WO2017070717A1

WO2017070717A1 - A package including a grain-based food product and a health supplement

Info

Publication number: WO2017070717A1
Application number: PCT/ZA2016/050035
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul Anthony SAAD
Original assignee: Futurelife Health Products (Pty) Ltd
Priority date: 2015-10-22
Filing date: 2016-09-22
Publication date: 2017-04-27

Abstract

The invention provides a package including a grain-based food product and several units of health supplement, each unit being provided in a discrete containment device within the package, which containment device is impermeable or substantially impermeable to moisture.

Description

A PACKAGE INCLUDING A GRAIN-BASED FOOD PRODUCT AND A HEALTH

SUPPLEMENT

Field of the Invention The invention is in the field of grain-based food products provided together with an inclusion that presents health benefits to a user. In particular, the invention is in the field of grain-based food products provided together with a product that is normally sold on its own, apart from the grain-based food product as a health supplement rather than a food product. Background to the Invention

The inventor is aware of the difficulty of including products such as, for example, probiotics as an ingredient in a cereal product which is packaged in the usual way as a multi-serving product in a bag or a box, wherein a user dispenses some of the cereal product into his or her bowl and then closes the cereal product bag or box and keeps it for later consumption.

Inherent in such inclusion of probiotics in a cereal product is that exposure to moisture can negatively affect the probiotics and render them less useful or even useless for the purpose for which the probiotics are intended. In addition, it may in some countries be against food laws to include products such as probiotics and other health supplements as part of a food product.

The inventor believes that it would be convenient for consumers to have products such as described above readily available for combination with a grain-based food product without the need for buying the product separately.

In this specification, unless the context clearly indicates to the contrary, the following terms have the definitions ascribed to them herebelow:

1 . Probiotic is defined at https.//en.wik;peciia otg/w-kl/Probiotlc as at 25 September 2015 as:

" Probiotics are microorganisms that are believed to provide health benefits when consumed. The term probiotic is currently used to name ingested microorganisms associated with beneficial effects to humans and animals. Introduction of the concept is generally attributed to Nobel Prize recipient EJje Meichnikoff. who in 1907 suggested that "the dependence of the Intestinal Olicrobes on the food makes it possible to adopt measures to modify the flora in our bodies and to replace the harmful microbes by useful microbes". A significant expansion of the potential market for probiotics has led to higher requirements for scientific substantiation of putative beneficial effects conferred by the microorganisms. Studies on the medical benefits of probiotics have yet to reveal a cause-effect relationship, and their medical effectiveness has yet to be conclusively proven for most of the studies conducted thus far.

Commonly claimed benefits of probiotics include the decrease of potentially pathogenic gastrointestinal microorganisms, the reduction of gastrointestinal discomfort, the strengthening of the immune system, the improvement of the skin's function, the improvement of bowel regularity, the strengthening of the resistance to cedar pollen allergens, the decrease in body pathogens, the reduction of flatulence and bloating, the protection of D A. the protection of proteins and lipids from oxidative damage, and the maintaining of individual intestinal mjcrobjota in subjects receiving antibiotic treatment."

2. Prebiotic is defined at httgsJ en.^ ^{as at} 25 September 2015 as :

" Prebiotics is a general term to refer to chemicals that induce the growth or activity of microorganisms (e.g., bacteria and fungi) that contribute to the well- being of their host. The most common example is in the gastrointestinal tract, where prebiotics can alter the composition of organisms in the gut microbiome. However, in principle it is a more general term that can refer to other areas of the body as well. For example, certain hand moisturizers have been proposed to act as prebiotics to improve the activity or composition of the skin microbiota. In diet, prebiotics are typically non-digestible fiber compounds that pass undigested through the upper part of the gastrointestinal tree; and stimulate the growth or activity of advantageous bacteria that colonize the [arge bowel by acting as substrate for them. They were first identified and named by Marcel Roberfroid in 1995. As a func ional food component, prebiotics, like grobiotics, are conceptually intermediate between foods and drugs. Depending on the jurisdiction, they typically receive an intermediate level of regulatory scrutiny, in particular of the hjalth_^daims made concerning them."

3. "Health Supplement" is to be interpreted as meaning any substance, extract, or mixture of substances that: may supplement the human diet; is a concentrated source of a vitamin or mineral or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect, alone or in combination; is sold in pharmaceutical dosage forms not usually associated with a foodstuff i.e. above maximum allowable food levels; is taken orally as a powder, pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid; and excludes injectables or substances rated Schedule 1 or higher in South Africa.

