The present invention relates to a drinking straw, and in particular to a drinking straw with reduced environmental impact.

Plastics are an increasing global concern. In particular, plastics are a major source of marine litter that can adversely affect wildlife, wildlife habitat and humans. Living organisms, particularly marine animals, are susceptible to ingesting plastic waste or becoming entangled in plastic objects. The leaching of chemicals from plastics can also interfere with both human and animal physiology.

Single-use plastics such as bags, bottles and drinking straws are a particular environmental concern owing to their disposable nature. Governments are beginning to respond, such as by imposing levies and bans on plastic bags and introducing deposit return schemes on plastic bottles. Governments and companies are also looking to ban single-use plastic drinking straws.

Alternative drinking straws such as paper, bamboo and metal straws are available. However, whilst some of these straws can be used multiple times, they are not all biodegradable and hence they may also end up as marine litter. Therefore, there exists a need for a biodegradable drinking straw.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a drinking straw composed of dried pasta and an edible wax.

Advantageously, the drinking straw of the present invention is biodegradable, resulting in minimal environmental impact. The drinking straw of the present invention is an organic tube that breaks down in a non-harmful and non-toxic way, meaning that it is safe if it were to come into contact with wildlife and marine life in particular.

The combination of dried pasta and an edible wax component increases the durability of the drinking straw of the present invention and lengthens the amount of time that the straw can be used in a drink. This approach reduces the liquid absorption rate of the drinking straw of the present invention, slowing down the rate at which the straw becomes less structurally stable during use.

The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a dried pasta drinking straw of the present invention comprising: (i) mixing pasta ingredients and an edible wax to form a dough; (ii) extruding the dough to form a tube; (iii) cutting the tube to a length to form a straw precursor; and (iv) drying the straw precursor until the straw contains 5-15% by weight of water, based on the total weight of the straw. The pasta ingredients and the edible wax of the drinking straw of the present invention are renewable resources, further reducing the environmental impact. The use of renewable resources in the method of manufacturing the drinking straw of the present invention also ensures sustainability.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a drinking straw of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows an end view of the drinking straw of Fig. 1 ; and

Fig. 3 shows a sectional view across line A-A of Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 shows a drinking straw 10 of the present invention. The drinking straw 10 has a body 12 and two ends 14. Typically, the body 12 is cylindrical, usually with a circular cross-section.

The drinking straw 10 comprises dried pasta and an edible wax. That is, the body 12 of the drinking straw 10 comprises dried pasta and an edible wax.

Pasta is a dough made from flour mixed with water or eggs and formed into sheets or various shapes. Pasta may be divided into two broad categories, dried {pasta secca) and fresh {pasta fresca). Typically, dried pasta is made with water, whilst fresh pasta is made with eggs.

The drinking straw 10 comprises dried pasta. Thus, the dried pasta drinking straw 10 comprises flour and water. Flour in this context refers to ground grains.

A variety of flours may be used to make dried pasta. Typically, dried pasta contains durum wheat. However, alternative flours can be used for those wanting a different taste or who need to avoid products containing gluten such as rice, maize, barley and buckwheat, chickpea, lentil or flour containing other pulses. In one embodiment, the dried pasta drinking straw 10 comprises flour selected from durum wheat, rice, maize, barley and buckwheat, chickpea, lentil or combinations thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, the dried pasta drinking straw 10 comprises durum wheat. Durum wheat may be in the form of durum wheat flour and/or semolina, depending on how the durum wheat has been milled. Durum wheat flour is durum wheat which has been ground until a powder. Typically, durum wheat flour has a particle size of less than 130 pm. Semolina means“semi-milled” and is a coarser flour than durum wheat flour. Typically, semolina has a particle size of 130-550 pm.

