RUMEN-STABLE PELLETS

Abstract: Coating compositions and pellets coated therewith which are adaptable for oral administration to ruminants. The coating protects the core material of the pellets in the rumen and releases it postruminally. The coating is a specific mixture of a film-forming polymeric material, hydrophobic substance and flake material.

Description: RUMEN-STABLE PELLETS Technical Field This invention relates in general to pellets adapted to be orally administered to ruminants and .. which are beneficial to ruminants after passing the rumen and reaching the abomasum and/or intestines . More particularly, this invention relates to pellets having, in terms of structure, a core material such as a nutrient or medicament and a coating over the iΛ core material which protects the core in the environ¬ ment of the rumen, but which loses continuity under the more acidic conditions of the abomasum to render the core material available for utilization by the animal. - | _5 Background of the Art In ruminants, e.g., beef and dairy cattle, sheep, etc., ingested feed first passes into the rumen, where it is pre-digested by fermentation. During this period of fermentation the ingested feed Q may be regurgitated to the mouth where it is sali¬ vated and ruminated. After a period of fermentaion, adsorption of digested nutrients starts and continues in the subsequent sections of the digestive tract. This digestive process is described in detail by 5 D. C. Church, "Digestive Physiology and Nutrition of Ruminants", Vol. 1, O.S.U. Book Stores, Inc. of Corvallis, Oregon. The rumen serves as an important location of metabolic breakdown of ingested foodstuffs through Q the action of microorganisms which are present therein. Ingested food is typically retained in the rumen for from about 6 to about 30 hours , during which time it is subject to metabolic breakdown by the rumen microorganisms. When the rumen contents c pass into the abomasum and intestine, the microbial mass is digested, thus providing protein to the ruminant. Thus, the natural nutritional balance of OMPI the ruminant animal is primarily a function of the microbial composition and population. In preparing nutrients and medicaments intended for administration to ruminants, it is ^ important to protect the active ingredients against the environmental conditions of the rumen, i.e., microbial degradation and the effects of a pH of about 5.5, so the active substance will be saved until it reaches the particular location where 0 adsorption takes place. U.S. Patent 4,181,708 discloses rumen-stable pellets coated with a mixture of a polymeric materi¬ al, a hydrophobic material, and a flake material. All these ingredients are as described herein for the i c present invention. However, while the coating compositions of U.S. Patent 4,181,708 provide excel- - lent protection of the core material, the problem has been to provide still higher levels of protection. Disclosure of the Invention 20 ' Improved protection is provided in the compositions of U.S. Patent 4,181,708 by providing specific amounts of the components of the coating composition. The present invention provides pellets comprising a core material and a coating surrounding r the core material, the coating comprising (a) a film-forming, basic a ino group containing polymer (b) a hydrophobic material and (c) a flake material, characterized in that the coating comprises 16-33% (a), 0.5-20% of (b) and 58-80% of (c) , per- Q centages being by weight. The polymeric material in combination with the hydrophobic substance is physiologically accept¬ able and resistant to a pH of greater than about 5 but capable of releasing the core of the pellets at a c pH of less than about 3.5. The coating makes up about 5 to about 50% of the weight of the pellet, and O PI has a sticking temperature of at least about 50°C Brief Description of Drawing Figure 1 is a triangular coordinate graph illustrating the invention. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention The pellets according to this invention are adapted for oral administration to ruminants. The pellets are of a suitable shape and size, such as cylindrical, having a diameter of about 1.0-2.0 mm and a length-to-diameter ratio of. about 1-2.0:1. Also, the pellets must be of suitable density, i.e., a specific gravity of between about 1 and 1.4, have acceptable odor, taste, feel, etc. The pellets include a core and a continuous, film or coating completely encapsulating the core. The core is of a material beneficial to the ruminant upon passing the rumen and reaching the abomasum and/or intestine. Normally, the core is a solid material which has been formed into particles , such .as by pelletizing prior to being coated. The cores should have sufficient ' body or consistency to remain intact during handling, particularly during the coating operation. Suitable core materials include various medicaments and nutrients such as, for example, antibiotics, relaxants, drugs, anti- parasites, amino acids, proteins, sugars, carbo¬ hydrates, etc. The core may also contain inert filler material such as clay and acid or base neutralizers . The core material may be made ready for coating by the following method. The nutrient, medicament, or the like, and core neutralizer, if used, are mixed with water, binders, and sometimes inert organic