DESC:F O R M 2

THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10 and rule 13]

1. TITLE OF THE INVENTION: NATURAL LIQUID STIFFENER

2. APPLICANT (A) NAME: RVP STARCH PRODUCTS PVT. LTD.

(B) ADDRESS: NO.24, 3 RD CROSS, THANTHAI
PERIYAR NAGAR EXTENSION,
ELLAIPILAICHAVADY, PUDUCHERRY-605005

3. NATIONALITY (C) INDIA

THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION DESCRIBES THE INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED
PRIORITY CLAIM
[001] The instant patent application is related to and claims priority from the India provisional patent application entitled, “NATURAL LIQUID STIFFENER”, Patent Application no: 202341035254, Filed on: 19th November 2023, which is incorporated in its entirety herewith.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENT
[002] Technical field
[003] The present disclosure is in the technical field of a natural liquid stiffener composition for laundry and textile segment.
[004] Related art
[005] Stiffening agents are frequently used on textile materials to improve the appearance, body, and wearing qualities of such materials. However, stiffening agents are usually composed of chemicals. Chemical stiffening agents has many side effects on skin and body.
[006] The currently available chemical stiffening agents used on fabrics is hazardous to the human skin.
[007] In addition, the chemical stiffeners can cause fabric deterioration in less time.
[008] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a natural liquid stiffener for laundry and textile segment.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENT
[009] The present disclosure relates to a composition for natural liquid stiffener, comprising of liquid modified starch; lime essential oil; neem oil; and a perfume.
[010] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the liquid modified starch was in the range of 88-90.5%; wherein the liquid modified starch was obtained by using native tapioca as the raw material.
[011] According to further aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the concentration of lime essential oil was in the range of 0.5- 2 %; wherein the extracted lime essential oil comprises of limonene, ß-pinene, geraniol, terpineol, linalool, citronellol and citronellal.
[012] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the concentration of neem oil was in the range of 0.5- 2 %; wherein the extracted neem oil comprises of triglycerides of oleic, stearic, linoleic, and palmitic acids.
[013] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the perfume is a sandalwood perfume; wherein the concentration of sandalwood perfume was in the range of 3.5 – 5.5%; wherein the sandalwood perfume comprises of sesquiterpenes a-santalol and ß-santalol.
[014] According to more aspects of the present disclosure, wherein a method for preparation of natural liquid stiffener, wherein the method comprises the steps:
a) combining one part of raw tapioca starch and 1.5 parts of water to prepare a starch slurry mixture; stirring the mixture for one hour using a stainless-steel rod attached to a vertical stainless-steel blender;
b) employing a drum dryer to convert the starch slurry mixture into a powdered form; passing the steam into the drum dryer through control valves while maintaining the pressure at 6.4kg/m2 and temperature at 130 to 150°C;
c) subjecting the prepared starch slurry mixture [from step (a)] onto the drum dryer through rollers attached to the drum dryer; cooking the starch slurry mixture by allowing a constant rotation along with the drum dryer at 4.2 rpm;
d) pre-gelatinization of the starch slurry mixture by accumulating the mixture between the rollers and the drum dryer at 130 to 150°C; formation of a pre-gelatinized starch film of about 0.5 to 0.8mm thickness; evaporating the pre-gelatinized starch film with an exhaust blower; scraping the dried pre-gelatinized starch film through a blade pneumatically operated with an air cylinder; obtaining gelatinized starch flakes; and
e) converting the pre-gelatinized starch flakes [from step (d)] into a powdered form by pulverization; sieving the obtained pre-gelatinized starch powder through a ISTM 60 mesh; mixing the pre-gelatinized starch powder with UV treated water under constant stirring conditions for formation of a liquid modified starch solution with 95% cold water solubility; retaining the prepared liquid modified starch solution for 3 hours in the stainless-steel tank without disturbing to attain the desired viscosity; wherein the viscosity is checked by passing 100 ml of the liquid modified starch solution in a B4 cup; wherein the time taken by the liquid modified starch solution to pass the B4 cup was found to be 30 seconds.