Preferably, the dried pasta drinking straw 10 comprises durum wheat flour and/or semolina. In one embodiment, the dried pasta drinking straw 10 comprises durum wheat flour. In a preferred embodiment, the dried pasta drinking straw 10 comprises durum wheat flour and semolina. Dried means that some water has been removed from the pasta drinking straw 10. When the pasta ingredients are first mixed, the dough typically contains 20-35% of water by weight, based on the total weight of the dough. However, once the pasta has been dried, the water content is typically 5-15% by weight, based on the total weight of the pasta. In a preferred embodiment, the dried pasta drinking straw 10 comprises 5-15% by weight of water, based on the total weight of the straw. This is a balance between the straw being not too dry that it is brittle and prone to breaking and not too wet that it does not hold its shape.

The dried pasta drinking straw is hard and not flexible meaning that it is durable.

The dried pasta drinking straw 10 comprises an edible wax. The wax is edible in that it is non-harmful if ingested.

The purpose of the edible wax is to increase the durability of the drinking straw of the present invention and lengthen the amount of time that the straw can be used in a drink. For example, the dried pasta drinking straw 10 can be used for a longer amount of time in a drink, without getting soggy, than a piece of dried pasta.

A wax is an organic compound that is a lipophilic, malleable solid at 20°C. The lipophilic nature of waxes means that they tend to be insoluble in water making them suitable for use in drinking straws, since drinking straws are typically used in water-based drinks.

Any edible wax is suitable. The edible nature of the wax ensures that the dried pasta drinking straw remains biodegradable, minimising the impact on wildlife, wildlife habitat and humans. Edible waxes are also renewable resources and so the pasta drinking straws of the present invention are sustainable.

The edible wax may be present as a coating on the body 12 of the dried pasta drinking straw 10. The coating may be present on the interior and/or the exterior of the body 12 of the dried pasta drinking straw 10. In one embodiment, the edible wax is present as a coating on the interior of the body 12 of the dried pasta drinking straw 10. In another embodiment, the edible wax is present as a coating on the exterior of the body 12 of the dried pasta drinking straw 10. In a further embodiment, the edible wax is present as a coating on the interior and the exterior of the body 12 of the pasta drinking straw 10. The presence of the edible wax as a coating acts as a water-repelling layer and prevents water from coming into contact with the dried pasta.

Alternatively, the edible wax may be present throughout the body 12 of the dried pasta drinking straw 10. In this embodiment, the dried pasta drinking straw 10 is a homogenous mixture of pasta ingredients and the edible wax. Preferably, the edible wax is present throughout the body 12 of the dried pasta drinking straw 10. The pasta drinking straw 10 is particularly durable if the edible wax is present throughout the body 12 as the whole of the body 12 is reinforced with the edible wax.

In a preferred embodiment, the edible wax is present in 3-30% by weight, based on the total weight of the straw. More preferably, the edible wax is present in 5-25% by weight, and most preferably 8-20% by weight, based on the total weight of the straw. This ensures efficient waterproofing of the dried pasta drinking straw 10.

Preferably, the edible wax of the dried pasta drinking straw 10 has a minimum melting point of 35°C. More preferably, the edible wax of the dried pasta drinking straw 10 has a minimum melting point of 40°C and most preferably, a minimum melting point of 45°C. In this way, the dried pasta drinking straw 10 is suitable for use in any cold drink.

The edible wax of the dried pasta drinking straw 10 may also have a higher minimum melting point so that the drinking straw is suitable for use in hot and cold drinks. In such a preferred embodiment, the edible wax of the dried pasta drinking straw 10 has a minimum melting point of 50°C, more preferably a minimum melting point of 60°C, and most preferably a minimum melting point of 70°C.

In a preferred embodiment, the edible wax is selected from bayberry wax, candelilla wax, carnauba wax, castor wax, ouricury wax, rice bran wax, soy wax, tallow wax, beeswax or combinations thereof. These waxes are all commercially available. Carnauba wax is particularly preferred. Carnauba wax has a relatively high melting point of 82-86°C and so the presence of carnauba wax means that the drinking straw is also suitable for use in hot drinks such as those having a temperature of up to 70°C. An example of a commercially available carnauba wax is carnauba wax having E number E903.

The drinking straw 10 has a length I and a total width w. The length I is the distance between the two ends 14. The total width w of the straw is the largest distance between two exterior faces of the body 12, i.e. the external diameter.

