Title:  Liquid oral compositions comprising a calcium compound and an acidulant

United States Patent:  6,319,490

Assignee:  SmithKline Beecham plc (Brentford, GB)

Filed:  August 19, 1998

PCT NO:  PCT/EP97/00646

102(e) Date:  August 19, 1998

PCT PUB. Date:  August 28, 1997

Foreign Application Priority Data:  Feb 20, 1996[GB] (9603518)

Acidic oral compositions having reduced tooth erosion characteristics, especially acid beverages such as fruit juice drink concentrates, or oral healthcare products such as mouthwashes, are prepared by adding a calcium compound to the acid composition so that the mol ratio of calcium to acid ranges from 0.3 to 0.8, and the pH of the composition, if necessary after adjustment with an alkali, is from 3.5 to 4.5.

Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to compositions for oral use, such as acidic beverages and oral healthcare compositions, and to the use of calcium in such compositions to alleviate or prevent the tooth damage associated with the consumption of acid. In particular, the present invention alleviates palatability problems associated with calcium addition to beverages.

It is thought that erosion of teeth is caused inter alia by acidic foodstuffs leaching out calcium from the teeth faster than it can be replaced by normal remineralisation processes. When a product such as a beverage is prepared in accordance with this invention, and introduced into the oral cavity for consumption or healthcare purposes, the dissolution or removal of calcium and phosphate from teeth by chemical processes is significantly reduced.

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body. The vast majority of calcium is deposited in the bones and teeth but the mineral is also essential for other bodily functions such as the regulation of nerve function, the contraction of muscles and clotting of blood. Calcium is a common constituent of beverages being derived from fruit ingredients and from hard water when this is used in beverage production without prior softening. Values for the concentration of calcium occurring in this way are typically in the range 0.005-0.02% w/w. Interest in the general nutritional benefits of diet fortification by calcium ion has led to a search for practical ways to incorporate this ion in beverages at higher levels from 0.02% w/w to 2% w/w. The use of calcium as a supplement for beverages has been described in W088/03762.

It is well known that the addition of malic acid will help maintain the solubility of calcium in calcium fortified beverages therefore minimizing losses due to precipitation. This is because of the formation of a soluble complex "calcium citrate malate". On the other hand, Lussi et al (1995, Caries Res 29, 349-354) have associated the titratable acidity of a beverage with its erosive potential, the greater the concentration of acid in the beverage the more damaging to teeth it became.

In PCT U.S. 91/07117 there is disclosed a method for preventing the erosion of tooth enamel by consuming an acid beverage (having a pH of less than 5.5) comprising from 0.02% to 0.15% of calcium in the form of a calcium citrate malate complex having a molar ratio of citrate to malate of 1:0.5 to 1:4.5. In the calcium citrate malate complexes the molar ratio of total moles calcium:total moles citrate:total moles malate may be from about 2:1:1 to about 6:3:4. A preferred complex for beverages has the molar ratio 4:2:3.

We have found that inclusion of high levels of calcium in beverages gives palatability problems. The present invention is based on the discovers that effective reduction of tooth erosion in acidic oral compositions can be achieved with lower amounts of calcium relative to the acidulant when the pH of the composition is also controlled.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a liquid composition for oral use containing a calcium compound and an acidulant characterised in that calcium is present in the range of 0.3 to 0.8 mol per mol of acid and that the amount of calcium and acidulant in the composition is selected so that the pH of the composition is from 3.5 to 4.5.

In another aspect, the present invention provides the use of calcium as a tooth erosion inhibitor in an acidic liquid composition for oral use by adding a calcium compound to the composition so that calcium is present in the range of 0.3 to 0.8 mol per mol of acid, the amount of calcium and acidulant in the composition being selected so that the pH of the composition is from 3.5 to 4.5.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a method of reducing the tooth erosion properties of an acidic oral composition which comprises adding a calcium compound to the acidic liquid oral composition so that calcium is present in the range of 0.3 to 0.8 mol per mol of acid , and if necessary or desired adjusting the pH by addition of an alkali so that the pH of the composition is from 3.5 to 4.5.

In a still further aspect, the present invention provides a process for preparing a composition of this invention which comprises adding a calcium compound to an acidic liquid oral composition so that calcium is present in the range of 0.3 to 0.8 mol per mol of acid, and if necessary or desired adjusting the pH by addition of an alkali so that the pH of the composition is from 3.5 to 4.5.

The present invention is applicable to aqueous acidic substances for oral consumption such as acidic beverages, fruit juices, ciders, wines, vinegars and pickles and diverse acidic dairy products and also to other liquid substances to be taken orally such as acidic mouth washes and medicines.

Practice of the present invention does not cause taste defects in beverages. Although the increase in pH of a beverage to around pH 4 would be expected to reduce the sharpness in taste provided by the acidulant, surprisingly the inclusion of calcium in accordance with this invention mitigates this.

