THE PATENTS ACT. 1970
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
SECTION 10
A PROCESS OF PRODUCING PURE FLAVOURED WATER BY INJECTING NATURAL FLAVOURS TO WATER.
TARA BIOTECH PRIVATE LIMITED, a company registered In India, having its registered office at Modi Chambers, 2nd floor, Opera House, Mumbai - 400 004. (India)
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES AND ASCERTAINS THE NATURE OF THIS INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED .-
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A process of producing pure flavoured water by injecting natural flavours to water.
PRIOR ART:
Pure water, often found in a natural state as rainwater or as stream or river waters is also one of nature's most effective and powerful solvents. It is capable of dissolving virtually everything it comes in contact with to a greater or lesser degree. Thus all waters dissolve and therefore develop impurities or contaminants from the atmosphere (rain water) or minerals, metallic contaminants and organic impurities from the ground (flowing or stagnant water on ground). Some of these contaminants may be naturally occurring while some may be man made.
Rainwater, on its way down dissolves and gets contaminated by various atmospheric gases and industrial pollutants among other factors. These contaminant gases generally lower the pH to a mildly acidic range while ground water dissolves minerals and organic matter to develop a varying range of alkalinity. Along the way it also picks up spores, bacteria and other microbial contaminants. Water, being essential for any life form is also a carrier of nutrients required by the microorganisms.
This brings us to some most common contaminants of water, their identification, measurement and elimination to purify water. The most basic quality identification of water is by its physical properties - clarity (turbidity), colour, odour and taste. There are other quantitative water analysis to water purity. These are pH, Total solids both dissolved and suspended, minerals and ionic impurities measured by hardness, alkalinity, conductivity, dissolved gases such as Oxygen, Carbon oxides, Hydrogen sulphide et cetera, and other specific impurities like Iron, Manganese, Nitrates, Phenols, Chloramines, Phosphates, Chlorides and so
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on. There are also heavy metal contaminations from Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Selenium, Chromium et cetera, which are quite harmful even in minute doses. Lastly, there are microbial contaminants and sometimes even radioactive contaminants.
Bioaccumulation, sewerage, agricultural, industrial, radioactive, and thermal residues are the principal polluters of water on our planet.
While domestically, water may be made potable by means like simple filtration, boiling, or by chemical treatment with potassium permanganate or alum, the industrial and commercial purification of water on large scale is much more complex.
Industrial methods of water purification involve disinfection of source water by addition of oxidative chemicals like chlorine, followed by a series of processes like multiple filtrations through multigrade filters, activated carbon filters, micron cartridge pressure filtrations, and more sophisticated processes like Demineralisation, Ultra filtration, Nano filtration and Reverse Osmosis. Other processes like Ultraviolet Disinfection Treatment and Ozonation may follow these processes.
Desalination of sea water is another process involving distillation and reverse osmosis but is barely affordable and is used only in areas of drought or high population vis a vis water supply. At this point in technological advances, the cost of desalination is still higher than the cost of transporting freshwater from other sources, except in desert regions like West Asia. Of the two methods of desalination, distillation has the advantage of using thermal energy, sunlight, to save electricity cost but has a less recovery rate of saline to fresh water. Reverse Osmosis requires a lot of electricity for its high pressure pumps but boasts a recovery rate of close to 50%.
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Water is essential for industrial, pharmaceutical and hospital purposes, in the preparation and processing of medicines and other health products. In the majority of cases, water is an input, which should be incorporated into the product during processing. At other times, even if it is not present in the preparation, it is especially used for cleaning and hygiene purposes. It is recognized that the greatest demand on water is destined for human consumption, its quality being relatively guaranteed up to the point where the pipe transportation network terminates.
This modern day requirement of quality water has given rise to an industry of packaged drinking water and natural mineral water.
TECHNICAL FIELD :
Under the present invention the source water is first subjected to a series of sequential ellaborate water treatment processes like disinfection, sand filtration, activated carbon filtration, cartridge filtration, ultrafiltration, ultra violet disinfection, ozonation after which to this pure water, so obtained, is added natural flavour through an ingenious system of on line continuous process of flavour injection through a regulated venturi system followed by a process of imparting homogeneity to the blend of water and the flavour. The flavoured water is finally subjected to an ultra violet exposure for sterilization so as to obtain micro-organism-free flavoured water whose purity levels are better of when compared with packaged drinking water or mineral water.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The process of obtaining flavoured water from source water is undertaken broadly in three stages : (1) Water Purification, (2) Flavouring and
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(3) Sterilization. The three stages abovementioned are illustrated in the flow chart figure hereinafter annexed.
WATER PURIFICATION
An elaborate Water Treatment is undertaken which follows the sequence as described hereafter.
