NZ502158A - Production of solid manuka honey based products - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a honey-based product, including the steps of: a) combining a carrier with a quantity of honey-including UMF honey having greater than 10% non-peroxide activity, active honey having up to 10% non-peroxide activity and non-active honey, separately or in combination; and b) adding to the honey-carrier mixture a comestible therapeutic ingredient in portion to the weight of the honey powder-carrier mixture; and c) optionally including additional flavouring and/or colouring ingredients as required; and d) forming the mixture into a substantially dried form, and the method characterised either by the honey ingredient comprising up to or more than 50% by weight of the combined ingredients. The substantially dried form of the honey-based product is envisaged to be particularly useful as an oral hygiene product, dietary supplement product, therapeutic product, whilst having a pleasant taste.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO HONEY-BASED PRODUCTS Technical Field This invention relates to improvements in and relating to honey-based products.

In particular, the invention is directed to methods of manufacture, apparatus for manufacturing and the final product of the present invention in a substantially dried form that is envisaged to be particularly useful as a oral hygiene product, dietary supplement product, therapeutic product, and so forth, whilst having a pleasant taste. However, the honey-based tablet product may also be used as general comestible product, such as a confectionery item. Further, this invention may have applications outside this field.

Background Art The applicant has previously described methods of manufacture, apparatus for manufacturing and final honey-based products produced as either confectionery items with or without therapeutic applications, or as therapeutic wound dressings.

The applicant's inventions have been directed to producing honey-based products having substantially higher honey content than previously attainable in honey confectionery, other comestible products, therapeutic wound dressings, or internally therapeutic food items in the form of dietary supplements and so forth.

However, such inventions have been directed to the production of products that range from substantially fluid products through to products having thicker consistencies such as jelly or jam-like products and to substantially dried honey-based products in the form of honey leather.

The products previously produced have been shown to have beneficial properties as a result of the anti-bacterial hydrogen peroxide activity of honey in a number of applications throughout the body (and by extension, to their usefulness indirectly as an oral hygiene product).

Streptococcus sobrinus, Streptococcus mitis and Lactobacillus caseii, are oral bacteria that are thought to be the major species responsible for dental caries. The high antibacterial activity of "active" honeys has been show to inhibit the growth, production of lactic acid and production of extracellular polysaccharide.

Experiments by the applicant have shown that 7% active Manuka honey is needed to inhibit growth of S. mitis, while 7.5% and 8% were needed respectively for S. sobrinus and L. caseii.

At higher concentrations of honey S. mitis was found to be more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide activity than to non-peroxide activity. Trends of increasing inhibition of acid production with increasing concentration of honey are seen for L. caseii as well.

Further, studies showed that honey resulted in less dextran production by the oral flora than that produced when sucrose was provided alone. As dextran is only produced from sucrose and not from any other sugars, the inhibition found in this experiment was probably due to the composition of honey rather than its antibacterial activity.

Other oral bacteria typically associated with sore throats include Streptococcus pyrogenes.

Honey-based products which the applicant has developed that satisfies the criteria of containing high proportions of active honey and that have not been heated to a degree that caused loss of antibacterial activity, were freeze-dried honey mouldable as a "toffee", spray-dried honey pressed into a tablet or nugget form, and honey mixed with a gelling agent and subsequently dried into thin leathers.

All of these honey-based products have very high original honey content equating to more than 90% of honey by original weight (although the varying drying processes, such as spray drying the honey, and the addition of other ingredients may in fact result in a consequent percentage reduction of the honey in the final product). Nevertheless the honey content of such products is substantially greater than previously achieved with honey containing products.

However, it would also be an advantage to produce a honey-based product that: a) used honey as a predominant ingredient; and b) was able to use honey in the form of a spray-dried honey, freeze-dried honey or other desiccated/dried honey, or a form formed from or including crystallised, creamed or liquid honey; and c) could include honey having a high non-peroxide (anti bacterial activity as well as the peroxide activity of honey) thereby enabling the honey-based product to be used as an independent comestible therapeutic product, or even incorporated with suitable pharmaceuticals, as an oral hygiene or similar product; and d) was able to be produced by a manufacturing process that did not reduce or destroy either or both antibacterial or peroxide activities of "active" honeys (having high non-peroxide levels), such as manuka honey; and e) was able to be produced using a simple manufacturing processes; and f) was shelf stable; and g) would produce a comestible therapeutic product that was palatable; and h) was able to be shaped into any size and form as a substantially "dried" product; and i) could, depending on the final form of the product, be flavoured with any preferred flavour, include additional ingredients and coated as desired in accordance with consumer preferences and therapeutic applications.

