WO2018020361A1

WO2018020361A1 - Process to artificially pre-sweeten formulations packed into tea-bags

Info

Publication number: WO2018020361A1
Application number: PCT/IB2017/054357
Authority: WO
Inventors: Taher JAFFERJEE
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-07-26
Filing date: 2017-07-19
Publication date: 2018-02-01
Anticipated expiration: 2019-01-26

Abstract

The invention consists of a process by which any formulation packed into tea-bags may be pre-sweetened. An artificial sweetener (e.g. Saccharin) is added as an ingredient (at a predetermined proportion) to the formulation to be packed into the tea-bags. Once the sweetener is added, all the ingredients are thoroughly blended until the sweetener is uniformly dispersed throughout the formulation. The formulation is then packed into any ordinary tea-bag. Once the tea-bag is immersed in liquid, the sweetener dissolves and the now sweetened beverage is ready for immediate consumption.

Description

PROCESS TO ARTIFICIALLY PRE-SWEETEN FORMULATIONS PACKED INTO

TEA-BAGS

Tech nical Field

The invention relates to tea and other formulations which may be packed into tea- bags.

Background & Prior Art

A wide variety of formulations, ranging from black tea and green tea, to all types of herbal teas are packed into tea-bags. Moreover, in many parts of the world, tea-bags have become the dominant format through which black tea or green tea is prepared and consumed. The reason for the popularity of tea-bags is due to the convenience and ease-of-use which they afford the consumer.

Tea-bags are made out of porous material which allow liquid to flow through and therefore infuse the formulation within the tea-bag. They come in many sizes and shapes, ranging from rectangular bags intended for a single serving of a particular beverage, to large square bags purposed for making a pitcher of a given beverage.

One commonality is that once the tea-bag has been used to prepare the beverage, many consumers opt to add a sweetener to the beverage. This requires having a sweetener on hand, as well as measuring the quantity of sweetener that one wishes to add. Having to add a sweetener separately is an inconvenience. Furthermore, it places an additional expense on consumers in that they have to purchase the said sweetener to add to the beverage.

Prior inventions - listed below - have attempted to solve this problem in various way.

EP2134188 A1 - Chan et al.

US20150050389 A1 - Stewart et al.

US20120093999 A1 - Ronald Tyler Rubin

US3006764 A - Horn Norman D Van, Stephenson Clay W This invention seeks to soive the afore-described problem by introducing an additional step to the blending process of the formulations that are packed into tea- bags. The process propounded by this invention is distinct from any prior invention.

Summary of the Invention

The invention seeks to eliminate two problems:

1 . The inconvenience of having to add, if one wishes, a sweetener to beverages prepared using tea-bags

2. The cost burden placed on consumers who must purchase sweeteners to be added to said beverages

This is achieved by introducing an additional step to the preparation of the formulation to be packed into the tea-bags. Specifically, an additional ingredient, an artificial sweetener is added to the mixture that will be packed . into the tea-bags. Once it is added, the ingredients are thoroughly mixed until the sweetener is evenly distributed throughout the formulation. Finally, the blended material is packed into tea-bags using ordinary tea-bagging machinery.

When the beverage is being prepared using the tea-bags, as the formulation brews, the sweetener contained within It dissolves into the liquid and sweetens the beverage. Consequently, there is no longer any need to add a sweetener separately and hence the inconvenience thereof is eliminated. Furthermore, since the consumer does not need add sweetener to the beverage, the consumers saves the cost of adding said sweetener to the beverage.

List of Fig ures

Fig. 1 - A comparison of this invention's process for producing sweetened tea-bags versus the process currently used in industry for producing ordinary non-sweetened tea-bags.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Ingredients for the mixture that is to be packed into the tea-bags are prepared in accordance to their usual manufacturing process and then brought to a manufacturing facility where they will be blended (to achieve a mixture of all the ingredients) prior to packing into tea-bags.

The mixture of all the ingredients is hereafter referred to as the formulation. The formulation may be just a single ingredient or could comprise of multiple ingredients. It is such that when it is immersed in liquid, the formulation brews and imparts its flavour to the liquid medium. An example formulation is black tea made from the plant Camellia Sinesis Sinesis.

The artificial sweetener which is added as an ingredient to the formulation may be either in liquid form or solid, granulated pieces. The sweetener would have to be soluble in liquid and ideally have a sweetness intensity several times that of ordinary sugar. An example of such a sweetener would be Aspartame.

Once all the ingredients are in place, the inventive step, namely - mixing the artificial sweetener with the other ingredients of the formulation - can take place. All the ingredients of the formulation and the artificial sweetener are thoroughly blended until a uniform dispersion of the ingredients is achieved.

The method for blending the ingredients can be whatever means may be available such that it achieves a uniform mixture of all the ingredients. For example, one method would be to place all the ingredients (including the sweetener) in correct proportion in a steel drum and then rotating the drum until the ingredients are mixed. Another method would be to blend the ingredients manually (perhaps using simple implements such as a shovel) until the ingredients are mixed together. It can be ascertained if the ingredients are sufficiently well blended together by means of simple visual inspection.

