Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces – auxiliary compositions – Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing – For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-19
2002-05-14
Boyer, Charles (Department: 1751)
Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions
Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing
For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...
C510S132000, C510S161000, C510S238000, C510S235000, C510S385000, C510S503000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06387856
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to liquid dishwashing detergent compositions containing surfactants and iodine disinfectant. More specifically, the invention relates to compositions and a method for removing soils and sanitizing (significantly reducing microorganism populations) plastics, dishware, countertops, fabric, wood surfaces, and other substrates by applying a light duty liquid detergent composition which preferably comprises a complex of a surfactant with iodine in the form of an iodophor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Light-duty liquid (LDL) or gel detergent compositions useful for manual dishwashing are well known in the art. Such products are generally formulated to provide a number of widely diverse performance and aesthetics properties and characteristics. First and foremost, liquid or gel dishwashing products must be formulated with types and amounts of surfactants and other cleaning adjuvants that will provide acceptable solubilization and removal of food soils, especially greasy soils, from dishware being cleaned with, or in aqueous solutions formed from, such products. Furthermore, any resultant liquid diswashing product must be stable and not subject to adverse heterogeneity.
In light of increasingly frequent and widespread incidents of contamination of meat and vegetable products, possible contamination of soiled hard surfaces like dishware by infectious microbes can present special problems during manual dishwashing. Articles such as plates, utensils, pots, pans, crockery and the like may be contaminated by virulent strains of microbes such as
Stahylococcus aureus, Escierichia coli
, and members of the Salmonella genus. In view of this possible contamination on dishware, light duty liquid dishwashing detergents with antimicrobial properties are currently much desired by consumers. When microbe-contaminated dishware is to be manually cleaned, very often highly concentrated, or high concentrations of, dishwashing detergent products are used. During such applications, the presence of an antimicrobal, disinfecting agent in the dishwashing detergent composition can have a significant effect on the composition's ability to disinfect and sanitize the dishware.
In addition to being useful for cleaning and sanitizing dishware, LDL compositions will also desirably possess other attributes that enhance the aesthetics or consumer perception of the effectiveness of the manual dishwashing operation. Thus, useful hand dishwashing liquids should also employ materials that combine to form a clear and odorless detergent liquid. This allows greater control over the detergent's final aesthetic qualities through the use of perfumes and colorants. In addition, detergent products should not leave a stain or any other unattractive artifact on dishware which might compromise the overall consumer perception of the detergents' aesthetic qualities.
Given the foregoing, there is a continuing need to formulate manual dishwashing liquids and gels that provide an acceptable and desirable balance between cleaning and sanitization performance, in both concentrated direct application and aqueous washing solution contexts, and product aesthetics. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide light-duty liquid dishwashing compositions which are especially effective at sanitizing microbe-containing dishware when such compositions are used in the context of a manual dishwashing operation.
Iodine is a well known disinfectant which has previously been added to liquid dishwashing compositions to provide antimicrobial protection. By adding an antimicrobial agent, such compositions can provide disinfecting properties against a broad variety of microorganisms. However, the addition of such antimicrobial agents may undermine certain critical properties of a dishwashing detergent composition. In particular, the addition of iodine to a LDL has been shown to undermine the product's stability. Iodine itself is unstable in compositions having a pH greater than about 7 and above. Furthermore, dishwashing compositions made with iodine take on an unattractive color and odor which make them aesthetically unacceptable. Such unacceptable colors and odors cannot be changed to the desirable LDL color and scent with perfumes and colorants. Finally, iodine may cause the staining of dishware treated with iodine-containing detergent compositions.
It is thus a further object of the present invention to provide stable, light-duty liquid dishwashing compositions containing iodine which are especially effective at sanitizing microbe-containing dishware, are clear and odorless before the addition of perfume and colorants and do not leave iodine stains on treated dishware. Under the present invention, iodine is stable even in compositions with a pH of in excess of 7.
Iodine may be complexed with surfactants to form a complex molecule known as an “iodophor.” While not intending to be limited by theory, there are two different mechanisms which have been explained this complexation. In the first mechanism, the iodine-surfactant complex is formed by weak interaction between the free electrons on iodine or electrostatic interaction between triiodide, generated via a reaction of iodide and iodine, and the overall net positive charge on the amphoteric surfactant. In the second mechanism the resulting complex is formed because iodine molecules may be trapped inside micelles formed from the surfactant.
It has been found in the present invention that when amphoteric surfactants, such as amine oxide, are complexed with iodine to form an iodophor complex, then the deleterious consequences of the addition of iodine are ameliorated. While maintaining its antimicrobial properties, the detergent composition suffers no loss in cleaning efficacy or stability and is in the form of a clear liquid with no unpleasant odor.
Iodophors provide these benefits on the account of the fact that when iodine is complexed with another molecule to form an iodophor, it loses its separate chemical identity and most of its elemental properties. Thus, while the iodophor maintains the same disinfection and sanitization benefits of free iodine, it does not have any of the latter's tendency to cause discoloration, malodors or dishware staining. Additionally, while iodine is very volatile, iodophors are not, thus greatly improving stability of iodophor containing LDL compositions.
The benefits of this invention can be provided for and included in a broader range of products than just LDLs. Such products include may liquid hand soap and moist paper or fabric wipes where a formulation according to the present invention is contained in the wipe as a germicide.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a light-duty liquid dishwashing detergent compositions having especially desirable antimicrobial and sanitization performance. Such compositions comprise, by weight: (a) from about 0.001% to about 2.0% of an iodine powder, wherein at least a portion of the iodine powder is complexed iodine that is complexed with a complexing amphoteric surfactant, (b) from about 5% to about 90% of additional, uncomplexed surfactants which may include anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants and mixtures thereof; and (c) from about 5% to about 50% water. This light duty liquid detergent composition has a pH of between about 7 and about 10.
The complexing amphoteric surfactant essentially comprises semi-polar amine oxide surfactants.
The uncomplexed anionic surfactant essentially comprises alkyl ether sulfates containing from about 8 to 18 carbon atoms in the alkyl group. These alkyl ether sulfates also contain from about 1 to 6 moles of ethylene oxide per molecule.
The uncomplexed nonionic surfactant essentially comprises C
8-18
polyhydroxy fatty acids amides. In the nonionic surfactant components such as polyhydroxy fatty acids amides may also be combined with from about 0.2% to 2% of the composition of a nonionic co-surfactant. This nonionic co-surfactant is selected from C
8-18
alcohol
Boucher Jeffrey Edward
Evans Marcus Wayne
Ofosu-Asante Kofi
Zint David Robert
Boyer Charles
Cook C. Bryant
Miller Steve W.
Procter & Gamble Company
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