JP4766941B2 - Composition with reduced unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a composition in which the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines is reduced, and a method for reducing the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines.

  Cysteines are known to have effects such as nutrient metabolism, energy generation and metabolism, detoxification, anti-allergy, skin metabolism, pigmentation prevention, and skin aging prevention. For this reason, cysteines are used as active ingredients in various compositions for external or oral administration. However, cysteines have an unpleasant odor or taste, which is considered to be due to SH groups in cysteine molecules. In particular, the odor is unique to cysteines and its masking is important. Sugar-coated tablets are common as internal medicines containing cysteines, but other dosage forms such as granules and fine granules are insufficient to reduce the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines. The development of internal medicines other than was not progressing. In addition, in dosage forms such as sugar-coated tablets, it is necessary to add a large amount of components other than cysteine for the purpose of reducing the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines. There was a tendency for the amount of cysteine to be slightly reduced. For this reason, when it was going to fully enjoy the effect | action of cysteine, the number of tablets taken per administration increased and the burden by taking became large.

  Conventionally, as a technique for reducing an unpleasant taste in a granule, a method of applying a film made of a water-soluble polymer to a drug having an unpleasant taste (see Patent Document 1), forming a core of the drug, and covering the core There are known methods for forming a film (see Patent Document 2). However, these methods have a problem that the manufacturing process becomes very difficult due to a wide variety of manufacturing processes. Although a method of making a sweetener coexist (see Patent Document 3) is known, there is a problem that the reduction effect is not sufficient.

In addition, by wet granulating a composition prepared by blending a drug with a water-swellable substance in a proportion of 30% by weight or more, an oral preparation with a good feeling of taking a taste of an unpleasant drug is obtained. It is known (see Patent Document 4). However, this technique is mainly aimed at masking the bitter taste of drugs, not to mention cysteines, but also to masking odors, especially masking of unpleasant sulfur odor peculiar to cysteines. Not listed. In addition, since the amount of the water-swellable substance in the composition is as large as 30% by weight or more, it becomes difficult to adjust the amount of water added in the production process (for example, the viscosity of the composition is increased), and the granulation property is deteriorated. There was a problem such as inviting.
JP-A-5-201855 Japanese Patent No. 3317444 Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 4-58305 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-208458

  An object of this invention is to provide the composition in which the unpleasant odor or taste is reduced, containing cysteine. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for reducing the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines.

  As a result of intensive studies in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the present inventor, in an oral composition containing cysteines, combined with a water-swellable substance, The present inventors have found that the unpleasant odor peculiar to tastes, particularly cysteines, can be reduced, and the present invention has been completed.

  That is, this invention provides the cysteine content containing composition hung up to the following items 1-11.

  Item 1. A composition containing cysteines and a water-swellable substance and having an unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines reduced.

  Item 2. The water-swellable substance is selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropylcellulose, low substituted hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, crystalline cellulose, carmellose and its salts, croscarmellose sodium, copolyvidone, polyvinylpyrrolidone, cros polyvinylpyrrolidone and methylcellulose Item 2. The composition according to Item 1, which is at least one substance.

  Item 3. Item 3. The composition according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the compounding amount of the water-swellable substance is 0.5 times or more of the compounding amount of cysteines by weight ratio.

  Item 4. Item 4. The composition according to any one of Items 1 to 3, wherein the compounding amount of the water-swellable substance is one or more times the compounding amount of cysteines by weight ratio.

  Item 5. Item 5. The composition according to any one of Items 1 to 4, wherein the compounding amount of the water-swellable substance is 1.5 times or more of the compounding amount of cysteines by weight ratio.

  Item 6. Item 6. The composition according to any one of Items 1 to 5, further comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of a sour agent and a sweetener.

  Item 7. Item 7. The composition according to Item 6, wherein the sour agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, derivatives thereof, and salts thereof.

  Item 8. Item 8. The composition according to Item 6 or 7, wherein the sweetening agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of aspartame, saccharin, sodium saccharin, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, maltitol, trehalose and stevia.

  Item 9. Item 9. The composition according to any one of Items 1 to 8, which is a solid.

  Item 10. Item 10. The composition according to Item 9, which is in the form of granules, fine granules or powders.

