10.06.14
Absorbent products are highly subjected to deterioration. Bacteria are easily reproduced after the products absorb body fluids at ambient temperature and expose women to the danger of infection. For example, menstrual blood absorbed in the napkin contains not only the blood itself, but also the shedding of the endometrium, cervical mucus and vaginal secretions, which generates odor smell after contact with air, and prevent women from close contact with others. Diapers, which are used to absorb urine that contains water, urea and bacteria, also release ammonia odor and cause body infection. As a result, manufacturers are working to incorporate innovative functions into their disposable hygiene products including deodorization technology.
The disposable hygiene products industry has already introduced many odor control materials, regents, technologies and systems to prevent those unpleasant smells. Among which, odor absorption and odor masking technologies are most widely used traditionally. The key of the odor absorption technology is the absorbent, which could be activated carbon clays, zeolites, silicates, absorbent gelling materials, starch, cyclodextrin, or ion exchange resins. However, to physically absorb the unpleasant odor with odor controller so as to prevent it from penetrating into the surroundings is not sufficiently effective. We can’t completely stop the generation of odor.
On the other hand, the core of odor masking technology is to use flavors to cover the unpleasant smell, and to improve consumers’ experience as the product absorbs the fragrances and releases a fresh smell. However, this kind of technology also poses challenges because it is not compatible with the absorption controlling technology, because the flavors can be absorbed into and removed from the products in the existence of absorption products.
In addition, when applied, the existing deodorization agents such as silicone and bentonite or other porous materials are covered or impregnated by excrement, and are ineffective in odor covering or absorption. Take cyclodextrin as an example, it deodorizes the smelled substances because its small particles will encapsulate these substances. Nevertheless, the efficiency of cyclodextrin is negatively impacted before application, because while absorbing the moistures in the air, cyclodextrin also absorbs the chemicals in it.
Furthermore, cyclodextrin is easy to be removed from the absorbent articles, which also reduce its efficiency. Publications also showed there are polymers to be used as binders between cyclodextrin and the objective absorbent articles, but the side effect is, the touches of the absorbent articles will be down degraded.
So, for the disposable hygiene products manufacturing industry, it is critical to develop odor-controlling agents and systems that overcome the above mentioned shortages while improving safety, enhancing odor smell controlling properties as well as reducing cost and volume of additives. In some of the latest patented technologies, manufacturers have been focused on the study of combing odor-controlling systems with multi-components applications together.
The odor controlling system is far more complex than just incorporating some odor repelling content into absorbent articles. Instead, different odor controlling agents and systems that are compatible with each other should be working together. Therefore, before putting them together, the function mechanism of each ingredient should be studied independently and comprehensively. If we just put these different ingredients together, the effectiveness won’t be a simple accumulate of individual functions before mixture. So, the aim is to synergize the effects of these ingredients, and make the odor controlling system more technically compatible and meet requirements of broader applications, while at the same time, having an improved balance between cost and efficiency with a specific triggering system to enhance its functions and its service time.
Tea Polyphenols to the Rescue
A group of new patents illustrate how tea polyphenols are used in disposable hygiene products to achieve odor free effects. As we know, the reactive hydroxyl groups (-OH) in the molecule of polyphenols can stop the chain reaction of the free radicals in human bodies and eliminate 98% of the superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide radicals. At the same time, it could significantly eliminate the lipid peroxidation radicals, to protect the cell membrane and cell walls as well as check the production of a broad range of bacteria, and get rid of various odors.
Tea polyphenols used as odor controlling agent for disposable hygiene products has been around for a while. However, the shape and color of the powder, and its stability, cost and relatively narrow odor controlling range has limited its development in the industry. Patent No. 201210294576.4 technology extracts polyphenols based on water extraction process, which avoids the application of solvent, improves the safety of applying polyphenols in the products. Here, zeolite is used to absorb and separate tea polyphenols from solvents, and complete the extraction of tea polyphenols and the carrying of tea polyphenols by zeolite simultaneously, which simplifies the process. At the same time, it reduces the application cost of tea polyphenols, as high content tea polyphenols normally are extracted and separated by complex processes, which also means high production costs. However, with the simplified process, the cost of extraction of tea polyphenols is lower but still acts as an efficient odor controlling agent. The zeolite-contained polyphenols reduces application cost and ensures effectiveness by extracting high concentration tea polyphenols from low concentrated liquid.
Tea polyphenols-based patented technologies No.201210295366.7 and 201210294577.9 use cyclodextrin to wrap around tea polyphenols so as to stabilize it and prevent absorbent article stained by its color. In the patent No.201210294538.9 description, there are multiple ortho phenolic hydroxyls in the tea polyphenol molecules that act as multidentate ligand and form chelate ring with metal ion complexation. Polyphenols metal complexes are widely used as an anti-oxidation agent for its improved performance and dyers for its rich color palette. With the effective use of the odor controlling properties of tea polyphenols and metallic salt from tea polyphenols metal complexes, people can avoid the efficiency loss caused by the side reactions of other metallic reactions. At the same time, the coloring nature of tea polyphenols metal complexes also eliminate the negative effect of tea polyphenols color effects and additional costs by the application of pigments. The above-mentioned patents also elaborated on the easy processing and application forms of the tea polyphenols, which saves the dust and in-line application losses of the traditional flavor controlling powder.