In this specification, a Health Supplement includes one or more of:

Vitamins

Minerals

Prebiotics

Probiotics

Herbs or botanicals

Amino Acids

Fatty Acids

Enzymes

Algae

Fungi

cellulose

derivatives of cellulose chlorophyll

Collagen

non-human animal material (or a synthetically produced substitute for material of that kind) including dried material, bone and cartilage, fats and oils and other extracts or concentrates

The umbrella term for Health Supplements varies from country to country and is known as: USA: dietary supplement / live biotherapeutic agent

CA: natural health product

UK: food supplement

AU: complementary medicine

NZ: functional food

IN: functional food

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a package including:- - a grain-based food product; and

- several units of health supplement, each unit being provided in a discrete containment device within the package, which containment device is impermeable or substantially impermeable to moisture.

The number of units of health supplement provided in the package may be the same as the number of servings of grain-based food product contained in the package.

The grain-based food product may be provided in a sealed bag within the package.

The type of health supplement provided may be the same for all units. In another embodiment, two or more different health supplements may be provided in the package, each in its own containment device. Each unit of health supplement may be provided to cover the daily requirement of the health supplement of, for example, a male weighing about 85 kg or a female weighing about 65 kg.

In particular, each unit of health supplement may be selected to provide a particular benefit to the user. For example, the health supplement may include constituents to assist in controlling and/or maintaining one or more selected from the group including: cholesterol, healthy heart function, weight loss, digestive health, and blood glucose.

Each containment device may be marked according to its contents and intended user.

It is to be appreciated, that the constituents of the health supplement may vary between countries as average male and female weights and therefore daily requirements of the health supplement may vary substantially. In addition, regulatory frameworks may apply to certain constituents of the health supplement. The containment device may keep its contents dry at a water activity of below 0.2 aw until just prior to use when a containment device is opened and the contents thereof are added to a unit of grain-based food product.

The health supplement may include a prebiotic.

The prebiotic may be a non-digestable fibre. The prebiotic may be a naturally occurring polysaccharide.

The prebiotic may be a fructan. The prebiotic may be inulin.

The health supplement may include a probiotic.

The probiotic may be affected by moisture such as air with a relative humidity in excess of 40%, even in excess of 30%, and thus prior to use requires to be kept in a low humidity environment with a water activity of below 0.2 a_w, typically below 0.15 a_w.

The health supplement may include a mixture of a prebiotic and a probiotic. The grain-based food product may include dietary fibre derived from bran (defined as the hard outer layers of a cereal grain comprising the aleurone and pericarp).

The grain-based food product may comprise at least one or more of cereal, oats, rice, grits, barley, granola, corn, potato, tapioca, starch extrudates, wheat, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, and rye.

The grain-based food product may comprise a hot cereal product or a cold cereal product.

The grain-based component may comprise an instant type cereal-based component which can be prepared for eating by the addition of liquid. In use, when the contents of the containment device are added to the grain-based food product after it has been prepared for consumption, this results in the prepared grain-based food product containing at least the health supplement in a form in which it is physiologically beneficial to the person consuming the prepared grain- based food product with the contents of the containment device added thereto. Benefits may include but are not limited to: maintenance or lowering of cholesterol levels, assisting weight loss, supporting healthy heart function, contributing to digestive health, and blood glucose level maintenance or reduction. As the health supplement is provided in a package together with the grain-based food product, purchasing the health supplement and using same becomes very convenient for the user.

When using this invention, the health supplement is added to the grain-based food product at the time of preparation thereof for consumption. This ensures that the user obtains maximum benefit from the health supplement which may not be the case were the health supplement to be combined and sold with the grain-based food product.

The containment device may comprise a material which maintains the health supplement fresh and/or active for a pre-determined shelf-life.

The containment device may be selected from the group including: a sealed plastic sachet, a plastic film and foil laminate, a pouch, a bag, a pill container, and a packet. In one embodiment, the containment device may be made of an edible material which is impermeable or virtually impermeable to water.

The containment devices may be provided in their own container such as, for example, a box, which may in turn be located in the package. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the containment devices may be water permeable and may be contained in a sealable, substantially moisture impermeable container which in turn is located in the package.

Each containment device may include a unit of health supplement so that a single unit of health supplement may be added to a single serving of the grain-based food product at the time it is being prepared for consumption.

In one embodiment, the health supplement may include one or more of: a probiotic, a prebiotic, a mineral, a vitamin, an agent for changing the organoleptic properties of the grain-based food product, and other constituents that may have a physiological or health benefit to the consumer. It is to be appreciated, that the individual constituents of the health supplement may be above maximum allowable food levels, which may vary from country to country or may not be regulated at all.

