| Methods and devices for analysis of sealed containers -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Methods and devices for analysis of sealed containersMethods and devices for analysis of sealed containers description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20050280414, Methods and devices for analysis of sealed containers. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. application Ser. Nos. 60/396,644, filed Jul. 17, 2002 and 60/465,644, filed April 25, 2003, the fill disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to methods and devices for analyzing sealed food and beverage containers, and particularly sealed wine bottles, by NMR spectroscopy. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Wine is the product of the growth and metabolism of yeasts and bacteria in grape must. It is well known that many of these and other bacteria survive all of the steps of wine making from the mature grape through vinification to bottle corking (Ribereau-Gayon (1985) "New developments in wine microbiology" Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 36:1-10). One class of organisms of interest is Acetobacter, a bacteria responsible for oxidizing ethyl alcohol into vinegar or acetic acid (Fleet and Drysdale (1988) "Acetic acid bacteria in winemaking: a review" Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 39:143-154; Lonvaud-Funel and Millet (2000) "The viable but non-culturable state of wine micro-organisms during storage" Lt. Appl. Microbiol. 30:136-141). Although present in most wines, Acetobacter does not typically generate enough acetic acid to spoil wine during bottle storage due to a lack of oxygen. As long as the wine is stored in an anaerobic environment, conditions ensured by quality corking, acceptably low quantities of acetic acid (e.g., below sensory levels) are produced and the quality of the wine is preserved. Unfortunately, the sealing performance of wine corks can degrade with age, and the long term behavior of low quality natural corks and synthetic stoppers is not well documented. One consequence of a leaky cork is the admission of oxygen to wine, a triggering of Acetobacter function, and the production of acetic acid . Furthermore, the admission of oxygen into the bottle in the presence of heat can lead to oxidation of ethanol into aldehydes. These processes lead to changes in odor and flavor, and therefore spoilage, of fine wines. [0004] Current methods for identifying acetic acid in wine are very sensitive, detecting roughly 50 .mu.g/L acetic acid, even though the accepted spoilage limit of acetic acid in wine is 1.4 g/L (see, for example, Kellner et al. (1998) "High performance liquid chromatography with real-time Fourier-transform infrared detection for the determination of carbohydrates, alcohols and organic acids in wines"J. Chromatogr. A. 824:159-167; Garcia-Martinet al. (2000) "Simultaneous determination of organic acids in wine samples by capillary electrophoresis and UV detection: optimization with five different background electrolytes" J. High Resol. Chromatogr. 23:647-652; Kellner et al. (1998) "A rapid automated method for wine analysis based upon sequential injection (SI)-FTIR spectroscopy" Fresenius 362:130-136; and Margalith (1981) in Flavour Microbiology, pp. 167-168, Charles Thomas Publishers, Springfield, Ill.). In addition, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been employed for wine fingerprinting studies and trace amino acid and organic molecule detection in wine (Guillou and Reniero (1998) "Magnetic resonance sniffs out bad wine" Physics World 11:22-23; and Kidric et al. (1998) "Wine analysis by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy" Analysis 26:97-101). However, all published NMR studies of wine involve removal and analysis of small volume samples of wine (e.g., less then 1 mL) to accomplish these measurements. As such, all of the current strategies for contaminant (e.g., acetic acid) detection require the bottle to be violated, a process that destroys the cork, seal, and label, severely devaluing both the wine and bottle. The present invention overcomes these and other problems by providing methods and devices for the detection of contaminants in wine bottles by NMR spectroscopy. These methods are equally applicable to other sealed consumables containers for which contamination, degradation, or other changes in product flavor or quality is a concern. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] The present invention provides methods and devices for the analysis of sealed consumable containers by NMR spectroscopy. The high static and radiofrequency (rf) magnetic fields used in the NMR experiment in no way affect the quality of the food or beverage examined via the methods provided herein. [0006] In some embodiments, the present invention provides non-invasive, non-destructive analytical methods for determining the level of wine acetification. As such, the methods and devices of the present invention can be routinely used in the evaluation of the quality of fine wines and in the study of wine cork aging. Furthermore, these methods of intact bottle analysis are not limited to the determination of acetic acid spoilage and content in wines, but can be extended to the study of other wine molecular components (e.g., aldehydes and flavenoids), as well as to components and/or contaminants in other types of sealed consumables. [0007] Accordingly, the present invention provides methods for analyzing one or more contents of a sealed consumables container. The methods include, but are not limited to, the steps of providing an NMR spectrometer and an NMR probe configured to accept a portion of the sealed consumables container; positioning the portion of the sealed consumables container within a data collection region of the NMR probe; establishing a homogeneous static magnetic field across the data collection region; collecting an NMR spectrum; and analyzing one or more peaks in the NMR spectrum, thereby analyzing one or more contents of the sealed consumables container. [0008] Any food or beverage having components that generate one or more NMR peaks can be assessed using the methods and devices of the present invention. Thus, a variety of food or beverage containers having, for example, nonalcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages, beer, vinegar or olive oil stored therein, can be analyzed using the methods of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the sealed consumables container is a bottle of wine. [0009] The methods of the present invention can be used in a qualitative or quantitative manner, e.g., either