A CHEWING GUM WITH A CONTROLLED AROMA RELEASE AS WELL AS A PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION THEREOF

Abstract: A chewing gum with a prolonged and controlled aroma release while chewing, said chewing gum comprising a conventional chewing gum vehicle and an entirely or partially encapsulated aroma agent, where the encapsulating material comprises gelatine and polyhydroxy sweetener, as well as a process for the preparation of the chewing gum. The chewing gum gives a pleasant and balanced taste profile and a more prolonged taste release than a conventional chewing gum.

Description: Title: A Chewing Gum With a Controlled Aroma Release as well as a Process for the Preparation Thereof Technical Field The present invention relates to a chewing gum with a prolonged and controlled aroma release while chewing, said chewing gum comprising a conventional chewing gum vehicle and an entirely or partially encapsulated aroma agent. Background Art A conventional chewing gum comprises in addition to aroma agents (flavourings), also a chewing gum vehicle, which comprises gum base, sweeteners and optionally additional fillers and/or auxiliary agents, such as consistency- adjusting agents. When a piece of chewing gum of the above conventional type is chewed, a strong sense of aroma and sweetness is perceived for the first 2 to 3 minutes of the chewing process. Subsequently, the intensity of aroma and sweetness decreases, and upon chewing for 3 to 5 minutes the pleasant taste has usually disappeared. Accordingly, a demand exists for a possibility of prolonging and controlling the aroma release while chewing the chewing gum. EP-PS No. 285 694 discloses polymeric particles for the release of an active ingredient. The particles can be incorporated in various compositions. The particles are of a spongous, macroporous structure, the completed carrier being provided with a pore network. The described process is encumbered with the drawbacks that it is rather compli¬ cated and requires two steps. Furthermore, more of the starting materials used have not been allowed for use in articles of food and cannot therefore be used immediately. US-PS No. 4,386,106 discloses a method for preparing encapsulated solid flavourant compositions for use in chewing gum, which gives a sustained release of the fla- vourants during chewing. The encapsulated flavourants result from preparation of an aqueous emulsion of a fla¬ vourant, said emulsion comprising water distillable compo¬ nents in a mixture of gelatine, a natural gum, such as gum arabic, and a softener. Subsequently, the emulsion is dried to produce a uniform solid matrix product. The solid matrix product is milled to a particle size less than 20 US mesh, and the resulting powder is coated with a thin layer of polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, zein, ethylcellulose or gelatine having a Bloom of 100 to 300. By the use of the resulting encapsulated flavourant in chewing gum, the flavourant is being released after chewing for 2 to 3 minutes, and the release continues for a period thereafter. As the flavourant is not maintained in the gum base, it is released in an efficient manner, and it is possible to provide the chewing gum with a suitable taste by means of low amounts of flavourants compared to the chewing gums wherein the flavourant is not encapsu¬ lated. The use of dry flavourant, i.e. flavourant dried with gum arabic, in chewing gum unfortunately results in a rather hard consistency. In addition, the method is rather complicated because the powder necessitates a finishing treatment for achieving the desired release, and furthermore, it is difficult to reproduce. US-PS No. 2,886,446 discloses an encapsulation of flavour¬ ings by means of gelatine. The encapsulation is carried out by emulsifying the flavouring and gelatine followed by a drying, such as a spray drying. The dried emulsion is converted into a powder of ~ particle size of 40 to 850 Urn, for instance by way of grinding. The gelatine may, if desired, be cured by means of aldehyde. The use of gelatine alone as the encapsulating agent allows an increased re¬ lease of flavourings with the result that said flavourings can be used in low amounts. Such an intensified release may, however, sometimes cause undesired taste spots, and a harmonious course of the taste is not achieved. The use of gelatine for controlling the release is also known from US-PS No. 3,903,305, EP printed accepted speci¬ fication No. 343,775, and US-PS No. 4,384,004. Neither US-PS No. 2,886,446 nor the latter publications indicate how it is possible to obtain a chewing gum with a pro¬ longed and controlled aroma release during chewing while also providing an improved taste profile. EP printed accepted specification No. 278,994 discloses a method of controlling the release of flavourants by way of encapsulation. The encapsulating material may be starch, saccharose, lactose and other materials. The encapsulating materials used without gelatine do not allow a