MXPA99008485A - Comestible capsules having flavoured coatings - Google Patents

Abstract

A coated capsule is disclosed comprising a gelatin shell with a flavoured coating. A sugar or sugar substitute is included in the material of the shell and that of the coating to stabilise both compositions and the junction therebetween.

Description

EDIBLE CAPSULES THAT HAVE FLAVORED COATINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to edible capsules by oral administration, and particularly to such capsules having flavor coatings or sweeteners. The invention also concerns such capsules which are intended for substantially integrated swallowing, for the release of the contents only when the capsule has reached the stomach. Several medications are relatively unpleasant to taste, whether in encapsulated form or tablet, they are covered by flavor coatings to make them more palatable. The present invention concerns the provision of a flavor coating around a gelatinous capsule containing a filling composition which is normally liquid, but in some circumstances it can be as a paste or as a solid. The gelatinous covers provide a useful means to encapsulate such compositions, but there are problems in the application of the flavor coatings thereon. Particularly, the common coatings can REF .: 31327 cause changes in the structure of the gelatinous cover which can adversely affect the integrity of the capsule, and in some cases also the coating. The gelatinous covers normally used to encapsulate the products comprise gelatin in combination with a plasticizer such as glycerin which, together with water, retains a degree of softness and flexibility in the cover material. Such covers are relatively easy to handle, but have disadvantages from the point of view of taste. This is particularly relevant for a refreshing breath and, according to one aspect of the invention, a breath freshener is provided in the form of a gelatin-filled capsule to which a flavor coating is applied. Such a coated capsule is especially suitable for swallowing prior to rupture of the capsule, whereby the contents of the capsule are not released until the capsule shell is fractured in the stomach. For the above and in other embodiments according to the present invention, the capsule shell formulation can be adapted, and a flavor coating is applied to the capsule such that at least at the boundary between them, a stable bond forms . This allows to create a substantially dry coating which does not remove the water or the plasticizer from the gelatinous cover, thereby resulting in adverse consequences on the structure of the cover. This can be achieved by including in the formula of the capsule shell a sugar or sugar substitute such as sorbitol, and equating it with an equivalent substance in the coating. The effect of this combination is to effectively stabilize the gelatin and both coating and coating formulas, to avoid the migration of water and glycerin to the coating. In this way, the humectants are retained in the gelatin which allows to retain its flexibility and acceptability if it is retained in the mouth. As a general guide, the following ranges of gelatin, glycerin, sugar or sugar substitute and water, as percentages by weight in the cover formula, have been established to provide a satisfactory base for a coating of eg sorbitol in the solution: Gelatin 33.00 - 58.00 Glycerin 16.00 - 31.00 Sugar or sugar substitute for example Sorbitol 15.00 - 30.00 Water Until 15.00 Preferably, the ratio of the plasticizer (Glycerin + sugar or substitute) to Gelatin is in the range of 0.7 to 1.2, preferably 0.8 to 1.0, with the proportion of sugar or substitute to Glycerin in the range of 0.8 to 1.2. It has been found that in order to stabilize a soft gelatinous cover to which a flavor coating is applied, a relatively high glycerin content must be established with a consequent reduction in water content. Using sorbitol as the additional component in the shell, and as the basic component for the coating, the following minimum normal levels of glycerin and sorbitol have been established as percentages by weight in the dry shell formula. The amounts for gelatin and water in the formula are also provided.

Glycerin 17.7 Sorbitol 16.7 Gelatin 56.7 Water 8.9 Total plasticizer: 34.4%; Proportion of plasticizer to gel: 0.61 The glycerin and sorbitol levels can be further increased with the consequent further reduction in the proportions of gelatin, and a normal coating formula which is able to maintain its smoothness the applied flavor coating of sorbitol as indicated below.

Glycerin 21.0 Sorbitol 20.0 Gelatine 50.4 Water 8.6 Total plasticizer: 41.0% Proportion of plasticizer to gel: 0.81 The experiment has indicated that the glycerin and sorbitol levels can be increased beyond those noted above, but we observe the following formula as the normal demonstration of maximum amounts of these components that can be retained in a modality of the viable shell structure of the invention .