  Item 11. Item 11. The composition according to any one of Items 1 to 10, wherein the amount of the water-swellable substance is 0.005 to 20% by weight relative to 100% by weight of the total composition.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for reducing the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines listed in the following items 12 and 13.

  Item 12. A method for reducing an unpleasant odor or taste of cysteine, characterized by using a water-swellable substance in combination with cysteine.

  Item 13. A method for reducing an unpleasant odor or taste of cysteine, wherein the cysteine is used in combination with at least one selected from the group consisting of a water-swellable substance and a sour agent and a sweetener.

  Further, the present invention includes the following method.

  Item 14. The water-swellable substance is selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropylcellulose, low substituted hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, crystalline cellulose, carmellose and its salts, croscarmellose sodium, copolyvidone, polyvinylpyrrolidone, cros polyvinylpyrrolidone and methylcellulose Item 14. The method according to Item 12 or 13, wherein the method is at least one substance.

  Item 15. Item 15. The method according to any one of Items 12 to 14, wherein the water-swellable substance is blended at a ratio of 0.5 parts by weight or more with respect to 1 part by weight of cysteine.

  Item 16. Item 16. The method according to any one of Items 13 to 15, wherein the sour agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, derivatives thereof, and salts thereof.

  Item 17. Item 17. The method according to Items 13 to 16, wherein the sweetening agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of aspartame, saccharin, sodium saccharin, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, maltitol, trehalose and stevia.

  The present invention also provides a method for producing a composition in which the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines listed in the following items 18 to 23 is reduced.

  Item 18. A method for producing a composition with reduced unpleasant odor or taste of cysteine, characterized by mixing cysteines and a water-swellable compound and wet granulating the resulting composition.

  Item 19. An unpleasant odor of cysteine, characterized by mixing at least one selected from the group consisting of cysteines, water-swellable substances, and sour and sweeteners, and wet granulating the resulting composition A method for producing a composition with reduced taste.

  Item 20. The water-swellable substance is selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropylcellulose, low substituted hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, crystalline cellulose, carmellose and its salts, croscarmellose sodium, copolyvidone, polyvinylpyrrolidone, cros polyvinylpyrrolidone and methylcellulose Item 20. The production method according to Item 18 or 19, which is at least one substance.

  Item 21. Item 21. The method according to any one of Items 18 to 20, wherein the water-swellable substance is blended at a ratio of 0.5 parts by weight or more with respect to 1 part by weight of cysteine.

  Item 22. Item 22. The method according to any one of Items 19 to 21, wherein the sour agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, derivatives thereof, and salts thereof.

  Item 23. Item 23. The method according to Item 19-22, wherein the sweetening agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of aspartame, saccharin, sodium saccharin, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, maltitol, trehalose, and stevia.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail.
(1) Cysteine-containing composition The composition of the present invention is characterized by containing cysteines and a water-swellable substance. In the present specification, the reduction of unpleasant odor or taste peculiar to cysteines may be simply referred to as masking.

  In the present invention, the target cysteines include cysteine, cysteine derivatives and salts thereof. As cysteine, L-cysteine is preferable. Examples of cysteine derivatives include cysteine methyl ester, cysteine ethyl ester, methyl cysteine, L-ethyl cysteine, N-acetyl cysteine and the like. The salt is not particularly limited as long as it is a pharmaceutically or food hygiene acceptable salt that can be administered orally. For example, acid salts such as cysteine or inorganic acid salts such as hydrochlorides, nitrates and acetates of the above cysteine derivatives; alkali metal salts such as sodium salts and potassium salts of cysteine or the above cysteine derivatives, alkalis such as magnesium salts and calcium salts Examples include earth metal salts. Preferably, it is cysteine or hydrochloride of the above cysteine derivative, and specific examples include cysteine hydrochloride (particularly L-cysteine hydrochloride), methylcysteine hydrochloride, and L-ethylcysteine hydrochloride. Preferable cysteines are L-cysteine and cysteine hydrochloride, and more preferably L-cysteine.

