Biodegradable fishing lure and material

Abstract

Natural, biodegradable compositions are described as well as methods for their manufacture. Fishing lures and other items made of the biodegradable materials disintegrate over time in fresh or salt water to reduce pollution. The materials are digestable by fish and other aquatic animals, reducing potential harm to the animal from ingesting a fishing lure or other item made from the natural biodegradable materials disclosed. Because the material is digestable, it can also be used as a food source or supplement for fish and aquatic animals.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A biodegradable fishing lure comprising a body formed of a flexible and resilient material, said material comprising at least one carbohydrate and at least one protein, and being biodegradable in freshwater and in saltwater, wherein the body is formed into the general shape of a natural food source of a fish.  
     
     
         2 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 1 , wherein said material comprises about 50%-90% of the carbohydrate and about 10%-50% of the protein, on a solids basis.  
     
     
         3 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 1 , wherein the carbohydrate is a natural carbohydrate and the protein is a natural protein.  
     
     
         4 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one carbohydrate is glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, cellobiose, glycerol, corn starch, wheat starch, rice starch and/or potato starch; and wherein the at least one protein is casein, whey protein, gelatin, gluten, soy protein and/or albumin.  
     
     
         5 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 1 , wherein said material further comprises at least one water-soluble gum.  
     
     
         6 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 5 , wherein said water-soluble gum is xanthan gum, carrageenan, guar gum, locust bean gum, arabinogalactans, gum Arabic, agar and/or pectin.  
     
     
         7 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 1 , wherein said material further comprises at least one fish attractant.  
     
     
         8 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 7 , wherein said at least one fish attractant comprises hydrolyzed fish protein, fish oil, fish meal, ground crustaceans, ground mussels, fish powder, fruit, spices, garlic, garlic oil, neutral L-amino acids, betaine, nucleotides, inosine, inosine-5-monophosphate, sulfonium compounds, dimethylthetin, dimethylpropiothetin, metallized glitter, metallic glitter and/or food grade colors.  
     
     
         9 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 1 , wherein said material comprises sucrose, gelatin, glycerol, Kappa carrageenan, and potassium chloride.  
     
     
         10 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 9 , comprising -about 30%-70% sucrose, about 3%-35% gelatin, about 20%-50% glycerol, about 2%-6% Kappa carrageenan, and about 0.1%-2.0% potassium chloride.  
     
     
         11 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 1 , wherein said material comprises sucrose, gelatin, sodium alginate, locust bean gum, calcium chloride, starch, corn syrup, glycerin, sodium benzoate and sodium metaphosphate.  
     
     
         12 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 11 , comprising about 5-15% sucrose, about 10-30% gelatin, about 1-5% sodium alginate, about 1-5% locust bean gum, about 0.1-1% calcium chloride, about 1-5% starch, about 30-50% corn syrup, about 1-5% glycerin, about 1-3% sodium benzoate and about 1-3% sodium metaphosphate.  
     
     
         13 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 1 , wherein said material comprises sucrose, gelatin, sodium alginate, calcium chloride, starch, sodium metaphosphate, corn syrup, and glycerin.  
     
     
         14 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 1 , wherein said material comprises sucrose, gelatin, Kappa carrageenan and potassium chloride.  
     
     
         15 . A biodegradable material, said material comprising: 
 at least one natural carbohydrate, wherein the natural carbohydrate is a monosaccharide, a disaccharide, a polysaccharide and/or a starch;    at least one natural protein, wherein the protein is a gelatin, a casein, a whey, a gluten, a soy protein and/or an albumin;    at least one water-soluble natural gum.    
     
     
         16 . The biodegradable material of  claim 15 , applied to an object as a time-release coating.  
     
     
         17 . The biodegradable material of  claim 15 , wherein the at least one natural carbohydrate is glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, maltose, cellobiose, glycerol, corn starch, wheat starch, rice starch and/or potato starch; wherein the at least one natural protein is casein, whey protein, gelatin, gluten, soy protein and/or albumin; and wherein said water-soluble natural gum is xanthan gum, carrageenan, guar gum, locust bean gum, arabinogalactans, gum Arabic, agar and/or pectin.  
     
     
         18 . The biodegradable material of  claim 15 , further comprising at least one fish attractant.  
     
     
         19 . The biodegradable fishing lure of  claim 18 , wherein said at least one fish attractant comprises hydrolyzed fish protein, fish oil, fish meal, ground krill, ground mussels, fish powder, fruit, spices, garlic, garlic oil, neutral L-amino acids, betaine, nucleotides, inosine, inosine-5-monophosphate, sulfonium compounds, dimethylthetin, dimethylpropiothetin, metallized glitter, metallic glitter and/or food grade colors.  
     
     
         20 . A fishing lure at least partially comprising the biodegradable material of  claim 15 .  
     
     
         21 . A fish food at least partially comprising the biodegradable material of  claim 15 .  
     
     
         22 . The biodegradable material of  claim 15 , comprising sucrose, gelatin, glycerol, Kappa carrageenan, and potassium chloride.  
     
     
         23 . The biodegradable material of  claim 15 , comprising sucrose, gelatin agar, calcium chloride, starch, corn syrup, and glycerin.  
     
     
         24 . The biodegradable material of  claim 15 , comprising sucrose, gelatin, sodium alginate, calcium chloride, starch, sodium metaphosphate, corn syrup, glycerin and locust bean gum.  
     
     
         25 . The biodegradable material of  claim 15 , comprising sucrose, gelatin, Kappa carrageenan and potassium chloride.  
     
     
         26 . A biodegradable material comprising at least one natural carbohydrate and at least one natural protein, said material being flexible and resilient and having an Instron tensile strength of between about 0.5 kg to about 1.5 kg and a hardness factor of about 1 to about 2.  
     
     
         27 . The biodegradable material of  claim 26 , wherein the material allows at least about 25% elongation before breakage.  
     
     
         28 . A biodegradable fishing lure comprising: 
 a body formed of a material comprising at least one natural carbohydrate and at least one natural protein, said material being digestable by a fish; and    at least one hook attached to said body.    
     
     
         29 . A process for producing a biodegradable material, said process comprising: 
 mixing components comprising at least one natural carbohydrate and at least one natural protein to form a composition;    molding the composition into a fishing lure shape; and    curing the molded composition to produce a material that is flexible and resilient, and that allows at least about 25% elongation before breakage.    
     
     
         30 . The process of  claim 29 , further comprising cooling the molded composition in the mold prior to said curing step.  
     
     
         31 . The process of  claim 29 , wherein said curing step comprises curing the molded composition at about 4° C. for about 20-44 hours.  
     
     
         32 . The process of  claim 29 , wherein said curing step comprises curing the molded composition at about 25° C. for about 10-30 hours.  
     
     
         33 . The process of  claim 29 , wherein said curing step comprises curing the molded composition at about 50° C. for about 3-5 hours.