Multi component controlled release system for oral care, food products, nutraceutical, and beverages

Abstract

The present invention relates to an improved controlled release system that can encapsulate different flavors, sensory markers, and active ingredients, or combinations of flavors, sensory markers and various active ingredients and release multiple active ingredients in a consecutive manner, one after the other. The controlled delivery system of the present invention is substantially free-flowing powder formed of solid hydrophobic nanospheres that are encapsulated in a moisture sensitive microspheres. The flavors, and active ingredients encapsulated in the hydrophobic nanospheres, in the water sensitive microsphere, or in both the nano and the microsphere. The flavors and active ingredients encapsulated in the nanospheres can be the same or different from those encapsulated in the microspheres. The encapsulation of different flavors or active agents in the various components of the system, such as nanospheres and microspheres, provides flavor transition (change in flavor character) during the use of the products. The controlled release system of the present invention enhances the stability and bioavailability of wide range of flavors, sensory markers, and other active ingredients, prolong their residence time in the oral cavity, control their release characteristics, and prolong the sensation of flavors and other sensory markers in the mouth to provide long lasting organoleptic perception or long lasting mouthfeel. The invention further relates oral care, food products, and beverages comprising the controlled release system of the present invention.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This patent application is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 696,148, filed Oct. 25, 2000, entitled “Multicomponent Biodegradable Bioadhesive Controlled Release System for Oral Care Products,” the contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to multi component controlled release system that can be incorporated in oral care products, nutraceutical, food products and beverages to effectively encapsulate one or multiple active ingredients and sensory markers (i.e., flavors, cooling agents, sweeteners, etc.) and release multiple active ingredients in a consecutive manner, one after the other. The controlled release system of the present invention enhances the stability and bioavailability of wide range of flavors, sensory markers, and other active ingredients, prolongs their residence time in the ora...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0044] The present invention relates to an improved controlled release system that can be incorporated in oral care, food products, and beverages that can effectively encapsulate one or more types of active ingredients, flavors, or combinations of flavors and various active ingredients to release them one after the other in a consecutive manner or to provide change in flavor character. The controlled release system of the present invention can encapsulate a broad range of active ingredients and sensory markers (i.e., flavors, cooling agents, sweeteners, etc.), to enhance their stability and bioavailability, prolong their residence time in the oral cavity, control their release characteristics, and prolong their sensation in the mouth during consumption of food products and beverages to provide a long lasting organoleptic perception or long lasting mouthfeel.

[0045] The controlled release system of the present invention comprises solid hydrophobic nanospheres encapsulated in a moisture sensitive microsphere. The nanospheres are not individually coated by the moisture sensitive microspheres matrix, but are homogenously dispersed in the water sensitive microsphere matrix. Various flavors and active ingredients can be incorporated in the hydrophobic nanosphere matrix, in the water sensitive microsphere matrix, or in both the nano and micro spheres matrices. The active ingredients, flavors, and sensory markers encapsulated in the nanospheres can be the same or different than those encapsulated in the microspheres. The nanosphere surface can include a bioadhesive to improve the deposition and prolong the residence time of the nanospheres in the oral cavity. Alternatively, a bioadhesive polymer can be incorporated in the water sensitive microsphere matrix to create the bioadhesive properties of the nanospheres.

[0046] The microspheres have an average sphere size in the range from about 20 microns to about 100 microns. The nanosphere have an average sphere size in the range from about 0.01 micron to about 5 microns and having a melting point in the range from about 30° C. to about 90° C. A first flavor, or active ingredient can be encapsulated in a water sensitive microsphere and released upon exposure of the system to moisture (wetting the lips, in the mouth, and the like) and a second flavor, or active ingredient can be encapsulated in the solid hydrophobic nanospheres and released over an extended period of time. In addition, the production of the controlled release system utilizes minimum processing steps and is efficient and economical.

[0049] (ii) enhanced bioavailability of various active ingredients, such as vitamins, biologically active agents, nutrients, and others;

[0054] The controlled release system of the present invention improves the stability of various active ingredients and flavors or flavor ingredients in food products and beverages, protects them against the development of off-flavors and off odors such as protect citral and citrus notes against oxidation, preventing the development of off-flavors and off odors, and increasing the shelf life of food and beverage products.

[0068] Oral care, food products or beverages incorporating the multi component system of the present invention that comprises different flavors or sensory markers in the nanospheres and the microspheres was found to provide a perceivable flavor transition (change in flavor character) or change in the organoleptic perception in response to moisture or change in the organoleptic perception, in response to moisture as well as prolonged flavor perception and mouthfeel. The multi component system of the present invention was found to extend the release rate of the flavors, sensory markers, and the active ingredients that were encapsulated in the solid hydrophobic nanospheres over an extended period of time to provide long lasting organoleptic perception or long lasting mouthfeel of flavors, sensory markers, sweeteners, and other active ingredients. In an alternate embodiment, a controlled release composition for food products and beverages is formed of hydrophobic nanospheres incorporating flavors, sensory markers, and other active agents.

Problems solved by technology

This system forms a shell surrounding the oil flavoring but is limited to lipophilic flavoring agents.

However the relatively high process costs, sensitive multi-step batch process, regulations limiting the number of polymeric agents which can be used in food preparations, and the difficulty in dealing with encapsulates having both aqueous and lipid solubility properties has drastically limited the application of coacervation for flavor encapsulation in the food industry.

This technique suffers from serious shortcomings, such as exposure of the active agent to a vigorous air stream that will result in that significant active agents may either volatilize or oxidize under such conditions.

This also limits the overall productivity of fluid-bed techniques, which in turn influences processing costs and ultimately commercial utility.

In addition, the protection afforded by fat coatings applied as described above, or using any method, may be easily lost when the fat-coated particle is exposed to temperatures above the melting point of the fat.

The major drawbacks of spray-chilling include fat / active-agent interactions, volatilization over time of lipid soluble materials, as well as loss of volatile materials during processing.

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