Oxygen Indicator Composition for Plastic Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a quick and easy method to check if oxygen has penetrated into air-sensitive medical products packaged in plastic, which are more permeable to air, potentially causing degradation, without using aids and ensuring the oxygen indicator remains visible for a few minutes after opening.
Innovation Solution
A mixture of resorufin or toluidine blue as organic redox dyes, combined with polyols and auxiliary substances like methyl cellulose or hydroxyethyl starch, incorporated into carrier materials, which undergoes a color change from colorless to intense colors upon oxidation, allowing clear visualization of oxygen exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If plastic outer packaging is used to replace glass packaging, then the packaging becomes lighter and cheaper, but oxygen permeability increases causing product degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies an oxygen indicator composition that changes color from yellow to black upon oxidation, providing visual detection of oxygen penetration through plastic packaging. This resolves the contradiction by enabling monitoring of oxygen permeability effects while maintaining the benefits of lightweight plastic packaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The indicator system creates an oxygen-sensitive monitoring environment within the packaging, detecting when oxygen penetrates the plastic barrier. This allows the use of plastic packaging while maintaining product protection through active oxygen detection.
2Reliability
If oxygen indicators are used to detect oxygen penetration, then product safety is improved, but the indicator must remain visible for several minutes after opening which complicates the formulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical parameters of the indicator system by using specific pyrogallol compounds, iron II salts, and organic acids to achieve both immediate color change upon oxygen exposure and sustained visibility for several minutes. The formulation parameters are optimized to maintain color intensity over the required time period.
3Productivity
If a quick and easy oxygen check method is implemented, then productivity is improved, but the method should not require additional aids which increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The oxygen indicator composition is designed to automatically detect and signal oxygen presence through intrinsic color change without requiring external power sources, instruments, or complex detection equipment. The packaging itself serves as the detection platform, eliminating the need for separate detection devices and enabling immediate visual assessment.
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 oxygen indicator provides a clear and durable color change that can be seen with the naked eye, ensuring the presence of oxygen is visible for several minutes after exposure, thus protecting air-sensitive medical products.
Implementation Method 1
In the presence of oxygen, the originally yellow composition turns black. The color change is due to an oxidation of iron-II to iron-III
Implementation Method 2
A mixture of resorufin or toluidine blue as organic redox dyes, combined with polyols and auxiliary substances like methyl cellulose or hydroxyethyl starch, incorporated into carrier materials, which undergoes a color change from colorless to intense colors upon oxidation
Data Source
AI summary
The aerator indicator has sodium salt, methylene blue, toluidine blue, organic redox dye, polyol, particularly glycerol, and water. A buffer agent is a phosphorus- or citrate buffer agent. Methyl cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, lysine, lysine-hydrochloride, magnesium stearate, or silicone, particularly gelatine or hydroxyethyl starch is used as auxiliary material. An ion exchanger has an anion- or cation exchanger made of polymer base or a polymer coal hydrate derivative. A reduction unit is made of glucose, sodium bisulfite, zinc, manganese chloride, N-acetycysteine, or ascorbic acid.