Glycerin 29.3 Sorbitol 28.6 Gelatin 34.5 Water 7.6 Total plasticizer: 57.9%; Proportion of plasticizer to gel: 1.8 The use of the increased content of glycerin in gelatinous covers to provide improved and stable smoothness is described in our International Patent Publication No. 095/00123 to which reference is directed. The type of formulas described in that publication can be used in the exploitation of the present invention, taking into account the previous guidance with respect to the additional stabilization component. While in the above discussion the specified sugar or sugar substitute has been sorbitol, a variety of sugar alcohols or non-reducing saccharides or polyols can be used. For example: Sorbitol; polyglycerol; mannitol; xylitol; maltitol; isomalt; corn syrup, and Anidrisorb (a proprietary blend of sorbitol, sorbitol and mannitol from Roquette Freres). As noted above, the flavor coating for products according to the invention is usually based on a sugar or a sugar substitute, and is commonly applied to the capsules as an aqueous solution in, for example, a washing process. The gelatinous coating wash capsules are described in British published specification no. 2283899, and the products can be coated according to the present invention using the techniques and parameters described therein. The final coating will commonly be in crystalline form, and as such will tend to extract moisture from the cover of the capsule. When the coating is applied, a dynamic balance can be achieved by including water and a sugar or sugar substitute both to the coating material and to the coating formula. The coating will normally be applied wet, as in a washed coating process, and this will help in stabilizing the interface between the coating and the cover. It is of course desirable to minimize the amount of cover material in the coated product, and in this respect it is recognized that with a sufficiently stable interface and a bond between the coating and the cover, the coating will serve to reinforce the cover, and the cover to effectively seal the coating. Thus, if the thickness of the cover can be reduced such that its full thickness is effectively bonded to the coating, then the resulting product will include a bare minimum of the cover material.

The filler compositions for use in products according to the invention can take various forms, and with respect to this reference directed once again to the published British specification no. 2283899. Additionally though, the present invention is suitable for compositions which are not intended to be released in the mouth, but for retention in the capsule until reaching the stomach. This applies particularly to some compositions for refreshing breath such as parsley seed oil which can provide a very unpleasant taste in the mouth despite being effective as a breath freshener from the stomach. The nature of the filling composition can of course have a direct effect on the integrity of the wrapping material, and oil-based compositions such as parsley seed oil may have an additional cushioning effect on the coating. The presence of a sugar or a sugar substitute such as sorbitol in the shell can also serve to minimize the effect of both oil base and base water fill compositions on the shell.

Example A breath freshener in the form of a filled capsule embodiment of the present invention has the following formulations for filling, coating and coating respectively: Filling: Amount% of time Aspartame 0.825 mg 0.516 Fractionated coconut oil 66,280 mg 41,425 Kaorich pellets ~ 10,888 mg 6.8 Levomenthol BP / EP 4.800 mg 3.0 Oil of parsley seed 0.250 mg 0.156 Mint flavor 6.400 mg 4.0 Loders 7 (hard vegetable fat) 23,830 mg 14,894 ascorbic acid 1,500 mg 0.938 Phosphate of Calcium Dibasic 41,750 mg 26,094 Lecithin thin (light) 3,478 mg 2,174 160.00 mg Cover: Glycerin 19.98 mg 19. 98 Sorbitol syrup 70% 27.19 mg 27. 19 Gelatin 52.83 mg 52. 83 100.00 mg Coating : Isomalt 184,667 mg 66.7 Sorbitol 92,333 mg 33.3 277,000 mg The filling compositions in products according to the invention can of course also include the flavor elements to make them more palatable if it is intended or required to be released in the mouth and additional elements can also be included in the composition of the cover with the same purpose However, for products that can be swallowed before the liberated filling composition, it is of course the taste of the coating which is of critical importance.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is the conventional one for the manufacture of the objects or products to which it refers. Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following:

Claims (10)

1. A coated capsule characterized in that it comprises a gelatin shell that includes water and a plasticizer, and has a flavor coating, the capsule contains a filling composition, wherein each flavor coating and cover material includes a substance in the form of a sugar or sugar substitute, the substances bind to create a stable bond between the shell and the liner, and avoid coating the water or plasticizer removal from the gelatinous shell.

2. A capsule coated according to claim 1, characterized in that the sugar or sugar substitute in the coating material and the cover is the same.

3. A capsule coated according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the dry composition of the cover material comprises by weight: Gelatin 33 to 58% Glycerin 16 to 31% Sugar or sugar substitute 15 to 30% Water up to 15%

4. A capsule coated according to claim 3, characterized in that the amount of water in the composition of the cover is not more than 10% by weight.

5. A capsule coated according to claim 2 or claim 4, characterized in that the proportion of plasticizer (glycerin + sugar or sugar substitute) to the gelatin in the coating composition is in the range of 0.8 to 1.0.

6. A capsule coated according to any of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the ratio of sugar or sugar substitute to glycerin is in the range of 0.8 to 1.2.

7. A capsule coated according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the sugar or sugar substitute is selected from the group consisting of sorbitol, polyglycerol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, isomalt, and corn syrup or mixtures thereof.

8. A capsule coated according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the flavor coating comprises an aqueous solution of sugar or sugar substitute.

9. A capsule coated according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the filling composition is a breath freshener.

10. A capsule coated according to claim 9, characterized in that the filling composition comprises parsley seed oil.