These cysteines may be coated with a coating agent in advance. As a coating agent, the coating agent used in the composition used orally (for example, composition for oral administration, composition for oral cavity, food composition, etc.) can be widely used.
The compounding amount of cysteines in the composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is usually 0.01 to 66.666% by weight, preferably 0.1 to 40% by weight, and more preferably 0% in 100% by weight of the composition. 0.1 to 30% by weight, more preferably 0.3 to 20% by weight.

  The water-swellable substance used in combination with cysteines in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has a characteristic of absorbing water and swelling. A water-swellable substance having a swelling rate of 25% or more is preferable. Here, the swelling rate means a value calculated by the following method.

<Calculation method of swelling ratio>
(1) Add 8 g of the substance (water swellable substance) powder to the sample bottle (diameter 35 mm × height 78 mm), and cover the opening with parafilm. The bottle is vibrated at a scale of 8 for 30 seconds with a desktop vibrator (VORTEX GENIE-2 MOEL G-560 (manufactured by SCIENTIFIC INDUSTRIES INC)).
(2) At this point, the distance from the bottom surface of the sample bottle to the top surface of the substance (powder) enclosed therein (this is referred to as “the height before swelling”) is measured.
(3) Next, add 3 ml of water to another sample bottle, add 8 g of the same powder as above, cover the opening with parafilm, and vibrate in the same manner as in (1). Leave the sample bottle for 24 hours.
(4) After standing, measure the distance from the bottom of the sample bottle to the top surface of the substance (powder) enclosed in the bottle (this is the "height after swelling"), and the swelling rate based on the following formula Is calculated.

      Swelling ratio (%) = ((“height after swelling” / “height before swelling”) − 1) × 100

  Examples of the water-swellable substance having a swelling rate of 25% or more by the above method include, for example, hydroxypropylcellulose, low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (2208, 2906, 2910, etc.), crystalline cellulose, carmellose or a salt thereof (Carmellose sodium, carmellose calcium, etc.), croscarmellose sodium, copolyvidone, polyvinylpyrrolidone, cros polyvinylpyrrolidone, methylcellulose and the like can be mentioned. When the composition of the present invention is taken with water, a water-swellable substance having a relatively high swelling rate, such as carmellose calcium, croscarmellose sodium, and low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose are preferred. When the composition of the present invention is taken without water, a water-swellable substance having a relatively low swelling rate such as carmellose, carmellose sodium, cross polyvinylpyrrolidone, crystalline cellulose, copolyvidone, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxy Propylmethylcellulose (2208, 2906, 2910), polyvinylpyrrolidone and methylcellulose are preferred. These water-swellable substances can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Copolyvidone is a copolymer of 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and vinyl acetate (weight ratio 3: 2).

  The amount of water-swellable substance in the composition of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as cysteine masking is achieved. Usually, it can be determined according to the blending ratio of cysteines contained in the composition of the present invention. Specifically, it is preferable to blend the water-swellable substance in a ratio of 0.5 times or more by weight with respect to the amount of cysteine contained in the composition of the present invention. More preferably, it is a ratio of 1 or more by weight with respect to the amount of cysteine compounded, more preferably 1.5 or more. In addition, the ratio of the water-swellable substance in 100% by weight of the composition of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is as described above. For example, when the composition of the present invention is a composition containing cysteines at a ratio of 0.01% by weight which is the minimum blending amount, the lower limit of the water-swellable substance blended in 100% by weight of the composition Is 0.005% by weight. The lower limit of the water-swellable substance incorporated in 100% by weight of the composition is preferably 0.05% by weight, more preferably 0.15% by weight.

  As shown in Examples described later, the higher the ratio of the water-swellable substance in 100% by weight of the composition of the present invention, the higher the masking effect can be obtained for cysteines. For this reason, from the viewpoint of the effect of the present invention, the upper limit of the ratio of the water-swellable substance in 100% by weight of the composition of the present invention is not particularly limited. In particular, considering the ease of wet granulation in the formulation step, the blending ratio of the water-swellable substance is preferably 20% by weight or less, more preferably 15% by weight or less, in 100% by weight of the composition of the present invention, 10% by weight or less is even more preferable.

  The combination of the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the mixing ratio of these water-swellable substances is preferably 0.005 to 20% by weight, more preferably 0.05 to 15% by weight, and still more preferably 0.15. -10% by weight.

