Flavored Function Specific Toothpicks

Abstract

A flavored toothpick and a method for preparing such, the product exhibiting improved capacity for delivering flavor and additives to the user, among other advantages. The toothpick may be prepared by pretreating the wooden substrate to increase porosity and decrease hardness. The toothpick is then immersed in a solution containing an additive, a masking agent, and a sweeting agent, where the toothpick absorbs the solution. Alternatively, the toothpick may be placed with the solution in a sealed chamber under vacuum pressure to infuse the toothpick with the additive solution and any desired flavoring.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A flavored toothpick, comprising a substrate of unitary construction, the substrate being formed of a wood material, the substrate having been treated to obtain an increase in porosity and a decrease in hardness. 
     
     
         2 . The flavored toothpick of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is straight. 
     
     
         3 . The flavored toothpick of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is formed of birch wood. 
     
     
         4 . The flavored toothpick of  claim 1 , wherein the wood material is pre-treated using a wash of warm water. 
     
     
         5 . The flavored toothpick of  claim 1 , wherein the hardness of the toothpick is decreased by more than 50%. 
     
     
         6 . The flavored toothpick of  claim 1 , wherein the porosity of the substrate is increased by more than 30%. 
     
     
         7 . The flavored toothpick of  claim 1 , wherein the toothpick is infused with a biologically active compound. 
     
     
         8 . The flavored toothpick of  claim 7 , wherein the toothpick is also infused with a masking agent and a sweetener to accompany the biologically active compound. 
     
     
         9 . The flavored toothpick of  claim 1 , wherein the flavoring is infused into the substrate so as to approach a nearly homogeneous distribution. 
     
     
         10 . A method of preparing a flavored toothpick, the toothpick being formed of a substrate of unitary construction, the method comprising the steps of:
 pretreating the toothpick in a wash to increase the porosity of the substrate;   preparing an additive solution;   placing the toothpick in the additive solution at a raised temperature for a pre-determined length of time; and   curing the toothpick in a low humidity environment.   
     
     
         11 . A method for preparing a flavored toothpick, comprising the steps of:
 preparing an additive solution;   placing the toothpick in the additive solution within a sealed chamber;   subjecting the sealed chamber to a vacuum pressure for a period of time; and   removing the toothpick to an environment of low relative humidity for curing.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the additive solution is water-based. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the step of pretreating the toothpick also results in a decrease in the hardness of the substrate. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the additive is a biologically active compound 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the additive solution contains a masking agent. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the additive solution contains a sweetening agent. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the additive solution contains flavoring. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the curing step is performed in an environment of less than 18% relative humidity. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the vacuum pressure is applied using a mechanical pump. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the vacuum pressure is more than 10% below atmospheric pressure.