EP1594370A1

EP1594370A1 - Use of d-tagatose for improving aroma taste

Info

Publication number: EP1594370A1
Application number: EP04712036A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kurt Rosenplenter; Katrin Mende
Original assignee: Nordzucker Innocenter GmbH
Current assignee: Innosweet GmbH
Priority date: 2003-02-20
Filing date: 2004-02-18
Publication date: 2005-11-16
Also published as: US20060159801A1; AU2004212702A1; WO2004073419A1; CA2512925A1

Abstract

The invention relates to the use of D-tegatose for improving aroma taste and, thereby enhancing the taste sensation for food products, in particular chewing gums, chewing sweeties, pills and similar long-tasting products.

Description

Use of D-Tagatose for flavor enhancement of aromas

The present invention relates to the use of D-Tagatose for enhancing the taste of aromas. In particular, the present invention relates to the use of tagatose for enhancing the flavor of flavors in chewing gum, chewy candy, compressed products and the like.

D-Tagatose (hereinafter also called Tagatose) is the monosaccharide D-lyxo-2-hexulose. D-Tagatose is an isomer of fructose and can be obtained by isomerization of D-galactose. Their molecular weight is 180.16 g and the melting point is approximately 134 to 136 ° C.

D-Tagatose has a relative sweetness of 92% based on sucrose with only a low calorie content. In connection with its pure, clear sweetness without aftertaste, it is therefore ideal as a sweetener.

So Tagatose is used as a sweetener in diet products. It is also known to use Tagatose as an additive in detergents, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products.

It is known that Tagatose can have a synergistic effect on other sweeteners. For example, WO 99/34689 describes that Tagatose can improve and increase the sweet taste impression of both high-strength sweeteners and low-sweetness sweeteners even in small proportions. At the same time, it is stated that the addition of tagatose can improve the taste of sweeteners, which consumers often find unpleasant. It is therefore proposed to use Tagatose to enhance the sweetening power and taste impression of sweeteners in foods and beverages, in particular in dietetic foods and beverages as well as reduced-calorie foods and beverages.

WO 97/22263 relates to a chewing gum which contains D-tagatose as a sweetener. It is stated that Tagatose is not cariogenic and contrary to

BESTATIGUNGSKOPIE many other sweeteners should not cause digestive problems, so that Tagatose is an advantageous substitute for known sweeteners. It is also stated that the texture and shelf life of chewing gum can be improved by the use of tagatose and also enables new taste impressions due to their slightly lower sweetness compared to sucrose.

In addition to sweeteners, chewing gum is often added to flavors to give chewing gum a wide variety of flavors. Examples of flavors commonly used in chewing gum are peppermint, menthol and cinnamon.

However, it has been shown that the taste impression, which the flavors impart, diminishes after a short time or even disappears completely. There was therefore a desire for a possibility in products such as chewing gum or the like which linger in the mouth of the consumer for a longer time to lengthen and / or intensify the taste impression of aromas.

For this purpose it is proposed in EP 0 784 933 to add edibles, in particular chewing gum, bubble gums, instant drinks and frozen desserts, additives such as flavors, sweeteners, vitamins together with a carrier, thereby delaying the release of the additives and increasing their effectiveness. It is described that by using flavors together with the carrier, the flavor impression of the flavors in chewing gum could be extended by more than twice the time.

Small-grain materials such as, for example, microcrystalline cellulose, zeolites, aluminum silicates, carbon black and mixtures thereof are used as carriers. For use, the respective additives can be mixed with the small-grain carrier and added to the food in question.

Regardless of this, however, there was a further need for possibilities, in particular in products which are intended to remain in the mouth of the consumer for a long time, to intensify the taste impression of aromas. Surprisingly, it was found that D-Tagatose has a synergistic effect on the taste impression of aromas, so that a stronger and more lasting taste impression is produced by the consumer.

The present invention thus relates to the use of D-Tagatose for enhancing the taste of aromas.

In principle, the present invention can be used for all possible types of food and drink. However, their advantages come into play particularly in the case of such edibles which are intended to linger longer in the mouth of the consumer, such as chewing gum, chewing candy,

Compresses and the like.

The invention thus relates in particular to the use of D-Tagatose for enhancing the flavor of aromas in chewing goods such as chewing gum.

For the purposes of the invention, "aromas" are understood to mean flavorings and flavoring preparations which are exclusively intended to give foods a special taste, except for a merely sweet, sour or salty taste, as also described in the Essence Ordinance of October 9, 1970 in the version of May 10, 1976 (Federal Law Gazette I, pages 1200 and 1203).