  As described above, the composition of the present invention contains cysteines and a water-swellable substance as essential components, but preferably contains at least one substance selected from the group consisting of a sour agent and a sweetener as an optional component. It can also be contained.

  The acidulant used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a substance having acidity. The masking effect with respect to cysteine improves more by mix | blending a sour agent. Examples of sour agents include glucono delta lactone, carbon dioxide, organic acids, derivatives thereof, or salts thereof. Examples of organic acids include ascorbic acid, citric acid, malic acid (dl-malic acid), adipic acid, gluconic acid, glacial acetic acid, tartaric acid (DL-, L-), lactic acid, acetic acid, fumaric acid, and the like. Can be mentioned.

  Examples of the organic acid derivative include ascorbic acid esters such as L-ascorbic acid stearic acid ester; alkyl citrates such as triethyl citrate. Examples of the salt of the organic acid or its derivative include the sodium salt of the above organic acid or its derivative (for example, sodium ascorbate, sodium L-ascorbate, sodium citrate, sodium dihydrogen citrate, disodium citrate, dl -Alkali metal salts such as sodium malate and monosodium fumarate) and potassium salts; alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium salts of the above organic acids or derivatives thereof (for example, calcium ascorbate and calcium citrate) be able to. In addition, even if these are used individually by 1 type, they can also be used in combination of 2 or more types arbitrarily. Preferred sour agents are ascorbic acid, calcium ascorbate, and sodium ascorbate, and a more preferred sour agent is ascorbic acid. When using a sour agent for the composition of this invention, the compounding quantity in particular is not restrict | limited, However, 0.001-99.985 weight%, Preferably it is 20-80 weight%, More preferably, it is 30-70 weight%.

  The sweetener used in the present invention can be widely used as long as it has sweetness, and is not particularly limited. By adding a sweetener, the masking effect on cysteines is further improved. Examples of the sweetening agent include aspartame, saccharin, sodium saccharin, erythritol, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, lactitol, trehalose, stevia, disodium glycyrrhizinate, sucralose, licorice, thaumatin, acesulfame potassium, rohan fruit extract and the like. Synthetic sweeteners, sugar alcohols, natural sweeteners and the like can be used without distinction.

  These sweeteners may be used alone or in any combination of two or more. Preferably, it is at least one selected from the group consisting of aspartame, saccharin, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, maltitol, trehalose and stevia. When a sweetener is used in the composition of the present invention, the blending amount is not particularly limited as long as the effects of the present invention are exhibited. It is difficult to set an upper limit because a sweetener is also used as an excipient, but usually 0.001 to 99.985% by weight, preferably 10 to 80% by weight, more preferably 20 to 70% by weight. The range of can be illustrated.

  In addition, by using a sour agent and a sweetener together, the masking effect on cysteines can be further enhanced as compared with the case of using a sour agent alone or a sweetener alone. When the sour agent and the sweetener are used in combination, the ratio of the sour agent and the sweetener to be added to the composition is not particularly limited, but usually 0.00001 to 100,000 parts by weight of the sweetener with respect to 1 part by weight of the sour agent. Preferably the ratio is 0.0001 to 10000 parts by weight, more preferably 0.001 to 1000 parts by weight.

  Furthermore, the composition of the present invention may contain other active ingredients, vitamins, excipients, lubricants, coloring agents, antioxidants (antioxidants), disintegrants, extenders, Agent, base, adsorbent, fragrance, disintegration aid, coating agent, wetting agent, antifoaming agent, brightener, corrigent, suspending agent, moisture-proofing agent, preservative, preservative, solvent, solubilizer , Synergists, attractants, solubilizers, softeners, emulsifiers, adhesives, thickeners, foaming agents, dispersants, sugar coatings, pH regulators, stabilizers, surfactants, plasticizers, buffering agents, etc. Components such as carriers and additives can be added depending on the form and purpose of the composition. The amount of these components added is not particularly limited as long as the masking effect of cysteines, which is the object of the present invention, is not impaired.

