Edible products having inorganic coatings
First Claim
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1. A coated edible product comprising:
- a. an edible material; and
b. a substantially continuous inorganic coating on a surface of the edible material, wherein said coating covers at least a portion of the edible material and said coating has a thickness ranging from 0.0001 to 0.5 microns.
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Abstract
An edible product having a thin inorganic coating on at least a portion of its surface. The coating preferably forms a moisture/oxygen barrier to result in a coated edible product having an improved shelf-life. The edible products include foods and pharmaceuticals. The inorganic materials used for the coating include SiO2, SiO, MgO, CaO, TiO2, ZnO and MnO. Processes and apparatuses for depositing a thin film of inorganic material onto an edible substrate are also disclosed. The preferred processes include sputtering and vapor deposition. The preferred apparatus provides for the continuous production of coated edible products.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A coated edible product comprising:
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a. an edible material; and b. a substantially continuous inorganic coating on a surface of the edible material, wherein said coating covers at least a portion of the edible material and said coating has a thickness ranging from 0.0001 to 0.5 microns. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 29)
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18. A coated edible product comprising:
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a. an edible material; and b. an inorganic coating applied onto an outer surface of the edible material, wherein the coating is a substantially uniform film having less than 50% variation in thickness and a thickness ranging from 0.0001 to 0.5 microns. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A coated edible product comprising:
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a. an edible material; and b. an inorganic coating applied onto an outer surface of the edible material, wherein the coating is less than 0.05 wt. % of the coated edible product. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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Specification