substances added to adjust the specific gravity of the pellet and the resulting plastic dough-like mass is extruded or rolled to obtain suitable size particles. Adhesive binders may be added to strengthen the pellets and can be nontoxic vegetable gums, starches, cellulose derivatives, animal gums and other similar substances well-known in the art of food thickening and tablet making. Inorganic additives used to adjust the specific - 5 gravity of the pellet include such substances as insoluble, nontoxic pigment-like materials such as metal sulfates, oxides and carbonates having a relatively high density. After creating suitable size pellets, the pellets are dried to remove the 10 water. The pellets are then coated by contacting them with a solution of the protective coating material in a suitable solvent or mixture of solvents as hereinafter described. The coating material is capable of forming a 15 continuous film around the core by the evaporation " of solvent from the coating material. It has the ability to withstand environmental conditions of the rumen, and the ability to expose the core material of . the pellet in the environment of the abomasum. Thus, 20 the coating material should be resistant to pH conditions of greater than about 5 for from about 6 to about 30 hours. The coating should release the core material after exposure to abomasum environ¬ mental conditions having a pH of about 2 to about 25 3.3. Release should occur within the residence time in the abomasum or later in the intestinal track but at least within a time period of six hours after contacting pH 3.5 or less. The exposure of the core may occur by the coating becoming permeable to the 30 contents of the rumen, such as by dissolving, dis¬ integrating, or extensive swelling. The coating material is physiologically acceptable, i.e., the coating material should not interfere with the ruminants' healthy or normal body functioning. 35 Another requirement for the coating material is its ability to withstand abrasion in handling and storage conditions of relatively high heat and/or O PI humidity without a significant amount of blocking or sticking. It should have a sticking temperature of greater than about 50°C. Sticking temperature is defined as the temperature at which an applied force of 0.25 Kg/cm for 24 hours causes the coating of pellets to adhere to the coating of adjacent pellets strongly enough to cause rupture of the coating when the pellets are forceably separated. Also, the coating material is preferably soluble or dispersable in organic solvents having boiling points of between about 40°C. and 140°C to permit conventional coating processes such as spray coating to be used. Particu¬ larly suitable solvents include methylene chloride, chloroform, ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, ace- tone, toluene, isopropanol or mixtures of these. The polymeric substances for the coating include polymers, copolymers and mixtures of polymers and/or copolymers having basic amino groups in which the nitrogen content of the polymeric . substance is between about 2 and about 14% and of a film-forming molecular weight. The basic amino groups may be of the aliphatic type in which case they will contain from about 2% to about 10% by weight of nitrogen in the basic amino groups. The basic amino groups may also be of the aromatic type in which the basic amino groups are attached directly to the aromatic ring, or are part of the aromatic ring structure in which case they will contain from about 6% to about 14% nitrogen in the basic amino groups. The polymeric substances are of sufficient molecular weight to have film-form¬ ing properties when the polymer is deposited from a solution and after removal of a solvent, dispersing medium or on cooling from a melt. Polymeric substances having the character- istics defined herein include certain modified natural polymers, homo- and interpolymers obtained by addition polymerization methods, homo- and copolymers OMPI obtained by condensation polymerization methods and mixtures thereof. The polymeric material is com¬ prised of at least one polymer, copolymer, or blend of polymers selected from the group consisting of cellulose derivatives such as cellulose propionate morpholinobutyrate; containing addition-type mono- meric moieties such as acrylonitrile; vinylated derivatives of pyridine; styrene; methylstyrene; vinyl toluene; esters and amides of methacrylic acid; acrylic acid; such as a dialkylamino ethyl acrylate or ethacrylate in which the alkyl group contains from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated aliphatic hyrocarbon monomers such as ethylene, propylene or butadiene; vinyl esters such as vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate or vinyl stearate; vinyl esters such as methyl, ethyl, propyl or stearyl, vinyl substituted heterocyclic ring or condensed ring compounds containing basic nitrogen configurations such as vinyl carbazole, vinyl quino- line, N-vinylpyrrole and 5-vinyl pyrozoline; contain¬ ing condensation-type polymers wherein diacids such as phthalic, terephthalic, and succinic are combined with polyfunctional alcohols to form polyesters wherein either the acid or glycol moiety may contain basic nitrogen reactive to variable pH environments and wherein the same or similar diacids may be reacted with polyfunctional