FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is related to straws or tubes for the consumption of beverages.
Particularly, the invention is directed at edible straws utilized for the consumption of
beverages. More particularly, the present invention is directed to edible 5 straws for the
consumption of beverages drinking-straws which are ecologically safe, are free from
preservative and chemicals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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Drinking straws are generally well-known and widely used to consume beverages.
Generally, drinking straws comprise an elongate cylindrical sleeve defining a lumen
therein through which a liquid beverage can be channeled to a consumer's mouth and
imbibed. Essentially, an opposed end of the straw is submerged within the beverage to be
15 consumed, the latter of which is drawn upwardly there through via a vacuum force created
by the user's mouth on the other opposed end of the straw.
The vast majority of drinking straws currently in use are manufactured from plastic. In this
respect, most straws are manufactured through an extrusion process whereby straws are
20 formed to have a desired length, cut, and thereafter packaged. Because such straws are
made from plastic, however, there are a number of significant problems. For instance, by
virtue of being formed from plastic, the straws are not biodegradable. Since such plastic
straws are typically disposed of following use, it is a substantial source of pollution. Such
feature is particularly problematic given the fact that straws are utilized only for short
25 duration (i.e., the consumption of one beverage) and are ill-suited for reuse.
In light of such shortcomings, it is clearly apparent that there is a substantial need for a
food product, preferably in the form of a conventional drinking straw capable of
functioning as a conventional straw simultaneously being environmentally safe and pose
30 no side effects to the consumer.
3
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
One of the main objectives of the present invention is to provide an edible drinking-straw
which can move fluids with or without particulate compositions from one container into
the 5 mouth of the user.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an edible drinking-straw which
can move fluids from one container into the mouth of the user which is made of pasta.
10 Another objective of the present invention is to provide an edible drinking-straw which
can move fluids from one container into the mouth of the user which is made of Pasta
Straw which is made of only natural ingredients Flour, Semolina and Flavors.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an edible drinking-straw which
15 can move fluids from one container into the mouth of the user which is made of Pasta
Straw which is made of only natural ingredients Flour, Semolina and Flavors wherein the
flour is Wheat Flour or Rice Flour or Quinoa Flour or Lentil Flour or Flax Seed Flour or
Cassava Flour or Millets Flour either singly or in combination with defined ratio. ……….
20 Another objective of the present invention is to provide an edible drinking-straw which
can move fluids from one container into the mouth of the user which is made of Pasta
Straw which is made of only natural ingredients Flour, Semolina and Flavors wherein the
semolina is made up of Durum Wheat (Hard Wheat) or Soft Wheat or Buck Wheat
25 Another objective of the present invention is to provide an edible drinking-straw which
can move fluids from one container into the mouth of the user which is made of Pasta
Straw which is made of only natural ingredients Flour, Semolina and Flavors wherein the
flavors are Tomato Extract, Spinach Extract, Beetroot Extract, Basil Extract, and all other
natural vegetable and Fruits extract either singly or in combination with defined ratio.
30
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an edible drinking-straw which
can move fluids from one container into the mouth of the user which is made of Pasta
Straw wherein the Pasta Straw is manufactured in the extrusion process.
4
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an edible drinking-straw which
can move fluids from one container into the mouth of the user which is made of Pasta
Straw wherein the Pasta Straw is manufactured in the extrusion process wherein the
extrusion is teflone coated 5 bronze dies.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an edible drinking-straw which
can move fluids from one container into the mouth of the user which is made of Pasta
Straw wherein the Pasta Straw is slow dried.
10
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further
review of the following specification and drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
15
The present invention seeks to provide an edible drinking-straw which can move fluids
with or without particulate compositions from one container into the mouth of the
consumer wherein the drinking straw is made out of pasta.
20 Pasta Straw is an ideal food for such calcium enrichment. It is low in fat and high in
carbohydrates. It has a long shelf life, as Pasta Straw has a low moisture content.
