Abstract:
Acesulfame-metal complexes, formed from a trace element, preferably Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Co and 2 molecules of acesulfamic acid by precipitation reaction with the use of suitable salts, are distinguished by a pleasantly sweet taste and are therefore suitable as sweeteners, food supplements and for enrichment of food, medicaments and feeds with trace elements.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Some trace elements are important for normal bodily functions. In the event of deficiency symptoms, the targeted supply of trace elements beyond the amounts taken in with the customary diet is required or at least desirable. Deficiency symptoms of this type can occur in the case of malnutrition, but also in the case of disturbed absorption due to physical malfunctions. Sufficient supply with trace elements is important not only in the case of humans, but also in animal growth. Trace elements and their importance are described, for example, in Römpp Chemie Lexikon [Römpp&#39;s Chemistry Lexicon], 9th edition, under this headword. These trace elements include, in particular, iron, zinc, copper, manganese and cobalt. 
     However, it is a problem for sufficient supply of trace elements, in particular in the form of their salts, that many salts of these trace elements taste unpleasant, even in small amounts, and in particular have an astringent taste. Incorporation of compounds of these trace elements into suitable foods, medicaments or feeds and supply via specific preparations can therefore be difficult owing to lack of acceptance by humans and animals. Provision in a pleasant-tasting form would markedly improve the targeted application in foods, medicaments and feeds. 
     It has now been found that the known sweetener acesulfame (6-methyl-3,4-dihydro-1,2,3-oxathiazin-4-one 2,2-dioxide), which has hitherto only been offered as potassium salt (acesulfame-K) and of which salts with alkali metals and alkaline earth metals, for example sodium salts, potassium salts, magnesium salts and calcium salts, the acid-reacting acesulfame itself, which represents acesulfamic acid, and some amine salts are known, forms with these elements stable complexes, preferably with in each case two acesulfame anions per metal atom. These complexes are surprisingly distinguished by a pleasantly sweet taste from which the astringent note of many salts of these trace elements is absent. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention thus comprises complex compounds of the trace elements, preferably of the metallic trace elements, for example iron, copper, zinc, chromium, selenium, cobalt, molybdenum, silicon, manganese, nickel, vanadium and boron, in particular preferably zinc, copper, iron, manganese and cobalt, with acesulfame. These are preferably metal complexes of acesulfame which are composed of one trace element metal and 2 acesulfame molecules and which, in addition, if appropriate can contain water of crystallization. These are defined compounds of which the metal is present in the cationic form and the acesulfame molecules are present in the anionic form. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     By means of the fact that the trace elements or metal cations in these complexes are preferably bound as salts, they are bioavailable after solvolysis by water and can be absorbed as such by metabolism. 
     These complexes can be used without problems in the customary processing steps of foods and production of preparations for supplementing the diet, or used in medicaments and cosmetic compositions, for example toothcare and oralcare compositions or in feeds or as feed additives, for example in the form of a premix. Processing is simple and is performed by known methods. In the case of solid preparations, the inventive complexes are mixed in solid form, if appropriate in suitable particle size, with the other ingredients. For use in tablets, compressed compositions and comparable products and pulverulent preparations, they can be granulated together with other ingredients suitable for this and further processed as granules. Owing to their good solubility, however, they can also readily be used in liquid products from the said fields or processed in the form of their aqueous solutions. 
     The present invention thus also comprises the use of the inventive acesulfame-trace element complexes as food supplements or food additives and their use in medicaments, feeds or cosmetic compositions, for example toothcare or oralcare compositions, in any form suitable therefor, for example as solid preparations in the form of, for example tablets, capsules, compressed compositions, granules, solid premix, pulverulent preparations or as liquid preparations, for example solutions, preferably aqueous solutions or liquid premix. 
     Finally, the present invention also relates to a process for preparing the inventive complex compounds. The acesulfame or its potassium salt, acesulfame-K, serving as starting substance, are commercially available or can, as can other desired acesulfame salts, be prepared by the process described in EP-A 0 155 634. 
     To prepare these complexes a process is used by which other ionic constituents of the starting materials suitable for the preparation may be eliminated. This can be achieved either by separating off sparingly soluble compounds of the other ionic constituents or by using starting materials in which from the start only trace elements and acesulfame remain in a solution from which the complexes are isolated in a suitable manner. This process comprises 
     reacting salts of acesulfame, whose cations form suitable sparingly soluble compounds which may be precipitated, in particular the calcium salt but also the barium salt of acesulfame, with soluble salts of the trace elements whose anions form sparingly soluble compounds with the cations of the acesulfame salt, for example sulfates or 
     reacting basic carbonates of the trace elements with acesulfamic acid (acesulfame) with release of CO 2    
     in which precipitates formed in each case are if appropriate separated off before the desired acesulfame complexes are isolated. This isolation is preferably achieved by crystallization, for example by evaporation of the solvent, preferably water or water-miscible solvents, or by adding water-miscible solvents to the reaction mixture. Preferred water-miscible solvents are, for example alcohols. 
