Patent 6,872,415

The invention concerns improved sugar-free products, their production and use, in particular, coated products, their production and use. The products are characterized by their content in enriched mixtures of 1-O-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl-D-mannitol (1,1-GPM) and 6-O-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol (1,6-GPS).

Description of the Invention

BACKGROUND

The invention under consideration concerns improved sugar-free products, their production and use, in particular, coated products, their production and use.

Coated products contain a coating produced from sugar, sugar alcohols, chocolates, and/or other glazes with a liquid, soft, or solid core. Chewing gum inserts, fruits, compressed material, or other pharmaceutical products are, for example, used as cores. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,453 describes a sugar-free coated chewing gum, whose coating contains hydrogenated isomaltulose. This chewing gum is obtained by coating with a syrup which contains the hydrogenated isomaltulose. Thus, 1-O-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl-D-mannitol (1,1-GPM) and 6-O-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol (1,6-GPS), dissolved in approximately equimolar quantities, are present in the syrup coating.

A number of methods for the production of coated products are also known. Essentially, a distinction is made between soft coating, hard coating, and suspension dragee formation. Soft coating means the application of saccharides dissolved in water on cores which are moving, wherein after each application, saccharide powder is sprinkled, so as to bind the moisture. This type of coating forms a soft dragee coating (European Patent No. 1,625,311 A1). The fact that the metering of the syrup used for the coating--that is, the dissolved saccharide--and the metering of the powder must be coordinated with one another proves to be a disadvantage, in addition to the complicated processing execution.

Hard coating is likewise understood to mean--just as with soft coating--the application of saccharides dissolved in water on cores which are moving, wherein, however, saccharide powder is not applied, but rather the nonaqueous components are immediately dried. As with soft coating, a large number of different individual applications (50-120) are carried out, between which drying is undertaken with warm or cold air, so that various thicknesses of dragee coatings can be produced. Also, hard coating methods with two different saccharide solutions, which are applied after one another ("dual-composition coating"), are also known. Thus, in more recent times, methods are described in which maltitol-containing layers are first applied and then the remaining coating was built up with xylitol (U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,389). These methods, however, use two different saccharides for the production of the solution to be applied and accordingly, have to be carried out in a complicated manner. In addition, coating layers made of xylitol detach readily during the coating process, in particular on the corners and edges of the coated cores.

Both in hard coating as well as in soft coating methods, the problem of the adhesion tendency upon application of the aqueous solutions arises--for example, when using hydrogenated isomaltulose for the coating. This adhesion tendency causes the coating material to stick together or a sticking to the walls of the container used for the coating.

A third possibility for coating is to be found in the use of a suspension. The suspended mixture used up to now--for the most part only with sugar-containing products--consists of a liquid phase (which, for example, contains sugar, rice starch, and glucose dissolved in water) and a solid phase which consists of fine, crystalline sugar particles. The separate use of various sucroses is characteristic of this type of suspension-coating.

The coating products obtained with the described methods tend to lose their crispiness during storage because of the composition of their coating and their core. The reason for this is apparently to be found in the diffusion of moisture from the core into the coating. In the long run, this process also leads to undesired drying out of the dragee core. Conversely, the known products exhibit an undesired water absorption in a moist warm atmosphere, whose results are sticky, soft products, which are thus unattractive for consumption.

Also the products which are not coated and have been known up to now in the state of the art are capable of improvement with regard to their storage capacity, sweetening power, or solubility. These disadvantages originate in the type and composition of the saccharides used for the production of the products or their mixtures, such as hydrogenated isomaltulose. Hydrogenated isomaltulose is formed by the hydrogenation of isomaltulose and contains the components 6-O-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol (below, referred to as 1,6-GPS) and 1-O-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl-D-mannitol (referred to below as 1,1-GPM) in a ratio of approximately 1:1. Hydrogenated isomaltulose is dissolved only moderately in water, and in dissolved form tends to adhere upon application to the surfaces involved in the coating.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The technical problem at the core of the invention under consideration thus is to make available products which overcome the aforementioned disadvantages, methods for their production, and their use.

The solution to this technical problem is to be found in making available the saccharide mixtures characterized in the patent claims, products containing these mixtures, methods for their production, and their use in the food area, in particular, the sweetener and pharmaceutical areas.