Furthermore, Pasta Straw is easy to prepare. Generally, it is prepared by forming a dough
from Pasta Straw flour consisting of semolina, durum flour or other types of wheat flour
and water, extruding the dough into the desired product shape and then carefully drying
25 under controlled temperature and humidity conditions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent
30 from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the edible straw;
5
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings, where
like numerals reference like elements, are intended as a description of various
embodiments of the disclosed subject matter and are not intended 5 to represent the only
embodiments. Each embodiment described in this disclosure is provided merely as an
example or illustration and should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over
other embodiments. The illustrative examples provided herein are not intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Similarly, any steps
10 described herein may be interchangeable with other steps, or combinations of steps, in
order to achieve the same or substantially similar result.
Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention,
an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the
15 same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer
to the same or like parts.
The preferred embodiments of the invention include an edible straw which consists of a
tong tubular member. The preferred embodiments of the invention can be used to move
liquid or particulate compositions from one container to another, such as moving a
20 beverage from a glass into the mouth of the user. The term edible includes both
completely digestible foods, such as candy, and partially digestible foods, such as pasta.
As shown in FIG. 1, in a first preferred embodiment, the edible straw 10 includes the first
edible member 12, which is formed in tubular shape. The edible member 12 comprises an
opening at one end 16 and an opening at the other end 18 of the straw. The openings at
25 ends 16 and 18 and the tubular shapes of the edible member 12 permit the flow of liquid
through the straw from one end to the other end. The length of the tubular member can
have a range of 100 mm to 250 mm. The diameter of the tubular member can vary from
2mm to 10 mm.
While this embodiment describes the edible member 12 forming tubular shapes, the
30 overall structure of the edible straw 10 between the one end 16 and the other end 18 may
6
contain bends and edges, and thus, the edible straw 10 is not limited to simply being a
straight tubular structure.
In one method of manufacturing of Pasta Straw, raw material semolina and water is
mixed through a Primary Mixer in a Proportionate ratio to maintain the desired moisture
percentage 30-32%, after that dough is passed to vacuum 5 mixer for Smooth and
uniformity and then it transferred to Screw Type Extruder (Where high Pressure
Extrusion take place at 80- 110 bar pressure) , the end is connected with the Die ( Where
Desired Shape is thus obtained); the above process can be better explain with an example
of toothpaste tube where we applied pressure on back to take the paste on brush , the small
10 opening represent the die hole and the pressure as extrusion.
In one method of manufacturing following are the steps :-
Mixing
Water and Semolina flour are mixed in a mixer until the dough is hydrated and forms a
homogenous mixture in particular to bind starch and gluten proteins. Lukewarm water is
15 generally added to the dough, depending on the type of the Pasta and its shape the water
temperature also varies, to bring the moisture content of the dough to 30-32%.
It is important that water is evenly distributed into the dough, to be well absorbed by
starch granules and allow proper gluten net formation, which will give Pasta Straw its
structure. The amount of water added to the semolina is in relation to the percentage of
20 moisture required for the final Pasta shape: for the long shapes (e.g. spaghetti/ Straw)
destined to be spread on sticks, the dough will have to be less humid, to prevent Pasta
Straw collapsing or excessively lengthening as it suffers the effects of its gravitational
weight. For short pasta, on the contrary, dough can be moister.
The mixture is then passed into the Vacuum mixer in the next step to limit oxygen
25 presence and its oxidative effects on dough lipid fraction, also to limit the elongation of
small bubbles into the dough, detrimental for final Pasta Straw structure.
After the mixing stage, the dough is then transferred to the extruder.
7
Extrusion
The dough formed in the kneader is then driven by the extrusion screw towards the
head of the press, and forced through a die whose characteristics strongly affect the
appearance of Pasta Straw surface. The dough is kneaded in the mechanical instrument
known as an extruder. There are several zones in the extruder which 5 are involved in
kneading, relaxing, and extruding the dough.