It is an object of the present invention to address at least the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description that is given by way of example only. disclosure of invention According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a honey-based product, including the steps of: a) combining a preferred quantity of honey with a carrier; and b) adding to the honey-carrier mixture a comestible therapeutic ingredient in a preferred portion relevant to the weight of the honey powder-carrier mixture; and c) optionally including additional flavouring and/or colouring ingredients as required; and d) forming the mixture into a substantially dried form, and the method characterised either by the honey ingredient comprising up to or more than 50% by weight of the combined ingredients.

It is to be noted here that the original honey source may comprise up to or more than 90% of the ingredients. However, once the honey has been processed, for example to a dried form, and it is then mixed with a carrier, the proportion of honeyxarrier may range from 40:60 to 50:50 and so forth. However, variations from this range are also to be considered as included in this application.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a honey-based product substantially as described above wherein the honey used may be in the form of dried honey powder.

For the purpose of this specification, the honey used may include any honey whether UMF active manuka honey, or any other honey. Further, the term dried honey powder includes any such honey that has been dried by any available process, such as spray drying, freeze drying, desiccating, by any other method including conventional oven diying to reduce the moisture content of honey by at least 20% in order to produce a honey powder for use with this invention.

The original honey source may be in any form including liquid honey, creamed honey, crystallised honey and so forth. The quantity and type of honey used in the finished product is dictated by the application of the finished product. For example, where the finished product is to be used specifically as a therapeutic oral hygiene product or throat lozenge, it is preferable that UMF "active" honey (such as active manuka honey) be used. However, where the product is to be used in a general therapeutic application or directed more to a dietary supplement, non-active, active or a combination of active and non-active honeys may be used.

Also for the purpose of this specification the term carrier shall mean any agent capable of being mixed with the honey to achieve the desired purpose. For example, the carrier may be a flowing agent to enable the dried honey powder (and the agent) to rim smoothly in machinery used to process the product — such as machinery for compressing the product into tablet form.

Alternately, the carrier may be a material to be mixed with the honey to effect a preferred processing. Such processing may include flash-flow processing to produce a final honey-based product in the form of a floss, fibre, particle, flake, spicule, or any other generally non-descript amorphous aggregate.

The carrier may be selected from saccharides, cellulosics and so forth. A number of such carriers, whether used as flowing agents, tableting aids and so forth are available in the prior art and include magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide, isomalt, and maltodextrin.

The use of such carriers is basically directed to producing a final product having the desired characteristics, and/or obviating against problems associating with the hygroscopic nature of honey, which would otherwise cause the product to become sticky and/or prevent the product being or remaining substantially dry or hard.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a honey-based product substantially as described above wherein the mixing and preparation of tablets of the finished product is achieved at a temperature of less than 20°C and under a controlled humidity of less than 75% relative humidity.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a honey-based product substantially as described above wherein a flash-flow honey based product is achievable by spinning the honey-carrier mixture in a high-speed spinner, similar to a "cotton-candy" type machine, to produce a floss, fibre, particle, flake-type product.

The term "flash-flow" is used in this specification to mean the process by which a solid carrier or carrier ingredient mixture is subjected to conditions of temperature and shear sufficient to produce a physical 8 and/or chemical transformation without degradation of the material. Where the temperature is not maintained at high levels for prolonged periods of time, the beneficial properties of the honey may remain substantially unaffected.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a honey-based product substantially as described above wherein the additional therapeutic ingredient includes any of an acid, a herb/spice, a pharmaceutical ingredient to enhance or complement the therapeutic nature of the product.

For the purposes of this application, the acid ingredient is preferably an acid capable of minimising the occurrence of tooth decay, or for use as a vitamin supplement, and shall include but is not limited to the use of malic acid and citric acid. As can be appreciated any acid ingredient capable of having the desired effect may be used as an ingredient in the manufacture of the honey-based product. Further, certain herbs and spices (or the extract processed therefrom) have beneficial therapeutic, bactericidal and/or dietary properties.

It is also noted that the carrier itself may have antioxidant and/or bactericidal effects.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a honey-based product substantially as described above wherein the optional step of adding additional ingredients includes any of flavourings, colourings, sweeteners, and so forth (preferably in the form of a powder, added to the honey-carrier-therapeutic agent mix prior to the product being processed into the final form.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a honey-based product substantially as described above including yet a further optional step of applying a flavoured and/or coloured coating to the appropriate honey product.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a honey-based product produced according to the methods substantially as described above capable of use as a therapeutic product.

As a therapeutic honey-based product, it is preferable that the honey content of the product be predominantly an "active" honey (being a honey having higher than 10% non-peroxide activity). As previously discussed, manuka honeys in New Zealand are regarded as having "active" properties and are therefore particularly advantageous in the manufacture of therapeutic honey-based products used for internal applications.

