Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Treatment of live animal
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-14
2003-10-28
Paden, Carolyn (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Treatment of live animal
C426S438000, C426S541000, C426S542000, C426S603000, C426S606000, C514S170000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06638547
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to prepared foods, such as fried snack foods, fortified with non-esterified phytosterols delivered in fats or oils that are essentially free of emulsifiers and the like, and to the utility of such phytosterols for stabilizing heated fats and oils against oxidation, as well as to the surprising bioavailability of triglyceride-recrystallized phytosterols in such foods, for decreasing plasma cholesterol levels in mammals.
It has been a widely held belief that to obtain appreciable benefit from phytosterols, i.e., either plant sterols, stanols, or combinations thereof [including beta-sitosterol, beta-sitostanol, campesterol, campestanol, stigmasterol, stigmastanol, brassicasterol, brassicastanol, clionasterol and clionastanol (collectively termed phytosterol or phytosterols)] for lowering plasma cholesterol, the phytosterol should be dissolved in an edible oil or other solvent so that it can enter micelles in the small intestine to inhibit the absorption of cholesterol.
This belief has been supported by early research carried out in the 1950s through the 1970s showing that large doses of phytosterols in their solid form, i.e., coarse powders, were required to achieve meaningful decreases in plasma cholesterol levels. For example, in 1956, Faquhar et al., (
Circulation,
14, 77-82, 1956) showed that doses of 12-18 g per day of beta sitosterol (provided in divided doses) were required to achieve a 15-20% lowering of serum cholesterol in males with atherosclerosis. In another study, 9 g per day (3 g t.i.d.) of soybean-derived phytosterols were required to lower plasma cholesterol approximately 9% (Kucchodkar et al.,
Atherosclerosis,
23, 239-248, 1976). In yet another study, 3-9 g per day of tall oil-derived phytosterols were required to lower plasma cholesterol approximately 12% (Lees et al.,
Atherosclerosis,
28: 325-333, 1977). In a recent study, 1.7 g per day of finely powdered tall oil-derived phytosterols were sufficient to lower total plasma cholesterol by 9% and LDL-cholesterol by about 15% (Jones et al.,
Am J Clin Nutr,
69: 1144-1150, 1999).
It has been generally appreciated that phytosterols such as alpha and beta sitosterol, stigmosterol, campesterol, and the corresponding saturated (chemically reduced or hydrogenated) “stanol” species, are insoluble in water, and only slightly soluble in edible oils. Accordingly, to promote the solubilization of phytosterols, and their efficacy in lowering plasma cholesterol, U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,348 by Goto et al. describes the incorporation of at least 15% and as much as 70% by weight or more of a polyhydric alcohol/fatty acid ester (including glycerol fatty acid esters containing at least two esterified and at least one unesterified hydroxyl group such as diacylglycerols or diglycerides), into a fat. Between 1.2% and 4.7% by weight of phytosterol is incorporated into the polyhydric alcohol/fatty acid ester containing fat composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,897 by Goto et al. describes an oil or fat composition containing 80% or more diacylglycerol and up to 20% phytosterol. The high proportion of diacylglycerol assures solubility or dispersal of the phytosterol to provide a cholesterol-lowering fat substitute.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,396 by Nakano et al., describes an edible oil containing a phytosterol, vitamin E, and an emulsifier rendering the phytosterol soluble in both the vitamin E and the edible oil.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,925 by Seiden et al. describes a reduced calorie fat composition based upon a substantially non-digestible polyol fatty acid polyester plus reduced calorie medium chain triglycerides and other reduced calorie fats or noncaloric fat replacements including plant sterol esters that are soluble in such fat compositions. Free fatty acids, vitamin E and tocotrienol have each been utilized by other inventors to promote the solubilization of phytosterols in fats and oils, with the expectation that the cholesterol lowering properties of various phytosterols would be improved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,887 by Straub describes the preparation of a cholesterol-lowering food additive composition with plant stanols, including: (i) an edible carrier such as an oil, monoglyceride, diglyceride, triglyceride, tocopherol, alcohol or polyol, (ii) an antioxidant and (iii) a dispersant or detergent-like material such as lecithin, or other phospholipids, sodium lauryl sulfate, a fatty acid, salts of fatty acids, or a fatty acid ester. Straub cites research showing that 1.5 grams per day of a stanol mixture derived from soybean sterols lowered blood cholesterol by 15% after 4 weeks of therapy, and believes that these stanols are preferred to sterols based upon less stanol absorption from the G.I. tract and better heat stability in air than sterols.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,562 by Ostlund, Jr. describes an aqueous micellar mixture of plant sterol and lecithin (in a 1:1 to 1:10 mole ratio) which has been dried to a water soluble powder and which is useful as a food additive for reducing cholesterol absorption.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,084 by Ong describes a taste-stabilized pharmaceutical suspension of sitosterols to reduce hypercholesterolemia, in which the suspension includes the plant sterol, a chelator such as calcium disodium EDTA, a surfactant and other ingredients to assure suspension and dispersal of the phytosterol.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,005 by Thakkar et al. describes a pharmaceutical dispersible powder for oral administration in which sitosterols are combined with any one of a variety of excipients, and any one of a variety of pharmaceutically acceptable surfactants.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,963 by Akashe et al. describes a plant sterol/emulsifier complex that has a lower melting temperature than the plant sterol alone. The complex, e.g., a co-crystallized monoglyceride and plant sterol mixture, is said to facilitate incorporation of the sterol into food products without adversely affecting the texture of the food products.
As indicated above, it has been widely believed that increasing the solubility of phytosterols in fat increases their bioavailability and reduces the dose required to achieve a specified degree of cholesterol reduction. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,045 by Miettinen et al., describes the preparation and use of the plant stanol, beta sitostanol, in the form of a fatty acid ester which is readily soluble in an edible oil, to reduce the serum cholesterol level in humans. This technology has been utilized in manufacturing the margarine product marketed under the tradename Benecol®.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,031,118 and 6,106,886 by van Amerongen et al. describe similar stanol fatty acid esters but provide different and reportedly improved chemical methods for their preparation. Plant sterols(from soybean oil) have also been interesterified with fatty acid esters to produce the margarine marketed under the tradename Take Control®. Clinical studies suggest that with mildly hypercholesterolemic individuals, dietary intake of between 1.5 and 3 grams per day of the free phytosterol (provided in a fatty acid esterified form) is required to decrease plasma cholesterol approximately 15%.
U.S. Pat. No.5,932,562 by Ostlund, Jr. points out that cholesterol is absorbed from an intestinal micellar phase containing bile salts and phospholipids which is in equilibrium with an oil phase inside the intestine. Prior to recent experiments, delivery of phytosterol as a solid powder or aqueous suspension was thought to not be preferred because of the limited rate and extent of solubility in intestinal liquid phases. In fact, at least two earlier human studies showed that as much as 9-18 grams of sitosterol per day were required to decrease the plasma cholesterol level by approximately 15% when the sitosterol was provided in a coarse powdered (rather than soluble) form. Yet, esterification of phytosterols, coupled with the use of edible oils to deliver these sterols is not always practical, e.g., in formulating fat-free foods. It is in this context that Ostlund, Jr. provides a water-dispersible mixture of
Hayes Kenneth
Perlman Daniel
Pronczuk Andrzej
Brandeis University
Paden Carolyn
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