The present invention relates a powderous composition comprising at least one fat-soluble vitamin, which can be produced easily and which can be used in many fields of application.

The present invention relates a powderous composition comprising at least one fat-soluble vitamin, which can be produced easily and which can be used in many fields of application.

Examples of fat-soluble vitamins are vitamin A, D, E and K and derivatives thereof such as vitamin A esters, e.g. vitamin A acetate and palmitate, and vitamin E esters, e.g. tocopherol acetate).

Solid powderous compositions comprising at least one fat-soluble vitamin need to be stable and easy to be produced. Furthermore, the composition should also be handled easy, which means the flowability of the composition should be good.

Surprisingly it has been found that a powderous composition comprising at least two different kind of maltodextrins and at least one water-soluble dietary fiber (such as inulin) has improved flowability properties.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (I) comprising(i) up to 70 weight-% (wt-%), based on the total weight of the powderous composition, of at least one fat-soluble vitamin, and(ii) 5-30 wt-%, based on the total weight of the powderous composition, of at least one D-glycose oligomer (preferably a maltodextrin) (GO1) having a DE of <18, and(iii) 5-30 wt-%, based on the total weight of the powderous composition, of at least one D-glycose oligomer (preferably a maltodextrin) (GO2) having a DE of >18, and(iv) 5-70 wt-%, based on the total weight of the powderous composition, of at least one modified polysaccharide, and(v) at least 1 wt-%, based on the total weight of the powderous composition, of at least one water-soluble dietary fiber.

It is clear that the percentages always add up to 100.

The composition according to the present invention is a dry powder. Nevertheless it can also comprise some water, which originates from the emulsion. Usually and preferably, the water content is less than 5 wt-%, based on the total weight of the powderous composition. Usually less than 4 wt-%.

The advantageous and surprising effect of the present formulation is that water-soluble dietary fibers are not really known as being helpful for the flowability for a dry formulation.

Therefore, it is a real advantage is that a very good flowable formulation is obtained and due to fact that a one water-soluble dietary fiber is incorporated an additional health effect can be achieved.

Preferably, the at least one fat-soluble vitamin is chosen from the group consisting of vitamin A, D, E and K and their derivatives.

More preferably, the at least one fat-soluble vitamin is chosen from the group consisting of vitamin A esters (such as vitamin A acetate and palmitate), vitamin D (esp. vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OH D3) and vitamin D2) and vitamin E esters, e.g. tocopherol acetate.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (II), which is powderous composition (I), wherein the at least one fat-soluble vitamin is chosen from the group consisting of vitamin A, D, E and K and their derivatives.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (II′), which is powderous composition (I) or (II), wherein the at least one fat-soluble vitamin is chosen from the group consisting of vitamin A esters (such as vitamin A acetate and palmitate), vitamin D (such as vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OH D3) and vitamin D2) and vitamin E esters, e.g. tocopherol acetate.

The powderous composition comprises up to 70 wt-% of the at least one fat soluble vitamin, based on the total weight of the powderous composition.

The composition can contain also as less about 0.1 wt-% of the at least one fat soluble vitamin, based on the total weight of the powderous composition.

The concentration can depend on the vitamin, which is used as well as for the use of the powderous composition Preferably the powderous composition comprises 1-60 wt-% of the at least one fat soluble vitamin, based on the total weight of the powderous composition.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (III), which is powderous composition (I), (II) or (II′), wherein the composition comprises 0.1-70 wt-% of the at least one fat soluble vitamin, based on the total weight of the powderous composition.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (III′), which is powderous composition (I), (II) or (II′), wherein the composition comprises 1-60 wt-% of the at least one fat soluble vitamin, based on the total weight of the powderous composition.

When vitamin A (and/or its derivatives) is used then a very preferred range is between 5-50 wt-%, based on the total weight of the powderous composition.

When vitamin D (and/or its derivatives) is used then a very preferred range is between 0.1-10 wt-%, based on the total weight of the powderous composition. Even more preferred is a range between 0.1-5 wt-%, based on the total weight of the powderous composition.

