Sprayable Liquid Oral Composition With Low Water Activity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing smokeless tobacco products lack effective formulations that deliver flavors and active ingredients while maintaining stability and reducing microbial growth, particularly in liquid forms.
Innovation Solution
A liquid oral composition comprising water, flavoring agents, active ingredients, and additional components like sweeteners, humectants, and alkali metal salts, which control water activity to below 0.85, ensuring microbial stability and sprayability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If water content is increased to improve sprayability and oral delivery, then microbial growth is promoted, but storage stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by controlling the water activity (aw) of the liquid composition to be 0.85 or lower through the selection and combination of specific ingredients (sweeteners, humectants, alkali metal salts). This parameter control allows the composition to maintain high water content for sprayability while preventing microbial growth by reducing the effective water activity, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining water with multiple functional ingredients (sweeteners like sugar alcohols, humectants like glycerin, and alkali metal salts) to create a liquid composition that simultaneously achieves sprayability and microbial stability. The composite formulation works synergistically to control water activity while maintaining liquid properties
2Reliability
If water activity is reduced to below 0.85 to inhibit microbial growth, then storage stability is improved, but sprayability and oral delivery may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent precisely controls the water activity parameter to be 0.85 or lower while maintaining sprayability by carefully selecting ingredient combinations. The specific ratios of sweeteners, humectants, and alkali metal salts are optimized to achieve the target water activity without compromising the liquid flow properties needed for spraying
Solution Approach 2:
The composite liquid composition incorporates multiple ingredients that work together to achieve the desired water activity level. The combination of sweeteners, humectants, and alkali metal salts creates a synergistic effect that reduces water activity to inhibit microbes while preserving the liquid's sprayable characteristics
3Device complexity
If conventional smokeless tobacco formats are used, then product structure is simple, but flavor delivery and active ingredient stability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the conventional solid/particulate smokeless tobacco format into a liquid composition with controlled water activity. This parameter change from solid to liquid state enables superior flavor delivery and active ingredient stability while maintaining a relatively simple product structure that can be applied directly to the oral cavity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite liquid composition that integrates water, sweeteners, humectants, alkali metal salts, and active ingredients into a unified formulation. This composite approach enhances flavor delivery efficacy and ingredient stability compared to conventional formats, while the liquid nature simplifies the overall product structure and application method
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 composition effectively delivers flavors and active ingredients while reducing microbial growth, enhancing storage stability and oral delivery efficacy.
Implementation Method 1
the composition has a water activity (Aw) of about 0.85 or lower
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides liquid compositions configured for oral use, the liquid composition comprising water in an amount of about 40% by weight or higher, based on total weight of the composition, a flavoring agent or an active ingredient or both a flavoring agent and an active ingredient, and one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of sweeteners, humectants, and alkali metal salts, wherein the composition has a water activity (Aw) of about 0.85 or lower. The liquid compositions are generally suitable for spraying into the oral cavity.