f) preparing a premix comprising of 0.5-2% neem oil, 0.5-2% lime essential oil and 3.5-5.5% sandalwood perfume;
g) blending of the liquid modified starch [from step (e)] and a premix [from step (f)]; obtaining the natural fabric liquid stiffener comprising 88- 90.5 % liquid modified starch and premix.
[015] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the lime essential oil was prepared by steam distillation method with lime fruit, leaves and peels as the raw material; wherein the neem oil extracted by hexane through solvent extraction with the neem seeds, neem fruit and neem kernel as the raw materials.
[016] According to more aspects of the present disclosure, wherein a device for drum drying method, wherein the device comprises of a drum, an AC motor; a pressure control valve; a pressure gauge; a slurry feeder with control valve; a flowmeter; a rotary thermocouple; an applicator roller(s); a scraper blade; a flake-breaking conveyor and a product receiver.
[017] According to another aspect of the disclosed embodiment, wherein the drum has a width of 12 feet, a diameter of 6 feet; an AC motor for maintaining the speed of the drum at 4.2 rpm; a pressure control valve to control the steam pressure entering the drum; a pressure gauge for maintaining the pressure of the drum at 6.4kg/m2; a slurry feeder with control valve to load and control the flow of the slurry; a flow meter for measuring the amount of starch slurry mixture fed into the drum; a rotary thermocouple for maintaining the temperature of the drum from 130 to 150°C; an applicator roller for converting the fed slurry into a pre-gelatinized starch film on the drum's surface ; a scraper blade for scraping off the formed pre-gelatinized starch film into flakes; a flake breaking conveyor for pulverizing the pre-gelatinized starch flakes into powdered form; and a product receiver to collect the powdered form of pre-gelatinized starch.
[018] Several aspects of the invention are described below with reference to examples for illustration. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other methods, components, materials and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the features of the invention. Furthermore, the features/aspects described can be practiced in various combinations, though only some of the combinations are described herein for conciseness.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[019] Example embodiments of the disclosed embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings briefly described below.
[020] FIG. 1 illustrates a method of preparation of natural liquid stiffener, according to the aspects of the present disclosure.
[021] FIG. 2 illustrates a drum dryer employed for pre-gelatinization of starch, according to the aspects of the present disclosure.
[022] FIG. 3 illustrates a lab test performed using the natural stiffening solution on white and coloured cloth fabrics, according to the aspects of the present disclosure.
[023] FIG. 4 represents a table of experimental validation of the natural liquid stiffening composition, according to the aspects of the present disclosure.
[024] In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENT
[025] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
[026] The use of “including”, “comprising” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. Further, the use of terms “first”, “second”, and “third”, and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another.
[027] As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include both singular and plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. By way of example, “a dosage” refers to one or more than one dosage.
[028] The terms “comprising”, “comprises” and “comprised of” as used herein are synonymous with “including”, “includes” or “containing”, “contains”, and are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, non-recited members, elements or method steps.
[029] All documents cited in the present specification are hereby incorporated by reference in their totality. In particular, the teachings of all documents herein specifically referred to are incorporated by reference.
[030] Example embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying figures.
[031] In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.
[032] DEFINITIONS
[033] The term “liquid stiffener” refers to a starch-based product that can be used for making clothes appear crisp and formal.
