Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Product with added plural inorganic mineral or element...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-04
2001-01-09
Pratt, Helen (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Product with added plural inorganic mineral or element...
C426S384000, C426S471000, C426S590000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06171622
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a novel mineral-containing functional beverage and food and also relates to methods of producing the mineral-containing functional beverage and food.
As is generally known, calcium is one of elements important to living bodies and regarded as essential for the formation of bones, teeth, blood and so forth. Lack of calcium can lead to an attack of a disease such as osteoporosis or a disease of a circulatory organ. The recent progress in dietetics has revealed that the presence of magnesium is necessary when calcium is utilized in the body, and it is said that an ideal ratio of magnesium to calcium is 1:2. Under these circumstances, health foods containing calcium and magnesium are developed in the present state of the art. These foods are provided in the form of solutions by dissolving oxides or carbonates of calcium or magnesium in an inorganic acid or an organic matter to form water-soluble solutions, or in the form of powdered foods by processing the solutions into powders. However, in a case where these inorganic compounds are dissolved in an inorganic acid, the resulting water solution becomes a strong acid salt, which is unfavorable. In a case where the inorganic compounds are dissolved in an organic acid, the resulting water solution forms a precipitate and gets cloudy in a short time. Consequently, the commercial value is lost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-described circumstances, the present inventors conducted exhaustive studies, and as a result, we found that if the inorganic compounds are dissolved in an organic acid, together with weathered hermatypic coral, a clear water solution can be maintained independently of the pH. The present invention was accomplished on the basis of this finding.
To prepare water solutions of oxides or carbonates of alkaline earth metallic elements, e.g. Ca and Mg, the oxides or carbonates are usually dissolved in an organic acid, e.g. lactic acid, citric acid, gluconic acid, or malic acid. Because the stability constants of Ca, Mg and the organic acids are low, the compounds are gradually hydrolyzed in the weak acid, neutral and weak alkali regions. As a result, hydroxides of Ca and Mg precipitate.
The present inventors discovered that the unfavorable precipitation is prevented by adding weathered hermatypic coral into the above-described systems.
Accordingly, the prevent invention provides a alcium- and/or magnesium-containing functional beverage herein when an oxide or/and carbonate of an alkaline arth metal, such as calcium or magnesium, are dissolved in water to form a water solution, weathered hermatypic coral is added to the water solution.
In the mineral-containing functional beverage, the ratio of the calcium or magnesium oxide or/and carbonate to the weathered hermatypic coral is preferably from 0.01 to 1 part of the former to from 5 to 9.99 parts of the latter.
In the mineral-containing functional beverage, the oxide or/and carbonate of calcium or magnesium may be used alone or in the form of a mixture.
In addition, the present invention provides a powdered mineral-containing functional food prepared by subjecting the above-described water solution to spray drying or freeze drying.
In addition, the present invention provides a method of producing a calcium- and/or magnesium-containing functional beverage, in which when an oxide or/and carbonate of an alkaline earth metal, such as calcium or magnesium, are dissolved in water to form a water solution, weathered hermatypic coral is added to the water solution.
In the mineral-containing functional beverage producing method, the ratio of the calcium or magnesium oxide or/and carbonate to the weathered hermatypic coral is preferably from 0.01 to 1 part of the former to from 5 to 9.99 parts of the latter.
In the mineral-containing functional beverage producing method, the oxide or/and carbonate of calcium or magnesium may be used alone or in the form of a mixture.
In addition, the present invention provides a method of producing a powdered mineral-containing functional food by subjecting the above-described water solution to spray drying or freeze drying.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention will be described below in detail. The term “weathered hermatypic coral” as used herein means natural corallite and coral sand (sand-shaped corallite). As sources of Ca and Mg supply, oxides (CaO and MgO) and carbonates (CaCO
3
and MgCO
3
) of these elements are mainly used. These compounds may be used alone or in the form of a mixture. As organic acids, those specified as food additives, for example, lactic acid, citric acid, and gluconic acid, are used as mentioned above.
Let us describe the present invention, taking the case of CaO as an example. First, CaO is dissolved in an organic acid in chemically equal quantities to form a solution. Weathered hermatypic coral dissolved in an organic acid is added to the solution of CaO, thereby enabling a durable, clear water solution to be obtained. In the case of MgO and carbonates of Ca and Mg, it is also possible to obtain desired water solutions by following a procedure similar to the above. Regarding the ratio between the two constituents to be mixed together to form a water solution, the water solution should be prepared so as to contain from about 5 to about 9.99 parts of weathered hermatypic coral to from 0.01 to 5 parts of such an inorganic compound.
The acidity or alkalinity of the water solution in the present invention is in the range of from weak acid to neutral and weak alkali regions. However, there is no specific restriction thereon.
The water solution obtained may be solidified or powdered by freeze drying or spray drying.
It is considered that the amazing action of weathered hermatypic coral is derived from decomposition products of various inorganic and organic compounds contained therein. However, this has not yet been proved.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2262984 (1987-11-01), None
patent: 2268671 (1990-11-01), None
Imada Katsumi
Satoh Norio
Someya Hideo
Someya Nobuo
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Marine Bio Co. Ltd.
Pratt Helen
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