Patent Grant
6846786
The invention relates to bar compositions (e.g., beauty or toilet bar compositions), preferably soap bar compositions, comprising relatively low levels of surfactant and high levels of sugars. In particular, the invention relates to a process for making such bars to obtain “whiter” bars.
Traditionally, soap bars are composed of mixtures of soluble fatty acid soaps (which deliver lather benefits) and insoluble fatty acid soaps (which confer bar structure). For a variety of reasons, it may be desirable to reduce the levels of soluble and insoluble surfactant components in bar compositions, whether their components be soluble and insoluble fatty acid soaps or soluble and insoluble synthetic surfactant. High levels of surfactant, particularly if the surfactant is fatty acid soap for example, may decrease mildness.
A reduction in surfactant level, however, may have other consequences. For example, reduction in insoluble surfactant (e.g., insoluble fatty acids) must be accompanied by an increase in the level of fillers or other ingredients which in turn may lead to higher rates of wear. Also, for example, it would be expected that a reduced level of soluble surfactant would decrease foam generation, whereas foam is a desirable consumer cue of good cleansing.
As noted, it might be expected that reducing the level of surfactant (e.g., to increase mildness) and replacing the surfactant instead with fillers would lead to high rates of bar wear and poor foam properties (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,462,002 to Saxena et al.).
Unexpectedly, however, applicants have found that it is possible to avoid or minimize the use of insoluble fatty acids (which enhance structure but inhibit foam) by using bars which have initially high levels (e.g., greater than about 40%) of sugar. The high levels of sugar have been found to confer structure even with little or no insoluble fatty acid, while avoiding the foam depressing effects of insoluble fatty acids. Further, because of the low surfactant levels, the bars provide enhanced mildness. Further, the sugars (e.g., sucrose and disaccharides) are inexpensive and can easily be incorporated into soap bars.
Bars disclosed in the art typically may have relatively high levels of surfactants and relatively low levels of hydrophilic emollients. WO 02/50226 (Unilever), for example, discloses a low water cleansing bar comprising 15% to 60% by wt. surfactant and hydrophilic emollient (which may include polyhydric alcohols such as glycerine and propylene glycol, and polyols such as polyethylene glycols) at levels of 5 to 20%.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,376,441 B1 to Ross et al. discloses multi-phase melt cast bars wherein, according to the examples, soap is present at about 40% by wt. and the level of sugar is about 16.8% (delivered as a 70% sucrose solution in water).
Other documents of interest may include the following: U.S. Pat. No. 6,458,751 to Abbas et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,384,000 to McFann et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,383,999 to Coyle et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,812 to Allan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,174,845 to Rattinger et al.; WO 2002/061030 to Abbas et al., and WO 01/58422 to Coyle et al.
In none of the art is there believed disclosed bars having relatively low levels (e.g. less than about 25% by wt.) of surfactants comprising soluble fatty acid soaps and detergents and little (less than 5%, preferably less than 3%, more preferably less than 2% and most preferably less than 1%) or no insoluble fatty acid soaps; all in combination with high levels (greater than about 40%, preferably greater than about 50%) of sugars. Further, there is no disclosure that bars of such composition were they hypothetically even made, could avoid browning only if processed in a particular way.
In this regard, a second embodiment of the invention relates to a process for making sugar bars noted above and, in particular to a process for making whiter bars by ensuring that a glass transition modifier which is used in the composition is added after the neutralization of fatty acid.
The present invention comprises bar compositions, preferably surfactant bar compositions, more preferably fatty acid soap and optionally synthetic detergent compositions comprising:
A second embodiment of the invention relates to a process for making whiter, sugar bars as noted which process comprises first mixing water and sugar or sugars and heating from about 60° to 90° C., preferably about 70° to 85° C.; once homogeneous, adding surfactant (e.g., lauric or other fatty acid) and maintaining temperature; neutralizing, for example, fatty acid (e.g., with NaOH); only then adding glass transition modifier (and optional minors); and pouring and casting soap bars.
The present invention relates to bar compositions having less than about 25% surfactant, more than about 40% sugar and about 5% to 25% glass transition temperature modifier. Moreover, the surfactant comprises predominantly soluble fatty acid soap and detergent and the amount of insoluble fatty acid soap is less than about 5% of the bar composition.
Previously, it has not been considered to prepare relatively low surfactant, high sugar bars because the removal of insoluble fatty acid soaps (and replacement with filler) would have been believed to lead to high wear or mush rate (caused by the increased fillers replacing insoluble fatty acid soap or synthetic) and/or to reduced foam levels (caused by reduced soluble fatty acid soaps which soluble soaps help foaming).