(a) DISINFECTION
Chlorination is a universal, very effective and easily affordable mode of disinfection having a high kill factor for microorganisms in drinking water, swimming pools, water storage tanks and other bodies of water. Many municipalities retain about one to two ppm chlorine at their discharge end. At TARA, a specific range of 5 to 6 ppm. chlorine is regularly maintained. Source water coming in is dosed by an on line automatic dosing pump with chlorine solution.
The water is then subjected to an organic treatment where a compound with three active biocidal organic components is used. The active ingredient is positively charged and destroys the cell walls of the microorganisms over a very wide spectrum, which includes viruses, bacteria (both gram positive and gram negative) and all types of fungus.
(b) SAND FILTER
This is a stainless steel pressure filter used to filter particulate and suspended matter thus reducing turbidity in the water. The filter needs to be routinely backwashed, sanitized and the charge changed at predetermined frequencies.
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(c) ACTIVATED CARBON FILTER
This is also a stainless steel filter charged with activated granular carbon with specific density and porosity. The activated carbon used by TARA BIOTECH is the renowned NORIT (USA) brand, which has a low bulk density and high iodine value and is considered the world's best carbon for complete adsorptive removal of odours, chlorine, organic impurities and pesticide residuals, which may be present if the source is ground water (e.g. bore wells). It has a MWCO (molecular weight cut off) of <100 MW. This filter has to be regularly backwashed and periodically sanitized with steam or hot water to rid it of any microorganisms and other pyrogenic impurities.
(d) CARTRIDGE FILTERS
These are a series of depth cartridge filters of reducing pore sizes ranging from 5 micron to 0.2-micron size, which effectively filters out even bacterial contamination.
Complete Specif(One micron = 1 x 10-6 meters = 4x 10?5 inches = 0.00004 inches).
These cartridges are specially made with graded porosity and density increasing to the core from the outer walls. This means it traps coarse particles on the outer wall and finer particles as the penetration happens towards the core or inner wall.
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Fig. 1 - Depth Cartridge
(e) ULTRAFILTRATION
As the name suggests these are extremely fine filters, which have a 10000 MWCO and are capable of filtering particles as small as 0.005 microns. This means these filters are capable of removing colloids, silicates, microorganisms like yeast, moulds and algae, bacteria, Cryptosporidium, and even all viruses.
Ultra Filters are pressurized tangential or cross flow filters which removes particles by it molecular size.
(f) ULTRA VIOLET DISINFECTION SYSTEM
By this disinfection system, high intensity Ultraviolet Light Dosage greater than 30,000 microwatts sees per sq. cm, at a wavelength of 2537 angstrom units, is used to rupture the cell wall and damage the DNA configuration of any microorganism exposed to it. This system results in a 99.9 % reduction of microorganisms.
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(g) OZONATION
By this process an Ozone generator discharges an electric current through air to generate ozone that is constantly injected in the stream of water to powerfully oxidize any contaminant. Ozone itself does not add any ionic contamination since it degrades to oxygen.
The source water which has undergone the sequential water purification treatment is pure water which is then subjected to flavouring.
FLAVOURING
As we are all aware under the prior art, water has been packaged and marketed in various forms with various natural or added contents like minerals. These are then identified and known by various names like Natural Spring Water, Mineral Water or simply as Packaged Drinking Water.
When other sweetener additives like sugar, saccharin, aspartame and others are added with a flavour then the product is essentially carbonated and is then identified as a soft drink.
There are countless manufacturers of these various types of waters as well as of soft drinks.
Under the present invention the applicants have attempted to add flavour to water through an ingenious system of on line continuous process of flavour injection followed by a process of imparting homogeneity to the blend of water and the flavour. Such an attempt, without any sweetener,
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preservative, acidification and carbonation leaves the product exposed to a high risk of microbial contamination.
To counter this risk, the water is pre-treated by a completely unconventional and uniquely novel method. The source water is treated with an organic microcidal compound containing active ingredients, which are positively charged and destroy the cell walls of the microorganisms over a very wide spectrum which includes viruses, bacteria (both gram positive and gram negative) and all types of fungus.
Thus, all spoilage causing microbial load in the water is eliminated before addition of flavours.
The flavours themselves are all natural and nature identical and are injected by an on line process through a regulated venturi system. A judicious choice of flavours is sterilized by carefully blending them in a specified amount of sterile water. This blended solution of predetermined strength is then slowly injected through a venturi system into 1 KL of pretreated, ultra filtered water. This process of controlled injection takes about twenty minutes and serves to properly blend the flavour into a homogenized solution. The flavoured solution so prepared is furthur circulated in a loop for fifteen minutes more through a 0.2-micron cartridge filter. This ensures almost complete sterility of the flavoured solution as microorganisms are generally of a size between 0.4 to 0.8 microns and adhere to the cartridges while the flavoured solution free of microorganisms flows through to be collected in a pre sanitized stainless steel buffer tank. This process also ensures a complete blending of flavour molecules through the solution. The product is finally subjected to an ultra violet exposure for sterilization for a specific time period to enable the radiations to rupture the cell walls of any residual microorganisms, as
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described below, which may have been present in the natural flavours. This flavoured water is then subjected to sterilization.
