DE102018132394A1 - SPICE MIX IN TABLET FORM - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the invention, a spice compact is proposed which mainly consists of a spice mixture. Furthermore, a method for producing such a spice compact is proposed, in which individual pure spices are mixed with a desired amount and grain size and this mixture is then pressed under high pressure, up to 100 kN, so that a stable compact is formed.

Description

The invention relates to a spice mixture in tablet form. The invention relates in particular to a method for producing a spice mixture, the spice mixture being compressed so tightly that it has a stable tablet form without additives.

Definitions of terms

The following terms are common in the context of the invention and are used in accordance with the official definition of terms.

The "Guidelines for Spices and other Seasoning Ingredients" in the version dated May 27, 1998 (Banz. 183a dated September 30, 1998, GMB1. No. 30 p. 577 dated September 30, 1998) defines the following terms and characteristics for "spices", the herbs as well as those mushrooms that are used because of their taste and / or odor properties.

"Spices and herbs" are therefore parts of plants that are intended to be used as flavoring and / or odor-causing ingredients in foods due to their content of natural ingredients. Here, "spices" are flowers, fruits, buds, seeds, barks, roots, rhizomes, onions or parts thereof, mostly in dried form. “Herbs” are fresh or dried leaves, flowers, sprouts or parts of them.

“Spice Mixtures” are mixtures that consist exclusively of spices.

“Spice preparations or spice preparations” are mixtures of one spice or several spices with other flavoring and / or taste-influencing ingredients, also with technologically necessary substances. They contain at least 60% spice. Spice flavors are also used.

"Spice salts" are mixtures of table salt with one spice or several spices and / or spice preparations / spice preparations, also using wort. They contain at least 15% spices and more than 40% table salt. The ratio of table salt to spices is such that it is usually necessary to add seasonings with the spices in question after salting.

According to the official definition of the terms, it is particularly pointed out that salt is not considered a spice.

• - Tablettierung = Herstellung von Tabletten mittels maschinellem Stempeldruckverfahren
• - Füllhöhe = Höhe eines Zylinders in mm die mit Pulvermaterial befüllt werden kann
• - kN = Druckkraft in kilo Newton = 1 kN = ungefähr 100 kg Pressdruck
• - Auswurfrate = Menge an Tabletten pro Stunde
• - Presshilfen = Zusätze die helfen ein Gemisch gleichmäßig zu verteilen und zu binden
• - Reinsubstanzen = Stoffe welche konzentriert ohne weiteren Stoffe vorliegen
• - Oxidation = Reaktion mit Sauerstoff
• - Offerten = Angebote
• - Vorverdichtung = Pulvermaterial wird vor der Tablettierung vorgepresst
• - Variabilität = Vielfältigkeit
• - Oral = Aufnahme durch den Mund
• - Homogen = gleichmäßig
• - Korngröße (Körnung) = Mahlgrad eines Stoffes
• - Schüttvolumen (Schüttdichte) = Volumen das ein Stoff ohne Rütteln und Druck ausfüllt
• - Stampfvolumen (Stampfdichte) = Volumen das ein Stoff nach Rütteln und stampfen einnimmt
• - Dichte = Gewicht in Gramm pro Kubikzentimeter
• - Konfektionierung = Zusammenführung und Zusammenstellung einzelner Komponenten
• - 1 mg = ein Milligramm = 0,001g
• - Gewürzdefinition und Abgrenzung zu Würze, Gewürzmischung, Gewürzzubereitung, Würzzubereitung, Würzsoßen etc. siehe Auszug Lebensmittelbuch

With regard to the method according to the invention for producing a spice tablet or a spice compact, the following terms are still used according to their definition.

• - Tableting = production of tablets by machine stamp printing
• - Filling height = height of a cylinder in mm that can be filled with powder material
• - kN = compressive force in kilo Newtons = 1 kN = approx. 100 kg pressing pressure
• - Ejection rate = amount of tablets per hour
• - Pressing aids = additives that help to distribute and bind a mixture evenly
• - Pure substances = substances which are concentrated without other substances
• - Oxidation = reaction with oxygen
• - Offers = offers
• - Pre-compaction = powder material is pre-compressed before tableting
• - Variability = diversity
• - Oral = absorption through the mouth
• - Homogeneous = even
• - Grain size (grain size) = grinding degree of a substance
• - Bulk volume (bulk density) = volume that a substance fills without shaking and pressure
• - Stamping volume (stamping density) = volume that a substance takes up after shaking and pounding
• - Density = weight in grams per cubic centimeter
• - Packaging = merging and assembling individual components
• - 1 mg = one milligram = 0.001g
• - Spice definition and delimitation to wort, spice mixture, spice preparation, seasoning preparation, seasoning sauces etc. see extract food book

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

• - Magnesiumstearat (Magnesiumssalze der Speisefettsäuren)
• - Natriumkarbonat und andere Kalke
• - Dextrine und Stärken (z. B. Maltodextrin)
• - und andere zugelassene Lebensmittelzusatzstoffe