[034] The term “starch” refers to a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds.
[035] The term “drum drying technology” refers to a process that uses a rotating, heated cylinder to dry raw materials into a powder or flake form.
[036] The term “neem” refers to a medicinal plant with antibacterial properties that can be used to treat and prevent diseases.
[037] The term “lime essential oil” refers to an oil extracted using lime peels as the raw material.
[038] The term “sesquiterpenes” refers to a class of terpenes that are found in many living systems, including higher plants, fungi, and marine organisms.
[039] The term “anti-bacterial agent” refers to a group of substance that fight against pathogenic bacteria. Thus, by killing or reducing the metabolic activity of bacteria, their pathogenic effect in the biological environments will be minimized.
[040] The term “steam distillation” refers to an alternative method of achieving distillation at temperatures lower than the normal boiling point. It is applicable when the material to be distilled is immiscible (incapable of mixing) and chemically nonreactive with water
[041] The term “solvent extraction” refers to a technique of removing one constituent from a solid by means of a liquid solvent like hexane, methanol, ethanol, etc via methods like soxhlation or ultrasonification.
[042] The term “slurry” refers to a semi-liquid mixture, typically of fine particles of manure, cement, or coal suspended in water.
[043] The term “preservative” refers to a substance or a chemical that is added to products such as food products, beverages, pharmaceutical drugs, biological samples, and other products to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or by undesirable chemical changes.
[044] The term “pre-gelatinization” refers to physical modification done to starch by providing sufficient heat, followed by drying and grinding of starch, which can improve the solubility and viscosity of starch in cold water.
[045] The term “rotary thermocouple” refers to a specialized temperature measurement device designed to provide accurate temperature readings in dynamic environments where the sensor may need to be rotated or repositioned. This type of thermocouple is particularly useful in applications such as rotating machinery, process control systems, and research environments where continuous temperature monitoring is required.
[046] The term “pressure gauge” refers to the devices used for measuring pressure wherein the gauge pressure is the pressure relative to atmospheric pressure. For the pressures above atmospheric pressure, gauge pressure is positive whereas for the pressures below atmospheric pressure, gauge pressure is negative.
[047] The term “exhaust blower” refers to a fan that aids in getting rid of excess moisture in an environment.
[048] The term “pulverization” refers to a process that reduces the size of any solid material to less than 10 mm by applying an external force to attain a homogeneous particle size, increase the surface area and to boost the reactivity of a particle.
[049] The term “air cylinder” refers to a cylinder in which air is compressed by a piston, in which compressed air is stored, or in which a piston is driven by air pressure.
[050] The term “ISTM 60 mesh” refers to a stainless-steel sieve made up of a 60*60 mesh.
[051] The term “B4 cup” refers to a flow cup that measures the viscosity of a liquid by measuring the time it takes for a known amount of the liquid to flow through an orifice at the bottom of the cup.
1.EMBODIMENTS OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENT
[052] A composition for natural liquid stiffener, wherein the composition comprises of liquid modified starch; lime essential oil; neem oil; and a sandalwood perfume.
[053] (A) COMPOSITION OF NATURAL LIQUID STIFFENER
[054] Table 1: The composition of natural liquid stiffener incorporates the following compounds
Sl.no. Ingredients Concentration (%)
a) Liquid modified starch 88-90.5%
b) Lime essential oil 0.5- 2 %
c) Neem oil 0.5 -2 %.
d) Sandalwood perfume 3.5 – 5.5%
[055] (a) LIQUID MODIFIED STARCH
[056] Starch is a versatile product used to add stiffness and reduce wrinkles, making it suitable for laundry routines. It's often used for fibres to give them a crisp finish.
[057] Native tapioca starch was used as a raw material to make the liquid stiffener and
subjected to physical modification.