For purpose of the invention, soluble fatty acid soaps are defined as soaps soluble in water to at least 2% at 35° C.; and insoluble soaps are those failing this criteria.
More specifically, the bar compositions of the invention comprise:
The bar compositions of the invention are unique in that they comprise low total surfactant (less than 25%, including little or no insoluble fatty acid), and high sugars, and yet maintain good foaming (e.g. sugar does not depress foam) and low mush (e.g., sugar “fillers” used in place of insoluble surfactant provide structure and do not enhance mush).
In addition, in another embodiment, applicants have found that only if the glass transition modifier used to make the bars is added after neutralization, will the bar have whiter, cleaner appear ance.
The principal surfactant of the subject invention (which surfactant comprises less than about 25% of bar composition) is soap, technically referred to as salts of C8 to C22 fatty acid. These fatty acids may be natural or synthetic aliphatic (alkanoic or alkenoic) acid salts. Soaps having the fatty acid distribution of coconut oil may provide the lower end of the broad molecular weight range and are generally referred to as “soluble” fatty acid soaps, as defined above. Those soaps having the fatty acid distribution of peanut, tallow or rapeseed oil, or their hydrogenated derivatives (e.g. C14 or C16 and higher), may provide the upper end of the molecular weight range and are generally referenced to as insoluble fatty acid soap.
In general soap making, it is preferred to use soaps having the fatty acid distribution of coconut oil or tallow, or mixtures thereof, since these are among the more readily available fats. The proportion of fatty acids having at least 12 carbon atoms in coconut oil soap is about 85%. The proportion will be greater when mixtures of coconut oil and fats such as tallow, palm oil, or non-tropical nut oils or fats are used, wherein the principal chain lengths are C16 and higher. For the purposes of this invention, in which the levels of insoluble fatty acid are low or even zero, it is preferred to use primarily coconut oil soaps and mixtures of coconut oil soap and synthetic detergents. Specifically, insoluble fatty acid soaps comprise less than 5%, preferably less than 3%, more preferably less than 2% and most preferably less than 1% of bar composition.
The soaps may contain unsaturation in accordance with commercially acceptable standards. Excessive unsaturation is normally avoided.
Salt counterions to the fatty acid may be those selected from alkali, ammonium or alkanolammonium ions. The term alkanolammonium refers to one, two or three C1-C4 hydroxyalkyl groups substituted onto a nitrogen cation, the triethanolammonium cation being the species of choice. Suitable alkali metal cations are those of potassium and sodium, the latter being preferred.
As indicated, the level of total surfactant should be less than about 25% by wt., preferably less than 20% by wt. of total bar composition. The soap itself (e.g., C8 to C22 fatty acid salt but preferably C8 to C12 fatty acid salt) comprises greater than 75%, preferably greater than 90% of the surfactant system with the remainder from a synthetic surfactant or detergent.
In this regard, the bar may tolerate small levels of surfactant other than soap (i.e. synthetic detergent) although as noted, total surfactant (including soap) is less than about 25% by wt. of bar composition.
The surfactant may include surfactants selected from the group consisting of anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, nonionic surfactants and mixtures thereof.
Anionic Surfactants
Anionic surfactants include, but are certainly not limited to aliphatic sulphate, aliphatic sulfonate (e.g., C8 to C22 sulfonate or disulfonate), aromatic sulfonate (e.g., alkyl benzene sulfonate), alkyl sulfoccinates, alkyl and acyl taurates, alkyl and acyl sarcosinates, sulfoacetates, alkyl phosphates, carboxylates, isethionates, etc.
Zwitterionic and Amphoteric Surfactants
Zwitterionic surfactants are exemplified by those which can be broadly described as derivatives of aliphatic quaternary ammonium, phosphonium, and sulfonium compounds, in which the aliphatic radicals can be straight or branched chain, and wherein one of the aliphatic substituents contains from about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms and one contains an anionic group, e.g., carboxy, sulfonate, sulfate, phosphate, or phosphonate. A general formula for these compounds is:
wherein R2 contains an alkyl, alkenyl, or hydroxy alkyl radical of from about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms, from 0 to about 10 ethylene oxide moieties and from 0 to about 1 glyceryl moiety; Y is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur atoms; R3 is an alkyl or monohydroxyalkyl group containing about 1 to about 3 carbon atoms; X is 1 when Y is a sulfur atom, and 2 when Y is a nitrogen or phosphorus atom; R4 is an alkylene or hydroxyalkylene of from about 1 to about 4 carbon atoms and Z is a radical selected from the group consisting of carboxylate, sulfonate, sulfate, phosphonate, and phosphate groups.
