Patent Picks are chosen by the editors from publicly available sources. Today's technology is a nano-sized sugarcane bagasse fiber for use in nutritional supplements and cosmetic products.
Nano-sized sugarcane bagasse fiber
U.S. Patent Application 20150299954
Publication date: Oct. 22, 2015
Assignee: Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University, and Agricultural and Mechanical College
These inventors have discovered that nano-sized bagasse fibers can be produced in such a way that they remain unoxidized and retain the bioactivity of bagasse. Particle size reduction is carried out without heating or chemically altering the bagasse, resulting in a pure powder in which 70% of the particles have a diameter less than 1 micron.
For size reduction, liquid nitrogen is used to initially cool the bagasse to cryogenic temperature, then the fiber is mechanically pulverized into small particles. During the pulverization process, the chemical oxidation of bagasse fibers is prevented by maintaining a cold temperature, thus preserving its constituents. The final bagasse nanofiber powder maintains all the natural components of the starting bagasse, including policosanol, without chemical alteration.
Using the nanofibers, the addition of 5% to 10% to foods did not change their texture. They fibers thus acted as effective nutritional supplements in a mouse model to aid in glucose control and body weight. Moreover, the bagasse powder has a natural color and absorbs color evenly, so it could be used as a natural foundation material for cosmetic products.
