Center filled confectionery

Details Center filled confectionery Center filled confectionery

1999-10-20

2001-08-28

Page, Thurman K. (Department: 1615)

Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions

Preparations characterized by special physical form

Food or edible as carrier for pharmaceutical

C424S439000, C424S464000, C426S658000, C426S660000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06280762

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to liquid centre-filled confectionery, especially liquid centre-filled throat drops, for soothing of irritated throats and nasal passages.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Products in the form of cough drops have long been known as vehicles for the delivery of medicaments aimed at soothing sore or irritated throats. Such medicaments include analgesics, antitussives, expectorants, cooling agents such as menthol, and warming agents such as ethanol or gingerol. The medicament can be administered by way of a throat drop or lozenge which releases the active agent upon sucking. Particularly in the case of a volatile active agent, the product can also provide relief from cold symptoms by way of clearing the nasal passages.
EP-A-431,376, for example, describes hard confections for sustained release treatment of sore throats comprising hydrogenated isomaltulose and an active ingredient which can be an antitussive or antihistamine but can also be a volatile oil such as menthol or eucalyptus. The confection normally contains a further flavouring agent such as lemon, honey or cherry but which can also be menthol or eucalyptus.
A well accepted form of throat drop is a centre-filled throat drop consisting of an edible shell and a liquid centre-filling. The liquid centre provides a pleasant soothing effect on the throat which may be further enhanced by an active agent as described above.
One of the problems with such throat drops is to provide the optimum degree of liquidity in the centre filling. Typically the edible shell cannot tolerate a high degree of moisture in the filling for reasons of product stability. Levels of moisture in the filling are usually less than 20%. The bulk of the filling usually comprises a bulk sweetener to improve the palatability of the product. These constraints often mean that the viscosity of the filling is rather high, say in excess of 50,000 mPa.s, resulting in a reduction in perception of liquidity of the centre.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,154 discloses the inclusion of a glycerine in the centre of liquid centre-filled chewing gum for retarding increases in viscosity of the liquid fill portion. Whilst such an approach is effective, especially within a corn syrup base, it is often not of itself sufficient.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,402 discloses the use of an emulsifier in the filling of a centre-filled chewing gum to prevent the flavoured liquid filling penetrating into the surrounding gum composition, thus improving the flavour retaining capacity of the chewing gum.
It has now surprisingly been found that the addition of sufficient emulsifier to the liquid filling of a centre-filled hard candy to reduce its contact angle against a gelatine coated plate from more than 120° to a value in the range of 90 to 120°, is sufficient to provide an improvement in the perception of liquidity, and thus throat soothing, even though such addition may result in an increase in viscosity.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide centre-filled candy compositions, especially throat drops, with an improved perception of liquidity of the filling.
It is a further object of the invention to provide centre-filled throat drops, with an improved perception of throat soothing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a throat drop comprising from 60 to 95%, of a candy shell and from 5 to 40% of an aqueous filling, by weight of the drop, the filling comprising from 8 to 20% water, from 50% to 85% of a bulk sweetener and sufficient emulsifier to provide a contact angle of from 90 to 120°, the filling having a contact angle of greater than 120° in the absence of the emulsifier.
All levels and ratios are by weight, unless otherwise indicated. Percentages are by weight of the filling unless otherwise specified.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The throat drops of the present invention comprise from 60 to 95%, preferably from 75 to 85%, of a candy shell and from 5 to 40%, preferably from 15 to 25%, of an aqueous filling, by weight of the drop.
Centre-filled hard candies are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,942 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,983. A suitable sugar base for a hard candy shell comprises from about 30% to about 85% glucose syrup and from about 15% to about 70% sucrose. Alternatively, a sugar-free base can be used for the shell. Suitable sugar-free bases include bulk sweeteners such as isomalt, maltitol and sorbitol. Isomalt and maltitol are preferred. The inner surface of the shell can also have a separate edible lining to prevent or reduce interaction of the filling with the shell. The edible shell can also further comprise flavours and throat relief agents as described further below.
The aqueous filling comprises water at a level of from about 8 to about 20%, more preferably from about 10 to about 15% by weight of the filling. Levels of water higher than about 20% are unsuitable for the production of centre-filled hard candies.
The filling further comprises a bulk sweetener, such as a sugar, suitably at a level of from about 50 to 85%, preferably from about 60 to about 75% on a dry solids basis by weight of the filling. In one embodiment the filling comprises, by weight, from 5% to 80%, preferably from 50% to 75%, sugar. A preferred source of the sweetener is high fructose corn syrup which, being commercially available as an 85% active material of which the balance is essentially water, can also provide some, or even all, of the water required. Sugar free compositions comprising a sugar alcohol such as sorbitol can also be used.
An essential component of the filling is an emulsifier, present in sufficient quantity to provide a contact angle of from 90 to 120°, the filling having a contact angle of greater than 120° in the absence of the emulsifier. Preferably the filling comprises sufficient emulsifier to provide a contact angle of from 95 to 115°, preferably from 100 to 110°. The ‘contact angle’, as used herein is the static contact angle of a drop of the filling on a gelatine coated cover slip, measured using a surface tensiometer and optical measuring apparatus (such as those manufactured by Kruss, Germany). The gelatine coated cover slip, prepared by dip coating a glass cover slip in a hot gelatine solution and cooling, is used as a model for the human mucous membrane.
The emulsifier should be a food-grade material. Suitable emulsifiers include mono-and di fatty acid glycerides such as those based on soya oil e.g. Imwitor 440 from Huels, acetoglycerides such as Dynacet 211, monoglycerides esterified with citric acid, such as Imwitor 370, and lecithins such as the Topicithin range from Lucas Meyer, Germany. Preferred is soybean lecithin. Suitable levels of the emulsifier are from 0.001 to about 1%, more preferably from about 0.005 to about 0.1% and especially from about 0.01 to about 0.05% by weight of the filling.
An optional but desirable component of the throat drops of the present invention is a throat relief agent. By “throat relief agent” herein is meant any organic compound or mixture of compounds capable of providing relief to a person with a sore or irritated throat or nasal passage. Classes of throat relief agents include, but are not limited to analgesics, antitussives, expectorants, physiological cooling agents, physiological warming agents and mixture thereof. Preferably the throat relief agent is selected from physiological cooling agents, physiological warming agents and mixtures thereof. Suitable levels of the throat relief agent are from about 0.001 to about 10%, preferably from about 0.01 to about 5%, more preferably from about 0.1 to about 3% by weight of the aqueous composition.
Suitable physiological cooling agents are described in WO 97/06695, incorporated by reference herein. Preferred for use herein are physiological cooling agents selected from the group consisting of menthol, peppermint oil, N-substituted-p-menthane-3-carboxamides, acyclic tertiary and secondary carboxamides, 3-1-menthoxy propan-1,2-diol and mixtures thereof. Particularly preferred for use herein are menthol and me

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Center filled confectionery does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Center filled confectionery, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Center filled confectionery will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2454120