Amphoteric detergents which may be used in this invention include at least one acid group. This may be a carboxylic or a sulphonic acid group. They include quaternary nitrogen and therefore are quaternary amido acids. They should generally include an alkyl or alkenyl group of 7 to 18 carbon atoms. They will usually comply with an overall structural formula:
The nonionic which may be used includes in particular the reaction products of compounds having a hydrophobic group and a reactive hydrogen atom, for example aliphatic alcohols, acids, amides or alkyl phenols with alkylene oxides, especially ethylene oxide either alone or with propylene oxide. Specific nonionic detergent compounds are alkyl (C6-C22) phenols-ethylene oxide condensates, the condensation products of aliphatic (C8-C18) primary or secondary linear or branched alcohols with ethylene oxide, and products made by condensation of ethylene oxide with the reaction products of propylene oxide and ethylenediamine. Other so-called nonionic detergent compounds include long chain tertiary amine oxides, long chain tertiary phosphine oxides and dialkyl sulphoxides.
The nonionic may also be a sugar amide, such as a polysaccharide amide. Specifically, the surfactant may be one of the lactobionamides described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,279 to Au et al. which is hereby incorporated by reference or it may be one of the sugar amides described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,814 to Kelkenberg, hereby incorporated into the subject application by reference.
Other surfactants which may be used are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,723,325 to Parran Jr. and alkyl polysaccharide nonionic surfactants as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,647 to Llenado, both of which are also incorporated into the subject application by reference.
Sugars
The commonly occurring crystallizable sugars belong to the class of mono-and disaccharides (Food Theory and Applications, edited by Pauline C. Paul and Helen H. Palmer, Wiley, New York, 1972, ISBN 0-471-67250-5). The class of monosaccharides includes dextrose, fructose, and galactose. The class of disaccharides includes sucrose, the most commonly used sweetener in the confectionery industry and the ingredient usually implied when the term “sugar” is used. Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose residues joined by an α,β-glycosidic bond. Other common disaccharides include lactose, maltose, palatinose, and leucrose.
Glass Transition Temperature Modifiers
Non-crystalline or rock candies are formed when supersaturated sugar solutions are cooled to below their glass transition temperature (Tg), at which point a glassy phase forms. The glass transition temperature of a given mono- or disaccharide solution depends on the mono- or disaccharide itself, its concentration in water, and the presence of glass transition modifiers (H. Levine and L. Slade, “Cryostabilization Technology: Thermoanalytical Evaluation of Food Ingredients and Systems”, in Thermal Analysis of Foods, edited by V. R. Harwalkar and C. Y. Ma, Elsevier, 1990, pp 221-305). Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the role of glass transition temperature modifiers in the present invention is to raise the glass transition temperature of the sugars component of the bar and so increase the bar hardness. For the purpose of this invention, glass transition modifiers are chosen from three distinct classes of compounds, corn sweeteners, water soluble vinyl polymers, and modified, water soluble, celluloses and starches.
Corn Sweeteners
Corn sweeteners are a class of sweeteners derived from corn by hydrolyzing corn starch polymers down into poly-dextrose units of various lengths. The degree of conversion of the starch molecule is measured by the dextrose equivalent, D.E., which refers to the percent of reducing sugars calculated as dextrose on a dry weight basis. Higher D.E. corn sweeteners are more highly converted and have lower molecular weights. Depending on the degree of conversion of the starch molecule, corn sweeteners are classified as follows:
The degree of conversion affects the functionality of the corn sweetener, lower DE corn sweeteners have a greater effect on increasing the glass transition temperature of their mixtures with sugars. An important class of corn sweeteners in this regard are the maltodextrins, hydrolyzed from starch to a D.E. of less than 20. A comprehensive series of maltodextrins are manufactured by the Grain Processing Corporation under the tradename Maltrin.
Another example is Karo syrup which is a low conversion corn sweetener having a DE of about 32.
Water Soluble Vinyl Polymers
Various water soluble vinyl polymers can be useful as glass transition modifiers as discussed in the Levine and Slade reference noted above. A copy of the reference is hereby incorporated by reference into the subject application. These include poly vinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and poly ethylene glycol (PEG). Additional water soluble vinyl polymers found useful as glass transition temperature modifiers include poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) and poly vinyl acetate PVAc).