sufficient control of the aroma release for a long period, and accord¬ ingly undesired taste spots may be perceived. The known methods for achieving a sustained aroma release in chewing gum while chewing are encumbered with the drawback that the incorporated compositions often change the consistency of the chewing gum with the result that the chewing gum may be hard. Furthermore, when the particle size is not very carefully selected, it may tend to destroy the desired soft and smooth mouth feel characteristic of chewing gum because an unpleasant mealy and/or sandy mouth feel may be perceived. Moreover, the known porous or encapsulated flavouring- containing compositions cannot stand the mechanical and temperature-related effects, such as kneading and rolling out, usually applying to the preparation of conventional chewing gum. The known methods are furthermore encumbered with the problem that the resulting chewing gum discloses a poor storing stability, especially when the flavourings encap¬ sulated or bonded in another manner have a higher affinity to the chewing gum base in the vehicle with the result that said flavourings migrate into the vehicle during the storing. A too large particle size in proportion to a too low amount of flavouring precludes achieving a homogeneous mixture. Accordingly, it has not previously been possible to ensure a perception of taste without the so-called taste spots, i.e. unpleasant spots of a strong taste like when you chew on a peppercorn. Disclosure of Invention According to the invention it surprisingly turned out that it is possible to solve the above problems and to obtain a chewing gum with a harmoneous and clearly pro¬ longed perception of taste simultaneously with maintaining a soft and smooth mouth feel by encapsulating some of or the entire amount of aroma agents in a particular encap- sulating material, using a particular encapsulating tech¬ nique while, at the same time, maintaining an unchanged consistency . Thus the invention relates to a chewing gum with a pro¬ longed and controlled aroma release while chewing, said chewing gum comprising a conventional chewing gum vehicle and an entirely or partially encapsulated aroma agent. The chewing gum according to the invention is characterised by the encapsulating material comprising gelatine and a polyhydroxy sweetener, said polyhydroxy sweetener compris- ing one or more compounds selected among mono, di and polysachharides and hydrogenated derivatives thereof. According to the invention it is preferred that the aroma agent is available both in encapsulated form and in free form because a particularly homogenous perception of taste is thereby obtained. An aroma agent available in free form provides a quickly perceptable taste whereas an encapsulated aroma agent provides the prolonged and con¬ trolled release of taste. The entire amount of aroma agent may, however, also be available in encapsulated form. The polyhydroxy sweetener may for instance be sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, Lycasin ™ , lactitol, glucose syrup, fructose, saccharose, lactose and dextrose. The polyhydroxy sweetener used in the encapsulation has ex¬ clusively a technological function, viz. to assist in controlling the aroma release. The polyhydroxy sweetener is thus of no importance as sweetening agent because the amount thereof is insignificant compared to the content of sweeteners in the chewing gum. A superior advantage of the chewing gum according to the invention is thus found in the fact that the encapsulation of the aroma agents in the chewing gum exclusively involves the use of materials already allowed for use in articles The invention relates furthermore to a process for prepar¬ ing the above chewing gum, said process being characterised by a) producing an emulsion of an aroma agent in a matrix containing gelatine and polyhydroxy sweetener, b) drying the emulsion to obtain a homogeneous solid sub- c) dusting the particles with a powdering agent, and d) selecting an optimal sieve fraction by way of frac- tiςnated sieving, to obtain an aroma preparation of encapsulated aroma agent, whereafter the chewing gum is conventionally produced by means of conventional apparatuses by admixing the aroma preparation. The process according to the invention allows a controlled speed of the aroma release by changing the encapsulating material. Thus it is possible to decrease the speed of release by curing the gelatine, preferably by means of an aldehyde, such as formaldehyde, as well as it -is possible to increase the speed of release by using a higher amount of polyhydroxy sweetener or by using a comparatively easierly soluble polyhydroxy sweetener. The drying of the emulsion in step b) of the process can be carried out in a conventional manner, such as by spray- drying and/or by drying in a fluid bed. Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicat¬ ing preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifi¬ cations within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. The encapsulating material can be incorporated in any type of chewing gum, i.e. both in sugar-containing and in sugar-free chewing gum, in bubble gum and in soft bubble gum. The chewing gum may be both coated and not coated and of various shapes. When the chewing gum is coated, i.e. is available in form of a dragee, the aroma prepara¬ tion is present in the core of the chewing gum. The encap- sulating material can be incorporated both in medical and in semimedical chewing gum. The encapsulated product possesses a high pressure stabi¬ lity, which is a property usually measured when a mate- rial is tested for its use in a mass to be compressed into tablets. The high pressure stability means that a high stability applies both during the mechanical effects at the preparation and during the mechanical effects during the chewing. The product is expected to possess a good storability, where the flavourings do not migrate to the gum base in the vehicle although said flavourings usually display a higher affinity to the gum base. In practice more flavourings are usually necessary compared to the amount of flavourings necessary when incorporated directly into the chewing gum vehicle. The latter proves that the desired sustained release has in fact been ob¬ tained because the available amount of flavourings is to be released over a comparatively long chewing period. An essential feature of the invention is that the aroma preparation is prepared with a suitable particle size, preferably a particle size in the range of 150 to 210 um. This range together with the used amount of flavourings ensures an excellent aroma release and a pleasant con¬ tinued perception of taste without the previously mentioned taste spots . Furthermore according to the invention a suitable ratio of gelatine to polyhydroxy sweetener must be used. It is, however, not possible to indicate a specific ratio because said ratio depends on the hydrophilic/hydrophobic proper- ties of the individual flavourings and on the desired release. The optimal ratio is, however, easily determined by a person skilled in the art by the trial-and-error- method. It is important that the aroma preparation is of a suitable consistency in relation to chewing and saliva so that the encapsulated aroma agents are not released by an explosion of taste in the starting phase, but so that a typical prolonging of the taste with a harmoneous and pleasant taste is perceived. Brief Description of Drawing The taste profile obtainable according to the invention compared to the taste profile of a conventional chewing gum appears from the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 illustrates the taste profile of a chewing gum according to the invention indicated in Example 1, and Fig. 2 illustrates the taste profile of a conventional comparison chewing gum containing the same flavourings. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Example A Aroma preparation Gelatine and polyhydroxy sweetener are dissolved in water by heating. Subsequently, the aroma agent is admixed during stirring. The mixture is treated in a homogenisator until the drop size is < 150 urn. After a voluntary bleeding the emulsion is spray dried and immediately subjected to a finishing treatment with a powdering agent comprising corn starch and tricalciumpho phate by a fluid bed drying. The excessive powdering agent is blown off and sieved off, whereafter particles of a particle size in the range of 150 um to 210 11m are collected by way of a fractionated sieving . In this manner the aroma preparations I, II, III, IV, V and VI of the following composition are prepared: Aroma Preparation I Aroma agent 23% by weight Powder 20% by weight Gelatine 24% by weight Glucose syrup 33% by weight Aroma Preparation II Aroma agent 20% by weight Powder 21% by weight Gelatine 39% by weight Sorbitol 20% by weight Aroma Preparation III Aroma agent 15% by weight Powder 10% by weight Gelatine 25% by weight Glucose syrup 50% by weight Aroma Preparation IV Aroma agent 10% by weight Powder 15% by weight Gelatine 50% by weight Glucose syrup 25% by weight Aroma Preparation V Aroma agent 15% by weight Powder 10% by weight Gelatine 65% by weight Sorbitol 10% by weight Aroma Preparation VI Aroma agent 10% by weight Powder 15% by weight Gelatine 70% by weight Sorbitol 5% by weight Preparation of Chewing Gum The preparation of chewing gum is described below in general terms. All the ingredients apart from those of a possible coating are mixed in kneading " vessels (mixers) with strong horizontally arranged Z-shaped arms kneading the raw materials and forming a homogeneous gum mass. The mixing takes place in the following manner. The knead¬ ing vessels are heated to a temperature of 30 to 80°C, typically 45"C. The mixing process begins with kneading a specific amount of gum base for 1 to 20 min, typically for 10 min. Subsequently, one or more sweeteners are added either in form of a powder or as a liquid. The dosing of sweetener and the following