Animal husbandry – Worm culture
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-22
2001-06-05
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Animal husbandry
Worm culture
Reexamination Certificate
active
06240876
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method for coloring live bait worms, a storage and coloring medium for coloring live bait worms, and to live bait worms colored according to the present invention. More particularly, the invention relates to the incorporation into a storage medium for worms an amount of a colorant which, when ingested by the worms in a non-toxic quantity, changes their color.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is believed that the ability of a bait to attract fish is at least partially related to its color. Accordingly, numerous methods are disclosed in the prior art for coloring live bait to thereby enhance its efficacy in attracting fish. Examples of methods and materials for coloring the external surface of a live bait, such as a bait fish or a bait worm, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,460 (Kienast et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,514 (Lechnir) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,858 (Mayer). These patents describe methods and compositions used for applying a colorant to an external surface of the live bait to thereby change its color. One disadvantage of such methods and compositions is that they must be applied to the live bait by the fisherman, and are therefore inconvenient.
Another method for coloring live bait worms is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 2,849,981 to Rose et al. According to Rose et al., it is possible to produce live worms of substantially any desired color by adding any conventional pure edible food coloring to food fed to the worms and/or to the beds of earth or other material in which the worms are cultivated. Preferably, sixteen parts of the pure edible food coloring are mixed with one part of a fruit or vegetable juice. It is stated by Rose et al. that one ounce of this mixture when applied to food which is fed to worms and to beds in which the worms are cultivated or shipped will effectively color approximately one hundred worms.
Although Rose et al. apparently discloses an effective method for coloring live worms, it has been found by the inventor of the present invention that many presently available edible food colorings are unsatisfactory for coloring live bait worms, and that the amount of food coloring recommended by Rose et al. is in many cases detrimental to the viability of the worms.
Therefore, there is a continued need for an effective method to color live bait worms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-described disadvantages of presently known methods and compositions for coloring live bait are overcome by the present invention, which provides a method and composition for coloring live bait worms. In the method of the present invention, live bait worms are supported on a coloring medium comprising a worm storage medium containing a colorant. As the worms ingest the coloring medium, the colorant is assimilated into and onto the flesh of the worms by adhesion and adsorption, thereby causing them to become colored. The inventor has found that worms colored according to the invention are able to retain their color for prolonged periods of time after being removed from the coloring medium.
The inventor has found that the selection of an effective colorant is crucial both to the ability of the worms to absorb and retain the color, as well as to maintain the viability of the worms during the time they are stored in the coloring medium. Contrary to the teachings of Rose et al., the inventor has found through experiment that, in general, edible food colorings are ineffective coloring agents for live bait worms. The inventor believes that the ineffectiveness of edible food colorings is at least partially due to their insolubility in the worm storage medium as well as their tendency to be rapidly metabolized so as not to adhere to, or interact with, tissues such as mucous membranes in humans and other organisms. The inventor has also found that increasing the concentration of food coloring in the coloring medium to the levels disclosed by Rose et al., to improve coloring ability, can be detrimental to the viability of the worms during the time they are stored in the coloring medium.
Therefore, the colorants used in the present invention are selected from the group consisting of man-made color additives certified by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in drugs and cosmetics (“D&C color additives”), except those which are certified for use in foods. Preferred among such D&C color additives are xanthene dyes and salts thereof, more preferably the xanthene compounds designated by the FDA as D&C Yellow Nos. 7 and 8, D&C Red Nos. 22 and 28, FD&C Red 3 and D&C Orange 5.
One of the most preferred colorants according to the invention is D&C Yellow No. 8, which is very water soluble and therefore readily dissolves in moist worm storage media. Furthermore, the inventor has found that D&C Yellow No. 7 and D&C Yellow No. 8 are non-toxic to worms and provide the worms with an intense fluorescent chartreuse color which is believed to enhance their ability to attract fish.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2849981 (1958-09-01), Rose et al.
patent: 3526988 (1970-09-01), Young
patent: 3545404 (1970-12-01), Loftus
patent: 3889638 (1975-06-01), Riley
patent: 3918190 (1975-11-01), Hornbeck
patent: 4143161 (1979-03-01), Ciulla
patent: 4172336 (1979-10-01), Aylor
patent: 4239782 (1980-12-01), Cinquemani
patent: 4258065 (1981-03-01), Ciulla
patent: 4477475 (1984-10-01), Fishman
patent: 4486460 (1984-12-01), Kienast et al.
patent: 4728514 (1988-03-01), Lechnir
patent: 4776858 (1988-10-01), Mayer
patent: 4828829 (1989-05-01), Bethshears
patent: 5071659 (1991-12-01), Shumaker
patent: 5664366 (1997-09-01), Lopuszanski et al.
patent: 6048554 (2000-04-01), Collins et al.
Abbott Yvonne
Andy's Bait International Inc.
Jordan Charles T.
Ridout & Maybee
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