amines to form poly- amide-type polymers containing basic nitrogen not reacted in the polymerization process; and other basic nitrogen containing polymers such as polymers which have been formed by reacting an existing polymer with a nitrogen containing organic or inorganic moiety such as polybutadiene to which ammonia has been reacted with the remaining double bond. Especially preferred are poly(vinylpyridine) , polymeric derivatives of vinylpyridine, and the copolymers of the various isomers and derivatives of vinylpyridine copolymerized with one or more of the above-mentioned addition type monomers. Included among the especially preferred copolymers are 2-methyl-5-vinylpyridine and styrene, and in particular, the copolymer of about 75-85% by weight 2-methyl-5-vinylpyridine and about 15-25% by weight styrene, as well as the copolymer of 55-65% by weight 2-methyl-5-vinylpyridine and about 35-45% by weight acrylonitrile. Also especially preferred is the copolymer of 75-85 wt. % 2-vinylpyridine and 25-15 wt. % styrene. These copolymers are commer¬ cially available or may be produced by conventional techniques well known in the art. Hydrophobic substances which are physio- logically acceptable and have the correct degree of compatability with the polymer are commercially available. It is important that the polymer and hydrophobic substance have a degree of compatability to permit the film to remain intact in the rumen environment, but to permit permeation of the abomasal fluid to the core while the pellet is in the abomasum. A class of hydrophobic substances of value are fatty acids containing from 10 to 32 carbon atoms such as lauric, oleic, stearic, palmitic and lino- leic. These substances are well known to be water insoluble due to the long hydrocarbon radical but to react to water due to the polar nature of the car- boxyl group. In the selected basic amino group containing polymers, the carboxyl group of the fatty acid is able to react with the basic nitrogen group to form a weak salt-type linkage. This attachment to the polymer serves to cause the fatty acid to be fixed in the polymer matrix. The hydrophobic hydro¬ carbon chain of the fatty acid tends to render the matrix water resistant and thereby decreases swelling of the otherwise water suseptible polar film. Both the interior of the matrix film and the surface is now water resistant in aqueous environments at pH above about 5.0. However, at pH values below pH 4.5 and especially below about pH 3.5 the affinity of the basic nitrogen group for water and the hydrogen ion overcomes the increased water resistance. The film reacts with the acid environment and loses barrier properties sufficient to allow the core material to escape to the environment. Polyfunctional carboxylic acids may be derived from natural products or obtained by organic synthesis but the ratio of carboxyl group to hydro¬ phobic organic radical should be at least 1 to 10 based on the molecular weight of the organic radi¬ cals. The hydrophobic substance may be one or more polycarboxylic acids or salts thereof having a ratio of 10 to 22 carbon atoms per carboxyl group and a molecular weight of about 300 to about 1000. Also included in this class of synthesized organic hydro¬ phobic acids are mono and polyfunctional acids containing silicone or flourinated carbon groups located at least 4 atoms distant along the molecular chain from the position of the carboxyl group or groups. Also, included in the class of hydrophobic substances are the nontoxic multivalent metallic salts of the above acids such as the stearates, oleates, fatty acid diamerates, and palmitates of aluminum and iron and the calcium, magnesium and zinc salts of the higher molecular weight crystalline analogs of the above acids. When the cation is trivalent as for aluminum and ferric ion, the molar ratio of organic acid to metal ion is 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 and the acid can be any monofunctional organic acid having one carboxyl group and at least 10 carbon atoms in the organic radical attached to the carboxyl group. When the metal ion is divalent such as ferrous iron, calcium, magnesium or zinc the organic acid may be monocarboxylic or polycarboxylic. and the ratio of metal ion to non-carboxylic carbon atoms is at least 1 to 26. Natural and synthetic waxes and resins added at levels depending on the degree of hydrophobicity and compatibility in the matrix film are of value in the practice of the invention. Waxes and resins are useful that have a molecular weight of from 500 to 2000 and a critical surface tension of less than 31 dynes/cm as determined by the Zis an method described in "Contact Angle Wettability and Adhesion," Advances in Chemistry Series #43; Edited by Robert F. Gould; published by the American Chemi¬ cal Society; 1963; Chapter 1; and have a solubility in the matrix film of less than 5%. Typical waxes and resins include beeswax, petroleum wax, dammar, hard manila, phenolic resins, rosin and maleated low molecular weight ' polyhydrocarbons. Also included in the hydrophobic substances are polymers having molecular weights of from 2000 to 10,000, a critical surface tension of less than 31 dynes/cm measured by- methods in •the reference to Zisman described above. . Of particular value are the polymers and copolymers containing silicone groups