US2107559A - Carbonated beverage - Google Patents

Description

Patented Feb. v 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- CARBONATED BEVERAGE delphia, Pa.

No Drawilm.

Application November 14, 1935,

Serial No. 49,858

7 Claims.

My invention relates to carbonated beverages and more particularly to a means of carbonating liquids by the use of a mixture of a carbonate and/or bicarbonate with an acid, said mixture being compressed into a single tablet as hereinafter described.

For many years one of the means of carbonating beverages has consisted in adding powders of various compositions to the liquid to be carbonated. This method has a very serious vdisadvantage in that the evolution of the gas at or near the surface of the liquid is so rapid that much of the gas escapes before it has had time to carbonate the liquid. Another disadvantage of such powders is that even such gas as does not escape at once is evolved in the upper portion of the liquid body and as a result mechanical means must be resorted to in order to achieve carbonation in the lower levels. As a result, beverages so carbonated have a tendency to be flat and to lose what little life they do have in a relatively short time. I have discovered that these disadvantages may be obviated by producing the carbon dioxide in the lower levels of the liquid. Carbon dioxide, being a gas, rises as soon as it is evolved and in so doing it is for the most part used up in the formation of carbonic acid by combining with the water on the way to the surface. In order to produce carbon dioxide in the lower levels I use a tablet which is heavier than an equal volume of water. This tablet is so constructed that it stays at the bottom of the liquid during all stages of its decomposition but of course I may vary the level at which it decomposes by mechanical means.

Another difliculty in the use of these carbonating powders is the problem of controlling the speed with which they react. If. the reaction goes too rapidly ortoo slowly the resultant carbonation is unsatisfactory; thus the control of the reaction time is of prime importance.

I have also discovered that when a tablet is used, the rate of evolution of carbon dioxide is a. factor of great importance in the ultimate carbonation. If this evolution is too rapid, one of the disadvantages inherent in the old use of powders is present; that is to say, in the too rapid evolution there is too great an escape of carbon dioxide. On the other hand, if the evolution of gas is too slow, the result is unsatisfactory because the beverage has had time to lose some of its life in the time during which the tablet is decomposing. I have discovered a method hereinafter described of controlling this reaction time and I have thus made it feasible to use a single tablet for the carbonation of liquids.

Therefore, one object of my invention is to provide a means whereby carbonic acid and carbon dioxide can. be produced in a beverage by dissolving a single tablet therein. A further object is the production of a carbonating tablet containing the above ingredients, said tablet being stable when dry and yielding carbonic acid and carbon dioxide when in contact with water. A further object is the production of a carbonating means which is controlled as to its reaction time.

In carrying out my invention I use alkali or alkaline earth, carbonates or bicarbonates, either alone or mixed. I prefer to use sodium bicarbonate because of its cheapness and uniform action. As an acid I use organic alpha-hydroxy acids innocuous to health such as malic acid,

- citric acid or tartaric acid, either alone or inadmixture. However, in place of. these organic acids or in addition thereto I may use inorganic hydrogen ion producing substances such as the alkali bisulphates. I prefer to use sodium or potassium bisulphate. The acid phosphates such as monosodium phosphate may also be used.

As a sweetening agent I use saccharine. As flavoring'ingredients I use the usual dry extracts or oils and for coloring I use the vegetable colors which are suitable for human consumption.

, The following is a description of one method of preparing my carbonating tablets. I use the following ingredients in the amounts stated:

Sodium bicarbonate gram 1 Tartaric acid do.. 1 Saccharine do 0.05 Flavor cc 0.02 Color q. 5. ad.

The sodium bicarbonate and the saccharine are ground together in a mortar to which the flavoring and coloring are then added. The tartaric acid is thoroughly ground in a separate mortar. The material in these two mortars is then transferred to the die of a press. I have discovered that the reaction time referred to above can be controlled by varying the manner in which the materials are put intothe die. For a tablet of very long reaction time, the substances are thoroughly mixed prior to placing them in the die. In order to get a tablet having a reaction time of sixty seconds or less, I have found that it is necessary to introduce the bicarbonate and the acid alternately into the die in small amounts. The amount of each alternate addition to the die has a definite efiect on the reaction time of the completed tablet. I have found that the best results are obtained when the bicarbonate and acid are put into the die in about a total of sixteen portions. This corresponds to an addition of one eighth of a gram of bicarbonate followed by one eighth of a gram of acid, and so on until all of the material has been introduced into the die. However, I may vary these amounts for either or both substances. Pressure is then applied in an amount suflicient to give a firm tablet.

In addition to accomplishing better carbonation than the powders heretofore used, my tablet has certain practical advantages. Due to its size and form, my tablet is much easier to handle and transport and it will be easier to market than a bulky powder. It is also very much easier to use. The tablet is simply dropped into the liquid to be carbonated and no further attention need be given it. At the end of the predetermined carbonation period the beverage is carbonated and ready for consumption.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A carbonating tablet the essential ingredients of which are an alkali carbonate and an acid juxtaposed in alternate layers, the carbonate and the acid being intimately associated at the juncture of the layers and not elsewhere and the alternate layers being exposed at their edges.

2. A carbonating tablet the essential ingredients of which are an alkali bicarbonate and an acid juxtaposed in alternate layers, the bicarbonate and the acid being intimately associated at the juncture of the layers and not elsewhere and the alternate layers being exposed at their edges.

3. A carbonating tablet the essential ingredients of which are an alkali carbonate and an organic alpha hydroxy acid juxtaposed in alternate layers, the carbonate and the acid being intimately associated at the juncture of the layers and not elsewhere and the alternate layers being exposed at their edges.

4. A carbonating tablet the essential ingredients of which are an alkali carbonate and tartaric acid juxtaposed in alternate layers, the carbonate and the acid being intimately associated at the juncture of the layers and not elsewhere and the alternate layers being exposed at their edges.

5. A carbonating tablet the essential ingredients of which are an alkali bicarbonate and an organic alpha hydroxy: acid juxtaposed in alternate layers, the bicarbonate and the acid being intimately associated at the juncture of the layers and not elsewhere and the alternate layers being exposed at their edges.

6. A carbonating tablet the essential ingredients of which are an alkali bicarbonate and tartaric acid juxtaposed in alternate layers, the bicarbonate and the acid being intimately associated at the juncture of the layers and not elsewhere and the alternate layers being exposed at their edges.

7. A carbonating tablet the essential ingredients of which are sodium bicarbonate and tartaric acid juxtaposed in alternate layers, the bicarbonate and the acid being intimately associated at the juncture of the layers and not elsewhere and the alternate layers being exposed at their edges.

CLARENCE EDWARD BECK.