By means of the general technical processes currently used for the production of tablets, tablets in a wide variety of dosage forms up to a maximum tablet diameter of 25 mm can be produced. A press cylinder with a maximum fill height of 21 mm and a maximum press pressure of 100 kN can be used. Up to 100 kN pressing pressure can be generated on standard tableting machines. Due to certain physical and chemical properties of different raw materials and substances, must if necessary, pre-pressures can also be used. In order to improve the compression of certain raw materials that are difficult to compress, pre-pressures of up to 50 kN are carried out. Usually, however, commercially available pharmacological preparations with approximately 10 kN to max. 50 kN are produced. The ejection rate depends on the pressure used. Due to the process, an increased compression pressure leads to a lower ejection rate, which is why compression aids are used on commercially available tableting machines for better compression. For example:

• - magnesium stearate (magnesium salts of fatty acids)
• - sodium carbonate and other limes
• - dextrins and starches (e.g. maltodextrin)
• - and other approved food additives

While pure substances are usually used for tabletting in the pharmacological field, spices are raw materials with a wide variety of compositions, some of which contain several hundred different ingredients. In addition, spices contain fiber material, husk-seed components, pods, leaves, stems, barks and aromatic compounds as well as oils. From this, the difficulty of a simple stable pressing can be guessed. While coating agents such as shellac or acrylates are also used in the pharmacological field - in order to avoid an oxidative attack by air-oxygen - this is not desirable for spices. Today's demands on food are based on pure raw qualities, without artificial additives, from organic cultivation.

In addition, raw spice tablets are available as food supplements, such as turmeric tablets, in tablet sizes that are not sufficiently large (in mg). There are offers for turmeric tablets, but in a size of approx. 500 mg. However, tablets in the range of 750-1000 mg would be desirable.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It can be regarded as an object of the invention to eliminate or at least reduce the disadvantages mentioned above. This is achieved by the subject matter of the respective independent claims. Further embodiments can be found in the dependent claims.

Essentially, a spice compact in tablet form according to the invention predominantly has a spice mixture. Depending on the specific spice mixture, salts can be present in a small proportion by weight of up to 5 percent, preferably in a proportion by weight of up to 2 percent. According to one embodiment, the spice compact consists exclusively of a spice mixture.

The spice mixture is a mixture consisting of spices and / or herbs, the spices having at least parts of at least one from the group of flowers, fruits, buds, seeds, barks, roots, rhizomes and onions, and the herbs having at least parts of at least one from the group of dried leaves, flowers and sprouts.

According to one embodiment, a method for producing a spice compact has the following steps: mixing spices and / or herbs into a spice mixture, providing the spice mixture in a mold, compressing the spice mixture with a pressure of at least 80 kN.

The method can further comprise the step of pre-compressing the spice mixture in the press mold with a pressure between 40 kN and 60 kN.

Alternatively or additionally, the spice mixture can be compressed with a pressure of at least 100 kN.

According to a further embodiment, the method further comprises the step of homogenizing the spice mixture before providing it in the mold.

The method can also have a step of shaking or premixing, since compaction can occur during the transport of raw materials in powder form. In the production of tablets, a quotient of bulk volume to tamped volume or from tamped density to bulk density is described in a dimensionless number using a Hausner factor. This reflects the measure of the reduction in volume by shaking or pounding. E.g. During transport, the raw materials are compacted due to shocks and vibrations, which is why in the production of volume-controlled dosing systems, the raw materials in powder form have to be mixed again (filled up) before filling.

The fact that spice mixtures are susceptible to vibrations and shocks has advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it is difficult to ensure a constant, homogeneous distribution of the individual spice components. This becomes clear when it comes to mixtures with salt and shredded herbs. Salt has the highest Hausner factor of 1, coarsely grated herbs from 0.3-0.1, other powdered spices between 0.4-0.7. Salt then naturally settles on the bottom of such a mixture, the loose coarsely rubbed herbs lie on top of the spice mixture. This problem can be prevented by grinding the entire mixture again to a uniform grit (mesh). Depending on the specific spice mixture, it may be of interest to avoid a loss of aroma in the individual components, which can occur due to grinding again. It can also make sense not to regrind spice mixes of different grain sizes and sizes.

Another advantage of tableting can be seen in the fact that flavors are retained for longer. Raw spices that are not ground retain their aromatic components longest because the points of attack for oxidation processes (such as air-oxygen) have a smaller surface. The raw spice loses its aroma after the first grinding in standard commercial packaging. Storage well above 8 ° C and exposure to light (UV radiation) over time further reduce the loss of aroma and taste. Furthermore, the typical color is changed by exposure to light. The smaller the surface of a spice, the longer the specific aroma of a spice or a mixture of spices can be preserved.

