GB2511742A - Off-taste masking - Google Patents

Abstract

The off-taste of a consumable product can be reduced by adding to a consumable product base an after-taste-reducing quantity, preferably from 3 to 20 ppm, of at least one of γ - octadecalactone and δ -octadecalactone. Preferably both γ - octadecalactone and δ octadecalactone are used in a ratio of 1:1 to 1:2. Also provided is a sweetening composition comprising at least one high-intensity sweetener and at least one of γ - octadecalactone and δ octadecalactone, preferably both. The octadecalactones can reduce off tastes such as the bitterness of whey protein or high-intensity sweeteners.

Description

OFF-TASTE MASKNG

This description relates to the reduction of off-tastes in consumable products.

Off-tastes, that is, undesirable tastes that are experienced after a primary taste has been experienced, are the product of the presence of certain ingredients in consumable products, that is, products taken by mouth either for ingestion or for spitting out. Examples include foodstuffs, beverages, confectionery and oral care products. One example is that caused by the presence of whey protein, frequently found in dairy applications, which provides a bitter after-taste.

Another type is that caused by the presence of high-intensity sweeteners. These sweeteners, which can be natural or artificial, are considerably sweeter than sugar. sometimes hundreds of times so, and they permit the retention of a desired level of sweetness with a considerable reduction in sugar content, something much desired in dietary and health foods. Examples of such sweeteners include rehaudioside A, aspartarne. acesulfame-K and sucralose. The off-tastes here include bitter, liquorice and lingenng sweetness.

The off-taste problems of high-intensity sweeteners are well known, and there has been a number of approaches to overcoming the problem, examples of which include the addition of various masking agents, with varying levels of success.

It has now been found that certain compounds can provide a substantial reduction or even almost complete elimination of these off-tastes. There is therefore provided a method of reducing an off-taste in a consumable product, comprising the addition to a consumable product base of an off-taste-reducing quantity of least one of y-octadecalactone and 6-octadecalactone.

y-octadecabctone(CAS 502-26-I, FEMA 4446) is acompound of formula: 6-octadecalactone (CAS i227-5 1-6 FEMA 4447 is a compound of formula: They occur naturally, for example. in full-fat cream, and can be extracted therefrom.

Alternatively, they can be synthesised by known methods, such as that described by A. Granata, F. Sauriol and A.S. Perlin, Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 72 (1994)1684-1690.

It was surprising to find that these compounds possess off-taste-reducing properties, because the art has given no indication that they have any such properties. For example, they are mentioned by Schlutt et at in J. Ag;-. Food.Chem, 2007, 55, 9634-9645, in connection with an investigation of the sources of creaminess in full-fat cream. There it was found that, of the various lactone species found in cream, only ó-tetradecalactone was able to enhance the retronasal cream flavour in a product, other lactones (including y-octadecalactone) merely influencing the melting behaviour of cream in the mouth. Japanese publication 2011-083264 additionally found that certain 6-lactones could contribute to creamy sensation.

The proportion of y-and 5-octadecalactone that may be added to a consumable product will vary, depending on the nature of the comestible product and the nature and degree of off-taste masking required. Typical non-limiting proportions are 3-20 ppm, but the skilled fiavorist may seek to achieve particular effects by working outside this range.

y-and 6-octadecalactone may be added to consumable product base. A consumable product base is the totality of all the ingredients of a consumable product, except for i-and 6-octadecalactone. These ingredients will depend on the nature of the consumable and may be selected from any of those known to and used by the art, in art-recognised quantities. These include, but are not limited to, anti-caking agents. anti-foaming agents, anti-oxidants.

binders, colourants, diluents, disintegrants, emulsifiers, encapsulating agents or formulations, enzymes, fats, flavour-enhancers, flavouring agents, gums, lubricants, polysaccharides, preservatives, proteins. solubilisers, s&vents, stabilisers, sugar-derivatives.

surfactants, sweetening agents. vitamins, waxes, and the like. Solvents which may be used are known to those skilled in the art and include e.g. ethanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerine and triacetin. Encapsulants and gums include maltodextrin, gum arabic, alginates, gelatine, modified starch, and polysaccharides. Examples of additives, excipients, caniers, diluents or solvents for flavour or fragrance compounds may be found e.g. in "Perfume and Flavour Materials of Natural Origin", S. Arctander, Ed., Elizabeth, N.J., 1960; in "Perfume and Flavour Chemicals', S. Arctander. Ed., VoL I & II. Allured Publishing Corporation. Carol Stream, USA, 1994; in "Flavourings", E. Ziegler and H. Ziegler (ed.), Wiley-VCH Weinheim, i998, and "CTFA Cosmetic Ingredient Handbook", J.M. Nikitakis (ed), 1st ed., The Cosmetic. Toiletiy and Fragrance Association, Inc..