From the above-mentioned patents, it is good to know that current odor resistant technologies have moved from simple single mix elements into synergizing multi-element functions, and systematic studies have been focused on its process, application format, and its distribution characteristics in final products. The overall patent arrangement is becoming rigorous and logical. As the study of the multidimensional, compatible odor controlling systems develops further, the reaction mechanism of different components, their multidimensional compatibility, polymer combination technologies as well as patent strategic arrangements may be the future research and development focus of the disposable hygiene products industry.
The disposable hygiene products industry has already introduced many odor control materials, regents, technologies and systems to prevent those unpleasant smells. Among which, odor absorption and odor masking technologies are most widely used traditionally. The key of the odor absorption technology is the absorbent, which could be activated carbon clays, zeolites, silicates, absorbent gelling materials, starch, cyclodextrin, or ion exchange resins. However, to physically absorb the unpleasant odor with odor controller so as to prevent it from penetrating into the surroundings is not sufficiently effective. We can’t completely stop the generation of odor.
On the other hand, the core of odor masking technology is to use flavors to cover the unpleasant smell, and to improve consumers’ experience as the product absorbs the fragrances and releases a fresh smell. However, this kind of technology also poses challenges because it is not compatible with the absorption controlling technology, because the flavors can be absorbed into and removed from the products in the existence of absorption products.
In addition, when applied, the existing deodorization agents such as silicone and bentonite or other porous materials are covered or impregnated by excrement, and are ineffective in odor covering or absorption. Take cyclodextrin as an example, it deodorizes the smelled substances because its small particles will encapsulate these substances. Nevertheless, the efficiency of cyclodextrin is negatively impacted before application, because while absorbing the moistures in the air, cyclodextrin also absorbs the chemicals in it.
Furthermore, cyclodextrin is easy to be removed from the absorbent articles, which also reduce its efficiency. Publications also showed there are polymers to be used as binders between cyclodextrin and the objective absorbent articles, but the side effect is, the touches of the absorbent articles will be down degraded.
So, for the disposable hygiene products manufacturing industry, it is critical to develop odor-controlling agents and systems that overcome the above mentioned shortages while improving safety, enhancing odor smell controlling properties as well as reducing cost and volume of additives. In some of the latest patented technologies, manufacturers have been focused on the study of combing odor-controlling systems with multi-components applications together.
The odor controlling system is far more complex than just incorporating some odor repelling content into absorbent articles. Instead, different odor controlling agents and systems that are compatible with each other should be working together. Therefore, before putting them together, the function mechanism of each ingredient should be studied independently and comprehensively. If we just put these different ingredients together, the effectiveness won’t be a simple accumulate of individual functions before mixture. So, the aim is to synergize the effects of these ingredients, and make the odor controlling system more technically compatible and meet requirements of broader applications, while at the same time, having an improved balance between cost and efficiency with a specific triggering system to enhance its functions and its service time.
Tea Polyphenols to the Rescue
A group of new patents illustrate how tea polyphenols are used in disposable hygiene products to achieve odor free effects. As we know, the reactive hydroxyl groups (-OH) in the molecule of polyphenols can stop the chain reaction of the free radicals in human bodies and eliminate 98% of the superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide radicals. At the same time, it could significantly eliminate the lipid peroxidation radicals, to protect the cell membrane and cell walls as well as check the production of a broad range of bacteria, and get rid of various odors.
Tea polyphenols used as odor controlling agent for disposable hygiene products has been around for a while. However, the shape and color of the powder, and its stability, cost and relatively narrow odor controlling range has limited its development in the industry. Patent No. 201210294576.4 technology extracts polyphenols based on water extraction process, which avoids the application of solvent, improves the safety of applying polyphenols in the products. Here, zeolite is used to absorb and separate tea polyphenols from solvents, and complete the extraction of tea polyphenols and the carrying of tea polyphenols by zeolite simultaneously, which simplifies the process. At the same time, it reduces the application cost of tea polyphenols, as high content tea polyphenols normally are extracted and separated by complex processes, which also means high production costs. However, with the simplified process, the cost of extraction of tea polyphenols is lower but still acts as an efficient odor controlling agent. The zeolite-contained polyphenols reduces application cost and ensures effectiveness by extracting high concentration tea polyphenols from low concentrated liquid.
Tea polyphenols-based patented technologies No.201210295366.7 and 201210294577.9 use cyclodextrin to wrap around tea polyphenols so as to stabilize it and prevent absorbent article stained by its color. In the patent No.201210294538.9 description, there are multiple ortho phenolic hydroxyls in the tea polyphenol molecules that act as multidentate ligand and form chelate ring with metal ion complexation. Polyphenols metal complexes are widely used as an anti-oxidation agent for its improved performance and dyers for its rich color palette. With the effective use of the odor controlling properties of tea polyphenols and metallic salt from tea polyphenols metal complexes, people can avoid the efficiency loss caused by the side reactions of other metallic reactions. At the same time, the coloring nature of tea polyphenols metal complexes also eliminate the negative effect of tea polyphenols color effects and additional costs by the application of pigments. The above-mentioned patents also elaborated on the easy processing and application forms of the tea polyphenols, which saves the dust and in-line application losses of the traditional flavor controlling powder.
From the above-mentioned patents, it is good to know that current odor resistant technologies have moved from simple single mix elements into synergizing multi-element functions, and systematic studies have been focused on its process, application format, and its distribution characteristics in final products. The overall patent arrangement is becoming rigorous and logical. As the study of the multidimensional, compatible odor controlling systems develops further, the reaction mechanism of different components, their multidimensional compatibility, polymer combination technologies as well as patent strategic arrangements may be the future research and development focus of the disposable hygiene products industry.