Confectionery compositions

Details Confectionery compositions Confectionery compositions

2002-05-15

2004-04-13

Krass, Frederick (Department: 1614)

Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions

Chewing gum type

C424S058000, C424S725000, C424S440000, C426S003000, C426S004000, C426S005000, C426S006000, C426S660000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06719962

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to confectionery compositions such as breath mints, low boiled candy, hard boiled candy, chewing gum, dissolving gums, lozenges, oral pasta, pressed mints, and the like, comprising an oral care active and a solid particulate with a particle size of from about 100 &mgr;m to about 2000 &mgr;m. More particularly this invention relates to non-cariogenic or so called “sugar free” confectionery compositions. Even more particularly this invention relates to confectionery compositions wherein the solid particulate imparts the crunchy texture to the composition which is detectable during the first few minutes of mastication and which enhances the consumer perception of the oral care benefits. Compositions of the present invention are suitable for use by humans or animals.
BACKGROUND
Regular brushing, especially with a dentifrice or toothpaste comprising an oral care active can help in the prevention and treatment of a wide range of oral care problems including build up of plaque, calculus, gingivitis, gum disease, oral malodour and the like. However, even regular brushing is not sufficient to remove all of debris and microbes which accumulate in the oral cavity and perpetuate these problems. Furthermore, it is generally the habit of consumers to brush their teeth at the beginning and end of each day, and in less developed regions of the world, consumers brush their teeth even less often. Thus food deposits, which build up as a result of eating throughout the day, are left in the oral cavity for long periods of time resulting in enhance activity of the plaque forming microbes.
There is currently a movement in the oral care industry to encourage consumers to use dental hygiene products throughout the day and to brush their teeth more often. However, this is at best inconvenient and is often not possible. As such significant developmental effort has been focused towards developing oral care products in forms which are portable, which can be used several times a day, particularly after eating and which provide anti-plaque and anti-calculus benefits comparable to those obtained by regular brushing with dentifrice. It is hoped that such a product will improve the oral hygiene of consumers. In addition, such a product would make it easier to provide good oral hygiene to children and pets where it is not always easy to regularly brush the teeth.
Confectionery compositions which are popular with both children and adults alike and which are retained in the oral cavity for substantial periods of time during consumption, would seem to make an ideal product form for a portable oral care product. Furthermore chewing gums have many benefits as a portable oral care form since they remain within the oral cavity for significant periods of time, typically 20 mintues or longer. The art of the development and manufacture of a wide range of confectionery compositions is well known. However, the high sugar content of such confectionery compositions has been recognised as a contributory factor in poor dental health. Developments have been made to produce “sugar free”, or non cariogenic, confectionery which retain their organoleptic properties but which do not contribute to the formation of dental plaque. In line with this there has recently been some development of confectionery compositions, particularly chewing gum compositions, which comprise one or more oral care agents with the hope of developing products that are able to treat or prevent one or more of a wide range of oral care conditions. Examples include WO 99/44436 which discloses coated chewing gum compositions which comprise materials with known oral care benefits; EP 309,414 which discloses chewing gum compositions comprising polyphosphate; U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,401 which discloses chewing gum comprising fluoride ion source; U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,632 which discloses chewing gum comprising zinc compounds; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,687 which discloses chewing gum comprising alkali metal bicarbonate.
However, it has also been shown that, even when confectionery compositions do deliver satisfactory oral care benefits, the consumers do not always appreciate the benefits due to a lack of noticeable and reinforcing signal. In order to successfully market such products it is therefore not only important to deliver the benefit itself but also optimise the sensory signals to reinforce the benefit for the consumer. More recently it has been appreciated that, as with flavour, the texture of products can be leveraged as an important sensory signal to reinforce various primary gum benefits. As such, textured confectionery has assumed commercial importance. One important texture that has been investigated is that a “crunchy” texture which is dispersed throughout the product and not just in the shell. The preferred “crunch” level is similar to that of granulated sugar ie firm and slightly gritty in nature and which produces a slight cracking noise upon consumption. “Crunchy” chewing gums which are particularly desired are those in which the “crunchy” texture lasts throughout the initial minutes of mastication but which disappears with time such that, long term, the gum assumes a non gritty elastomeric texture. In particular this texture has been found to be particularly useful in reinforcing oral care benefits of a chewing gum.
As such, it would be advantageous to be able to create a confectionery product, including a chewing gum, with oral care benefits, particularly improved cleaning and plaque removal benefits, wherein both immediately, and for the first few minutes of mastication, the consumer is able to experience an overall crunchy texture distributed throughout the gum. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to be able to create such a chewing gum wherein, over time, the crunchiness disappeared leaving no gritty overtone. Finally, it would be advantageous to be able to create a confectionery product wherein the sensory experience, including the texture and flavour, reinforced the oral care benefits of the product.
The inclusion of many types of particles within chewing gum or bubble gum compositions are known in the art. These include the incorporation of freeze dried food stuffs (such as fruits, cereals, nuts, coffee and ice-cream) in U.S. Pat. No. 362,358; coated powder particles such as sugar encapsulated dicalcium phosphates in GB 928,758; protein encapsulated sweeteners in U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,295; and organic encapsulated sodium bicarbonate in U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,687; finely divided powders such as tantalum pentoxide in GB 2,096,892; sugars in GB 1,081,015; and insoluble materials such as zeolites, silicates in U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,030; and polymer/gelatine encapsulated oils and flavours in EP 0,502,750; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,532,004. Whilst these disclosures of the prior art provide useful advances in the inclusion of particulates within a chewing gum confectionery product they do not provide any teaching on how to confer a crunchy profile to the product that lasts during the initial minutes of mastication. The disclosures cited would be insufficient for this objective since the particles themselves are either too small to be detectable or “crunchy”, or are insoluble which would result in a long lasting gritty texture, or have insufficient hardness to provide the desired “crunch”.
Prior art also exists wherein particulate matter has been incorporated into chewing gum compositions such that the resultant product does have a somewhat “crunchy” texture. For example chewing gums with a “crunchy” exterior coating have been previously disclosed such as the hard sugar coated gums disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,511 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,453 and gums with surface printed solid particles disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,463. Such disclosures are limited to a “crunchy” exterior surface of the gum which does not provide the overall texture sensation that is desired to reinforce oral care benefits, the object of the present invention. Furthermore, confectionery gums wherein sugars (such as isomalt, candy and the lik

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