In principle, any D-tagatose as commercially available can be used for the present invention. With regard to the use in products for human consumption, a food-compatible Tagatose should be used.

In addition to the advantages already mentioned, such as a low calorific value, tagotose has properties of a so-called functional food, which are expressed in particular in an increased formation of butyrate.

Since D-Tagatose is only metabolized to a lesser extent by streptococcus mutans in the plaque, the pH value on the tooth surface drops when consumed D-Tagatose not less than 5.7. D-Tagatose can therefore be considered non-cariogenic.

With regard to its use in the nutrition of diabetics, studies at the University of Maryland have shown that there is no increase in the glycemic index when orally ingesting 75 g of Tagatose per day.

A preferred use according to the invention relates to the use of D-tagatose in chewing goods such as chewing gum etc. Chewing gum is a chewable mass consisting of a chewing base which is largely indigestible for the human organism, at least one sweetener which is selected from sugars as required, Sugar substitutes and sweeteners, and mixtures thereof, and flavorings for flavoring.

The impression of sweetness when consumed is largely dependent on the dissolution rate of the sweeteners used and the homogeneous inclusion of the sweeteners in the insoluble chewing base. Since the chewing gum should have a smooth consistency, fine-crystalline sweeteners with a particle size of <100 μm, in particular <63 μm, are usually used. However, use in this finely crystalline form increases the solubility of the sweeteners, so that the sweetness impression, depending on the amount of chewing gum consumed, usually decreases comparatively quickly, for example in less than 5 minutes. In order to prolong the sweetness impression, additional process steps such as encapsulation of the sweetener are required.

Due to the property of D-Tagatose, that in the case of normal consumption compared to sucrose and other sweeteners, it gives an increased sweet impression and a longer lasting sweet impression, D-Tagatose is ideally suited for use as a sweetener in chewing gum products. In combination with the synergistic effect of Tagatose on flavors found according to the invention and the long-lasting lasting aroma resistance as well as the prolonged feeling of sweetness can significantly improve the chewing gum quality.

Technologically, another advantage can be seen in the fact that in order to achieve the long-lasting aroma resistance and sweetness impression, no further process steps such as carrier or encapsulation of the sweeteners or the aroma substances are required, which delay the release and should thus impart a longer-lasting taste impression.

For the present invention, the Tagatose can be used in any form, which can be selected as required.

The Tagatose can be added as a solid or syrup with a suitable solvent such as water.

In principle, there is also the possibility, depending on requirements, of using the Tagatose alone or together with other additives in any manner known per se, such as cocrystallizate, coprecipitate, encapsulation, agglomerate or other additives, etc. The techniques and necessary means this has been widely described and is generally known to experts.

The D-Tagatose can be used as the only sweetener or together with other sweeteners such as sweeteners, for example reduced-calorie sweeteners, sugar substitutes, for example for diet products, and sugars.

Suitable examples for sugar are sucrose, but also dextrose, for sugar substitutes sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, mannitol, isomalt, erythritol and lactitol and for sweeteners saccharin, cyclamate, acesulfame K, aspartame, neohespiridine, thaumatin or sucralose, and mixtures thereof.

In the case of sugar-free chewing gum, the sweetness which is partly lacking in comparison with chewing gum sweetened with sucrose can be compensated for by adding one or more sweeteners, as mentioned in part above. In the case of chewing gums containing sugar, sweeteners can be added to achieve special taste impressions.

In principle, any chewing base can be used, as has been widely described and known for the production of chewing gum. Examples include elastomeric materials such as synthetic or natural rubbers and elastomers such as polyisobutylene, isobutylene-isoprene copolymer and butadiene-styrene copolymer.

The chewing base can also contain plasticizers, plasticizers and emulsifiers. To increase the plasticity, glycerine and glucose syrup or a sorbitol or maltitol syrup can be used as the liquid phase.

Aromas can be any natural, nature-identical and artificial aromas as are customary and known. Examples of these are essential oils, vegetable oils, fruit flavors such as fruit oils and fruit essences such as mint, peppermint, menthol, spearmint, wintergreen, lemon oil, cinnamon, anise, clove oil etc.

Mint, peppermint, menthol, spearmint, winter green, cinnamon, fear flavors and combinations thereof are particularly preferred. In the case of fruit flavors, edible acids can also be added if necessary.

If necessary, the chewing gum can contain further additives and auxiliaries, such as are customary and known for chewing gum, such as thickeners, fillers, texturing agents, antioxidants, preservatives and colorants.