Once blended, the formulation (now with sweetener) is sent for manufacturing into tea-bags. The tea-bag manufacturing is done using ordinary tea-bagging machinery and standard filter-paper.

When the tea-bag is immersed in liquid, the formulation starts brewing and the sweetener dissolve in the liquid. As the sweetener dissolves, it sweetens the beverages. Thus, the consumer is freed from having to add sweetener to the beverage, and saves money from not having to do so.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic of the process propounded in this invention.

Example 1 - Production of Sweetened Black Tea packed in Tea-bags

1 . Black tea is brought to manufacturing facility

2. Tea is cleaned of metals and other impurities

3. Sweetener is added as an ingredient to blend according to some formula. For example, Aspartame is added at a rate of 1 % of the nett weight of the tea

4. The tea and sweetener are thoroughly blended

5. Tea-bags manufactured from blend

Example 2 - Production of Sweetened Peppermint Tea packed in Tea-bags

1 . Black tea and peppermint flavouring brought to factory

2. Tea cleaned of metais and other impurities

3. Peppermint flavouring granules and sweetener added according to preconceived formula to blend.

4. Tea, sweetener and peppermint flavouring are thoroughly blended

5. Tea-bags manufactured from blend

Claims

Claims The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1 . A process for the manufacture sweetened tea comprising of:

a. a formulation to be packed into tea-bags

b. an artificial sweetener

c. a method for blending the formulation and the sweetener

d. a method for packing the blended formulation and sweetener into tea- bags

2. The formulation of claim 1 a comprising any formulation such that the formulation may be immersed in liquid and results in a consumable beverage

3. The sweetener of claim 1 b wherein it may be: a. a liquid sweetener b. a granulated, solid sweetener

4. The method of blending of claim 1 c comprising the mixing of the formulation of claim 2 and sweetener of claim 3

5. The method of blending of claim 1 c comprising spraying the sweetener of claim 3 with the formulation of claim 2

6. The method of claim 4 and claim 5 wherein the method encompasses all processes that blend, mix, or otherwise achieve a dispersion of the sweetener of claim 3 with the formulation of claim 2

7. The method of claim 6 comprising of any process that utilises machinery to m^'ix the formulation of claim 2 and sweetener of claim 3^'

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising of any process that does not utilises machinery to mix formulation of claim 2 and sweetener of claim 3

9. The method for packing tea-bags of claim 1 d comprising any automated tea- bag packing machinery or manual hand packing

10. The machinery for packing tea-bags of claim 9 comprising:

a. any machine which utilises heat to seal the formulation blended with sweetener into the tea-bag

b. any machine which utilises a staple to enclose the formulation blended with sweetener into the tea-bag

c. any machine which utilises glue to seal the formulation blended with sweetener into the tea-bag

1 1 . Sweetened tea-bags comprising:

a. a formulation

b. an artificial sweetener

c. a permeable membrane formed into an enclosure which contains a mixture of said formulation and said sweetener

12. The formulation of claim 1 1 a being such that it may be immersed in liquid to give a consumable beverage

13. The sweetener of claim 1 1 b wherein it is soluble in liquid

14. The tea-bag of claim 1 1 c wherein it is configured and sized to be used to brew one cup's volume of any beverage

1 5. The tea-bag of claim 1 1 c wherein it is configured and sized to be used to brew specific other volumes of any beverage

1 6. The tea-bag of claim 1 1 c wherein the permeable membrane is made from filter paper

17. The tea-bag of claim 1 1 c wherein the permeable membrane is made from non-woven material

18. The tea-bag of claim 1 1 c wherein the permeable membrane is made from nylon mesh

19. The tea-bag of claim 1 1 c wherein the permeable membrane is made from any other porous and permeable material

20. The tea-bag of claim 1 1 c comprising rectangular, square, circular, or triangular bags

21 . The tea-bag of claim 1 1 c comprising bags which have an attached string

22. The tea-bag of claim 1 1 c comprising bags which do not have any attached string

23. A tea-bag packed with a mixture of a formulation and artificial sweetener in which the artificial sweetener constitutes less than 0.05% of the total weight of the contents of the tea-bag

24. A tea-bag packed with a mixture of a formulation and artificial sweetener in which the artificial sweetener constitutes between 0.05% and 0.1 % of the total weight of the contents of the tea-bag

25. A tea-bag packed with a mixture of a formulation and artificial sweetener in which the artificial sweetener constitutes between 0.1 % and 0.5% of the total weight of the contents of the tea-bag

26. A tea-bag packed with a mixture of a formulation and artificial sweetener in which the artificial sweetener constitutes between 0.5% and 1 % of the total weight of the contents of the tea-bag

27. A tea-bag packed with a mixture of a formulation and artificial sweetener in which the artificial sweetener constitutes between 1 % and 2% of the total weight of the contents of the tea-bag

28. A tea-bag packed with a mixture of a formulation and artificial sweetener in which the artificial sweetener constitutes between 2% and 5% of the total weight of the contents of the tea-bag