A further advantage arises from the use of low levels of calcium in accordance with this invention in the form of an alkaline salt. The buffering capacity of the formulation is reduced by, partial neutralization of the acid, which allows saliva to neutralise residues in the mouth more rapidly.

The absolute concentration of calcium used in the present invention is not critical as this will vary according to the nature and concentration of the acids present. The acid solution may contain organic and/or inorganic acids and may be supplemented with vitamins such as ascorbic acid. In a concentrated beverage, to be diluted with up to five parts of water prior to consumption, the calcium concentration may vary from 0.001 mol. per liter to more than 0.05 mol. per liter. In a ready to drink beverage the calcium ion concentration may vary from 0.0002 mol. per liter to more than 0.01 mol. per liter.

The calcium may be added as any convenient salt such as calcium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, calcium citrate, calcium malate, calcium lactate, calcium chloride, calcium glycerophosphate or calcium formate or any other salt to minimize any adverse flavour contribution to the composition.

The invention may be carried out by mixing the acid (e.g. citric acid) with its corresponding calcium salt (e.g. calcium citrate) or another calcium salt. It may be advantageous to mix the acid with an alkaline calcium salt such as calcium carbonate or calcium hydroxide thereby minimizing the concentration of acid applied to the formulation. The acid can also be mixed with inorganic calcium salts such as calcium chloride.

The molar ratio of calcium to acid may be 0.3-0.75, more typically 0.3-0.65, preferably 0.3-0.55. Most preferably the molar ratio is at least 0.4, and a value of about 0.5 has been found to be especially effective.

The pH of the formulation may be adjusted to the desired range by the addition of the calcium compound to the appropriate proportion relative to the acid. If necessary, depending on the acid present, the pH may be further adjusted by the application of an alkali e.g. sodium hydroxide or a suitable salt for example sodium citrate, sodium malate or sodium lactate.

The pH of the composition is preferably not more than 4, most preferably from 3.7 to 3.9. Compositions with a pH of about 3.8 have been found to be especially effective.

Typical citric or malic acid concentration in a concentrated fruit beverage would be in the range 0.1% w/w to 4% w/w. In a ready to drink beverage, acid concentrations are typically in the range 0.01% w/w to 1% w/w. Other potable acids conventional for beverages may also be used, such as lactic acid. Mixtures of potable acids may be used.

In a preferred embodiment, the acid composition is a drink concentrate prepared from a natural fruit juice, such as black currant juice, for example a flavoured syrup concentrate. The calcium may be added in a suitable form either to the concentrate, especially when the beverage is sold to the consumer as a concentrate for dilution before drinking, or when diluting the syrup concentrate for preparation of a "ready to drink" diluted concentrate. Preferably the product contains reduced levels of sugar or carbohydrate or is of low calorie type containing intense sweeteners.

The oral composition may contain magnesium or other ions as adjuncts for remineralisation. It may also contain an effective amount of malic acid or potable salts thereof to maintain the solubility of the calcium so as to prevent or minimize the precipitation of insoluble calcium salts. Added malic acid may provide as little as 10% of the total acidity of the beverage, the remainder of the acidity being provided by other preferably naturally present, acids such as citric acid, or by ascorbic acid.

The invention may be applied in a variety of beverages such as concentrates, still fruit drinks, or carbonated soft drinks and in particular to health drinks such as black currant juice drinks or vitamin added beverages. The invention is advantageously applied to drinks containing natural or added citric acid. The beverages may be unsweetened or sweetened with sugar or intense sweeteners such as saccharine, aspartyl phenyl alanyl methyl ester, or other sweeteners known in the art. The beverages may also contain other conventional additives such as sodium benzoate, sorbic acid, sodium metabisulfite, ascorbic acid, flavourings, colourings and carbon dioxide.

The beverages may be prepared by mixing the ingredients according to conventional methods. The solid ingredients may be dissolved in water or in hot water if required prior to addition to the other components. Typically drinks are pasteurised prior to filling in bottles or cans or other packs or arc "in-pack pasteurised" after filling.

Claim 1 of 36 Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method of reducing the tooth erosion properties of an acidic oral composition used for oral administration, comprising adding calcium to the acidic liquid oral composition wherein the calcium is present in the range of 0.3 to 0.8 mol per mol of acid and the pH of the composition is from 3.5 to 4.5; and adjusting the pH, if necessary or desired, by addition of an alkali such that the pH of the resulting composition is in the range of 3.5 to 4.5; subject to the proviso that if the composition is a fruit-containing liquid having a fruit content of 25 to 100% by weight and an acid content of at least 5 g/liter (calculated as tartaric acid), then it contains less than 2 g/liter of dissolved calcium phosphate.

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