The drinking straw 10 has a length I suitable for a drinking straw. In one embodiment, the drinking straw 10 has a length I of 7-30 cm, preferably 10-25 cm and more preferably 15-20 cm.

The drinking straw 10 also has a total width w suitable for a drinking straw. In one embodiment, the drinking straw has a total width w of 3-12 mm, preferably 4-10 mm and more preferably 5-8 mm. When the body 12 is cylindrical in shape, the total width w of the drinking straw 10 corresponds to the total diameter of the drinking straw. Fig. 2 shows an end view of the drinking straw of Fig. 1 . The body 12 of the drinking straw 10 is hollow and the two ends 14 are open. The body 12 of the drinking straw defines a bore 20. The drinking straw 10 is typically cylindrical in shape.

Fig. 3 shows a sectional view across line A-A of Fig. 2. The body 12 has a thickness t and the bore 20 has a width b, i.e. the internal diameter. The thickness t is the distance between the exterior and the interior of the body 12. The bore width 12 is the distance between two opposite interior faces of the body 12.

The body 12 has a thickness t suitable for a drinking straw. In one embodiment, the drinking straw 10 has a body thickness t of 0.2-5 mm, preferably 0.4-4 mm and more preferably 1 -3 mm.

The bore 20 has a width b suitable for a drinking straw. In one embodiment, the drinking straw 10 has a bore width b of 1.5-10 mm, preferably 2-8 mm, more preferably 3-7 mm. When the body 12 is cylindrical in shape, the bore width b of the drinking straw 10 corresponds to the bore diameter of the drinking straw.

These dimensions provide suitability for application as a drinking straw. The bore width is larger than, for example, bucatini pasta, and the length is longer than, for example, macaroni and penne pasta.

The drinking straw of the present invention functions in the same way as a conventional drinking straw. That is, when one end 14 of the drinking straw 10 is submerged in a drink and suction applied to the other end 14 of the drinking straw 10, liquid passes through the bore 20 and along the length I of the body 12.

The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a dried pasta drinking straw 10 of the present invention comprising: (i) mixing pasta ingredients and an edible wax to form a dough; (ii) extruding the dough to form a tube; (iii) cutting the tube to a length I to form the straw precursor; and (iv) drying the straw precursor until the straw contains 5-15% by weight of water, based on the total weight of the straw 10.

The method of the present invention comprises step (i), mixing pasta ingredients and an edible wax to form a dough. The pasta ingredients and the edible wax are discussed above.

In a preferred embodiment, the pasta ingredients comprise water, durum wheat flour and/or semolina.

Preferably, the edible wax is powdered.

In another preferred embodiment, water is present in the dough in 20-35% by weight, based on the total weight of the dough. Preferably, step (i) is stepwise and mixing pasta ingredients and an edible wax to form a dough comprises mixing durum wheat flour and/or semolina and the edible wax to form a dry mixture, and adding water to the dry mixture to form the dough.

The dough is in a so-called“plastic state” wherein it can deform under the actions of external forces without any particular tension forming inside it and it can permanently keep the shape acquired as a result of these forces.

The method of the present invention comprises step (ii), extruding the dough to form a tube. Pasta extrusion is well known in the art. Suitable dies for extrusion include metal, e.g. stainless steel, and plastic dies. The dough is extruded to form a tube with the body thickness t required for the purpose of the dried pasta drinking straw 10.

A tube is a hollow object with a length exceeding a width and a height. In one embodiment, the tube is a cylinder. When the tube is a cylinder, a round die is used.

The method of the present invention comprises step (iii), cutting the tube to a length I to form the straw 10. In this step, the tube is cut to the length I required for the purpose of the dried pasta drinking straw 10.

The method of the present invention comprises step (iv), drying the straw 10 until the straw contains 5-15% by weight of water, based on the total weight of the straw. The straw 10 is dried using any suitable drying means and at any suitable temperature and humidity, although the temperature needs to be kept below the melting point of the edible wax.

The straw 10 is dried until it is hard and no longer flexible. After drying, the straw 10 is stable. Put another way, within certain environmental limits (air temperature and humidity), the remaining moisture content remains uniform.