As traditional honey processing methods have a tendency to use higher temperatures for prolonged periods of time (capable of destroying the peroxide activity of honeys), the present application is instead directed to the preparation of honey-based product that optimally retains both the non-peroxide and peroxide activities of honey.

For therapeutic products, it is preferable that the final honey-based product comprise more than 50% of honey in a concentrated form. Although, some variation in the percentage of honey in the final product is allowable, it is preferable that honey be one of the predominant ingredients by percentage weight.

Spray dried honey is a preferred ingredient of the product because it retains a high, non-peroxide activity as well as other preferred honey qualities such a flavour, texture and so forth. However, the spray-dried honey may also be used in combination with other dried honey forms. For example, freeze dried honey, honey that has been dried via low temperature desiccating systems, conventional oven dried honey (where the honey is dried at lower temperatures than normally used in traditional honey processing techniques), and so forth may be used in combination with the spray dried honey. Alternatively, any of these latter forms of dried honey may be used singularly or in combination (without the inclusion of spray-dried honey).

As can be appreciated the original honey form can be in any of liquid, creamed and crystallised honey. Further, where flash-flow honey products are produced, these forms of honey may be preferred.

To attain the preferred honey-based product between 90 and 99% of honey is preferably used to produce the initial honey ingredient (where the honey ingredient comprises a dried honey powder).

The honey or the honey ingredient (in dried form) is then preferably mixed with at least one carrier. Where the carrier is a flowing agent its use in producing a tableted version of the honey-based product is directed to enabling the dried honey powder to run smoothly during the tablet manufacturing stage of the process and to minimise the sticky hygroscopic nature of honey. For example, such flowing agents in this regard include magnesium stearate, silicone dioxide and maltodextrin. 11 Where the carrier is maltodextrin, the maltodextrin is preferably mixed with dried honey in an approximate ratio of 50:50 to form the initial honey ingredient in the form of a dried honey powder. In some other embodiments the dried honey powder may simply comprise a combination of honey dried by at least one method as previously discussed.

The honey ingredient may then be combined with other carriers, such as flowing agents as discussed above.

Yet other flowing agents also contribute to an improved tablet form of the product. For example isomalt, whilst not an essential ingredient, may help to produce harder tablets. In addition the use of isomalt contributes to the production of a tablet that has a shiny sheen, thereby making it a more aesthetically pleasing product.

The quantity of flowing agent added to the dried honey powder will vary depending on the flowing agent used. However, the quantity may range from between 1% - 10% of the final weight of the product. Optimally, the quantity of flowing agent may more preferably be in the range of 1% - 5%. Properties of the different carriers and there preferred purposes, will dictate the quantity used.

Preferably the dried honey powder ingredient and the flowing agent are mixed to produce a smooth running powder. The mixing may be achieved either manually or by using appropriate mixing machinery. Preferably batches of about 60 kilogram by weight of honey product is a preferred batch size for ease of handling, mixing and further processing. However, this is also dependent on the machinery and other apparatus available. 12 Once the dried honey powder has been mixed with the carrier/flowing agent, other ingredients may be added. Preferably the other ingredients are in a dried powder form to effect optimal mixing through the honey-carrier mixture. These additional ingredients may include any colouring, flavouring and so forth.

The ingredients may also include a sweetener to improve the sweetness of the final product. Preferably an artificial sweetener, such as Aspartame for example, is used. Whilst the sweetener is not an essential ingredient, it tends to improve the sweetness especially where a fruit flavour ingredient has been added that may otherwise impart a sour taste to the final product. As can be appreciated any sugar, glucose, fructose and so forth as used in general confectionery may be used. However, where the honey-based product is to be used in a therapeutic manner such as for oral hygiene purposes, or throat lozenges, it is preferable to use an artificial sweetener. The quantity of artificial sweetener may vary according to the other flavourings and so forth added to the honey-based product. However, the quantity by weight of the final product may range from 2% - 3% as an optimal value.

Prior to the additional ingredients being added, the therapeutic ingredient is mixed in a dried form with the honey powder-flowing agent mixture.

Where the therapeutic ingredient is an acid ingredient malic acid is preferred, particularly where the honey-product is to be used in an oral hygiene application. Malic acid is better than citric acid in terms of minimising or preventing tooth decay. However, any suitable 13 comestible acid ingredient may be added. The preferred quantity by weight of the final product of the acid ingredient may range from between 1% - 2% depending on the acid ingredient used, the application of the honey-based product and the additional optional ingredients to be added to the honey-based product.

Other therapeutic ingredients include spice or herbal extracts, such as nutmeg, and/or pharmaceutical ingredients, dietary supplements, vitamins and so forth.