  Since the composition of the present invention has been achieved to reduce the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines, it is particularly useful for applications that are taken orally or used in the oral cavity (oral or oral). Composition). The composition can be used as, for example, foods, food additives, pharmaceuticals, quasi drugs, supplements, health foods, and the like. The composition of the present invention can be used at a rate such that the daily intake of cysteines is in the range of 0.1 to 3000 mg. A preferred use amount (administration dose) is an amount such that the daily intake of cysteines is in the range of 10 to 200 mg.

  The composition of the present invention can be in the form of a liquid preparation such as a suspension, but preferred dosage forms include tablets, dragees, pills, granules, powders, fine granules, coating agents, and capsules. It is a solid dosage form such as an agent. Among the above solid preparations, granules, fine granules, or powders have an unpleasant odor and an unpleasant taste of cysteine compared to sugar-coated tablets and tablets because the components contained in the preparation dissolve quickly in the mouth. Easy to spread in the mouth. For this reason, cysteine masking becomes even more important and valuable in granules, fine granules or powders. According to the composition of the present invention, even when it is prepared in the form of granules, fine granules, or powders, the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines can be significantly masked. Discomfort caused by oral administration or oral application can be reduced. Thus, application of the composition of the present invention to the form of granules, fine granules or powders has high practical value. In this sense, the composition of the present invention is in the form of granules, fine granules or powders. It can be used suitably.

  The production method of the composition of the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, cysteines and a water-swellable substance, and if necessary, a sour agent or / and a sweetener may be mixed in a powder, and a solid may be added using a binder as another component, or a powder of each component may be added. It is good also as a solid by pressing, and it can manufacture by the manufacturing method of a normal solid formulation. A preferred production method is production by granulation.

  Therefore, the present invention includes a method for producing a composition with reduced unpleasant odor or taste of cysteine, characterized by mixing cysteine and a water-swellable compound and wet granulating it.

  Here, as a granulation method, a general granulation method of a solid preparation can be used. For example, wet granulation, dry granulation, and the like can be used. As the wet granulation, methods such as extrusion, flow, rolling, crushing, spraying, and stirring can be used. As dry granulation, in addition to melting, after forming with a roller or a tableting machine, a method of forming and adjusting particles in various crushers can be used. In any case, after granulation, in order to make the particle diameter range constant, it can be lightly pulverized or screened (sized, sized). A preferred granulation method is wet granulation.

  As a manufacturing method, the following method can be illustrated, for example. That is, first, cysteine, a water-swellable substance, and if necessary, a sour agent or / and sweetener, and other components are mixed in a stirring mixer, and about 3 to 15% by weight of water is added to the mixture. In addition, mix further. This mixture is granulated with an extrusion granulator, and the granulated product is dried with a fluidized bed dryer. Also, if necessary, after drying the granulated product, by dissolving or dispersing the fragrance or the like in a volatile solvent such as ethanol, spraying this solvent on the granulated product, and further drying the granulated product, A fragrance | flavor etc. can be provided. In the granulation process, it is possible to produce powders, fine granules, and granules by changing the amount of water added and the screen diameter of the extrusion granulator.

(2) Method for reducing the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines The method for reducing the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines of the present invention can be carried out by using a water-swellable substance in combination with cysteines. . By combining a water-swellable substance with cysteines, an unpleasant odor or taste peculiar to cysteines, particularly an unpleasant odor peculiar to cysteines can be reduced.

  Examples of the cysteines targeted here include cysteine, cysteine derivatives, and salts thereof described above in (1). L-cysteine or cysteine hydrochloride is preferred, and L-cysteine is more preferred.

  The water-swellable substance used in the method of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a substance that absorbs water and swells as described above in (1). A water-swellable substance having a swelling rate of 25% or more is preferable. Specifically, hydroxypropylcellulose, low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (2208, 2906, 2910), crystalline cellulose, carmellose or a salt thereof (carmellose sodium, carmellose calcium, etc.), croscarmellose sodium, Copolyvidone, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, cross polyvinyl pyrrolidone, methyl cellulose and the like can be exemplified, and these can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  In the method of the present invention, considering the masking effect, it is preferable to use the water-swellable substance at a ratio of 0.5 parts by weight or more with respect to 1 part by weight of cysteines. More preferably, it is a ratio of 1 part by weight or more with respect to 1 part by weight of cysteine, and further preferably a ratio of 1.5 parts by weight or more.