The shape of the opening in the insert determines the shape of the Pasta - for Pasta
Straw it is circular. The inserts are Teflon coated which helps decrease the coefficient of
friction and increase the rate of extrusion. The Teflon also helps yield a Pasta Straw
10 product with a smooth surface, which decreases its surface area and prevents it from
absorbing Pasta sauce or water or beverages too quickly when soaked or cooked.
The long pasta straw stands are placed onto a spreader, which spreads the strands
on sticks and cuts them into a uniform length as the product comes out of the die. There
are some cuttings that results from the uneven flow out of the die. The cuts are recovered
15 and brought back into the mixer through the recovery system. The pasta Straw attached to
the sticks is then transferred to the Pre-dryer.
Drying
The three steps of drying are pre-drying, drying, and cooling. In the first step, predrying,
hot air is applied for 30-60 minutes and the temperature ranges between 55 to 65
20 °C. Two important properties are derived from the pre-drying step. The first one is to
prevent the Pasta Straw from sticking together. When the moisture content is reduced by at
least 2-3%, the surface of the Pasta Straw is dried, while the inside is still wet. The dry
surface will limit the Pasta Straw from sticking together. The pre-dryer helps gradually
increase the product’s temperature prior entering the dryer, drying the Pasta Straw slowly
25 from the surface inwards.
The second step of Pasta Straw processing is slow drying (14-21 Hrs Cycle). There are
four factors that affect the drying process: humidity (35-75%), temperature (40-60°C),
time (14-21 Hrs), and air flow rate. The goal of slow drying process is to reduce the
dough’s moisture content to extend the storage life of the product up to three years.
8
Careful monitoring system is there to prevent the final product from becoming brittle and
to maintain its consumer’s expectation. The ideal moisture content of the final dried Pasta
Straw is less than 11.5%.
Cooling or stabilizing is the last step in Pasta Straw processing and will prevent the loss of
nutrients due to the high temperature of the dryer. Water indirectly cools 5 the product at 28-
32 °C for about 1.5 hours. There is a heat exchanged from the product to the air in cooling
chamber. The product’s temperature is returned to room temperature and packaged right
away.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative
10 purposes. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and
substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention herein disclosed should not be
limited by particular disclosed embodiments described above but should be determined
only by a fair reading of the complete specifications to follow.
15
9
List of Reference numerals:
10 straw
5 12 edible member
16 one end
18 other end

We Claim:
1. An edible straw 10 comprises of the first edible member 12, wherein the first
edible member 12 is formed in tubular shape which comprises of an opening at one
end 16 and an opening at the other 5 end 18 of the straw.
2. The edible straw 10 as claimed in claim 1 wherein the length of the tubular
member can have a range of 100 mm to 250 mm.
10 3. The edible straw 10 as claimed in claim 1 wherein diameter of the tubular member
can vary from 2mm to 10 mm.
4. The overall structure of the edible straw as claimed in claim 1 containing bends
and edges.
15
5. The edible straw 10 as claimed in claim 1 wherein the straw is manufactures of
natural ingredients Flour, Semolina and Flavors.
6. The edible straw 10 as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flour is Wheat Flour or Rice
20 Flour or Quinoa Flour or Lentil Flour or Flax Seed Flour or Cassava Flour or
Millets Flour either singly or in combination with defined ratio.
7. The edible straw 10 as claimed in claim 1 wherein the semolina is made up of
Durum Wheat (Hard Wheat) or Soft Wheat or Buck Wheat.
25
8. The edible straw 10 as claimed in claim 1 wherein the semolina is made up of
Durum Wheat (Hard Wheat) or Soft Wheat or Buck Wheat.
9. The edible straw 10 as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flavors are Tomato Extract,
30 Spinach Extract, Beetroot Extract, Basil Extract, and all other natural vegetable
and Fruits extract either singly or in combination with defined ratio.
10. The edible straw 10 as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pasta Straw is slow dried.
11
11. The edible straw 10 as claimed in claim 1 wherein the Pasta Straw is manufactured
in the extrusion process wherein the extrusion is Teflon coated bronze dies.