The health supplement may include one or more strains or probiotic bacteria in solid form. The health supplement may include one or more strains of probiotic bacteria in freeze dried powder form.

The health supplement may include one or more of: inulin, polydextrose, minerals, and vitamins.

The package may be a box, and the containment devices may be inserted into the box with the grain-based food product.

If the grain-based food product is contained in a sealed bag prior to being placed into the package, the containment devices may be placed in the package together with the bag of grain-based food product. It would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various permutations of where the containment devices may be provided are possible while maintaining the principle that the health supplement is provided separate from the grain-based food product, preferably at a water activity of below 0.2 a_w until just prior to use thereof when the containment device is opened.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for packaging food products comprising:

- providing a grain-based food product;

- providing a health supplement in a containment device wherein the health supplement is added to the grain-based food product before, during, or after preparation of the grain-based food product for consumption by a user; and

- combining the grain-based food product and one or more of the containment devices in a single product package.

The grain-based food product may comprise cereal, oats, rice, grits, barley, granola, corn, potato, tapioca, starch extrudates, wheat, buckwheat, millet, rye, quinoa or a combination thereof.

The grain-based food product may comprise an instant type cereal-based component which can be prepared for consumption by the addition of liquid.

The method may further comprise providing the grain-based food product in a base packet.

Each containment device may include a single unit of health supplement. The grain-based food product may include insoluble fibre derived from bran. Description of an Embodiment of the Invention

The invention will now be described by way of the following, non-limiting examples. In a first example, a cereal (grain-based) food product is packaged in a bag in a box with containment devices in the form of sachets including a probiotic, and one or more of a prebiotic, a mineral, a vitamin, an agent for changing the organoleptic properties of the grain-based food product, and other constituents that have a physiological and/or health benefit to the consumer. Thus, a particular example, the box will contain the following: 1 . Grain-based Cereal:

A typical FUTURELIFE® cereal product can be the grain based cereal for the purposes of this invention. 2. Several Probiotic sachets:

A typical probiotic sachet which is made of foil sheeting contains at least 1 Billion cfu, typically 1 to 3 Billion cfu, or even more, of the probiotic strain or blend of strains per sachet. It is important to have good stability.

The probiotic sachet will further contain excipients, for example, a microcrystalline cellulose such as Flocel® 102 from Gujarat Microwax Private Limited, combined with anticaking agent Aerosil® 200 Pharma to make up from 0.1 g to 3 g per sachet, or more. It is critical to get the water activity as low as possible for good stability.

It is possible to use a prebiotic fibre with very low water activity below 0.20 a_w, or even below 0.15 a_w, as an excipient thereby to provide for stability of the probiotic strains in the sachet. Other food grade ingredients with a very low water activity of below 0.2 a_w, even 0.15 a_w, can also be used in addition to or in the place of one of these excipients.

It is an advantage of the invention as illustrated that the probiotic is kept dry at a water activity of below 0.2 a_w until just prior to use when a sachet is opened and the contents thereof are added to a serving of cereal food product thus getting the most benefit from the probiotic and other ingredients in the sachet.

It is a further advantage of the invention that due to the very nature of the probiotic bacteria strains being alive, under processing with heat in a flake typically they are likely to die/be negatively affected which is inhibited or prevented by having the probiotic in a separate sachet.

Further, if they are successfully added to a product or powder, it would not necessarily provide an exact or accurate dose of the probiotic due to mixing issues or serving size inaccuracies and by having a predetermined sachet including a single unit, an accurate dose of the probiotic is ensured. In a second example, the unit of health supplement is selected to provide a particular health benefit to the user. For example, the health supplement can include constituents to assist in controlling and/or maintaining one or more selected from the group including: cholesterol, healthy heart function, weight loss, digestive health, and blood glucose.

Below are listed several health benefits to be achieved by the health supplement together with examples of constituents that assist in achieving them.

1. Blood glucose maintenance or reduction a. Trivalent chromium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood glucose levels. i. Dosage: Higher dosage than normally allowed in food and within maximum daily levels permitted as a health supplement. This dosage can vary and will be country specific and in keeping with the applicable regulations for health supplements. 2. Heart health benefits or normal functioning of the heart a. Sum of 40mg of EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) contribute to the normal function of the heart b. Thiamine (Vitamin B1 ) contributes to the normal function of the heart. i. Dosage: Higher dosage than normally allowed in food and within maximum daily levels permitted as health supplement. This dosage can vary and will be country specific and in keeping with the applicable regulations for health supplements.

3. Cholesterol maintenance or lowering a. 2 g sterols/stanols daily have been shown to lower/reduce blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of coronary disease.