In particular, the invention makes available 1,6-GPS-enriched mixtures, consisting of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM, in a ratio of 57:43 wt %, in particular greater than 57:less than 43 wt %, to 99:1 wt % (based on the dry substance of the mixture of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM, used for production, wherein its 1,6-GPS/1,1-GPM content is equal to 100%) and 1,1-GPM-enriched mixtures, consisting of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM, in a ratio of 1:99 wt % to 43 wt %:57 wt %, in particular, smaller than 43:greater than 57 wt % (based on the dry substance of the mixture of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM, used for production, wherein its 1,6-GPS/1,1-GPM content is equal to 100%). Depending on the composition of the starting substance used for their production, the mixtures can also contain small quantities of sorbitol, mannitol, etc. The mixtures in accordance with the invention can be used in a particularly advantageous manner in solution or as a suspension for the coating of products in the sweetener or pharmaceutical areas. In accordance with the invention, the mixtures can comprise an additive, an essential component, or essentially a sole component of the most varied products in the food or pharmaceutical areas. The 1,6-GPS- and 1,1-GPM-enriched mixtures in accordance with the invention can be, particularly advantageously, produced from a single basic substance, namely hydrogenated isomaltulose. Therefore, in accordance with the invention, it is possible to produce two mixtures, each with different characteristics, from this commercially obtainable basic substance. The 1,6-GPS-enriched mixture is characterized by an increased solubility and greater sweetening power, in comparison to hydrogenated isomaltulose and the 1,1-GPM-enriched mixture. The greater sweetening power is based, on the one hand, on the fact that 1,6-GPS goes into solution more rapidly and thus triggers a more rapid sweet sensation and, on the other hand, on the objectively greater sweetening power which is characteristic of the compound 1,6-GPS. The 1,1-GPM-enriched mixture exhibits a lower solubility than hydrogenated isomaltulose. The deliberate use of these two substances in products in the food, sweetener, or pharmaceutical areas makes it possible to impart to the products an improved storage stability and greater sweetening power and to simplify their production method.

The invention concerns, in particular, coated products, comprising a core and a coating, wherein the coating contains at least one layer made of a 1,6-GPS-enriched mixture, consisting of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM, in a ratio of 57:43 wt %, in particular, greater than 57:smaller than 43 wt %, to 99:1 wt % (based on the dry substance of the mixture of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM, used for production, wherein its 1,6-GPS/1,1-GPM content is equal to 100%) and/or of a 1,1-GPM-enriched mixture, consisting of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM, in a ratio of 1:99 wt % to 43:57 wt %, in particular, smaller than 43:greater than 57 wt % (based on the dry substance of the mixture of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM, used for production, wherein its 1,6-GPS/1,1-GPM content is equal to 100%). This/these layer(s) comprise(s) either exclusively--perhaps with the inclusion of impurities resulting from the starting substance, such as sorbitol or mannitol--the mixtures in accordance with the invention or the compositions containing the mixtures in accordance with the invention. The coated products, in accordance with the invention, contain either a core of known composition or a core which comprises one or two of the 1,6-GPS- or 1,1-GPM-enriched mixtures, in accordance with the invention, and a coating of at least one layer of one of the mixtures in accordance with the invention--that is, at least one layer of the 1,1-GPM- or 1,6-GPS-enriched mixture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In a particularly preferred specific embodiment of the invention, the coated products exhibit at least one and preferably 25-45 layers of the 1,6-GPS- and 1,1-GPM-enriched mixture. The thus coated products are sheathed by layer sequences with different compositions. By selecting the series sequence and the number of coating steps with the various mixtures, it is possible to deliberately produce products with desired characteristics. In accordance with the invention, provisions can be made so that the core is first sheathed with, in total, 25-45 layers of the 1,1-GPM-enriched mixture and then on these layers, other, in particular 25-45, layers of the 1,6-GPS-enriched mixture are applied. Such a structured coated product is characterized, as a whole, by a higher sweetening power, in comparison to traditional products coated with hydrogenated isomaltulose, as a result of the higher solubility and greater sweetening power of the 1,6-GPS-enriched mixture forming the outer layers. Another advantage is found in the presence of the 1,1-GPM-enriched layer sequence between the core and outer layer, which prevents a diffusion of moisture to the surface of the dragee because of its lower solubility, in comparison to traditional hydrogenated isomaltulose. The products therefore exhibit an improved crispiness and longer storage stability. In addition and conversely, in the moist, warm atmosphere, less moisture penetrates from the surroundings into the core, so that the storage stability is improved even under these circumstances. The invention, however, also comprises an embodiment in which the layers close to the core are constituted from the 1,6-GPS-containing mixture, whereas the outer layer contains the 1,1-GPM-enriched mixture.