When vitamin E (and/or its derivatives) is used then a very preferred range is between 0.1 60 wt-%, based on the total weight of the powderous composition.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (III″), which is powderous composition (I), (II) or (II′), wherein the composition comprises 1-50 wt-% of vitamin A (and/or a derivative of vitamin A), based on the total weight of the powderous composition.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (III′″), which is powderous composition (I), (II) or (II′), wherein the composition comprises 1-60 wt-% of vitamin D (and/or a derivative of vitamin D), based on the total weight of the powderous composition.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (III″″), which is powderous composition (I), (II) or (II′), wherein the composition comprises 1-60 wt-% of vitamin E (and/or a derivative of vitamin E), based on the total weight of the powderous composition.

Furthermore, the powderous composition according to the present invention comprises two different kind of D-glycose oligomer (preferably maltodextrin). These two different kind of D-glycose oligomers (preferably maltodextrin) differ in view of their DE value.

Dextrose equivalent (DE) is a measure of the amount of reducing sugars present in a sugar product, relative to glucose, expressed as a percentage on a dry basis. For example, a maltodextrin with a DE of 10 would have 10% of the reducing power of dextrose (which has a DE of 100). Maltose, a disaccharide made of two glucose (dextrose) molecules has a DE of 52, correcting for the water loss in molecular weight when the two molecules are combined (180/342). Sucrose actually has a DE of 0 even though it is a disaccharide, because both reducing groups of the monosaccharides that make it are connected, so there are no remaining reducing groups. For solutions made from starch, it is an estimate of the percentage reducing sugars present in the total starch product.

In all glucose polymers, from the native starch to glucose syrup, the molecular chain begins with a reducing sugar, containing a free aldehyde. As the starch is hydrolyzed, the molecules become shorter and more reducing sugars are present. Because different reducing sugars (e.g. fructose and glucose) have different sweetness, it is incorrect to assume that there is any direct relationship between DE and sweetness.

The DE describes the degree of conversion of starch to dextrose:starch is close to DE=0,glucose/dextrose is DE=100 (percent).

The standard method of determining DE is the Lane-Eynon titration, based on the reduction of copper(II) sulfate in an alkaline tartrate solution, an application of Fehling's test.

For the present invention the first D-glycose oligomer (preferably maltodextrin) (or mixture of them), which is the ingredient (ii) of the composition and defined as (GO1), has a DE of less than 18, preferably less than 15, more preferably less than 12, even more preferably less than 10.

Most preferably the first D-glycose oligomer (preferably maltodextrin) (or mixture of them), which is the ingredient (ii) of the composition, has a DE of 2-10.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (IV), which is powderous composition (I), (II), (II′), (III), (III′), (III″), (III′″) or (III″″), wherein (GO1) or mixture of (GO1)s has a DE of less than 15.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (IV′), which is powderous composition (I), (II), (II′), (III), (III′), (III″), (III′″) or (III″″), wherein (GO1) or mixture of (GO1)s has a DE of less than 12.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (IV″), which is powderous composition (I), (II), (II′), (III), (III′), (III″), (III′″) or (III″″), wherein (GO1) or mixture of (GO1)s has a DE of less than 10.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (VI′″), which is powderous composition (I), (II), (II′), (III), (III′), (III″), (III′″) or (III″″), wherein (GO1) or mixture of (GO1)s has a DE of 2-10.

For the present invention the second D-glycose oligomer (preferably maltodextrin) (or mixture of them), which is the ingredient (iii) of the composition and defined as (GO2), has a DE of more than 18, preferably more than 20.

Most preferably the second D-glycose oligomer (or mixture of them), which is the ingredient (iii) of the composition, has a DE of 20-45.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a powderous composition (V), which is powderous composition (I), (II), (II′), (III), (III′), (III″), (III′″), (III″″), (IV), (IV′), (IV′), (IV″) or (IV′″), wherein (GO2) or mixture of (GO2)s has a DE of more than 20.

The (GO1) and (GO2) can be used in the same amounts (1:1 mixture) as well as in different amounts according to their definition of amounts as described above.

The composition according to present invention comprises at least one modified polysaccharide.

Preferably the modified polysaccharide is modified starch.

Preferably the modified polysaccharide is of formula (I)

whereinSt is a starch,R is an alkylene group and R′ is a hydrophobic group.

whereinSt is a starch,R is an alkylene group and R′ is a hydrophobic group.

Preferably the modified polysaccharide is starch sodium octenyl succinate.

The powderous composition according to the present invention also comprises at least 1 wt %, based on the total weight of the powderous composition, of at least one water-soluble fiber.

Such a soluble fiber, which dissolves in water, is generally fermented in the colon into gases and physiologically active by-products, such as short-chain fatty acids produced in the colon by gut bacteria.