Washington, 1988.

y-and 6-octadecalactone may be used in any kind of consumable. Non-limiting examples of such consumables include: -wet/liquid soups regardless of concentration or container, including frozen soups. For the purpose of this definition soup(s) means a food prepared from meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, grains, fruit and other ingredients, cooked in a liquid which may include visible pieces of some or all of these ingredients. It may be clear (as a broth) or thick (as a chowder), smooth, pureed or chunky, ready-to-serve, semi-condensed or condensed and may be served hot or cold, as a first course or as the main course of a meal or as a between meal snack (sipped like a beverage). Soup maybe used as an ingredient for preparing other meal components and may range from broths (consommé) to sauces (cream or cheese-based soups).

-dehydrated and culinary foods, including cooking aid products such as: powders. granules, pastes, concentrated liquid products, including concentrated bouillon, bouillon and bouillon like products in pressed cubes, tablets or powder or granulated form, which are sold separately as a finished product or as an ingredient within a product, sauces and recipe mixes (regardless of technology); -meal solutions products such as: dehydrated and freeze dried soups, including dehydrated soup mixes, dehydrated instant soups, dehydrated ready-to-cook soups, dehydrated or ambient preparations of ready-made dishes, meals and single serve entrees including pasta, potato and rice dishes -meal embellishment products such as: condiments, marinades, salad dressings, sa'ad toppings, dips, breading, batter mixes, shelf stable spreads, barbecue sauces, liquid recipe mixes, concentrates, sauces or sauce mixes, including recipe mixes for salad, sold as a finished product or as an ingredient within a product, whether dehydrated, liquid or frozen.

-beverages, including beverage mixes and concentrates, including but not limited to, alcoholic and non-alcoholic ready to drink and dry powdered beverages., carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, e.g., sodas, fruit or vegetable juices. alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, confectionery products, e.g., cakes, cookies, pies, candies, chewing gums, gelatins, ice creams, sorbets, puddings, jams, jellies, salad dressings, and other condiments, cereal, and other breakfast foods, canned fruits and fruit sauces and the like.

-milk, cheese, yoghurt and other dairy products.

In a particular embodiment, y-octadecalactone may be combined with 3-octadecalactone to give even better off-taste masking performance iii some instances. The relative weight proportions of y-octadecalactone/ 6-octadecalactone lie in the range of from 1:1 -1:2. The blend may be made by simply blending the two materials. However, a suitable blend may be made by, for example, a natural method, such as the isolation from a natural raw material or biotransformation. orhy a synthetic method, such as the method of described by S.C. Cermak and T.A. Isbell, Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society, 77 (2000) 243-248. The blend may be used typically at l-3Oppm in a consumable product, although, again, a skilled flavourist may find useful results in some circumstances when working outside this range.

The off-taste masking materials hereinabove described are especially useful in suppressing the off-notes encountered in high-intensity sweeteners. There is therefore additionally provided a sweetening composition comprising at least one high-intensity sweetener and at least one of y-octadecalactone and ö-octadecalactone The disclosure is further described with reference to the following non-limiting examples, which depict particular embodiments.

Examples

In the foflowing examples, the foflowing materials were used: Octadecalactone Mix* y-Octadecalactone ö-Octadecalactone *Prepared according to the Cermak/Isbell method hereinabove described. The weight ratio of y-octadecalactone to -octadecalactone was 2:3.

All samples were cut 1% in ethanol for ease of handling. but levels listed in the following examples are the delivered amounts

Example 1

Carbonated Soft Drink TabiM diet soft drink -calcium saccharin, K benzoate, caffeine (45 mg per 12 fi oz serving), aspartarne (off-notes saccharin (bitter), caffeine (bitter). aspartame (bitter and lingering)) Octadecahctone Mix I 0 ppm ppm 2.5 ppm To samples of the drink was added the y-octadecalactone/8-octadecalactone mixture at concentrations of 2.5, 5 and iOppm, with an unmodified sample acting as control. The samples were presented blind to a panel of expert testers. The testers found that (i) at 2.Spprn, the bitter off-notes observaNe in the control were somewhat suppressed, (ii) at Spprn, bitter off-notes were substantially suppressed, (iii) at l0ppm, suppression of off-notes was similar to that of Sppm, but that there was an undesirable suppression of the flavour/acid/sweetness.

The same levels of y-and ö-octadecalactone were added to samples of the drink and submitted to the same panel. The results were as follows: y-Octadecalactone -the panel found that the Sppm gave the optimum suppression of off-taste, with no thss in the desired flavour ö-Octadecalactone -the panel found that the 2.Sppm gave the optimum suppression.