[058] 1 part of raw tapioca starch and 1.5 parts of UV treated water were taken to prepare a slurry mixture; the prepared mixture was uniformly stirred for 1 hour using a stainless-steel rod attached to a vertical stainless-steel blender.
[059] The prepared starch slurry mixture was subjected to a drum dryer for pre-gelatinization under conditions: pressure at 6.4 kg/m2 , temperature at 130 to 150°C and 4.2 rpm.
[060] The pre-gelatinized starch powder was mixed with UV treated water under constant stirring to attain the desired 95% cold water solubility; the final product obtained was said to be the liquid modified starch solution.
[061] (b) LIME ESSENTIAL OIL
[062] Lime essential oil was extracted from lime fruits, leaves, and peels using the steam distillation method. The oil comprises of the compounds such as limonene, ß-pinene, geraniol, terpineol, linalool, citronellol, citronellal, and others.
[063] The extracted lime oil was added to the liquid modified starch to maintain a neutral pH of 6-7 to align with the pH conditions of the human skin thus chances of skin hypersensitivity are minimal.
[064] (c) NEEM OIL
[065] Neem oil was extracted from neem seeds, fruits, and kernels using the solvent extraction method, with hexane as the primary solvent. The extracted neem oil comprises triglycerides of oleic, stearic, linoleic, and palmitic acids, which are responsible for the antibacterial activity of the stiffening composition.
[066] (d) SANDALWOOD PERFUME
[067] Sesquiterpenes a-santalol and ß-santalol are responsible for sandalwood's fragrance, which is extracted from the tree's heartwood via steam distillation. The liquid perfume was used for infusing fragrance in the fabric.
[068] (B) METHOD OF PREPARATION OF NATURAL LIQUID STIFFENER
[069] A method for preparation of natural liquid stiffener, wherein the method comprises the steps:
[070] 1) PREPARATION OF STARCH SLURRY MIXTURE
[071] The starch slurry was prepared by combining one part of raw tapioca starch and 1.5 parts of UV treated water; the prepared mixture was uniformly stirred for one hour using a stainless-steel rod attached to a vertical stainless-steel blender (102).
[072] 2) PRE-GELATINIZATION OF STARCH
[073] A drum dryer was employed to convert the starch slurry mixture into a powdered form. The main purpose of this instrument is to spread the fed slurry onto a large surface area so that drying can occur rapidly. Steam was passed into the drum dryer through control valves while maintaining the pressure at 6.4kg/m2 and temperature at 130 to 150°C (104) ; wherein the drum pressure was maintained by a pressure gauge and the drum temperature was maintained by a rotary thermocouple.
[074] The prepared starch slurry mixture was subjected into the drum dryer through rollers attached to the drum and was cooked by allowing a constant rotation along with the drum dryer at 4.2 rpm (106).
[075] The starch slurry mixture was pre-gelatinized by accumulating the mixture between the rollers and the drum dryer at 130 to 150°C upon which a gelatinized starch film of about 0.5 to 0.8mm thickness was formed (108).
[076] The pre-gelatinized starch film was evaporated with an exhaust blower to eliminate the presence of any perspiration; this dried starch film was scraped through a blade pneumatically operated with an air cylinder to obtain gelatinized starch flakes (110).
[077] Pre-gelatinization of starch granules includes three main steps; wherein the steps include: granule swelling, melting of double-helical structures, and amylose leaching.
[078] (i)Swelling of starch granules: During heating of starch slurry mixture, the water is first absorbed in the amorphous space of starch, which swells up the starch granules.
[079] (ii)Melting of double helical structures: Here the water then enters the tightly bound areas of double helical structures of amylopectin through the amorphous. At ambient temperatures, these crystalline regions do not allow water to enter thus the starch slurry mixture was subjected to physical modifications like pressure at 6.4kg/m2 and temperature at 130 to 150°C to allow such regions to become diffusible, then the amylose chains begin to dissolve, to separate into an amorphous form and the number and size of crystalline regions decrease.
[080] (iii)Leaching of amylose: Penetration of water thus increases the randomness in the starch granule structure, and causes swelling; eventually amylose molecules leach into the surrounding water and the granule structure disintegrates thus converting the amylopectin branches into linear amylose molecules making the starch a soluble polymer.
[081] 3) PREPARATION OF LIQUID MODIFIED STARCH