Suitable fibers for the powderous composition according to the present invention are beta-glucans, psyllium, inulin, wheat dextrin and oligosaccharides.

An usual amount for such a fiber is 1-20 wt-%, based on the total weight of the powderous composition. More preferred is a range of 2-15 wt-%, based on the total weight of the powderous composition.

All the sizes of the inner phase D [0,5] in the context of the present patent application were determined by using a Mastersizer 2000. The particle size of the inner phase was determined after redispersing the powderous composition in water.

Preferably the powderous composition according to the present invention is a spray dried composition. Other method of production can also be used.

The powderous composition according to the present invention can be produced by using technologies known to a person skilled in the art.

In first step an emulsion comprising all ingredients ((i)-(vv)) and water is produced, which is then dried (usually and preferably by spray drying). The water content of the powderous composition depends on the conditions of the applies drying process.

One advantage of the powderous composition according to the present invention is that during the spray-drying procedure, the powderous composition is not sticky and therefore the powderous composition does not stick to the wall of the spray drying tower and therefor the loss of the powderous composition during the drying process is very low and the effort to clean the drying apparatus is lowered.

Therefore the present invention relates to process for production of powderous composition (I), (II), (II′) (III), (III′), (III″), (III′″), (III″″), (IV), (IV′), (IV′), (IV″), (IV′″), (V), (V′), (VI), (VI′), (VI′), (VI″), (VII), (VII′), (VIII), (VIII′), (IX), (IX′), (X), (X′) or (XI), characterized in that in a first step an emulsion comprising all ingredients (i)-(iv) and water is produced, which is then in a second step dried to form a powderous composition.

These formulations can be in any form. Solid, liquid or gel-like.

The concentration of the powderous composition in the food, feed and/or personal care formulations depends on the kind of these formulations.

The invention is illustrated by the following Examples. All temperatures are given in ° C. and all parts and percentages are related to the weight.

116.2 g HiCap100 (Modified Food Starch), 41.3 g of Glucidex 6 (Maltodextrin with a DE ranging between 5 and 8), 41.3 g of Glucodry 210 (Maltodextrin with a DE ranging between 20 and 23) and 12.5 g Inulin GR were put in-to a 1.5 l reaction vessel and were dispersed in 191 g of deionised water at room temperature. The temperature was increased to 65° C. under stirring with a micer disk (2000 rpm, d=6 cm). The solution was kept at 65° C. for 30 min.

For the preparation of the oil phase 0.8 g of the active calcifediol crystalline was solubilized at 80-85° C. for approximately 30 minutes in a mixture of 21.9 g MCT and 7.3 g dl-alpha-tocopherol.

After the addition of the oil phase to the mixture of HiCap 100, Glucidex 6, Glucodry 210 and water the emulsion was homogenized for 30 minutes at 65° C. with a micer disk (6000 rpm).

After this time, the emulsion was adjusted to the desired water content and viscosity for the SD process and finally the emulsion was degassed for additional 60 minutes at approx. 65° C. and <3000 rpm.

Afterwards this emulsion was dried in a spray drying process (emulsion temperature: 65° C.). The temperature at the inlet of the spray drying tower was-around 170° C. and the temperature at the outlet of the spray drying tower was at 80° C.

A powderous composition was obtained with a residual moisture content ≤5.0%. The size of the inner phase D[0,5] was 330 nm.

The following table 1 shows the amounts of the ingredients of the composition.

All of the Examples of Table 1 have been prepared in the same way, using the same reaction conditions. The amounts have been amended accordingly. Comparison Example 1 is without inulin.

Different tests can be applied using the FT4 Rheometer in order to simulate different process conditions. Results obtained from FT4 give information about powder cohesivity and flowability. Cohesive forces are a combination of Van der Waal's and electrostatics, and tend to “bond” particles together. Therefore, the higher the measured cohesive forces are, the less flowable the analyzed powder is.

Compressibility Test

A standard powder volume is poured into a specially designed sample holder (Freeman Technology, UK). The powder is pressed with a piston until 15 Kpa and the difference on volume, compared to the initial volume, is measured (changes on density).

CPS (compression in %) at 15.0 kPa is used to evaluate and compare powders. The lower the CPS at 15 KPa (the low amount of entrained air in the powder), the lower the cohesivity and the better the powder flowability

It can be seen that the addition of inulin results in a better flowability.