kneading has a duration of 1 to 20 min, typically about 7 min. Then the remaining ingredients are added, and the kneading is continued for 1 to 10 min, typically about 3 min. The aroma agents and the aroma preparation can also be added at the beginning of the kneading process, i.e. before the addition of the sweetener(s) . Aroma agents can also be added in two or more portions during the kneading process. Subsequent to the kneading process, the kneading vessel is tilted and the gum mass is transferred to trolleys, trays or the like. The next step is the shaping of the chewing gum, but before the shaping process the chewing gum must be cooled. When leaving the kneading vessel the chewing gum mass is of a temperature of 50 to 65°C, and in order to allow a shaping of said chewing gum the temperature must be reduced to 30 to 45 β C. The chewing gum is cooled either by storing for a predetermined period in trolleys, on trays or on shelves or by conveying a thin sheet of chewing gum through a cooling tunnel. The chewing gum is shaped by means of extrusion through a specially shaped die, or the chewing gum can be shaped after the extrusion by means of rolls, punchers, sizing wheels and the like. The chewing gum can be shaped into cores, sticks, balls, cubes, chunks, cylinders and many other shapes. In order to prevent the chewing gum from sticking to rolls and other tools, it is powdered with a powder comprising among other ingredients sugar powder, i.e. icing sugar, talc, corn starch and the like. The shaped chewing gum can be immediately cooled to room temperature in a cooling tunnel and packed (especially as far as bubble gum and soft bubble gum are concerned) . Alternatively, the chewing gum is cooled on trays in intermediary storage at con¬ trolled temperatures and humidity. Before the packing, the chewing gum cores are frequently further treated by coating and polishing processes. The cores are coated in inclined, round coating pans rotating during the entire process. The coating pans may be made of copper, stainless steel or polyester reinforced with glass fibers and are often provided with a tubing system for feeding and removing air as well as dosing the coating suspension. The coating process is as follows: The chewing gum cores are kept in motion inside rotating coating pans. Then the coating suspension is added in small portions being evenly distributed on the surface of the cores. Subsequently, the cores are dried by means of air. The process is repeated up to 70 times until the cores are completely coated and of the desired size and weigh . Between the steps of dosing the coating suspension, fla- vourings are often added one or more times in order to provide the chewing gum cores with a fast flavour impact during the chewing process. In order to facilitate the coating process of the chewing gum, the suspension is of a temperature of up to 75°C and the air is heated to 40°C. The coated product, "candy coated tablets" or "dragees", are stored for 1 to 2 days and then subjected to the next step, the polishing. It should be noted that the term "candy coated tablets" covers tablets coated with a sugar-containing coating as well as tablets coated with a sugar-free coating. The purpose of the polishing is to provide the candy coated tablets with a nice and glazed surface improving the appearance of the tablets as well as their flowing proper¬ ties. The latter is important for the subsequent sorting and packing. The polishing also takes place in rotating coating pans, where the polishing suspension is added to candy coated tablets in one or more portions. The polishing suspension often comprises wax, emulsifier, gum arabic, water or the like. It is possible to omit the coating step of candy coated tablets and polish said tablets directly. The following examples of inventive chewing gum describe the preparation thereof using the above method. Example 1 Sugar-containing Chewing Gum - Dragee % By Weight Sugar 70.9 Gum base 18.0 Glucose syrup 8.0 Flavorings 0.8 Aroma preparation I 0.7 Gelatine 0.4 Sorbitol, liquid, 70% 0.3 Lecithin 0.3 Glycerol 0.2 Colourant 0.2 Polishing agent 0.2 Example 2 Sugar-containing Chewing Gum - Stick % B Wei Sugar Gum base Glucose syrup Aroma preparation III Sorbitol, liquid, 70% Flavorings Lecithin Glycerol Example 3 Sugar-containing Soft Bubble Gum % Bv Weight Sugar 41.6 Gum base 25 Glucose syrup 16 Dextrose 15 Flavorings 0 Aroma preparation IV 0 Sorbitol, liquid, 70% 0 Lecithin 0 Triacetin 0 Example 4 Sugar-containing Bubble Gum % By Weight Sugar 66.4 Gum base 16.6 Glucose syrup 16.3 Flavorings 0.5 Aroma preparation III 0.1 Glycerol 0.1 Example 5 Sugar-free Chewing Gum - Dragee % Bv Weight Sorbitol 56.3 Gum base 30.0 Lycasin™ 4.0 Xylitol 4.0 Aroma preparation II 3.0 Flavorings 1.5 Aspartame 0.4 Colourant 0.4 Gum arabic 0.3 Polishing agent 0.1 Example 6 Sugar-free Chewing Gum - Sticks % B Wei h Sorbitol Gum base Sorbitol, liquid, 70% Aroma preparation V Mannitol Flavorings Glycerol Sodium saccharin Example 7 Sugar-free