STERILIZATION
Ultraviolet lamps are used to sterilize workspaces and tools used in laboratories and medical facilities. Commercially-available low pressure mercury-vapor lamps emit about 86% of their light at 254 nanometers (nm) which coincides very well with one of the two peaks of the germicidal effectiveness curve (i.e., effectiveness for UV absorption by DNA). One of these peaks is at about 265 nm and the other is at about 185 nm. Although 185 nm is better absorbed by DNA, the quartz glass used in commercially-available lamps, as well as environmental media such as water, are more opaque to 185 nm than 254 nm (C. von Sonntag et al., 1992). UV light at these germicidal wavelengths causes adjacent thymine molecules on DNA to dimerize, if enough of these defects accumulate on a microorganism's DNA its replication is inhibited, thereby rendering it harmless (even though the organism may not be killed outright). Since microorganisms can be shielded from ultraviolet light in small cracks and other shaded areas, however, these lamps are used only as a supplement or a backup to other sterilization techniques.



Before A A After
incoming UV Photon

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Disinfecting drinking water
UV radiation can be an effective viricide and bactericide. Disinfection using UV radiation was more commonly used in wastewater treatment applications but is finding increased usage in drinking water treatment. It used to be thought that UV disinfection was more effective for bacteria and viruses, which have more exposed genetic material, than for larger pathogens which have outer coatings or that form cyst states (e.g., Giardia) that shield their DNA from the UV light. However, it was recently discovered that ultraviolet radiation can be somewhat effective for treating the microorganism Cryptosporidium. The findings resulted in two US patents and the use of UV radiation as a viable method to treat drinking water. Giardia in turn has been shown to be very susceptible to UV-C [5] when the tests were based on infectivity rather than excystation. It turns out that protists are able to survive high UV-C doses but are sterilized at low doses.
All packaging materials are purchased only from pre-approved vendors who observe the strictest hygiene conditions and are further sanitized prior to packing with a highly oxidizing compound.
Finally, the packing process itself is uniquely executed under a blanket of inert nitrogen and also individual packages are injected with jets of nitrogen, which serves to slightly pressurize the containers and completely eliminates any possibility of aerial or headspace contamination.
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APPENDIX 'A*
COMPARISION OF AVERAGE MICROBIAL LOAD BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT
BEFORE AFTER
Aerobic Bacteria 11 2
Coliform 2 0
A typical purification system that provides purified water which meets ionic and organic chemical standards must be protected from microbial proliferation to minimize cross-contamination for use in cleaning and preparations in industries and in health environments.
Methodology
Samples of water were taken directly from the public distribution system at different stages of a typical purification system were analyzed for the identification of isolated bacteria for enteric and non-fermenting gram-negative rods. The efficiency of the chemical sanitizers used in the stages of the system, over the isolated and identified bacteria in the sampling water, was evaluated by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method.
During the performance of a typical water purification system, the purposes of the present work were: (i) to examine the efficiency of each treatment stage; (ii) to characterize the isolated bacteria at each stage, from the storage tank of publicly supplied water up to the final point of purified water consumption. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the
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main chemical agents used in the disinfection of the water purification system over the isolated and identified bacteria was also studied.
Isolation of colonies
Of the various points, which were analyzed in triplicate, forty seven colonies were isolated, with different aspects: circular viscosity, sharp pointed and brilliant, opaque, from light brown to dark brown, pink, white and off-white coloured. All the colonies were confirmed as bacteria of the non-fermentative gram-negative bacilli (NFGNB) group, strictly aerobic, positive for indole and negative for oxidase, with the exception of the Acinetobacter Iwoffi, which had a negative reaction for oxidase.
APPENDIX 'B'
Norit carbon used for redox potential and pesticide residue
Characteristics
Iodine Number, mg/gm (min) 500 or 1000
Moisture (as packed) 5%
Hardness Number (min.) 85
Bulk Oensity gm/cc (av) 0.50 (+/-0.1)
Ash content 5 %
pH 8 to 11
(All tests are done as per ISI procedures.)
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APPENDIX ‘C’
After exposure to the UV light, the diversity of gram-negative bacteria dropped drastically in all the species, the populations of which were kept constant in the water flowing through the 0.45 Dm filter. The UV light oxidative process and the 0.2 m filter at the point-of-use were able to guarantee the maintenance of total enumeration lower than the maximum of 40 CFU detected in 100 mL of water and restrict the distribution of gram-negative bacteria.