[082] The obtained pre-gelatinized starch flakes were then pulverized into a powdered form by pulverization and the pre-gelatinized starch powder was sieved through a ISTM 60 mesh (112).
[083] The pre-gelatinized starch powder was mixed with UV treated water under constant stirring to attain 95% cold water solubility (114); wherein the highest cold-water solubility was achieved by increasing the retaining time of the starch slurry mixture on the drum rollers and allowing uniform flake formation by reducing the speed to 4.2 rpm, while maintaining the optimum temperature and pressure conditions at this speed.
[084] Upon attaining 95% cold water solubility of the gelatinized starch powder, formation of liquid modified starch takes place.
[085] The prepared liquid modified starch solution was retained for 3 hours in the stainless-steel tank without disturbing as the drum dried starch is particle in nature and requires time to absorb water and swell to attain the desired viscosity; wherein the viscosity is checked by passing 100 ml of the liquid modified starch solution in a B4 cup; wherein the time taken by the liquid modified starch solution to pass the B4 cup was found to be 30 seconds.
[086] 4) PREMIXING OF ESSENTIAL OILS AND PERFUME
[087] The premix comprised of neem oil, lime essential oil and sandalwood perfume; wherein the neem oil obtained from steam distillation was prepared in range of 0.5-2%; wherein the lime essential oil obtained through solvent extraction method was prepared in range of 0.5-2% ; wherein the sandalwood perfume obtained from steam distillation was prepared in range of 3.5-5.5% ; wherein each of these were prepared individually by dissolving in required amount of UV treated water under uniform stirring conditions.
[088] 5) PREPARATION OF NATURAL LIQUID STIFFENER
[089] The liquid modified starch [from step 3] and the premix [from step 4] comprising of 0.5-2% neem oil, 0.5-2% lime essential oil and 3.5-5.5% sandalwood perfume were blended (116) under slow stirring conditions until a uniform composition was formed.
[090] The obtained composition was said to be the natural fabric liquid stiffener composition; it was packed in a prescribed container for its application in the textile and laundry segment (118) as illustrated in (FIG.1).
[091] C) DEVICE FOR DRUM DRYING OF STARCH SLURRY MIXTURE
[092] The drum dryer is an equipment used to convert the solutions and suspensions into solids. The principle of the device works on spreading the fed liquid onto a large surface area so that drying can occur rapidly.
[093] Drum dryers operate by applying a thin layer of the product to be dried to the outside of a rotating drum. The drum is internally heated by steam which quickly evaporates any liquid from the product. After almost one full revolution the remaining dried material is removed from the drum by a blade as a film or powder.
[094] The drum drying device employed for pre-gelatinization of starch is made up of galvanized steel in specific to prevent the starch slurry mixture from sticking to the drum during the process. Galvanization steel is considered to be malleable, resistant to high temperature and pressure conditions and corrode-resistant due to the presence of zinc coating.
[095] A device for drum drying method, wherein the device comprises of a drum, an AC motor; a pressure control; a pressure gauge; a slurry feeder with control valve; a flowmeter; a rotary thermocouple; an applicator roller(s); a scraper blade; a flake-breaking conveyor and a product receiver.
[096] (i) Drum (202)
[097] The drum is hollow and horizontally mounted; wherein the drum has a width of 12 feet and a diameter of 6 feet.
[098] (ii) AC motor (204)
[099] An AC 60 HP Crompton motor was incorporated into the device for maintaining reduced speed and accommodating increased slurry loads.
[100] The pre-gelatinized starch is heavy in load that can cause strain to the device and cannot rotate in pace with the speeds of the DC motor, hence an AC motor is incorporated to increase the retaining time of the starch slurry mixture on drum rollers thus allowing uniform flake formation by reducing the speed to 4.2 rpm in order to attain the desired 95% cold water solubility.
[101] (iii) Pressure control valve (206)
[102] The valve is incorporated to control the pressure of the steam entering the drum.
[103] (iv) Pressure gauge (208)
[104] Pressure gauge measures the pressure in the drum, wherein the gauge pressure is relative to atmospheric pressure. For the pressures above atmospheric pressure, gauge pressure is positive whereas for the pressures below atmospheric pressure, gauge pressure is negative. The pressure of the drum was maintained at 6.4kg/m2 .