  The method of the present invention can be achieved by combining a water-swellable substance with cysteines. As described above, the water-swellable substance for cysteines can be obtained by blending at least one of a sour agent and a sweetener. Therefore, at least one substance selected from the group consisting of a sour agent and a sweetener can be used in combination with cysteines as a component other than the water-swellable substance.

  The acidulant used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a substance having acidity, as described above in (1), and those listed above can be used without limitation, but the preferred acidulant is ascorbic acid. , Calcium ascorbate, and sodium ascorbate, and a more preferred acidulant is ascorbic acid. In addition, when a sour agent is used in combination with the method of the present invention, the amount of the sour agent used is not particularly limited, but preferably the sour agent is 0.0001 per 1 part by weight of the total amount of cysteines and water-swellable substance. -6665.667 parts by weight, more preferably 0.25 to 5333.333 parts by weight, even more preferably 0.429 to 4666.667 parts by weight, most preferably 0.5 to 10 parts by weight. is there.

  The sweetener used in the method of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a substance having sweetness as described above in (1), and those listed above can be used without limitation, preferably aspartame, It is at least one selected from the group consisting of saccharin, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, maltitol, trehalose and stevia. When a sweetener is used in combination with the method of the present invention, the blending amount is not particularly limited as long as the effects of the present invention are achieved, but preferably 0 with respect to 1 part by weight of the total of cysteines and water-swellable substances. 0.0001 to 6665.667 parts by weight, more preferably 0.111 to 5333.333 parts by weight, even more preferably 0.25 to 4666.667 parts by weight, and most preferably 0.5 to 5 parts by weight. It is a ratio.

  In addition, by using a sour agent and a sweetener together, the masking effect of the water-swellable substance on cysteines can be further improved as compared with the case of using the sour agent alone or the sweetener alone. When the sour agent and the sweetener are used in combination, the ratio of the sour agent and the sweetener to be added to the composition is not particularly limited, but usually 0.00001 to 100,000 parts by weight of the sweetener with respect to 1 part by weight of the sour agent. Preferably the ratio is 0.0001 to 10000 parts by weight, more preferably 0.001 to 1000 parts by weight.

  In the method of the present invention, a tablet, a sugar coating, a pill, a granule, a powder is prepared by combining a water-swellable substance with cysteine, and further, if necessary, a sour agent or / and a sweetener. It is preferable to prepare solid dosage forms such as fine granules, coated tablets and capsules. Further preferred dosage forms are in the form of granules, fine granules or powders. In this case, other active ingredients, vitamins, excipients, lubricants, colorants, antioxidants (antioxidants), disintegrants, increasing amounts may be used as necessary when preparing the preparation form. Agent, refreshing agent, base, adsorbent, fragrance, disintegration aid, coating agent, wetting agent, antifoaming agent, brightener, corrigent, suspending agent, dehumidifying agent, preservative, preservative, solvent , Solubilizers, synergists, attractants, solubilizers, softeners, emulsifiers, adhesives, thickeners, foaming agents, dispersants, sugar coatings, pH regulators, stabilizers, surfactants, plasticizers and buffers It is also possible to combine other components such as a carrier such as an agent and additives. The addition amount of these components is not particularly limited as long as the masking effect of the present invention is exhibited.

  According to the present invention, an unpleasant odor or taste peculiar to cysteine can be reduced by adding a water-swellable substance to cysteine, and particularly, it is excellent in reducing unpleasant odor peculiar to cysteine. Further, when the blending amount of the water-swellable substance is 0.5 times or more of the blending amount of cysteine by weight ratio, a particularly excellent unpleasant odor or taste reducing effect can be obtained.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example is shown and this invention is demonstrated in detail, this invention is not limited to these Examples.
<Reference example> Measurement of swelling ratio of water-swellable substance
(1) Add 8 g of the substance (water swellable substance) powder to the sample bottle (diameter 35 mm × height 78 mm), and cover the opening with parafilm. This bottle was vibrated at a scale of 8 for 30 seconds with a desktop vibrator (VORTEX GENIE-2 MOEL G-560 (manufactured by SCIENTIFIC INDUSTRIES INC)).
(2) At this point, the distance from the bottom surface of the sample bottle to the top surface of the substance (powder) enclosed therein (this is referred to as “the height before swelling”) was measured.
(3) Next, add 3 ml of water to another sample bottle, add 8 g of the same powder as above, cover the opening with parafilm, and vibrate in the same manner as in (1). The sample bottle was left for 24 hours.
(4) After standing, measure the distance from the bottom of the sample bottle to the top surface of the substance (powder) enclosed in the bottle (this is the "height after swelling"), and the swelling rate based on the following formula Was calculated. The results are shown in Table 1.