In the pharmaceutical field also, the solubility of products or, in the case of coated products, the solubility of their coatings, frequently plays a role. The solubility of the products or coatings directly influences the active-ingredient release and thus also the active site and the active time of the applied pharmaceuticals. In cases in which a more rapid release of the pharmaceuticals is desired, only, or predominantly, 1,6-GPS-enriched mixtures with their increased solubility are used, in accordance with the invention, as the coating or for the production of the drug carrier. Conversely, in cases in which a slower active-ingredient release is desired, only, or essentially, a 1,1-GPM-enriched mixture can be used for the production of the coating or the drug carrier.

The invention also concerns a method for the production of a coated product, which is characterized in that at least once a solution or suspension of the 1,6-GPS-enriched mixture and/or sometime before or subsequently, a solution or suspension of the 1,1-GPM-enriched mixture is applied on the core and the solvent is evaporated before the application of each layer. The method in accordance with the invention provides for either a solution or, particularly preferably, a suspension of one of the mixtures in accordance with the invention being applied at least once on a core. A multiple application is particularly preferred so that the coating comprises several layers. Particularly preferred is a method in which layers of the two mixtures in accordance with the invention are applied, one after another, on the core. A specific embodiment of the invention provides for 25-45 applications of the solution or suspension of the 1,1-GPM- and 1,6-GPS-enriched mixture to be carried out. Depending on the desired characteristics of the coated product, for example, the layers which contain the 1,1-GPM-enriched mixture are applied; they are then covered by 1,6-GPS-enriched layers. The invention, however, also comprises the application of 1,6-GPS-enriched layers first, followed by the application of 1,1-GPM-enriched layers. After the application of each layer, the solvent is evaporated, preferably with a gas flow which has a dew point of -15^o to +10^oC., with 0^oC. being particularly preferable. The application of the suspension or solution is carried out while maintaining a constant temperature and while avoiding water losses. This can, for example, take place fully automatically in a DRIACOATER 1200 from the Driam Company, Eriskirch, wherein the suspension is sprayed on with a diameter of 1.5-2.0 mm, using Schlick fan nozzles.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mixtures in accordance with the invention, in particular, the coating of the coated products containing these mixtures, also contain gum arabic in a quantity of 0.5-10 wt %, based on the dry substance of the coating. In accordance with the invention, the coating comprises 10-90 wt %, in particular, 25-35 wt % of the dry substance of the coated products. The mixtures in accordance with the invention and in particular, the coating of the coated products made from such mixtures can contain dyes, in particular, titanium dioxide.

In another specific embodiment of the invention, the mixtures and therefore also the coating have, moreover, one or more sugar substitutes, in particular, xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, maltitol, lactitol, or erythritol. The invention also provides for the mixtures or the coating to also be able to contain fillers, in particular, polydextrose, calcium carbonate, or inulin.

The invention under consideration also comprises mixtures and coatings containing these mixtures, surfactant substances, such as polysorbates (ethoxylated sorbitan esters), in particular, in a quantity of 0.05-0.5 wt %, and/or film-forming agents, such as methylcellulose gelatin, hydroxypropyl cellulose, ethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, and mixtures thereof. In addition, binders, such as alginates, plant gums, or plasticizers, can also be present.

In another specific embodiment, the invention concerns the mixtures in accordance with the invention and the mixture-containing coatings of coated products which contain intensive sweeteners, in particular, cyclamate, saccharin, aspartame, glycyrrhizin, dihydrochalcone, thaumatin, monellin, acesulfame, alitam, or sucralose.

In particular, the invention concerns a coated product, whose core is a chewing gum cushion, a chewing gum ball, a fruit, nut, bean-shaped chocolate, hard caramel, soft caramel, jelly, gum arabic product, nonpareil, small sugar bead, a snack, pharmaceutical product, or another lumpy food product.

