for purposes of clarity and as an aid in the understanding of the invention , as disclosed and claimed herein , the following terms and abbreviations are defined below : synergistic amounts — refers to a small percentage of a higher alcohol which substantially improves the antimicrobial activity of the lower alcohol to which it is added . additive amounts — indicates amounts not exceeding 5 % of the total volume . cn alcohols — indicates alkanols , where n is the number of carbon atoms . the following compositions and preparations were used in the examples given hereinbelow : b ) 10 - 1000 μl of a breathanol - containing toothpaste that was diluted 1 : 5 with decarboxylase medium ( concentration of breathanol in the toothpaste before dilution is 1 %), and c ) decarboxylase medium , to bring the final volume of the mixture up to 5 ml . the tubes were incubated at 37 ° c . for three days . following incubation , the odor was determined by a panel of odor judges , using the following semi - quantitative scale 0 = no odor 1 = very slight odor 2 = weak but noticeable odor 3 = medium odor 4 = foul odor 5 = extremely foul odor the results ( table i ) show that a reduction in odor formation is seen with all dilutions of the breathanol - containing toothpaste ( compared with no - toothpaste control ), and that this anti - odor effect is dose related . the ability of breathanol to reduce odor was tested in the following clinical study . subjects ( n = 51 ; mean age 24 . 5 years ) were recruited from among those who had previously volunteered for similar studies . subjects were remunerated for their time . the criteria for exclusion from the study were : taking antibiotics within one month prior to the study , smokers , partial or complete denture wearers . participants were asked to refrain from eating or drinking 2 hours prior to measurements . initially , subjects were tested for malodor - related parameters ( as described further ). they were then given the mouthwash ( 17 ml ; active , containing 1 % breathanol , or placebo ), and were asked to swish and gargle twice for 30 seconds with a one minute interval . they were reexamined 1 . 5 and 3 hours following use . subjects were assessed for oral malodor - related parameters , including ( i ) whole mouth odor as measured by three independent judges on a scale of 0 - 5 ; ( ii ) tongue dorsum posterior odor using the spoon test ; and ( iii ) volatile sulphide levels using the model 1170 sulphide monitor ( interscan corp ., chatsworth calif .). all measurements were made prior to rinsing ( time zero ), and at 1 . 5 and 3 hours post - rinsing . results were analyzed using analysis of variance ( anova ) and , when necessary , analysis of co - variance ( ancova ) with time zero as covariate . organoleptic measurements were carried out throughout the study by one experienced and two inexperienced judges whose scores have been compared to other judge &# 39 ; s scores and measurement techniques in previous studies . organoleptic measurements were made , based on the whole mouth expirate , as well as odor assessment from the posterior of the tongue dorsum . for whole mouth malodor , following a three hour fast , subjects were instructed to exhale briefly through the mouth , at a distance of ca . 10 cm from the nose of the judge . for assessment of the tongue posterior dorsum , a sample was obtained by mild scraping with a plastic spoon . after 5 seconds , the odor judges and the subjects themselves smelled the odor at a distance of ca . 5 cm from the spoon . results of the two malodor assessments were rated on a semi - integer scale of − 5 to 5 as follows : vsc of intraoral headspace was measured using the interscan 1170 monitor . quantitative measurement of volatile sulphides were carried out using the interscan 1170 monitor ( interscan corporation , chatsworth , calif . ), 1 ppm full - scale deflection . volunteers were asked to refrain from talking for 5 minutes prior to measurement . the monitor was zeroed on ambient air , and measurement performed by inserting a disposable ¼ “ plastic straw approximately 4 cm into the oral cavity . the volunteer was asked to breathe through his / her nose during measurement . results were recorded as peak ppb sulphide equivalents . unstimulated whole saliva was collected and diluted in saline . plating was performed on blood agar . plates were incubated aerobically at 37 ° c . for 24 hours . comparison between the various rounds of the study was carried out using anova or ancova . treatment effects were compared using the t - test with the bonferroni correction . organoleptic assessments of whole mouth odor made by the three judges are summarized in table ii . in all cases , much larger reductions were observed in the scores of the experimental , as compared with control , subject groups . in the case of the experienced judge , the decrease in the scores of the active mouthwash group was highly significant as compared with placebo scores ( p & lt ; 0 . 0005 , ancova ). similar results were obtained for odor deriving from the back of the tongue , and are shown in table iii . a experimental group significantly different from control group ( p = 0 . 0308 , t - test ) the results of the sulphide assay and of the microbial count measurements are shown in table w . the results for the sulphide assay demonstrate that for the experimental group , there was a significant decrease in salivary sulphide content at the 180 minute time point ( p = 0 . 0001 ; anova ). similarly , the microbial count on blood agar was significantly reduced by the treatment at the 180 minute time point ( p = 0 . 0493 ; anova ). a series of test tubes were prepared , each containing 5 ml of decarboxylase medium ( 0 . 5 % peptone , 0 . 3 % yeast extract , 0 . 1 % dextrose and 0 . 