Chewing Gum - Dragee % Bv Weight Gum base 62.6 Sorbitol 25.0 Aroma preparation VI 9.8 Flavorings 2.0 Aspartame 0.4 Acesulfam-K 0.2 Example 8 Sugar-free Chewing Gum - Dragee with xylitol % Bv Weight Xylitol 56.4 Gum base 34.1 Aroma preparation VI 3.0 Flavorings 1.3 Gum arabic 4.2 Gelatine 0.8 Polishing agent 0.2 Example 9 Sugar-free Bubble Gum % Bv Weight Sorbitol 55.08 Gum base 25.6 T Lycasi•nT 1 M" 11.0 Mannitol 4.0 Flavourings 1.5 Aroma preparation V 1.0 Lecithin 1.0 Glycerol 0.8 Saccharin 0.02 Example 10 Comparison Tests The taste profile of the chewing gum according to Example 1 was compared to the taste profile of a conventional comparison chewing gum of the same composition as the chewing gum of Example 1 except for the entire aroma amount being added in non-encapsulated form. The comparison was carried out by experts testing the two chewing gums in a blind test. By the comparison tests the experts evaluated the taste qualities stated below according to a scale from 0 to 9 : A: Taste level after 2h min. B: Freshness C: Sweetness D: Liquorice sweetness E: Liquorice peak notes F: Taste level after 5 min. The average values are plotted on a semicircular diagram where 0 is placed in the centre of the circle and 9 is placed at the periphery of the semicircle. As a res.ult, a graphic illustration of the complicated factors is obtained where the area filled out in the diagram represents a measurement of the taste intensity. The diagrams achieved appear from Figs. 1 and 2, where Fig. 1 illustrates the taste profile of a chewing gum according to Example 1, whereas Fig. 2 illustrates the taste profile of the conven- tional comparison chewing gum. The diagrams clearly demon¬ strate that a prolonged taste release and a more harmoneous and pleasant taste profile is obtained by the chewing gum according to the invention compared to the conventional chewing gum. Thus the prolonging of the taste is demon- strated by the parameters F "taste level after 5 min" and E "liquorice peak notes", whereas the harmoneous, pleasant and balanced taste is demonstrated by the parameter "li¬ quorice sweetness". The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims: Claims . 1. A chewing gum with a prolonged and controlled aroma release while chewing, said chewing gum comprising a conventional chewing gum vehicle and an entirely or parti- ally encapsulated aroma agent, c h a r a c t e r i s e d by said encapsulating material comprising gelatine and a polyhydroxy sweetener, said polyhydroxy sweetener compris¬ ing one or more compounds selected among mono, di and polysachharides and hydrogenated derivatives thereof. 2. A chewing gum as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i s e d by selecting the polyhydroxy sweetener among sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, Lycasine™, lactitol, glucose syrup, dextrose, fructose, saccharose and lactose. 3. A chewing gum as claimed in claim 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i s e d by the polyhydroxy sweetener being a saccharide . 4. A chewing gum as claimed in claim 3, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i s e d by the polyhydroxy sweetener being glucose syrup. 5. A chewing gum as claimed in any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i s e d by the encapsulated aroma agent being present in form of particles of a parti¬ cle size of 150 to 210 um. 6. A process for preparing a chewing gum as claimed in any of the preceding claims , c h a r a c t e r i s e d by a) producing an emulsion of an aroma agent in a matrix containing gelatine and polyhydroxy sweetener, b) drying the emulsion to obtain a homogeneous solid sub- stance , c) dusting the particles with a powdering agent, and d) selecting an optimal sieve fraction by way of frac- tionated sieving, to obtain an aroma preparation of encapsulated aroma agent, whereafter the chewing gum is conventionally produced by means of conventional apparatuses by admixing the aroma preparation. 7. A process as claimed in claim 6, c h a r a c t e r¬ i s e d by curing the gelatine, preferably by means of an aldehyde, in advance. 8. A process as claimed in claim 6, c h a r a c t e r¬ i s e d by drying the emulsion by way of spray drying and/or by drying in a fluid bed. 9. An aroma preparation, c h a r a c t e r i s e d by comprising one or more aroma agents encapsulated in an encapsulating material, which comprises gelatine and a polyhydroxy sweetener, said polyhydroxy sweetener compris- ing one or more compounds selected among mono, di and polysaccharides and hydrogenated derivatives thereof. 10. A nethod for the use of an aroma agent as claimed in claim 9 by the preparation of chewing gum.

Inventors: DYHR HANS-HENRIK, STAHL BRONISLAW JAN, THORENGAARD BITTEN, WINNING MARIANNE, DYHR, HANS-HENRIK, STAHL, BRONISLAW, JAN, THORENGAARD, BITTEN, WINNING, MARIANNE
Applicants: DANOCHEMO AS, DANSK TYGGEGUMMI FABRIK AS, DANOCHEMO A/S, DANSK TYGGEGUMMI FABRIK A/S
Application year: 1990
Main classification: A23L1
IPC codes: A23G4