The core can be of a known nature or contain a 1,6-GPS- or 1,1-GPM-enriched mixture of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM. Of course, the invention can provide for this core to also contain the dyes, binders, sugar substitutes, intensive sweeteners, surfactants, or fillers. The invention also comprises a coated product with a core in the form of a compressed material. The compressed material can contain 1,6-GPS- or 1,1-GPM-enriched material or be a compressed material of the two mixtures. The selection and quantity of the mixture used for this compressed material in accordance with the invention influences its solubility and thus perhaps the pharmaceuticals contained in the compressed material also.

The invention also makes available a method for the production of a 1,6-GPS- and a 1,1-GPM-enriched 1,6-GPS- and 1,1-GPM-containing mixture of a single starting substance, namely hydrogenated isomaltulose, which is characterized in that hydrogenated isomaltulose is dissolved in water, crystalline hydrogenated isomaltulose is added in a quantity so that its solubility is exceeded, the formed suspension is filtered, and the 1,6-GPS-enriched filtrate is separated from the 1,1-GPM-enriched filter cake, or hydrogenated isomaltulose is mixed with water in such a ratio that the water quantity is not sufficient at the selected temperature so as to dissolve the entire quantity of isomalt mixture (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

Therefore, this method is characterized in that for the production of the two mixtures in accordance with the invention, merely one starting substance--namely, hydrogenated isomaltulose--is used. Hydrogenated isomaltulose can be obtained under the trade names Palatinit.RTM. or ISOMALT.RTM. from the Palatinit Company, Mannheim. It contains more than 98% 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM, wherein admixtures of sorbitol or mannitol are possible. In connection with the invention under consideration, concentrations of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM always refer to the used quantity of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM equal to 100%. In accordance with the invention, a saturated solution, for example, of ISOMALT.RTM. Type M, is produced at a temperature of 20^o-95^o. As a function of the temperature used, solid, powdery hydrogenated isomaltulose, for example, ISOMALT.RTM. Type PF (powder), is added at this temperature and this is done in such a quantity that the solubility described in FIG. 6 is exceeded by 1-40%. The crystalline, hydrogenated isomaltulose which is added to the aqueous solution of hydrogenated isomaltulose, therefore, experiences conditions under which a complete solution of the hydrogenated isomaltulose is no longer possible. A suspension is therefore formed. The total solids content of this suspension can thereby be approximately 50-90 wt %, wherein the solids are present partially dissolved and partially undissolved. In the production of the suspension, the mixture is preferably stirred well. The establishing of an equilibrium between the composition of the liquid and the solid phases of the suspension depends on the total solids fraction and the temperature and is completed after approximately 10-60 min. After the establishing of this equilibrium, a liquid phase is present which contains 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM in a ratio different from that in hydrogenated isomaltulose. The suspended, solid phase also contains 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM in a ratio different from that in hydrogenated isomaltulose. Moreover, 1,1-GPM is present in the solid phase in contrast to the 1,1-GPM in the liquid phase as a dihydrate. The composition of the liquid and the solid phases--that is, the quantitative ratios of 1,6-GPS to 1,1-GPM--can be adjusted in broad limits, in accordance with the invention--this can be done by means of the temperature of the suspension and the relatively undissolved solids fraction. FIGS. 1-5 illustrate that the composition of the phases obtained and thus of the mixtures in accordance with the invention can be regulated in a deliberate manner by adjusting the temperature and the relatively undissolved solids fraction. The total ratio (dissolved and solid ) of 1,6-GPS to 1,1-GPM contained in the two phases corresponds, of course, to that of the used, hydrogenated isomaltulose. A low undissolved solids fraction in the suspension produces a high 1,1-GPM-dihydrate concentration in the solid phase, a high undissolved solids fraction, but a composition similar to that of the hydrogenated isomaltulose, wherein, however, 1,1-GPM-dihydrate is concentrated in the solid phase. In the solid phase, therefore, 1,1-GPM is always concentrated, wherein the ratio of 1,6-GPS to 1,1-GPM can vary from 1:99 wt % to 43:57 wt %, in particular smaller than 43:larger than 57 wt %. In the liquid phase, 1,6-GPS is always concentrated, wherein the ratio of 1,6-GPS to 1,1-GPM can vary from approximately 57:43 wt %, in particular, greater than 57:smaller than 43 wt %, to 99:1 wt %.

In accordance with the invention, the suspensions containing the two phases can also be produced by cooling supersaturated solutions of hydrogenated isomaltulose and a spontaneous or induced fine-grain formation, perhaps by the addition of inoculation crystals or ISOMALT.RTM. PF or PE.