02 % bromocresol purple ). to each tube was added 200 μl of freshly - taken morning saliva , and then 10 - 50 μl of a 1 % solution of a higher alcohol dissolved in 70 % ethanol or 100 % ethanol , as indicated . the tubes were incubated at 37 ° c . for three days . following incubation , the odor was determined by a panel of odor judges , using the following semi - quantitative scale 0 = no odor 1 = very slight odor 2 = weak but noticeable odor 3 = medium odor 4 = foul odor 5 = extremely foul odor the higher alcohols tested were alkanols of chain length c8 , c9 , c10 , c11 , c12 , c14 , c16 and c18 . the c8 to c12 alcohols were prepared as 1 % solutions in 70 % ethanol , and the c14 to c18 alcohols were prepared as 1 % solutions in 100 % ethanol . absence of alcoholic additives , 70 % ethanol alone , cetylpyridinium chloride ( cpc ) and chlorhexidine digluconate ( chx ) were used as controls for the effect of the higher alcohols . the results show that c9 , c10 and c11 all cause inhibition of odor formation . the other alcohols tested are without effect in this model . the results are summarized in table v below . the higher alcohols were tested for antimicrobial activity against gram positive bacteria ( streptococcus mutans ), gram negative bacteria ( pseudomonas spp ., escherichia coli , e . faecalis ) and the yeast candida albicans . c8 , c9 , c10 , c11 and c12 alcohols were prepared as 1 %, 0 . 1 % and 0 . 05 % ( c9 only ) solutions in 70 % ethanol . the c14 , c16 and c18 alcohols were prepared as 1 % solutions in 100 % ethanol . five microliters of the higher alcohol solutions were placed on the surface of a rich ( brain - heart infusion ) agar plate immediately after seeding with a mono - specific bacterial or yeast culture . the plates were incubated for 24 - 48 hours , and , following further microbial proliferation , the diameters of the zones of growth inhibition were measured ( results expressed in centimeters ). the c9 , c10 , c11 , c12 and c14 alcohols all inhibit microbial growth , the c9 alcohol having the widest spectrum of activity . the c16 and c18 alcohols cause moderate inhibition of e . coli ( but not of s . mutans ). c8 causes only partial inhibition of the yeast c . albicans , as evidenced by an opaque inhibition zone on the agar plate . these results are summarized in table vi . in a further set of experiments , the effect of solvent type on the antimicrobial activity of the c9 alcohol was investigated . the following solvents were used to prepare 1 % solutions of the c9 alcohol : water , 100 % methanol , 100 % glycerol , 100 % 2 - propanol , 70 % ethanol . these solutions were tested for antimicrobial activity towards three microorganisms ( m . lysodeikticus , s . mutans and corynebacterium xerosis ) using the same assay as described above . the results ( summarized in table vii ) show that when dissolved in water , c9 is almost devoid of activity . the solutions made in the lower alcohols , however , are highly active . the relationship of the concentration of the c9 alcohol to its antimicrobial activity was also investigated . a series of solutions of the c9 alcohol was prepared in 70 % ethanol , with concentrations ranging from 0 % ( ethanol control ) to 10 %. these solutions were tested in the assay described above for their ability to inhibit the growth of the bacteria m . lysodeikticus and s . mutans . the results are summarized in table viii , below . the antimicrobial activity of the c9 alcohol demonstrates only a weak concentration dependency . over the range of concentrations tested , the greatest antibacterial activity was seen with c9 alcohol concentrations of 3 % and greater . however , concentrations as low as 0 . 1 - 0 . 2 % are still highly active , causing more than 75 % of the maximal effect . 1 - nonanol was incorporated into a 2 - phase ( oil : aqueous ) formulation having the following composition : about 400 microliters of the above composition was introduced into the mouth of a volunteer subject , using a pump spray . the composition was deposited at two sites : close to the tongue and at the entrance to the oro - pharynx . at regular intervals , the subject reported whether he could still detect the characteristic flavor of 1 - nonanol . this flavor was still detected more than half - hour following administration of the spray . this indicates that 1 - nonanol exhibits a high degree of retentiveness in the oral cavity , and thus is suitable for use on oral anti - odor and antimicrobial applications . the preparation was also deemed to be an effective anti - odor agent . 1 . the sodium alginate is added to the glycerin and allowed to swell . 2 . the sodium lauryl sulfate is dissolved in approximately 5 parts water . to fully exploit the invention , the toothpaste should be brought into contact with the posterior region of the mouth by brushing the tongue , as well as with the teeth and gingivae , or alternatively by gargling . to fully exploit the invention , the toothpaste should be brought into contact with the posterior region of the mouth by brushing the tongue , as well as with the teeth and gingivae , or alternatively by gargling . 1 . dissolve sucrose and whey powder in water and boil until clear 2 . at about 115 ° c . add glucose syrup and hard fat plus lecithin and mix well 4 . cool to about 90 ° c . and then add fudge and well dissolved gelatin ( at temperatures of more than 90 ° c . the gelatin may be damaged ) 5 . cool the mass on a precooled cooling table , allow equilibration of temperature , and then stretch until the desired consistency is reached , shape into desired form . in addition to liquid and semi - solid products ( such as e . g ., candies ), the compositions of the invention can be used to coat or impregnate inert materials , such as toothpicks , dental floss and the like . furthermore , the compositions of the invention can be administered in gaseous form , e . g ., they can be evaporated from cigarettes . all the above description of preferred embodiments have been provided for the purpose of illustration and are not intended to limit the invention in any way . many modifications can be made to the compositions and methods , without exceeding the scope of the invention .
the invention is directed to the use of a composition comprising a higher alcohol selected from 1 - nonanol , 1 - decanol and 1 - undecanol , or mixtures thereof and taste - masking additives , as an oral anti - odor preparation . the invention further provides anti - odor toothpaste , mouthwash , candies and other anti - odor preparations for oral use .