[105] (v) Slurry feeder with control valve (210)
[106] The slurry feeder loads the starch slurry mixture onto the drum, it is regulated by a valve which controls the slurry flow into the drum.
[107] (vi) Flow meter (212)
[108] The flow meter measures the amount of slurry fed into the drum.
[109] (vii) Rotary thermocouple (214)
[110] The thermocouple is a temperature measurement device designed to record and maintain the temperature of the drum 130 to 150°C.
[111] (viii) Applicator rollers (216)
[112] The applicator rollers convert the fed slurry into a pre-gelatinized starch film of about 0.5 to 0.8mm thickness. Hylam sheets used on the sides of the applicator rollers are used instead of the traditional cement sheets to prevent leakage of the feed and increase the durability of the device.
[113] (ix) Scraper blade (218)
[114] The blade is pneumatically operated with an air cylinder to scrape off the pre-gelatinized starch flakes.
[115] (x) Flake breaking conveyor (220)
[116] The conveyor pulverizes the pre-gelatinized starch flakes into a powdered form.
[117] (xi) Product receiver (222)
[118] The product receiver collects the powdered form of pre-gelatinized starch. The fed starch slurry is dried and produced as a pre-gelatinized starch powder at a quantity of 200 kg/hour.
[119] 2. EXAMPLE EMBODIMENT
[120] The present invention is further elaborated with the help of the following examples. However, these examples should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention.
[121] A method for stiffening fabric, wherein the method comprises:
[122] a) adding 50 ml of the prepared natural stiffener solution into a bucket containing 1 litre of tap water; mixing the solution thoroughly until a blue tinge colour is obtained.
[123] b) washing white and coloured fabrics with a detergent cake.
[124] c) soaking the fabrics in the prepared liquid stiffening solution for 10 minutes.
[125] d) drip-drying and ironing the cloth fabrics to attain stiffness.
[126] 3. ADVANTAGES OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENT
[127] The disclosed embodiment uses natural preservatives like lime and neem with anti-bacterial properties to prevent fabric deterioration and improve hygiene.
[128] The said stiffening composition comprises of lime essential oil which maintains a neutral pH of 6-7 to align with the pH conditions of the human skin thus chances of skin hypersensitivity are minimal.
[129] The starch-based stiffener uses sandalwood perfume for infusing fragrance in the fabric.
[130] 4. USES OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENT
[131] The disclosed embodiment can be used on clothes of all colors including whites without damaging fabric or changing its original color.
[132] The proposed stiffening composition can be used all kinds of fabrics, specially cotton materials. It can be also used for both white and black fabrics.
[133] 5. BEST MODE TO USE THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENT
[134] Best mode to practice the invention is through commercialization of the present disclosure through the distributors, e-commerce sites, and marketing to reach manufacturing and fabric industries.
[135] According to aspects of the present disclosure, the natural liquid stiffener can be used for cotton fabrics as they require more efforts to remain stiff, however the composition can also be subjected to other fabrics.
[136] Merely for illustration, only representative number/type of graph, chart, block, and sub-block diagrams were shown. Many environments often contain many more block and sub-block diagrams or systems and sub-systems, both in number and type, depending on the purpose for which the environment is designed.
[137] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
[138] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosed embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
[139] It should be understood that the figures and/or screen shots illustrated in the attachments highlighting the functionality and advantages of the disclosed embodiment are presented for example purposes only. The disclosed embodiment is sufficiently flexible and configurable, such that it may be utilized in ways other than that shown in the accompanying figures.
[140] It should be understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application and scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
,CLAIMS:I/We claim:

1) A composition for natural liquid stiffener, comprising of liquid modified starch; lime essential oil; neem oil; and a perfume.

2) The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid modified starch was in the range of 88-90.5%; wherein the liquid modified starch was obtained by using native tapioca as the raw material.

3) The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the concentration of lime essential oil was in the range of 0.5- 2 %; wherein the extracted lime essential oil comprises of limonene, ß-pinene, geraniol, terpineol, linalool, citronellol and citronellal.

4) The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the concentration of neem oil was in the range of 0.5- 2 %; wherein the extracted neem oil comprises of triglycerides of oleic, stearic, linoleic, and palmitic acids.

5) The composition as claimed in claim 1, wherein the perfume is a sandalwood perfume; wherein the concentration of sandalwood perfume was in the range of 3.5 – 5.5%; wherein the sandalwood perfume comprises of sesquiterpenes a-santalol and ß-santalol.

6) A method for preparation of natural liquid stiffener, wherein the method comprises the steps:
a) combining one part of raw tapioca starch and 1.5 parts of water to prepare a starch slurry mixture; stirring the mixture for one hour using a stainless-steel rod attached to a vertical stainless-steel blender;
b) employing a drum dryer to convert the starch slurry mixture into a powdered form; passing the steam into the drum dryer through control valves while maintaining the pressure at 6.4kg/m2 and temperature at 130 to 150°C;
c) subjecting the prepared starch slurry mixture [from step (a)] onto the drum through rollers attached to the drum dryer; cooking the starch slurry mixture by allowing a constant rotation along with the drum dryer at 4.2 rpm;
d) pre-gelatinization of the starch slurry mixture by accumulating the mixture between the rollers and the drum dryer at 130 to 150°C; formation of a pre-gelatinized starch film of about 0.5 to 0.8mm thickness; evaporating the pre-gelatinized starch film with an exhaust blower; scraping the dried pre-gelatinized starch film through a blade pneumatically operated with an air cylinder; obtaining gelatinized starch flakes;
e) converting the pre-gelatinized starch flakes [from step (d)] into a powdered form by pulverization; sieving the obtained pre-gelatinized starch powder through a ISTM 60 mesh; mixing the pre-gelatinized starch powder with UV treated water under constant stirring conditions for formation of a liquid modified starch solution with 95% cold water solubility; retaining the prepared liquid modified starch solution for 3 hours in the stainless-steel tank without disturbing to attain the desired viscosity;
f) preparing a premix comprising of 0.5-2% neem oil, 0.5-2% lime essential oil and 3.5-5.5% sandalwood perfume; and
g) blending of the liquid modified starch [from step (e)] and a premix [from step (f)]; obtaining the natural fabric liquid stiffener comprising 88- 90.5 % liquid modified starch and premix.
7) The method as claimed in claim 6; wherein the lime essential oil was prepared by steam distillation method with lime fruit, leaves and peels as the raw material; wherein the neem oil extracted by hexane through solvent extraction with the neem seeds, neem fruit and neem kernel as the raw materials.
8) A device for drum drying method, wherein the device comprises of a drum, an AC motor; a pressure control valve; a pressure gauge; a slurry feeder with control valve; a flowmeter; a rotary thermocouple; an applicator roller(s); a scraper blade; a flake-breaking conveyor and a product receiver.
9) The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the device is made of galvanised steel to prevent the starch slurry mixture from sticking to the drum during the drying process.
10) The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the drum has a width of 12 feet, a diameter of 6 feet; an AC motor for maintaining the speed of the drum at 4.2 rpm; a pressure control valve to control the steam pressure entering the drum; a pressure gauge for maintaining the pressure of the drum at 6.4kg/m2; a slurry feeder with control valve to load and control the flow of the slurry; a flow meter for measuring the amount of starch slurry mixture fed into the drum; a rotary thermocouple for maintaining the temperature of the drum from 130 to 150°C; an applicator roller for converting the fed slurry into a pre-gelatinized starch film on the drum's surface ; a scraper blade for scraping off the formed pre-gelatinized starch film into flakes; a flake breaking conveyor for pulverizing the pre-gelatinized starch flakes into a powdered form; and a product receiver for collecting the powdered form of pre-gelatinized starch.

Dated this 19th day of November, 2024
(LIPIKA SAHOO)
Registration Number: IN/PA-2467
Agent for Applicant
This document is signed with the digital signature of Patent Agent for the
Applicant LIPIKA SAHOO (IN/PA-2467)