A spice compact according to the invention can thus be clearly distinguished from known pre-portioned spice preparations, e.g. of seasoning bags / ready-made seasoning mix (Maggi, Knorr and similar trademarks), seasoning cubes / stock cubes (soup cubes, Maggi cubes or similar description), and seasoning pastes / seasoning broth (Maggi, Knorr and similar trademarks). The flavoring components of the products mentioned partly consist of less than 30% pure spices. Other flavoring components are included, such as: flavor enhancers, salts, yeasts, glutamates, flavor extracts, artificial flavors and other permitted food additives. These products are clearly not declared as a spice mixture, spice bouillon, spice cube or spice bag. As already explained above, according to the official definition, spice mixtures must consist of 100% spices / herbs, whereas spice preparations only contain at least 60% spices / herbs, with which seasoning products may only be referred to as seasonings, seasonings, seasoning sauces or seasoning pastes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

1 is a schematic representation of a method for producing spice tablets (spice pellets).

In the first step S1 various spices are provided in a desired grain size. At the second step S2 the spices are mixed in a predetermined mixing ratio.

If necessary, this mixture can be ground to achieve a uniform grain size. In the event that compaction and / or segregation occurred due to the settling of individual spices during transport and / or storage, an intermediate step can be carried out in which the spice mixture is loosened and / or mixed again.

In step S3 the spice mixture is then portioned and filled into a press cylinder. Optionally, the portioned spice mixture can be shaken in the cylinder to achieve pre-compression. Another way of pre-compaction can be in step S5 be carried out, namely by a pre-pressing with lower pressure.

In step S5 the spice mixture is pressed in such a way that a spice pellet that is stable in shape is formed, which is then in step S6 is available and can be packed for sale.

Aspects of manufacture and use are described below.

To make meals for two, you need about 6-8 g of spices. In order to guarantee mechanical tableting, a filling volume of approx. 14 cm3 is required. This corresponds to a standard tablet width of 25 mm with a filling height of 21 mm. The density gradient of an average spice mixture is around 0.4g / cm3, so that up to 4g of a spice mixture can be pressed per tablet. Above 85 kN, the spice tablet stays in shape and does not disintegrate. The standard molds and punches can be adapted to a diameter of 30 mm with a fill height of 21 mm. Filling volumes of up to 19 cm3 would be possible. This means that a tablet can be made with up to 7.5 g of spice mix.

The advantages of the spice tablet lie in its improved dosage and in the considerably increased homogeneity of individual spice components in the spice mixture used. Thus, the consumer receives a spice mixture which maintains the same taste and aroma-specific properties of this spice mixture. At the same time, the consumer receives an improved and easier dosage when preparing meals. The simplicity of the spice dosage is reflected in the amount of tablets needed. One tablet is required for a meal for two people and two tablets for four people. This dosage can be ensured until meals for 8 people, after which the amount of seasoning can change due to changed conditions.

Furthermore, an improved and significantly increased aroma protection of already ground spice mixtures is achieved. After opening normal spice blends, the aromatic and flavor properties are significantly reduced after several weeks, so that after 3-5 months with the packaging of normal loose spice blends open, hardly any typical aromatic properties remain. The tabletting significantly reduces the surface on which the air-oxygen could attack - oxidation of aromatic compounds. The shelf life of pre-made spice mixes in tablet form is thus significantly increased, so that the consumer can still use the flavor-typical and aromatic spice mixes even after 3-5 months. In addition, the aroma resistance can be further increased by individually packing the spice tablets. This would make it possible for the consumer to be able to use a spice mixture once bought up to a natural shelf life of around 1-1.5 years.

The advantages mentioned also result in improved ecological compatibility, since fewer raw spices have to be discarded by the end user. The economic benefit for the end user lies in the more efficient use of spice mixtures in the form of a compressed spice tablet.

By using spice mixtures in tablet form, safe dosing can also be carried out with highly aromatic spices (star anise, caraway, anise, tonka bean, vanilla, cinnamon, etc.). In addition, some of these components (essential oils) serve for the improved possibility of tableting.

Claims (7)

Spice pellet in tablet form, the spice pellet having a spice mixture with a weight fraction of at least 94 percent. Spice pellet after Claim 1 , wherein the spice mixture is a mixture consisting of spices and / or herbs, wherein the spices comprise at least parts of at least one from the group of flowers, fruits, buds, seeds, barks, roots, rhizomes and onions, and wherein the herbs contain at least parts of have at least one from the group of dried leaves, flowers and sprouts. Spice pellet according to one of the Claims 1 and 2nd , the weight proportion of the spice mixture being at least 98 percent. Process for producing a spice compact according to one of the Claims 1 to 3rd comprising the steps - mixing spices and / or herbs into a spice mixture, - providing the spice mixture in a press mold, - compressing the spice mixture with a pressure of at least 80 kN. Procedure according to Claim 4 , further comprising the step - pre-compacting the spice mixture in the press mold with a pressure between 40 kN and 60 kN. Procedure according to one of the Claims 4 and 5 , wherein the spice mixture is compressed with a pressure of at least 100 kN. Procedure according to one of the Claims 4 to 6 , further comprising the step - homogenizing the spice mixture before providing it in the mold.

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