4. Weight Loss a. 1 g unit dose Glucomannan and a 3 g daily intake in the context of an energy restricted diet contributes to weight loss. 5. Digestive health benefits a. Minimum dose of 4 500 FCC (Food Chemicals Codex) units of lactase enzyme with each lactose containing meal improves lactose digestion in individuals who have difficulty digesting lactose. b. Probiotics, when ingested on a regular basis, should improve or normalize the microbial balance in the human intestines and thereby improve the functioning of the digestive tract/gut. i. Dosage: The minimum and maximum dosage can vary and will be country specific and in keeping with the applicable regulations for health supplements. ii. Eg. South Africa dosage of > 1 Billion CFU is required

It is to be appreciated, that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described above.

Claims

Claims:

1 . A package including:- a grain-based food product; and several units of health supplement, each unit being provided in a discrete containment device within the package, which containment device is impermeable or substantially impermeable to moisture.

2. A package as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the number of units of health supplement provided in the package are the same as the number of servings of grain-based food product contained in the package.

3. A package as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the grain-based food product is provided in a sealed bag within the package.

4. A package as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the type of health supplement provided is the same for all units.

5. A package as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein two or more different health supplements are provided in the package, each in its own containment device.

6. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each unit of health supplement is provided to cover the daily requirement of the health supplement of a human being of a specific weight and sex and the containment device is marked accordingly.

7. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each unit of health supplement includes constituents that assist in controlling and/or maintaining one or more selected from the group including: cholesterol, healthy heart function, weight loss, digestive health, and diabetes.

8. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the containment device maintains its contents dry at a water activity of below 0.2 aw until just prior to use when a containment device is opened and the contents thereof are added to a serving of grain-based food product.

9. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the health supplement includes a probiotic.

10. A package as claimed in claim 9, wherein the health supplement includes one or more strains of probiotic bacteria in freeze dried powder form.

1 1. A package as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the health supplement includes one or more of: a probiotic, a prebiotic, a mineral, a vitamin, an agent for changing the organoleptic properties of the grain-based food product, and the like.

12. A package as claimed in any one of claim 1 to 8, wherein the health supplement includes one or more of: inulin, polydextrose, minerals, and vitamins.

13. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the grain- based food product includes dietary fibre derived from bran.

14. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the grain- based food product comprises at least one or more of: cereal, oats, rice, grits, barley, granola, corn, potato, tapioca, starch extrudates, wheat, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, and rye.

15. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the grain- based food product comprises a hot cereal product or a cold cereal product.

16. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the grain- based food product comprises an instant type cereal-based component which is prepared for eating by the addition of liquid.

17. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the containment device comprises a material which maintains the health supplement fresh and/or active for a pre-determined shelf-life.

18. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the containment device is selected from the group including: a sealed plastic sachet, a plastic film and foil laminate, a pouch, a bag, a pill container, and a packet.

19. A package as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the containment devices are provided in their own container which is in turn located in the package.

20. A package as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the containment devices are water permeable and are contained in a sealable, substantially moisture impermeable container which in turn is located in the package.

21. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each containment device includes a unit of health supplement so that a single unit of health supplement can be added to a single serving of the grain-based food product at the time it is being prepared for consumption.

22. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the package is a box and the containment devices are inserted into the box with the grain-based food product.

23. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the grain- based food product is contained in a sealed bag prior to being placed into the package and the containment devices are placed in the package together with the bag of grain-based food product.

24. A method for packaging food products comprising: - providing a grain-based food product; providing a health supplement in a containment device wherein the health supplement is added to the grain-based food product before, during, or after preparation of the grain-based food product for consumption by a user; and combining the grain-based food product and one or more of the containment devices in a single product package.

25. A method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the grain-based food product comprises: cereal, oats, rice, grits, barley, granola, corn, potato, tapioca, starch extrudates, wheat, buckwheat, millet, rye, quinoa, or a combination thereof.

26. A method as claimed in claim 24 or claim 25, wherein the grain-based food product comprises an instant type cereal-based component which is prepared for consumption by the addition of liquid.

27. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein the method further comprises the step of providing the grain-based food product in a base packet.

28. A method as claimed in any one of claims 25 to 28, wherein each containment device includes a single unit of health supplement.

29. A method as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 28, wherein the grain-based food product includes insoluble fibre derived from bran.

30. A package according to the invention, substantially as hereinbefore described or exemplified.

31. A package including any new and inventive integer or combination of integers, substantially as herein described.

32. A method according to the invention for packaging food products, substantially as hereinbefore described or exemplified.

33. A method of packaging food products including any new and inventive integer or combination of integers, substantially as herein described.