Claims
- 1. An oxygen scavenger to protect oxygen sensitive products, comprising: a hydrophilic porous supporting structure having a complex geometric configuration of hydrophilic surfaces and an enzyme system loaded on said hydrophilic surfaces to catalyze at said hydrophilic surfaces a reaction to consume the oxygen, wherein said hydrophilic porous supporting structure further comprises a membrane having pores of from about 0.01 .mu.m to about 20 .mu.m, and wherein said hydrophilic porous supporting structure further comprises a tactic, hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol) shell enveloping said surfaces while substantially retaining said complex geometric configuration.
- 2. The oxygen scavenger according to claim 1, wherein said enzyme system is loaded onto said surfaces in a water-miscible solvent system which wets said surfaces.
- 3. The oxygen scavenger according to claim 2, wherein said shell is between about an average of 10 monolayers to about an average of 4000 monolayers thick on said surfaces and said enzyme system is a layer in a minimally useful amount without blocking pores.
- 4. The oxygen scavenger according to claim 2, wherein said shell is substantially insoluble in water or organic solvents and the water and the oxygen in the reaction may penetrate said porous structure.
- 5. The oxygen scavenger according to claim 1, wherein pores of said structure permit the flow of oxygen and H.sub.2 O to said enzyme system loaded on said surfaces, in order to catalyze the reaction which consumes oxygen at said surfaces remote from the oxygen sensitive product.
- 6. The oxygen scavenger according to claim 1, wherein said enzyme system is selected from a group consisting of glucose oxidase; a glucose/glucose oxidase combination; a glucose oxidase/sucrose combination; a starch/amylase/glucose oxidase combination; a cellulose/cellulase/glucose oxidase combination; a milk powder/lactase/glucose oxidase combination; a glucose oxidase/fructose isomerase/fructose combination; a glucose oxidase/lactase/whey solids/lactose combination; a glucose/lactase/lactose combination; a glucose oxidase/maltase/starch combination; a glucose oxidase/maltase/maltose combination; a mushroom tyrosinase/tyrosine combination; a glucose oxidase/sucrose/sucrase combination; any combination of Edben-Meyerhoff-Citric Acid cycle enzymes; and combinations thereof.
- 7. An oxygen scavenging package to protect an oxygen sensitive product, comprising:
- (a) a barrier package capable of being sealed to minimize intrusion or molecular oxygen into the package, and
- (b) an oxygen scavenger according to claim 1;
- wherein pores of said structure permit the flow of oxygen and H.sub.2 O to said enzyme system loaded on said surfaces, in order to catalyze the reaction which consumes oxygen at said surfaces remote from the oxygen sensitive product.
- 8. The oxygen scavenging package according to claim 7 wherein said enzyme system is selected from the group consisting of of glucose oxidase; a glucose/glucose oxidase combination; a glucose oxidase/sucrose combination; a starch/amylase/glucose oxidase combination; a cellulose/cellulase/glucose oxidase combination; a milk powder/lactase/glucose oxidase combination; a glucose oxidase/fructose isomerase/fructose combination; a glucose oxidase/lactase/whey solids/lactose combination; a glucose/lactase/lactose combination; a glucose solids/lactose combination; a glucose/lactase/lactose combination; a glucose oxidase/maltase/starch combination; a glucose oxidase/maltase/maltose combination; a glucose oxidase/sucrose/sucrase combination; any combination of Ebden-Meyerhoff-Citric Acid cycle enzymes; and combinations thereof.
- 9. The oxygen scavenging package according to claim 7, wherein pores of said structure permit the flow of oxygen and H.sub.2 O to said enzyme system loaded on said surfaces, in order to catalyze the reaction which consumes oxygen at said surfaces remote from the oxygen sensitive product.
- 10. The oxygen scavenging package according to claim 7, wherein said supporting structure is a polyolefin membrane rendered hydrophilic and having pores of from about 0.01 .mu.m to about 20 .mu.m.
- 11. The oxygen scavenging package according to claim 10, wherein said hydrophilic porous supporting structure further comprises a tactic, hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol) shell enveloping said surfaces while substantially retaining said complex geometric configuration.
- 12. The oxygen scavenging package according to claim 10, wherein said enzyme system is loaded on said surfaces in a water-miscible solvent system which wets said surfaces.
- 13. The oxygen scavenging package according to claim 10, wherein said shell is between about an average of 10 monolayers to about an average of 4000 monolayers thick on said surfaces and said enzyme system is a layer in a minimally useful amount without blocking pores.
- 14. The oxygen scavenging package according to claim 10, wherein said shell is substantially insoluble in water or organic solvents and the water and the oxygen in the reaction may penetrate said porous structure.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/122,807 filed Sep. 16, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,127 which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/775,969 filed Nov. 8, 1991, abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/605,834 filed Oct. 30, 1990, abandoned, and a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/605,754 filed Oct. 30, 1990, abandoned, and a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/605,948 filed Oct. 30, 1990, abandoned, and a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/605,921 filed Oct. 30, 1990, abandoned, and a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/605,828 filed Oct. 30, 1990, abandoned, and a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/605,757 filed Oct. 30, 1990, abandoned. All prior related applications are incorporated by reference herein.
US Referenced Citations (55)
Foreign Referenced Citations (9)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0 203 459 |
May 1986 |
EPX |
0 272 923 |
Jun 1988 |
EPX |
0 359 925 |
Jul 1989 |
EPX |
0 370 657 |
Nov 1989 |
EPX |
28 17 854 |
Jan 1979 |
DEX |
50-139184 |
Jun 1975 |
JPX |
62-14903 |
Jan 1987 |
JPX |
62-277106 |
Dec 1987 |
JPX |
1 601 529 |
Oct 1981 |
GBX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (6)
Entry |
Harris, J. Polymer Sci., Part A-1, vol. 4, 665-677 (1965). |
Haas et al., J. Polymer Sci., vol. 22, 291-302 (1956). |
Ikada et al., "Blood Compatibility of Hydrophilic Polymers,", J. Biomedical Materials Research, 15:697-718, (1981). |
Sato et al., "Study on Interactions Between Plasma Proteins and Ploymer Surface", Polymer Journal, 16: No. 1, pp. 1-8 (1984). |
Saito, "On Food Quality Preservation By Means of Free Oxygen Absorber", Journal Yukaqaku, 28, No. 1, pp. 45-54 (1979) (Translated with pagination 1-23). |
Labuza et al., "Applications of Active Packaging for Improvement of Shelf Life and Nutritional Quality of CAP/MAP Foods", J. Food Processing and Preservation, 13:1-69 (1989). |
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
122807 |
Sep 1993 |
|
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
775969 |
Nov 1991 |
|
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
605834 |
Oct 1990 |
|