in the main polymer chain or in a side chain and polymers and copolymers containing flourinated carbon groups in a side chain. Regardless of the exact nature of the hydro¬ phobic substance it must be soluble or colloidally dispersible in the coating solvent when one is used. It is believed that the function of the hydrophobic substance as a dispersed phase in the protective polymer layer is as follows: a. reduces wetting of the coating and therefore initial attack by water, b. reduces total volume of coating affected by water, and c. extends the length of permeable pathway the water must travel to core. Oλ-rpi In accordance with this invention, a physio¬ logically acceptable flake material is dispersed throughout the polymeric matrix. The flake material is substantially inert with respect to the environ- ment of the rumen. Suitable inert flake materials include metal flake, mineral flake, crosslinked organic polymer, etc. Especially suitable are aluminum flake, talc, graphite, and ground mica. Aluminum flake is pro- duced by ball-milling the aluminum in a liquid medium in the presence of a lubricant such as stearic acid. It is available commercially from Alcan Metal Pow¬ ders, Division of Alcan Aluminum Corporation. Sizes of the flake are generally less than about 100 microns, preferably about 1-60 microns. Talc parti¬ cle sizes are generally within the range of 0.5-40 microns. It is sometimes beneficial to subject the hydrophobic substance and flake material to ball- milling operations such that they are brought into rubbing contact for several hours, thereby increasing the efficiency of the coating. In the practice of this invention, the polymeric material may conveniently be dissolved in a suitable solvent which would be physiologically acceptable in the event there are residues upon evaporation of the solvent, as hereinbefore des¬ cribed. The hydrophobic substance and flake material are blended in the solution, wherein the polymeric substance is a continuous matrix and the additives are dispersed therein. The coating solution may be applied by various well known means such as, for example, brushing, dipping, spraying, fluidized bed, etc. The coating compositions disclosed in this invention are also useful for other bioactive materi¬ als, particularly highly water-soluble amino acids such as lysine, carbohydrates, vitamins, antibiotics, hormones, and other pharmaceuticals. In general, a highly water-soluble active ingredient is much more difficult to protect less water-soluble bioactive compound and a successful rumen-stable coating for 5 highly water-soluble materials is obviously useful for materials of low water solubility so that the coating compositions in this invention may be viewed as an universal coating which is independent of the solubility of the core material. _0 Unless otherwise specified, all parts, percentages, ratios, etc., are by weight. Molecular weights are given as weight averages . Examples 1-10 The examples which follow are submitted for 5 a better understanding of the invention. While the examples are based on in vitro tests, the in vitro experiments shown in the examples simulate conditions existing in ruminants thereby permitting the study of coated pellets without the use of live animals. It 0 has been determined by actual in vivo tests that the - testing of pellets in the aqueous media used in the examples simulating the environmental conditions of the rumen and abomasum with respect to temperature, pH, etc., provide reliable data concerning the 5 protection offered by the coatings in the rumen, and releasability of the coatings in the abomasum. Nutrients such as amino acids and proteins which may be used in the core material are known to be benefi¬ cial to ruminants when positioned in the intestinal 0 tract downstream from the rumen. Generally, pellets are prepared from the nutrients indicated to a size of between about 8 and 12 sieve size (2.38 mm-1.68 mm). The nutrients are mixed with conventional additives such as icro- crystalline cellulose, binders, inert consistency adjusting substances such as water, etc. The pellets are formed by a conventional pelletizer, dried, C H_ sieved, and coated using a coater as described herein. Upon application of the coating to the pellets, they are tested for resistance to pH condi¬ tions resembling those of the rumen and abomasum by agitating in buffer solutions of pH 2.9 for 0.5 hours and 5.4 for 24 hours. Recovery and protection figures cited for active core ingredients herein contain in them all materials of the original coated pellet that are not completely ^ dissolved in the pH 2.9 buffer, including any undissolved active ingre¬ dient in the original core. For the sake of simpli¬ city abbreviations are used in the examples as follows: 2M5VP - 2-methyl-5-vinylpyridine AN - acrylonitrile ST - styrene When coating ratios are used, the first number, indicates the number of parts polymer, the second number indicates the number of parts hydro- phobic substance, and the third number indicates the number of parts inert flake material. Cylindrical smooth-edge glucose cores (-8/+12 mesh, U.S. standard mesh size (2.38 mm-1.68 mm) which consist of 90% glucose and 10%, micro- crystalline cellulose are used in all experiments. In the process of preparing glucose cores, glucose powder and mirocrystalline cellulose