Ethanol-Reduced Alcoholic Beverage Extracts for E-Cigarette Flavoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current e-cigarette flavorings with alcoholic themes, such as wine, beer, and spirits, often use artificial flavors and significant amounts of ethanol, resulting in poor flavor quality and an unnatural sensory experience for users.

Innovation Solution

An aerosolizable formulation comprising one or more aerosol-forming agents and a flavoring agent that is an extract obtained from an alcoholic beverage, with the extract containing less than about 5% v/v ethanol, is used to provide a natural and high-quality flavor experience.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If artificial flavors and significant amounts of ethanol are used in e-cigarette formulations, then the alcoholic flavor theme is achieved, but the flavor quality deteriorates and the sensory experience becomes unnatural

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveethanol contentVSAvoidflavor quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes ethanol from alcoholic beverage flavors, retaining only the desired flavor compounds. This is achieved through extraction processes that separate the flavor-active components from the ethanol solvent, allowing the formulation to achieve alcoholic flavor themes without significant ethanol content, thereby resolving the contradiction between ethanol quantity and flavor quality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the flavoring agent by using ethanol-reduced extracts instead of traditional ethanol-based artificial flavors. This parameter change maintains the sensory characteristics of alcoholic beverages while reducing ethanol content to below detectable or significant levels, thus improving flavor quality and naturalness without sacrificing the alcoholic theme

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If artificial flavors are used to achieve alcoholic themes, then the desired flavor theme is obtained, but consumer satisfaction deteriorates due to poor flavor quality

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflavor theme availabilityVSAvoidconsumer satisfaction
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates authentic copies of alcoholic beverage flavors by using actual extracts from alcoholic beverages rather than artificial synthetics. These extracts capture the true sensory profile of wines, beers, spirits, and cocktails, providing accurate flavor themes that meet consumer expectations and improve satisfaction while maintaining the versatility of offering various alcoholic flavor themes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Strength

If significant amounts of ethanol are used in flavor formulations, then the alcoholic character is enhanced, but the sensory experience becomes unnatural and consumer satisfaction is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealcoholic character intensityVSAvoidsensory experience quality
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful aspect of high ethanol content (which creates unnatural sensory experience) into a benefit by using ethanol as an extraction solvent that is then removed. The ethanol serves its useful purpose of extracting flavor compounds from alcoholic beverages, and then is eliminated from the final formulation, leaving only the beneficial flavor characteristics without the harmful sensory effects of high ethanol

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS12295401B2Aerosolisable formulation
Publication Date: 2025.05.13 NICOVENTURES HOLDINGS LIMITED

AI summary

An aerosolizable formulation having one or more aerosol-forming agents and a flavoring agent being an extract obtained from an alcoholic beverage, and wherein the extract contains less than about 5% v/v ethanol. A process for forming an aerosolizable formulation, forming an aerosol from the aerosolizable formulation, a contained aerosolizable formulation, an electronic aerosol provision system and the use of an extract obtained from an alcoholic beverage as a flavoring agent in an electronic aerosol provision system, wherein the extract contains less than about 5% v/v ethanol.