimics tobacco's texture and mouthfeel, resolving the contradiction between environmental sustainability and sensory quality
3Quantity of substance
If tobacco crops are processed to increase nicotine content through topping and de-suckering, then the nicotine yield increases, but the soil nutrient depletion is compounded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the copying principle by creating a brown algae-based product that replicates the sensory characteristics, texture, and appearance of traditional tobacco products without using tobacco plants. The processed brown algae mimics the mouthfeel and visual properties of tobacco leaves, providing a convincing alternative that satisfies consumer expectations while eliminating the environmental harm associated with tobacco cultivation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs the extraction principle by removing the problematic tobacco plant cultivation step entirely and extracting only the essential functional components needed for an oral product. By using brown algae as a substitute base material and extracting relevant polysaccharides and compounds, the invention achieves nicotine delivery and sensory experience without the harmful soil nutrient depletion caused by intensive tobacco farming practices
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resulting composition closely mimics tobacco products in texture and appearance while reducing environmental impact and offering potential therapeutic benefits, such as anti-viral activity, with a reduced content of volatile and water-soluble compounds.
Implementation Method 1
submitting a brown alga to parboiling
Implementation Method 2
soaking in an aqueous sodium chloride solution
Implementation Method 3
soaking in an aqueous sodium carbonate solution
Implementation Method 4
drying and/or cutting the brown alga after parboiling
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for obtaining a composition for oral use comprising alginate, fucoidan and laminaran of a brown alga, said method comprising submitting a brown alga to parboiling; soaking in an aqueous sodium chloride solution; and soaking in an aqueous sodium carbonate solution. The present invention also relates to compositions obtainable by such methods, and to compositions comprising alginate, fucoidan and laminaran of a brown alga, as well as medicinal use of such compositions, in particular in a method for prevention, treatment, or reducing risk, of a viral infection.