These are generally known and are also described, for example, in the above-mentioned patent applications.

The production of chewing gum is also known per se and has been described many times in the literature, reference also being made here, for example, to the above-mentioned patent applications.

The components of the chewing gum are mixed together in an intensive mixing process. Intensive mixing is necessary in order to achieve a homogeneous distribution of the flavoring components, such as flavors and sweeteners, so that the taste impression lasts as long as possible when chewing.

To further promote long-lasting aroma resistance, there is also the possibility of preserving the taste impression over a longer period of time by encapsulating the aromas and combining the dosage of liquid and solid aromas.

To achieve the effect according to the invention, tagatose can be contained in the chewing gum in a content of 0.1 percent by weight to 50 percent by weight, preferably 0.1 percent to 30 percent by weight and in particular 0.1 to 10 percent by weight, based on the total mass.

An example of a suitable composition of a chewing gum with the use of tagatose for enhancing flavors according to the invention comprises 5 to 50 weight percent chewing gum base, 0 to 90 weight percent sweetener, where 1 to 50 weight percent of the sweetener is D-tagatose, flavor or combination of different flavors> 0 up to 5 percent by weight, and possibly 0 to 5 percent by weight of emulsifier, and 0 to 10 percent by weight of glycerin.

Tagatose can also be the only sweetener.

If Tagatose and / or the sweetener are used in crystalline form, the particle size should be <315 μm.

Another preferred aspect of the present invention relates to the use of D-Tagatose for enhancing the taste of aromas in compressed products. Compresses are understood to be a group of tablet-shaped confectionery products based on sugars and / or sugar substitutes (polyols), which are usually produced by pressing (tray animals).

The compressed products contain flavors such as those listed above, for example. In addition, they can contain pressing aids such as magnesium or calcium stearate and, if appropriate, further additives as are generally known and customary.

The pressing can either be carried out directly, that is to say using finely crystalline raw materials, or after the raw materials have been agglomerated beforehand.

A description of the production of compressed products and additives which can be used for this purpose can be found in Sugar Confectionary Manufacture, 2nd edition by E. B. Jackson, Chapman & Hall 1995, to which express reference is made here.

A decisive quality criterion for compressed products is the external nature of the tablet body. So the consumer expects a firm, smooth product that is pleasant to the touch. suck. D-Tagatose is excellently miscible with other sugars and sugar substitutes, whereby the mixtures can be compressed directly into smooth, firm and easily suckable tablets.

In principle, the above-mentioned sugars and / or sugar substitutes can be used for this. However, sorbitol, xylitol, isomalt, polydextrose and erythritol and mixtures thereof, in particular sorbitol / xylitol and sorbitol / isomalt / xylitol, are particularly preferred.

According to the invention, D-tagatose can be added to the compressed products in the same weight ratios as also mentioned above for chewing gum.

It has been shown that the flavor impression of the aromas is enhanced in comparison to their use in conventional compressed products, without overexpression or too intense a sweetness which is perceived as unpleasant.

A D-tagatose fraction of 0.1 to 10 percent by weight has proven to be particularly advantageous. In particular, a particularly lasting taste impression could be achieved for flavors such as peppermint, menthol, spearmint, wintergreen and cinnamon.

By adding Tagatose, the taste impression of flavors in foods can be enhanced, in which a long-lasting taste is particularly desirable, such as in chewing gum and compressed fruit.

Claims

claims

1. Use of D-Tagatose to enhance the taste of aromas in food and beverages.

2. Use of D-Tagatose according to claim 1, for enhancing the flavor of flavors in chewing gum.

3. Use of D-Tagatose according to claim 1, for enhancing the taste of aromas in compressed products.

4. Use of D-tagatose according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tagatose is contained in a content of 0.1 to 50 percent by weight, in particular 0.1 to 30 percent by weight, based on the total mass.

5. Use of D-Tagatose according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the aroma is selected from at least one of mint, peppermint, menthol, spearmint, wintergreen, cinnamon and fruit aroma.

6. Use of D-Tagatose according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the D-Tagatose is used in combination with sweeteners.

7. Use of D-Tagatose according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the D-Tagatose is added to a chewing gum which also has at least one flavor selected from mint, peppermint, menthol, spearmint, wintergreen, cinnamon and fear aroma and optionally at least one further sweetener contains.

8. Use of D-Tagatose according to one of claims 1, 3 to 6, wherein the D-Tagatose is added to a compressed product which also has at least one aroma selected from mint, peppermint, menthol, spearmint, wintergreen, cinnamon and fear aroma and, if appropriate at least one more