are mixed thoroughly in a mixer-extruder; water is then added slowly to wet the dry solid mix until an extrudable dope was formed. The moisture content of the final dope is about 18%. The dope is extruded from the mixer-extruder through a die with 2-mm diameter holes and chopped with a rotating knife into small cylinders with a length/diameter ratio approxi- mately equal to one. Wet cores are tumbled to smooth the rough edges, and then dried in an oven at 60°C C H__ Dry cores are screened to yield uniform size cores for all coating experiments. In preparing the coating dopes, a mixture of copoly(2M5VP/ST 80:20) (I.V. = 1.30), 10-50% by weight; stearic acid, 1-20% by weight, and talc/- aluminum flake (1:1 w/w), 40-80% by weight are mixed in acetone to make a series of coating dopes contain¬ ing 5% solids. The exact coating compositions for examples 1-10 are shown as dots in the tricomposi- tional diagram in Figure 1 (Comparative examples are also shown) . The coordinates represent percentage of total composition weight of the polymeric material, hydrophobic substance and flake material. Glucose cores are coated with the coatings dopes to desired coating levels using an air-suspension coater under the same operating conditions. Rumen-protection and abomasal release are measured by extracting coated pellets in pH 5.4 buffer for 24 hours and pH 2.9 buffer for one hour respectively. Protection values are obtained for pellets with 6, 12, and 18% coating levels for each coating composition. The protection value at 15% coating weight for each coating composition was determined and indicated under the respective coating composition in Figure 1. For example, the rumen protection value of pellets coated with 20/70/10 (2M5VP/ST)/(Talc/Al)/stearic acid is 94%. Unless otherwise specified, the inherent viscosity (I.V.) of the polymers is determined at 25°C. , using 0.25 gram polymer per 100 ml of a solvent composed of dimethylformamide. To illustrate the effect of coating amino acids with the compositions of this invention, lysine and methionine were coated with compositions des- cribed as follows: Example 11 -- Lysine % by Wt. in Coating Polymer 2M5VP/ST, 80:20% 31.5 Hydrophobic Stearic Acid 5 Substance Flake Material Aluminum Flake 63.5% Coating wt. . , 18% based on wt. of coated pellets Example 12 -- Methionine % by Wt. in Coating Polymer 2M5VP/ST, 80:20% 31.5% Hydrophobic Stearic Acid - 3.5% Substance Flake Material Aluminum Flake 26.0% Talc 39.0% Coating wt., 14% based on wt. of coated pellets The coated pellets are fed to calves for 140 days. The actual doses of methionine and lysine were each between about 0.05% and about 0.3%, based on percent of diet on a dry matter basis. Over the entire trial, average daily weight gain increased about 6% when compared to the control groups which were fed no lysine and methionine, indicating rumen protection and delivery postruminally of the amino acids. Th s, the in vitro test results indicating effectiveness of the coatings are confirmed in vivo.

Claims: Clai s 1. Pellets comprising a core material and a coating surrounding the core material, said coating comprising (a) a film-forming, basic amino group containing polymer (b) a hydrophobic material and (c) a flake material, characterized in that said coating comprises 16-33% (a), 0.5-20% of (b) and 58-80% of (c) , per¬ centages being by weight. 2. A pellet according to claim 1 wherein said polymeric material comprises at least one polymer selected from the group cinsisting of cellu- ' lose propionate orpholinobutyrate, and polymers, copolymers and blends of polymers selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile, vinyl pyridine, styrene, methacrylate and methyl methacrylate. 3. A pellet according to claim 1 wherein said hydrophobic material is selected from the group consisting of fatty acids ' having from 12 to 32 carbon atoms, aluminum salts of fatty acids having from 12 to 32 carbon atoms, and polyfunctional carboxylic acids having a ratio of from 10 to 22 carbon atoms per carboxyl group. 4. A pellet according to claim 1 wherein said polymeric material comprises a polymer, copoly¬ mer or blend of polymers derived at least in part from monomers selected from the group consisting of 2-vinylpyridine, 4-vinylpyridine, 2-methyl-5-vinyl- pyridine, and 2-ethyl-5-vinylpyridine and said hydrophobic material is selected from the group consisting of fatty acids having from 12 to 32 carbon atoms, aluminum salts of fatty acids having from 12 to 32 carbon atoms, and polycarboxylic acids having a ratio of from 10 to 22 carbon atoms per carboxyl group. 5. A pellet according to claim 4 wherein said polymeric material is a copolymer of 2-methyl- 5-vinylpyridine and styrene. 6. A pellet according to claim 4 wherein said polymeric material is a copolymer consisting essentially of about 80% 2-methyl-5-vinylρyridine and about 20% styrene. - 5 7. A pellet according to claim 4 wherein said hydrophobic material is stearic acid. 8. A pellet according to claim 4 wherein said flake material is selected from the group consisting of aluminum flake, talc, graphite, and 10 ground mica. OMPI $ wι?o

Inventors: WU STEPHEN HONG-WEI, WU, STEPHEN, HONG-WEI
Applicants: EASTMAN KODAK CO, EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
Application year: 1984
Main classification: A23K1
IPC codes: A23K1, A61K9