Synthetic wax for food applications

Details Synthetic wax for food applications Synthetic wax for food applications

1997-08-01

1999-05-18

Myers, Helane

Mineral oils: processes and products

Paraffin wax; treatment or recovery

208 20, 208 27, 106270, C08L91/06

Patent

active

059048344

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to the use of a wax for direct or indirect food applications. In particular, the present invention relates to the use of wax for food applications, which wax has been prepared by the synthesis of heavy hydrocarbons from synthesis gas, using a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst.
Highly refined waxes which are currently used in for example packaging of food are conventionally prepared from crude oil. The most highly refined waxes, containing trace amounts of impurities such as aromatics are currently used for direct food applications, that is in applications in which the wax is in direct contact with the food.
It will be appreciated that stringent requirements are set by (inter)national regulatory authorities, such as the FDA in the United States, and the SCF in the European Union, which a wax should meet, particularly if the wax is to be used in direct contact with food. Further, it will be appreciated that it is a demanding task for the crude oil refiner to meet those requirements. Thus, the preparation of such waxes normally involves distillation at atmospheric pressure of a selected crude oil to prepare a heavy fraction called long residue, distillation of the long residue into various fractions, subjecting the desired fraction to (severe) hydrotreating, hydrogenation and/or hydrofinishing, and/or subjecting the desired fraction to a solvent extraction treatment, for example with N-methyl-pyrrolidone or furfural, subjecting the treated fraction to a solvent dewaxing step to produce slack wax from the treated fraction, subjecting the slack wax to a deoiling step, and treating the deoiled wax with an adsorbent, such as charcoal, to remove remaining impurities.
An alternative method for the preparation of waxes is by synthesis of heavy hydrocarbons from synthesis gas, that is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, by passing the synthesis gas at elevated temperature and pressure over a catalyst having Fischer-Tropsch activity and refining the heavy hydrocarbons so produced. An advantage of this method is that the heavy hydrocarbons so produced contain fewer impurities and undesirable compounds than products prepared in the conventional way.
Whilst waxes currently on the market do meet very stringent requirements, it would be desirable if waxes could be provided which meet even higher requirements in terms of toxicity and even less possible damage to human or animal health.
Bioaccumulation in rodents is used by (inter)national Regulatory Authorities, such as the United States FDA, to predict potential for bioaccumulation in humans and other animals. To study bioaccumulation of waxes in rodents, a group of rodents is fed with a daily diet of wax, and after a standard period, the accumulation of wax in the body of the rodent is determined, in particular, the accumulation of wax in the liver. It is normal practice that where data exist from several rodent strains, the worst case is taken. The majority of biological experiments with waxes have been conducted in the Fischer 344 strain of rat. Although new test results using Sprague-Dawley rats have shown a lower accumulation, the most sensitive strain at this time is Fischer 344.
Therefore, an objective of the invention is to provide a wax which does not accumulate in Fischer 344 rats.
It has now been found that certain waxes prepared from heavy hydrocarbons produced in a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process do not accumulate in Fischer 344 rats.
Therefore, the present invention relates to the use of wax for food applications, which wax has a congealing point of more than 65.degree. C. and a Saybolt colour of at least +25, which wax is obtainable by subjecting a wax prepared in a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process to a hydrogenation treatment to prepare a hydrogenated wax containing less than 1.5% by weight of oxygenates, fractionating the hydrogenated wax to obtain a hydrogenated wax fraction having a desired congealing point, and subjecting the hydrogenated wax fraction to a hydrofinishing treatment.
It has been found that waxes obtainable a

REFERENCES:
patent: 2461871 (1949-09-01), Luben
patent: 3028931 (1965-09-01), Wood
patent: 4002706 (1977-01-01), Pretorius
patent: 4148711 (1979-04-01), Holder
patent: 4173697 (1979-11-01), Gilbert

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