     The acesulfame salts serving as starting materials of the reaction can be introduced, for example, as aqueous solution or else formed in what is termed a one-pot reaction from acesulfame and a suitable alkaline earth metal carbonate (Ba, Ca salt) before addition of the trace element salt. 
     The invention is described in more detail by the examples below without thereby restricting its extent: 
     The invention is described by the following examples: 
     EXAMPLE 1 
     Acesulfame-zinc Complex 
     Method 1 
     20 mmol (3.947 g) of sparingly soluble barium carbonate (or 20 mmol of calcium carbonate) are introduced into 20 ml of water and 40 mmol (6.525 g) of acesulfame-H are added. After CO 2  formation has ended, a homogeneous solution is obtained from which sparingly soluble barium sulfate (or calcium sulfate) is precipitated out by 20 mmol (0.575 g) of zinc(II) sulfate heptahydrate. After filtering off the precipitate and concentrating the solution, the acesulfame-zinc complex crystallizes out in the form of colorless crystals with 97% yield. 
     Method 2 
     10 mmol (3.42 g) of sparingly soluble basic zinc carbonate hydrate (ZnCO 3 .2Zn(OH) 2 .H 2 O) are introduced into 20 ml of water and 60 mmol (9.789 g) of acesulfame-H are added. After CO 2  formation has ended, a homogeneous solution is obtained. The acesulfame-zinc complex crystallizes out, after concentrating the solution, in the form of colorless crystals with 99% yield. 
     The acesulfame-zinc complex decomposes at 255° C. 
     The crystal structure of the acesulfame-zinc complex was established by X-ray structural analysis.                           
     (Ace) 2 Zn, 2C 4 H 4 NO 4 S.Zn.2H 2 O, M r =425.69, monoclinic, C2/c, a=12.907(4), b=5.584(2), c=21.222(8) Å, β=91.31(3)°, V=1529.2(8) Å, Z=4, D x =1.849 Mg m −3 , λ (Mo−Kα)=0.71073 Å, μ=1.932 mm −1 , F(000)=864, T=293(2) K, R=0.0235 and R W =0.0649 for I&gt;2δ(I) (1356 reflections), R=0.0255 and R W =0.0669 for all 1436 unique CCD data. Σ(F o   2 −F c   2 ) 2  was minimized. 
     EXAMPLE 2 
     Acesulfame-copper complex 
     Method 1 
     20 mmol (3.947 g) of sparingly soluble barium carbonate (or 20 mmol of calcium carbonate) are introduced into 20 ml of water and 40 mmol (6.525 g) of acesulfame-H are added. After CO 2  formation has ended, a homogeneous solution is obtained from which sparingly soluble barium sulfate (or calcium sulfate) is precipitated out by 20 mmol (0.499 g) of copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate. After filtering off the precipitate and concentrating the solution, the acesulfame-copper complex crystallizes out in the form of blue crystals with 96% yield. 
     Method 2 
     10 mmol (2.21 g) of sparingly soluble basic copper carbonate (CuCO 3 .Cu(OH) 2 ) are introduced into 20 ml of water and 40 mmol (6.526 g) of acesulfame-H are added. After CO 2  formation has ended, a homogeneous blue solution is obtained. The acesulfame-copper complex crystallizes out in the form of blue crystals with 98% yield after concentrating the solution. 
     The blue acesulfame-copper complex decolorizes at 117° C. and decomposes at 179° C. 
     The crystal structure of the acesulfame-copper complex was established by X-ray structural analysis.                           
     (Ace) 2 Cu, 2C 4 H 4 NO 4 S.Cu.3H 2 O, M r =441.87, monoclinic, C2/c, a=19.30(2), b=9.677(9), c=9.007(8) Å, β=102.92(2)°, V=1640(3) Å 3 , Z=4, D x =1.790 Mg m −3 , λ (Mo−Kα)=0.71073 Å, μ=1.645 mm −1 , F(000)=900, T=293(2) K, R=0.0371 and R W =0.0753 for I&gt;2δ(I) (1251 reflections), R=0.0440 and R W =0.0791 for all 1448 unique CCD data. Σ(F o   2 −F c   2 ) 2  was minimized. 
     The other acesulfame-trace element metal complexes, for example manganese-acesulfame, cobalt-acesulfame and iron-acesulfame complexes, may be prepared in a similar manner.