Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Noncarbohydrate sweetener or composition containing same
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-14
2002-06-04
Wong, Leslie (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Noncarbohydrate sweetener or composition containing same
C426S590000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06399132
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a highly soluble sweetener composition containing Aspartame (hereinafter abbreviated as “APM”) and Acesulfame K (hereinafter abbreviated as “ACE-K”) as active ingredients.
BACKGROUND ART
It is reported that the level of sweetness of APM which is an amino acid-based synthetic sweetener, is about 200 times that of sucrose in terms of weight ratio (Japanese Patent Application Publication (Kokoku) No. 31031/'72). When compared with sucrose which is regarded as a standard for evaluating sweetness characteristics, the profile of sweetness characteristics of APM is of such that it is weak in early taste (which means that the sweetener when placed in the mouth does not taste sweet so early as sucrose does), whereas it is strong in late taste (which means that the sweetener when placed in the mouth tastes sweet later than sucrose does). Accordingly, various approaches for the improvement of the sweetness profile of APM have been proposed mainly in terms of the late taste (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) Nos. 148255/'81, 141760/'83, 220668/'83 and the like), and a method for obtaining a more natural sweetness profile which is closer to that of sucrose, for example, by using APM in combination with sucrose has been also proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) No. 152862/'82).
On the other hand, ACE-K is also a synthetic sweetener having a sweetness level of about 200 times that of sucrose, like APM, but has such further poorer sweetness profile that it is strong in early taste, bitter taste, astringent taste, peculiar taste, and stimulation when compared with APM. Therefore, it has been subjected to various approaches for the improvement, including the use in combination with APM for improving the sweetness profile (U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,068, and corresponding Japanese Patent Application Publication (Kokoku) No. 51262/'84). For example, the Japanese Patent Application Publication discloses the concurrent use of ACE-K and APM in a (weight) ratio of about 1:10 to 10:1, especially about 2:5 to 5:2, which, in turn, provides a sweetness profile closer to that of sucrose than that of either of the two.
Thus, various proposes have been made for improving the sweetness profile of APM, and each has been successful to some extent. Nevertheless, APM involves still such other problem concerning its solubility characteristics that an industrially produced APM powder (original crystals) is difficult to dissolve in water (because it has a tendency to form agglomerates (in Japanese, dama) and therefore, is not smooth to dissolve, and even without that, it has a lower rate of dissolution, and the like). The poorer solubility (i.e., poorer dissolution rate) due to such agglomeration and the like leads to the reduction in the production efficiency of food products or beverages to be supplemented with APM for imparting sweetness thereto, including soft drinks, which is, in turn, greatly disadvantageous to the commercial production thereof.
Some approaches for improving the solubility of APM have been proposed, including a method of graining (granulation). However, these approaches are still not satisfactory, e.g., because the solubility needs further improving (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) No. 346769/'92, and the like) and because a relatively larger amount of an excipient should be used concomitantly (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (Kokai) Nos. 126855/'74, 19965/'75, 150361/'82, and the like). Incidentally, the concurrent use of ACE-K with APM disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Publication (Kokoku) No. 51262/'84 is a concurrent use by merely mixing aqueous solutions of the two components (i.e., an aqueous ACE-K solution and an aqueous APM solution), and there is not made in the patent document any suggestion of the concurrent use of the two components, both in the form of original crystals or granules, nor any mention of the solubility of either of the two in the original crystals or granular form.
In view of the prior art discussed above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an excellent method for improving the solubility of APM.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present inventors have made an effort to achieve the object described above and found unexpectedly that, in the presence of untreated crystals of ACE-K or a product resulting from pulverizing the untreated crystals (hereinafter abbreviated as “pulverized ACE-K”), untreated crystals or granules of APM undergo no agglomeration during dissolution (in water) and exhibit a higher dissolution rate as compared with the case of APM alone, i.e., that APM is on the whole improved in solubility, thus establishing the present invention.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a sweetener composition comprising Aspartame and Acesulfame-K as active ingredients, wherein the amount of Acesulfame-K is 5 to 90% by weight based on the total amount of both the components and wherein the particle sizes of both the components are respectively selected from within the range of the particle size which allows the dissolution rate of the mixture to be higher than that of Aspartame alone.
The present invention will be further described in greater detail below.
APM, which is one of the active ingredients of a sweetener composition of the present invention, can be a commercially available untreated crystalline powder (untreated crystals) as it is or granules having a larger particle size made by granulating such untreated powder. While it is known that APM is imparted with an improved solubility when it is granulated (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 346769/'92, described above), it has been found by the present inventors that the solubility of such granules can be further improved in the presence of ACE-K. Furthermore, it has been found that APM can be still imparted with a higher solubility in the presence of ACE-K also when it is in the form of untreated crystals.
Granules of APM can be produced by granulating an APM original crystalline powder. The granulation is not particularly limited, and can be conducted in accordance with a known method. For example, a dry granulating process and also a wet granulating process can be employed. Specifically, granules can be produced by various methods such as mixing granulation, compacting granulation, extrusion granulation, fluidization granulation, rotation granulation, pulverization granulation, spray coating, tabletting or the like. However, for the purpose of less heat load and less complicated manufacturing process, it is commercially advantageous to employ a dry granulation process such as compacting granulation.
ACE-K which is the other active ingredient of a sweetener composition of the present invention can be incorporated in the sweetener composition as untreated crystals as they are or after being pulverized (i.e., in the pulverized form).
An untreated crystalline powder of ACE-K can be prepared by a known method and converted into one having a desired particle size by means of crystallization and, if necessary, pulverization.
The mixing ratio (ratio of amounts employed) of APM and ACE-K in a sweetening composition of the present invention is appropriate when the ACE-K is present in an amount of 5 to 90% by weight based on the total amount of both the components. Incidentally, an ACE-K content of 5% by weight or less provides almost no dissolution-promoting effect by ACE-K, while that of 90% by weight or higher causes the bitter taste of the ACE-K to get evident, which is of course undesirable.
Even with a mixing ratio between APM and ACE-K specified above, the dissolution-promoting effect by ACE-K on APM varies depending on the particle sizes of APM (untreated crystalline powder or granule) and ACE-K (untreated crystalline powder or pulverized product). Too small particle size of APM may cause formation of agglomerates (in Japanese, dama) and may cause the APM to float on the surface of
Ishida Hirotoshi
Nagai Takeshi
Suzuki Yuichi
Takemoto Tadashi
Ajinomoto Co. Ltd.
Wong Leslie
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