APPENDIX 'D'
STUDY OF EFFECTWITY OF SANITIZER "TB - X" FOR PRE TREATMENT OF WATER USED FOR FLAVOURING.
MICROCIDAL TREATMENT OF MUNICIPAL & SEWAGE WATERS

Daysaftertreatment BMC Cfus. BMC +TREATMENTCfus SEWAGE Cfus SEWAGE +TREATMENTCfus
6 days Total Plate
9-Mar Count >100 0 TNTC* 1
COLIFORM >100 0 TNTC 1
22-Mar 19 days Total Plate Count tntc 0 TNTC 0
COLIFORM tntc 0 TNTC 0
28-Mar 25 days Total Plate Count tntc 0 TNTC 0
COLIFORM tntc 0 TNTC 0
30-Mar 27 days Total Plate Count tntc 0 TNTC 0
COLIFORM tntc 0 TNTC 0
tntc - too numerous to count.
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APPENDIX *E*
FLAVOUR HOMOGIENITY STUDY
All tests were conducted by a panel of four experienced tasters and conclusive result of homogienity was acceptable only on unanimous agreement:
Time elapse after pretreated flavour injection into processed organism free water was studied at various intervals and homogeneity of flavour blending was tried -
Panelist 1 Panelist 2 Panelist 3 Panelist 4
After 5 minutes- UA UA UA UA
After 7 minutes UA UA UA UA
After 10 minutes UA UA UA UA
After 12 minutes UA UA UA UA
After 15 minutes UA UA UA UA
After 18 minutes UA UA UA A
After SO minutes A A A A
After 22 minutes A A A A
After 24 minutes A A A A
UA - Unacceptable flavour homogienii ty
A - Acceptable flavour homogienity.
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We claim :
1. An invention wherein pure flavoured water is produced by adding natural flavours to water through an on line regulated venturi system of continuously injecting flavour followed by a process of imparting homogeneity to the blend of water and the flavour.
2. An invention as claimed in claim 1 above, wherein the source water is first subjected to a series of sequential elaborate water treatment processes like disinfection, sand filtration, activated carbon filtration, cartridge filtration, ultrafiltration, ultra violet disinfection, ozonation after which to this pure water, so obtained, is added natural flavour through an on line continuous process of flavour injection through a regulated venturi system followed by a process of imparting homogeneity to the blend of water and the flavour which is finally subjected to an ultra violet exposure for sterilization so as to obtain micro-organism-free flavoured water whose purity levels are better then when compared with packaged drinking water or mineral water.
3. An invention as claimed in claims 1 and 2 above, whereby pure flavoured water is produced without the use of any sweetener, preservative, acidification or carbonation.
4. An invention as claimed hereinabove wherein natural flavour is added to water through an ingenious system of on line continuous process of flavour injection followed by a process of imparting homogeneity to the blend of water and the flavour by an on line process through a regulated venturi system. A judicious choice of flavours is sterilized by carefully blending them in a specified amount of sterile water, which blended solution of predetermined strength is then slowly injected through a venturi system into 1 KL of pretreated, ultra filtered water and this process
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of controlled injection takes about twenty minutes and serves to properly blend the flavour into a homogenized solution which is further circulated in a loop for fifteen minutes more through a 0.2-micron cartridge filter thereby ensuring almost complete sterility of the flavoured solution as microorganisms are generally of a size between 0.4 to 0.8 microns and adhere to the cartridges while the flavoured solution free of microorganisms flows through to be collected in a pre sanitized stainless steel buffer tank thereby ensuring a complete blending of flavour molecules through the solution and the product is finally subjected to an ultra violet exposure for sterilization for a specific time period to enable the radiations to rupture the cell walls of any residual microorganisms which may have been present in the natural flavours.
5. An invention as claimed in the claims hereinabove mentioned wherein water is flavoured without the use of any conventional additives like accidulants, buffering ingredients, sweeteners, carbonation or preservatives.
Dated this 22nd day of May 2006.
For Tara Biotech Limited, By their advocates/attorneys,


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ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to an invention wherein pure flavoured water is produced by adding natural flavours to water through an on line regulated venturi system of continuously injecting flavour followed by a process of imparting homogeneity to the blend of water and the flavour. An invention wherein the source water is first subjected to a series of sequential ellaborate water treatment processes like disinfection, sand filtration, activated carbon filtration, cartridge filtration, ultrafiltration, ultra violet disinfection, ozonation after which to this pure water, so obtained, is added natural flavour through an on line continuous process of flavour injection through a regulated venturi system followed by a process of imparting homogeneity to the blend of water and the flavour which is finally subjdected to an ultra violet exposure for sterilization so as to obtain micro-organism-free flavoured water whose purity levels are better of when compared with packaged drinking water or mineral water.
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