      Swelling ratio (%) = ((“height after swelling” / “height before swelling”) − 1) × 100

<Example>
Example 1: Masking action of hydroxypropylcellulose Hydroxypropylcellulose (hereinafter sometimes referred to as HPC) having the lowest swelling property was mixed with L-cysteine in the amount shown in Table 2, and an appropriate amount of water was added to the mortar. The kneaded product was passed through a mesh having a needle diameter of 560 μm and an aperture of 1000 μm to produce a granulated product. In Table 2, “HPC addition ratio” is a value indicating the ratio of HPC to the amount of L-cysteine (1 part by weight) expressed as a weight ratio. This granulated material was placed on the tongues of subjects (10 persons), and the odor and taste immediately after the evaluation were evaluated by a five-step evaluation. In addition, the quantity of the granulated material used for the test subject is such that L-cysteine is 50 mg per person. The results are shown in Table 3.

  When the results of the control and the granulated products 1 to 6 were compared, it was confirmed that the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteine was reduced by adding HPC having a swelling rate of 25%. The evaluation of “feeling unbearable odor and unpleasant taste” was as follows. HPC addition ratio (weight ratio) to 1 part by weight of cysteine was reduced to less than half (4 persons) and the addition ratio was 1.0. Further, it was reduced to half (2 persons), and the addition ratio became 1.5 or more and 0 persons. Therefore, it was confirmed that the higher the HPC addition ratio, the stronger the masking action.

Example 2: Masking action of low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose 7.5 g of low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose (hereinafter sometimes referred to as LHPC) having a relatively high swelling rate was mixed with 5 g of L-cysteine (cysteine 1). The ratio of HPC added to parts by weight (weight ratio); 1.5), and a granulated product was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 4.

Formulation Example Using the components shown in Tables 5 to 7 below, granules were produced by a conventional method.

Claims (10)

At least one cysteine selected from the group consisting of L-cysteine, cysteine methyl ester, cysteine ethyl ester, methyl cysteine, L-ethyl cysteine and N-acetyl cysteine and salts thereof, and water having a swelling rate of 25% or more It contains a swellable substance, the amount of water-swellable substance is more than 1 times the weight of cysteine, and the cysteines and water-swellable substance are wet granulated with water. A composition in which the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines is reduced.   The water-swellable substance is selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropylcellulose, low substituted hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, crystalline cellulose, carmellose and its salts, croscarmellose sodium, copolyvidone, polyvinylpyrrolidone, cros polyvinylpyrrolidone and methylcellulose The composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition is at least one substance.   The composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the blending amount of the water-swellable substance is 1.5 times or more of the blending amount of cysteines by weight ratio.   Furthermore, the composition in any one of Claims 1-3 containing at least 1 sort (s) selected from the group which consists of a sour agent and a sweetener.   The composition according to claim 4, wherein the sour agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid, derivatives thereof, and salts thereof.   The composition according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the sweetening agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of aspartame, saccharin, sodium saccharin, erythritol, xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, maltitol, trehalose and stevia.   It is solid, The composition in any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned.   8. Composition according to claim 7, characterized in that it has the form of granules, fine granules or powders. At least one cysteine selected from the group consisting of L-cysteine, cysteine methyl ester, cysteine ethyl ester, methyl cysteine, L-ethyl cysteine and N-acetyl cysteine and salts thereof has a swelling ratio of 25% or more. A method for reducing the unpleasant odor or taste of cysteines used in combination with a water-swellable substance, wherein the amount of water-swellable substance is at least one time the weight of cysteines, A method characterized in that the water-swellable substance is wet granulated with water . The method according to claim 9, further comprising using in combination at least one substance selected from the group consisting of sour and sweeteners.