Overall, a majority of tasters preferred the mixture of delta and gamma when compared side-by-side, while some tasters prefelTed the gamma alone. The delta was preferred by no tester. Tasters prefelTed the masking effect of the mix on the bitter off-notes associated with the high-intensity sweeteners. Those that preferred the gamma alone commented that there was less characterizing flavour loss even if the bitterness suppression was not as pronounced as the mix.

Example 2

Nutritional Supplement Rite Aid Nutritional Supplement Vanilla Drink -sugar, milk protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, less than 0.5% of Mg phosphate, K citrate, Na citrate, soy lecithin, Ca citrate, K phosphate, choline chloride, vitamin C, fenic orthophosphate. vitamin E, Na phosphate, Zn sulfate, niacin. Mn sulfate, pantothenic acid, cupric sulfate, vitamin A palmitate, thiamine, vitamin B6, vitamin D3, vitamin B12 (offnotes protein (bitter and other offnotes associated with protein), vitamins and minerals) Serving size 8 fi o. (237 niL) 21 g sugar, 13 grprotein, 420mg K, 230mg Na The testing procedure and concentrations described in Example I were used again.

Octadecalactone Mix The panel found that 10 ppm and 2.5 ppm gave optimum results.

The testers found that (i) at 2.Spprn, suppression of off-notes was observed by the panel, commenting that it was better than the base (ii) at Sppm, this was not a preferred level over the other 2 levels.

(iii) at I0ppm, suppression of off-notes was observed by the panel, commenting that it was better than the base The same levels of y-and ö-octadecalactone were added to samples of the drink and submitted to the same panel. The results were as follows: y-Octadecalactone -the panel found that the 2.5 ppm and 5 ppm gave the optimum suppression of off-taste, with no loss in the desired flavour. Some comments on less astringency than the base with the 5 ppm sample. Those that like the 2.5 ppm level commented on better mouthfeel as well as suppression of offhotes.

S

6-Octadecalactone -the panel found that the S ppm and 10 ppm gave the optimum suppression of the offnotes. Those panellist that preferred S ppm thought the lO ppm was suppressing characterizing flavour.

Example 3

Over-the-counter medicine Kroger DayTime Cough Syrup -15 mL serving size -325 mg acetaminophen. 10 mg dextromethorphan HBr, S mg phenylephrine HC1, Na saccharin and sucrose (offnotes actives in cough syrup (bitter)) The testing procedure and concentrations described in Example 1 were used again.

Octadecalictone Mix The panel found that 10 ppm gave optimum results. 2.Sppm and S ppm gave insufficient masking, whereas lOppm gave a noticeably reduced bitterness.

The same levels of y-and ö-octadecalactone were added to samples of the syrup and submitted to the same panel. The results were as follows:

I

y-Octadecalactone -the panel found that the S ppm gave the optimum suppression of off-taste, with reduction of bitterness ö-Octadecalactone -the panel found that the 10 ppm gave the optimum suppression of the offnotes, with reduction of bitterness A majority of tasters found that 5-octadecalactone offered the optimum result.

Example 4

Testing of Rebandioside A. Rebaudioside A is a high-impact sweetener much used in diet foods. It has a desirable intense sweetness, but it also has a bitter off-taste, combined with an undesirable licorice taste and a lingenng sweetness.

To samples of a base consisting of 250ppm of Rebaudioside A in water were added I Oppm each of y-octadecalactone 6-octadecalactone and the octadecalactone mix hereinabove described. An untreated sample was used as a blank.

The samples were submitted to a panel of expert testers. The overall resulis were as follows: sample result Blank Sweet upfront, lingering sweet and licorice ___________________________________ taste, slightly bitter Octadecalactone mix Masking sweetness upfront, still some lingering sweet, a bit more body and creamy Octadecalatone-delta Slightly masking, more body and creamy, still sweet lingering Octadecalactone-gamma Best of the series, Good masking, clean taste, least sweet lingering and licorice.

In this example. the y-octadecalactone gave the best results.

Claims (6)

1. Claims: 1. A method of reducing an off-taste in a consumable product, comprising the addition to a consumable product base of an after-taste-reducing quantity of least one of y-octadecalactone and 3-octadecalactone.
2. 2. A method according to claim 1, in which the proportion of y-octadecalactone and/or 6-octadecalactone added to a consumable product is from 3-20 ppm.
3. 3. A method according to claim I, in which both y-octadecalactone and 6-octadecalactone are added.
4. 4. A method according to claim 4. in which the weight ratio of y-octadecalactone to 6-octadecalactone is from 1:1 -i:2.
5. 5. A sweetening composition comprising at least one high-intensity sweetener and at least one of y-octadecalactone and 6-octadecalactone.
6. 6. A sweetening composition according to claim 5, additionally comprising both y-octadecalactone and 6-octadecalactone.