Method of freezing making use of a mineral nucleator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10015958-B2
Application number	US-201314651366-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2013
Priority date	Dec 11, 2012
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for freezing a water-containing quantity of a biological entity or a formulation in a vessel using a mineral nucleator, to the use of the mineral as a nucleator and to a vessel with the mineral in or on the whole or part of a surface thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for freezing a water-containing quantity of a biological entity or a formulation comprising:
contacting the water-containing quantity of the biological entity or formulation with a framework silicate in a vessel to form a solution; and
freezing the solution at a supercooling temperature between 0° C. and 8° C. in the vessel, wherein the framework silicate promotes the non-spontaneous formation of ice at a supercooling temperature between 0° C. and 8° C.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the framework silicate is selected from the group consisting of Feldspar, Silica, Nepheline, Petalite, Leucite, Sodalite, Cancrinite, Scapolite, Analcite and Zeolite.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the framework silicate is a framework aluminosilicate.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the framework silicate is a Feldspar or Feldsapthoid.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the framework silicate is a Feldspar.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the framework silicate is a Feldspar with a predominance of NaAlSi 3 O 8 and KAlSi 3 O 8 .

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the framework silicate is a Feldspar with a predominance of KAlSi 3 O 8 .

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the framework silicate is a Feldspar with a predominance of CaAl 2 Si 2 O 8 and NaAlSi 3 O 8 .

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the framework silicate is a Feldspar with a predominance of NaAlSi 3 O 8 .

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the water-containing quantity is a water-containing quantity of a medical formulation.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the water-containing quantity is a water-containing quantity of a formulated foodstuff.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the water-containing quantity is a water-containing quantity of a biological entity.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the biological entity is a cell or aggregate of cells.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the contacting the water-containing quantity with a framework silicate in a vessel comprises:
adding the water-containing quantity to the vessel; and
adding the framework silicate in a discrete form to the vessel.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the framework silicate is in or on the whole or part of a surface of the vessel or part thereof such that active nucleation sites of the framework silicate are exposed effectively to the water-containing quantity and the contacting the water-containing quantity with a framework silicate in a vessel comprises adding the water-containing quantity to the vessel.

16. A method for freezing a water-containing quantity of a biological entity or a formulation comprising:
forming a solution comprising the water-containing quantity of the biological entity or formulation, and a framework silicate;
freezing the solution at a supercooling temperature between 0° C. and 8° C.; and
during the freezing, promoting the non-spontaneous formation of ice at the supercooling temperature between 0° C. and 8° C.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the framework silicate comprises one or more of Feldspar, Silica, Nepheline, Petalite, Leucite, Sodalite, Cancrinite, Scapolite, Analcite and/or Zeolite.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the forming the solution comprises:
adding the water-containing quantity to a vessel; and
adding the framework silicate in a discrete form to the vessel.

Assignees

• Univ Leeds Innovations Ltd
• Asymptote Ltd
• Asymptote Ltd

Inventors

• Murray Benjamin John
• Whale Thomas Francis
• Atkinson James
• Morris George John

Classifications

• A01N1/0221 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A01N1/0268

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A23G9/325

  containing inorganic compounds · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• A01N1/0278

  Human Necessities · mapped topic