the presence of a selected component or the concentration of the selected component is determined. For example, in the analysis of wine, exemplary selected components include, but are not limited to, acetic acid, aldehydes, flavenoids, and amino acids. [0010] The methods of the present invention include the step of positioning the portion of the consumables container within a data collection region of the NMR probe. For example, either the neck of the container or a portion of the body of the container can be placed within the data collection region of the NMR probe. The homogeneous static magnetic field is then established across the data collection region by, for example, adjusting the one or more shim coils in the probe. Preferably, establishing the homogeneous field allows for resolution of chemical shift difference between selected NMR spectra peaks a minimum distance apart. In certain embodiments of the present invention involving .sup.1H NMR spectroscopy, the resolution will preferably allow for distinguishing peaks that are about 1 ppm apart. Optionally, the NMR peaks generated by the selected components are integrated, thereby analyzing a quantity of the selected component. [0011] The present invention also provides NMR probes configured to position a portion of a sealed consumables container within an NMR spectrometer. The NMR probes used in the present invention can be any of a number of detection probes, including, but not limited to, a .sup.1H probe, a .sup.2H probe, a .sup.13C probe, a .sup.17O probe, or a combination thereof. The NMR probe components include a body structure having a cavity adapted for receiving a portion of the sealed consumables container (e.g., a neck of a bottle, or a body of the container). The cavity is typically disposed in the body structure (either at a first end, or in a middle portion), such that a first rf coil attached to the body structure is positioned proximal to the cavity and the portion of the sealed container. In one embodiment of the probes of the present invention, the first rf coil comprises a split solenoid coil, in which the coil portions are positioned to either side of the data collection region of the probe. In an alternate embodiment, the first rf coil is a birdcage-style coil surrounding the data collection region of the probe. [0012] In some embodiments of the present invention, the first rf coil is used for both transmitting and receiving rf pulses. Optionally, the probe includes a second rf coil positioned distal to the first rf coil. The second rf coils can be, for example, configured for measurement of one or more signals from a calibration sample. Alternatively, the second rf coil is configured for selective excitation of a heteronucleus, such as .sup.13C, .sup.17O, .sup.2H, .sup.23Na, .sup.27Al, .sup.199Hg, or .sup.207Pb. [0013] The probes of the present invention further include a tuning capacitor coupled at a first position to the rf coil, and coupled at a second position to a length of coaxial cable configured for connection to the NMR spectrometer. The tuning capacitor can include, but is not limited to, one or more non-magnetic zero-to-ten (0-10) picofarad high power rf capacitors. [0014] Optionally, the probe also includes additional components useful for NMR analyses, such as electronic components for generating magnetic field gradients, a calibration fluid sample tube; and a fluid jacket for modulating the probe temperature, to name a few. [0015] Systems for analyzing contents of a sealed consumables container are also provided by the present invention. The system components include, but are not limited to, the NMR probe configured to position a portion of a sealed consumables container within an NMR spectrometer; an NMR spectrometer having a bore proximal to a magnet and configured to receive the NMR probe, an amplifier coupled to the NMR probe via co-axial cable; and a receiver system having a preamplifier and a detector. Optionally, the system further includes a pulse programmer. [0016] Optionally, the NMR probe of the system is a single resonance probe selected from the group consisting of a .sup.1H probe, a .sup.2H probe, a .sup.13C probe, an .sup.17O probe, a .sup.23Na probe, an .sup.27Al probe, a .sup.199Hg probe, and a .sup.207Pb probe. In one embodiment, the NMR probe employs a first rf coil used for both transmitting and receiving rf pulses. In another aspect, the NMR probe further comprises a second rf coil configured, for example, for measurement of one or more signals from a calibration sample. [0017] The NMR probe is configured to accept the sealed consumables container and position a portion of the container (e.g., the neck of a bottle, or the body of the container) within the magnetic field of the spectrometer. Typically, the spectrometer comprises a wide bore magnet; preferably, the magnetic field is generated by a room temperature superconducting magnet. While any field strength can be used in the system of the present invention, higher field strengths are preferable to lower field strengths. In one embodiment, magnetic field comprises a 2.01 T magnetic field. The receiver component of the analytical system includes, but is not limited to, preamplifier and a detector in communication with the NMR probe. In one embodiment, the receiver includes a passive rf duplexer and signal mixing and digitization electronics. These and other aspects of the present invention are provided herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of an exemplary probe of the present invention. [0019] FIG. 2 depicts an expanded view of an exemplary probe, showing the placement of a sealed container within the data collection region. Continue reading about Methods and devices for analysis of sealed containers... Full patent description for Methods and devices for analysis of sealed containers Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Methods and devices for analysis of sealed containers patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Methods and devices for analysis of sealed containers or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Eddy-current probe Next Patent Application: Method for introducing a liquid sample into an nmr spectrometer Industry Class: Electricity: measuring and testing ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Methods and devices for analysis of sealed containers patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.25568 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Accenture , Agouron Pharmaceuticals , Amgen , AT&T , Bausch & Lomb , Callaway Golf 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