For embodiments where the final product is to be in tablet form, the ingredients are mixed together to produce a smooth running powder the mixture that is then preferably transferred into a tablet making machine where the product is compressed into tablet form. The tablet may take any shape as required. Accordingly the shape may vary in overall configuration, size and weight. For example, the tablet may be shaped in the form of an animal, a flower, a geometric shape (a circle, triangle, square and so forth) the size may vary from a thicker product to a flatter, wider product. The weight may vary from between 0.5 grams to 5 grams. As can be appreciated there are numerous variations possible. Where the honey-based product is to be used in a therapeutic application, such as a throat lozenge or as an oral hygiene application for children, more fanciful shapes, preferred fruit flavourings, and higher sweetness (through artificial sweeteners) may be preferable to encourage use of the product by children.

In embodiments where the product is produced as flakes, floss and so forth by alternative manufacturing processes, the flakes may be added to other food products, whilst the floss may be sold as an alternative. 14 In order to counteract the hygroscopic nature of honey, and to maintain an optimum temperature for mixing, the processing of the dry ingredients in the preparation of the tablet form is preferably undertaken in a controlled temperature and controlled humidity environment. For example, the preferred optimum temperature for mixing the ingredients and making the tablets is less than 20°C, whilst the preferred humidity is less than 75%.

After the final honey product has been shaped into the appropriate tablet form, a further optional step may be included whereby the tablet may be coated with any preferred coating.

The finished products are preferably stored in air tight containers, such as jars made from plastics materials, glass, containers made from preferred metals such as aluminium, or in bags varying in sizes and produced from materials including aluminium foil, polypropylene and so forth. It is preferably that silica gel sachets are also used in the packaging of tableted products to ensure maximum moisture protection.

The main advantages of the present honey-based product over existing products are that: (a) It has a very high honey content; and (b) The product can take any preferred shape depending on the processing method used; and (c) Any suitable flavouring, colouring and/or coating can be used relevant to the final product to cater for a wide range of consumer preferences; and (d) Where "active" honey is used, the honey-based product retains the therapeutic non-peroxide activity levels enabling it to be used as a therapeutic product for oral hygiene, such as directed to preventing or minimising tooth decay or as throat lozenges for infected or raspy dry throats, or as a health/dietary supplement; and (e) The product has a greatly improved, stable, self-life.

Best Modes for Carrying out the Invention Examples given below as to the method of manufacturing the honey-based products of the present invention are given by way of example only, and it should be appreciated that variations to the method of manufacture, the ingredients used, the methods of mixing and shaping of the product and the finishing process may be made.

Example 1 Preferred Ingredients • Any combination of creamed, crystallised or liquid honey may be used as is, or to prepare the dried honey powder.

• Freeze dried, spray-dried, conventionally dried, or suitably desiccated honey may be used, separately or in combination.

• Either or both "active" and "non-active" honey may be used for the honey ingredient.

• Any suitable comestible therapeutic ingredient may be used such as an acid ingredient (such as citric acid), a herb/spice extract, a 16 pharmaceutical ingredient, a vitamin, a dietary supplement and so forth.

• Any sweetener may be used including sucrose, glucose, fructose or any artificial sweetener.

Optional Extras • Flavourings - any fruit flavourings, yoghurt powders, chocolate powder, and so forth may be used.

• Food colourings - any suitable dried food colouring may be used.

• Additional ingredients - additional herbal powders, dietary supplement powders, vitamins, powdered food items such as nuts, and so forth may be used.

Example 2 Preferred Equipment Used • Any suitably sized mixing tank (preferably capable of mixing 60kg batch sizes to enable mixing to be done manually).

• Machinery to mix the ingredient, if required.

• Tablet making machine.

• Flash-flow/cotton candy machine 17 Example 3 One Preferred Manufacturing Process For producing honey-based therapeutic tablets.

• Mix between 90-99% (of overall product weight) dried honey powder with flowing agent such as silicon dioxide to make into smooth running powder. In this example, the actual honey content of the 90-99% mentioned above may comprise up to or more than 50% honey, with the remainder being made up of maltodextrin.

• Add therapeutic ingredients (in preferred amounts, to make the overall product weight 100%) and mix thoroughly.

• Add flavouring and/or colouring (if required) and mix thoroughly.

• Transfer the mixture into tablet making machine and make into tablet form.

• Pack tablet into appropriate, substantially air-tight packaging.

• All mixing and tablet making operation should be done in controlled temperature (<20°C) and humidity controlled (<75% relative humidity) room.

Example 4 Packaging Airtight containers (e.g. PET jar, glass jar, little aluminium can, etc) or bags (e.g. aluminium foil bag, polypropylene bag, etc) with silica gel sachet(s) used for maximum moisture protection. 18 Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as defined the appended claims. 19