Modified, Water Soluble, Celluloses and Starches
Cellulose and starch derivatives, modified for enhanced water solubility, can also serve as efficient glass transition modifiers. Various modified or derivatized starches can be utilized, including the starch ethers such as hydroxyethyl and hydroxypropyl ether starch. The class of polymers known as cellulose ethers, formed by alkylation of cellulose, are also effective as glass transition modifiers. Cellulose is a linear, unbranched polysaccharide composed of glucopyranose monosaccharide units linked through their 1,4 positions by the β-anomeric configuration (Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia, Volume 5, Fourth Edition, ISBN: 0-471-52695-3). The three hydroxyl units per glucopyranose residue can each serve as active sites for ether formation, yielding a maximum degree of substitution (DS) of 3. For water solubility, a DS value of 0.4-2 is generally required. Useful cellulose ethers include hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), methyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, and hydroxypropyl cellulose. Commercial examples of HEC include the Cellosize line of products from Dow Chemical Company. Examples of methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose are marketed under the trade name Methocel by Dow Chemical Company.
Processing
Bars of the invention were made by a cast melt process whereby all materials were melted and poured into a mold. The bar materials harden in the mold.
The key to the subject process invention, however, is that applicants have discovered that order of addition is critical to final appearance of the bar. Thus, while adequate bars can be made whether glass transition temperature modifier is added before or after neutralization, addition of the modifier (as well as minors) after neutralization (i.e., of fatty acids) leads to whiter, more desirable bars.
More specifically, the process of the invention comprises as follows:
Except in the operating and comparative examples, or where otherwise explicitly indicated, all numbers in this description indicating amounts or ratios of materials or conditions of reaction, physical properties of materials and/or use are to be understood as modified by the word “about”.
Where used in the specification, the term “comprising” is intended to include the presence of stated features, integers, steps, components, but not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.
The following examples are intended to further illustrate the invention and are not intended to limit the invention in any way.
Unless indicated otherwise, all percentages are intended to be percentages by weight and all ranges are intended to include not only the ends of the ranges, but all ranges subsumed between the ends as well.
Protocols Used in Invention
Procedure for lather generation from bars:
Procedure for determining wear rate
7. Calculate rate of wear=(initial weight−final weight).
In each of the examples below, bars were prepared by heating and mixing the sugar, the glass transition modifier (Tg modifier), surfactant and water; pouring into a mold and cooling to harden.
As seen from the examples, applicants were able to prepare bars in which the sugar was effectively functioning as structurant (because of the presence of glass modifier) and, accordingly, it was possible to prepare bars with low levels of surfactant (mostly soluble fatty acid soaps) and extremely low levels or absence of insoluble fatty acid soaps. From Comparative 1 it can be seen that, where Tg modifier is not used, the sugar recrystallized and product is unstable.
Several points should be noted:
In order to show that preparation of sugar structured bars did not negatively impact bar properties (as might have been expected), applicants prepared (in the same 5 manner noted for examples above) Examples 11-12 and compared to Comparatives 2 and 3 (which are not sugar structured) as shown below:
It can be seen that Example 11 and 12 show that bars can be prepared using blends of synthetic (sodium dodecyl sulphate) and conventional soap. Further, one can observe the effect of two different modifiers on bar properties.
In the examples, one can also compare the performance of product of the invention relative to two commercial products, Dove® and Lux®.
As can be seen, the sugar structured products of the invention had enhanced lather relative to Lux®. Further, the sugar structured bars had enhanced wear (lower value) relative to Dove®.
In short, it can be seen not only that, quite unexpectedly, it is possible to make the sugar structured bars, but also it can be seen that they can be made without sacrificing user properties.
In order to show the dramatic difference between bars made according to the process of the invention (Tg modifier after neutralization) and bars made by process otherwise identical, except that glass modifier is added before neutralization, applicants conducted experiments as noted below:
Process for Making Sugar Bars
A direct side by side of the two shows that, when Tg modifier was added after neutralization, bar was far whiter (right side of FIG. 3).
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5194172 | Taneri et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
| 5910476 | Kinsman et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
| 5919744 | Lazarowitz | Jul 1999 | A |
| 6046147 | Cassady et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
| 6174845 | Rattinger et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
| 6224812 | Allan et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6376441 | Ross et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
| 6383999 | Coyle et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
| 6384000 | McFann et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
| 6458751 | Abbas et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
| 6462002 | Saxena et al. | Oct 2002 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 0158422 | Aug 2001 | WO |
| 0250226 | Jun 2002 | WO |
| 02061030 | Aug 2002 | WO |
