GB585686A - Improvement in vitamin preparations and methods of making same - Google Patents

Abstract

A substantially dry solid vitamin preparation is obtained by suspending particles of a solid water-soluble acid vitamin and particles of a dry alkaline substance in an oil-soluble vitamin-bearing liquid, emulsifying the resulting suspension in a warm aqueous solution containing gelatin to form an emulsion in which the aqueous solution constitutes the continuous phase and the gelatin is of a concentration which will gel upon cooling, the quantity of the alkaline substance being such as to produce in the final emulsion of pH of 3.5-4.8, sub-dividing the emulsion into units of the desired shape, causing the units to gel and drying the product. The acid vitamin may be ascorbic acid, nicotinic acid or pantothenic acid alone or in admixture with theamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, pyridoxine and/or nicotinic acid amide. The oil-soluble-vitamin-bearing liquid may be vitamin A, vitamin D, or both or oils such as fish liver oils, containing these vitamins, alpha-tocopheral (vitamin E) may also be introduced into the oil phase. The alkaline substance may be sodium potassium, calcium or magnesium hydroxide. The solid water-soluble acid vitamin and solid alkaline substance may be suspended in separate portions of the oil-soluble vitamin or oil containing it, these separate portions being emulsified in succession in the gelatine solution to form a polyphase emulsion. A further quantity of the oil sufficient to produce the desired proportion thereof in the final product may be emulsified in the polyphase emulsion. The aqueous gelatine solution may contain a plasticizer such as honey, or corn syrup. The warm emulsion may be formed into the desired shapes which are gelled by cooling. Specifications 489,970, 490,001 and 541,663 are referred to.