After the equilibrium has been established by adjusting the temperature and the relatively undissolved solids fraction in the desired manner, the two phases are separated from one another in accordance with the invention. The separation of the two phases provided for in accordance with the invention takes place by filtering, centrifuging or sedimentation, but can also take place by means of other method steps. A 1,1-GPM-enriched solid phase and a 1,6-GPS-enriched liquid phase, each of which comprises 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM in different quantitative ratios, are obtained. The liquid phase can be converted into a solid phase by evaporating.

The method in accordance with the invention accordingly makes possible the preparation of 1,6-GPS-enriched mixtures, consisting of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM, in a ratio of 57:43 wt %, in particular, greater than 57 wt %:smaller than 43 wt %, to 99:1 wt %. The invention also makes available 1,1-GPM-enriched mixtures, consisting of 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM, in a ratio of 1:99 wt % to 43:57 wt %, in particular, smaller than 43 wt %:greater than 57 wt %. These mixtures can, for example, be used in the form of their solution to make dragees. A suspension can also be used instead of a solution. The use of a suspension of hydrogenated isomaltulose and particularly preferred in accordance with the invention, a suspension of 1,6-GPS- or 1,1-GPM-enriched mixtures for the formation of coated products has the advantage of a strongly reduced adhesion tendency during the coating. Moreover, the application of highly dry substance contents in a relatively short drying time is possible, since undissolved solids, together with dissolved components, are applied on the dragee material. The advantageous, reduced adhesion tendency is based on the presence of very high fractions of crystallization nuclei, which consist of 1,1-GPM-dihydrate and 1,6-GPS.

The deliberate use of the different compositions and the related different characteristics of the mixtures in accordance with the invention permits not only the production of improved, glazed products or compressed materials, but of course, also the production of improved products in all areas in which sugar or sugar substitutes play a role. In accordance with the invention, for example, the 1,6-GPS-enriched mixture can be used as the soft filling in soft caramels. The 1,6-GPS-enriched mixture can also replace the previously used, very soluble sugar substitutes, such as maltitol, in the aforementioned products. Hard caramels can, in accordance with the invention be produced by using the 1,1-GPM-enriched mixtures. The products containing the mixtures in accordance with the invention, in particular, the glazed products or the coated products, can be composed by the suitable selection of the composition of the used mixtures and layer sequence so that the total composition of the 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM contained in the product corresponds to the composition in commercial hydrogenated isomaltulose (ISOMALT.RTM., Palatinit.RTM.).

One specific embodiment of this invention makes available a product which comprises at least one of the mixtures enriched by 1,6-GPS and 1,1-GPM in accordance with the invention. These products can also contain gelatin, fat or fat substitutes. They can, of course, also contain the already mentioned fillers, binders, dyes, intensive sweeteners, emulsifiers, surfactants, sugar substitutes, other sweeteners, or pharmaceutical active ingredients.

The invention concerns, in particular, products which take the form of a hard caramel, soft caramel, gelatin product, chocolate, chocolate kiss, chewing gum cushion, chewing gum strip, foam sugar goods, baked goods, cookies, coated products or medication.

The mixtures in accordance with the invention can be polymerized in an advantageous manner with the monomers of known plastics, for example, polyurethane, and form addition polymers which can be used in the most varied areas, such as plastics technology or pharmacy.

In particular, the invention concerns a product which takes the form of a compressed material. In accordance with the invention, compressed materials can, for example, contain the compressed, solid 1,1-GPM-enriched phase of the mixture in accordance with the invention. A compressed material, in accordance with the invention, which contains the 1,6-GPS-enriched mixture obtained by evaporation from the liquid 1,6-GPS enriched phase, is also preferred. The compressed materials are particularly suitable for inclusion of drugs and their application. They can, for example, be in the form of tablets which are sucked or chewed.

The invention also provides for the production of the compressed materials from the two mixtures in accordance with the invention. Depending on the composition of the two individual mixtures and the relative fraction of these individual mixtures in the compressed material, it is possible to establish desired solubility characteristics in a controlled manner.

Claim 1 of 12 Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A pharmaceutical composition consisting essentially of a pharmaceutical and an enriched mixture consisting of 1,6-GPS (6-O-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol) and 1,1-GPM (1-O-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl-D-mannitol), in which the 1,6-GPS is from 1% to less than 43% or more than 57% and up to 99% of said mixture.

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