DE29808384U1 - drink - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a beverage made from plant extracts and plant extracts and other common ingredients, which comprises a combination of certain vitamins and colorless polyphenols.

Promoting health is an active function of drinks, which can be a decisive motive for drinking for many people or in certain situations. This is particularly evident in the case of drinks that have a special significance as so-called health drinks, for example fruit juices and tea. The need for actively promoting health can have different degrees and thus cover a wide range of desired drink qualities. From simply generally health-promoting drinks to special, medicinal drinks, many variations are conceivable, which

become attractive mainly because of the health motive. On the other hand, the need for enjoyment is becoming increasingly important and the requirements for the taste and smell properties of the drinks are becoming ever higher (Uhr: Alles über den Durst, Verlag Meininger 1980).

Numerous publications deal with the increase in chronic degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. In the 35-65 age group, 31% of all causes of death are due to cardiovascular diseases, and the proportion of those who die of cancer is about the same in this age group. As people get older, there is a clear shift in the statistics on causes of death. After the age of 65, cardiovascular diseases dominate at more than 50%, with the proportion of those who die of cancer falling to around 20%. Due to the development of the age pyramid, cardiovascular diseases are of paramount importance, as the proportion of people over 70 will rise from the current 12% of the total population to 20%, an increase of almost 70%. Since cardiovascular diseases are essentially caused by diet, an optimized diet is of paramount importance in the prevention of these diseases. The well-known risk factors such as cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and smoking are the cause of around 50% of cardiovascular diseases, so that other causes must play a role for the remaining 50%.

Micronutrients are of outstanding importance here, because at least 6 of the 13 vitamins are directly involved in the pathophysiological mechanisms of the development of arteriosclerosis.

It is known that the antioxidant vitamins C and E together help to keep the level of oxidized LDL cholesterol low, thus preventing the development of arteriosclerosis. It is also known that three other vitamins are involved in the prevention of cardiovascular disease by lowering homocysteine blood levels.

These are the three B vitamins folic acid, vitamin B ₆ and vitamin B ₁₂ . Since homocysteine has been recognized as an independent and autonomous risk factor for the development of arteriosclerosis, the supply of B vitamins deserves increasing attention, especially since nutritional, i.e. relatively low doses of these B vitamins can already reduce the homocysteine blood level and thus reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. According to the relevant publications, the contribution of homocysteine to the development of arteriosclerosis is based on its pro-oxidative effect and the associated negative influence on blood coagulation behavior.

In the past, attempts have often been made to experimentally prove an isolated protective effect for individual food ingredients of this kind. However, it has since become apparent that the protective effects cannot be achieved by individual substances. -

Fruit juices are among the drinks with high enjoyment and health value, whose ingredients contribute particularly to physical well-being. In addition to their content of essential vitamins and minerals, digestive fruit acids and fiber, a number of other ingredients contained in small quantities in fruits and the juices made from them appear to have additional positive effects on the human organism.

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A large number of research results published in recent years contain indications that there are very complex relationships between these components, also known as secondary plant ingredients or bioactive substances, and the human metabolism. The so-called "French Paradox", i.e. the fact that despite a relatively high-fat diet, the frequency of cardiovascular diseases in France is relatively low, is attributed to the effect of secondary plant ingredients. This is justified by the fact that regular consumption of red wine provides protection against these diseases thanks to the secondary plant ingredients it contains.

The polyphenols responsible for the protective effect with significant antioxidant potential are phenolcarboxylic acids and their derivatives, the importance of which for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases has been described in many publications. The oxidation of LDL (low density lipoprotein) by oxygen radicals formed in the body is considered to play an important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases (A. Rechner, C-D. Patz, H. Dietrich: Contribution to the evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of various drinks, Fluss. Obst, 64 1997, 62-65). Polyphenols, i.e. compounds belonging to different classes of substances such as hydroxycinnamic acids, catechins and leucoanthocyanidins, anthocyanidins, flavanones, flavones and flavonols, can reduce or prevent the oxidation of LDL through their antioxidant properties and the ability to capture and neutralize harmful oxygen radicals. In addition to the antioxidant effect, they also have a special protective effect on the vascular wall. This long-known protective effect of polyphenols has led, for example, to them being used medicinally in the form of standardized plant extracts as cardiac drugs.

are used, with their antioxidative and vascular protective effects being the main focus. In addition, it is assumed that polyphenols have additional protective effects, although further elucidation of these is still in its early stages.

The importance of the content of secondary plant ingredients in plant raw materials, in particular the content in fruits, fruit juices, green and black tea and the foods and drinks produced using these products, is discussed in numerous publications. For example, a new category of foods and drinks has been offered under the name "functional food" for years, especially in Japan and the USA, but also in Europe, which, in addition to additives such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, often also contain secondary plant ingredients, in particular in the form of green tea extracts (C. Burke: Functional Foods and Drinks, The Market in Japan, International Food Ingredients, No. 2 (1995), 39-42).

Some publications disclose drinks that contain certain polyphenols. For example, EP 0 416 667 A1 describes drinks with a stimulating effect, composed of at least 80% by weight of water, at least 0.05% flavanols selected from catechin, catechin derivatives, epicatechin, epicatechin derivatives and mixtures thereof, and at least 0.2% by weight of flavorings. The flavanols can come from green tea or other natural sources, and the ratio of caffeine to flavanols can be 1:1 to 1:30. The drinks can also contain fruit juice, sweeteners and carbon dioxide.

US 5,681,569 describes a liquid composition for improving cellular hydration and drinkability, which

0.01-0.35% flavanols, 0.01-0.3% sodium ions, 0.005-0.08% potassium ions, 0.1-20% carbohydrates and water.

US 5,464,619 describes a composition, preferably in the form of a beverage, which increases cellular hydration and drinkability by combining selected amounts and types of electrolytes and carbohydrates. The liquid composition comprises 0.01-0.35% flavanols, 0.01-0.3% sodium ions, 0.005-0.08% potassium ions, 0.05-10% fructose, 0.05-10% glucose and water. The beverage may optionally contain 0.001-30% of a flavor component and 0.01-0.04% caffeine or 0.05-0.09% chloride ions.

It is known that polyphenols and their primary oxidation products are among the most reactive compounds in fruits and vegetables. During beverage production and storage, they undergo changes that are due to enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions with themselves and other ingredients. Various reactions of the polyphenols lead to undesirable color changes and are responsible, for example, for the appearance of brownish tints. Condensation reactions create irreversible, covalent bonds, whereby the browning increases with the degree of condensation and the solubility of these condensation products decreases. This can lead to instabilities and cloudiness.

In addition to these undesirable browning and clouding caused by polyphenols in plant-based beverages, e.g. tannin, tannin-protein, metal-tannin or starch-tannin clouding, polyphenols can also lead to other sensory impairments such as bitterness, astringency and so-called "off-flavour". When producing juices, the fruit juice industry therefore often uses treatment and clarification processes to remove the

Polyphenols and to prevent the changes they cause.

However, according to the current state of technology, no beverages are known to date that, in addition to being highly enjoyable, have a combination of bioactive ingredients with specific effectiveness.

One object of the present invention is therefore to provide stable drinks that have both a high enjoyment value and a pronounced protective effect and can contribute to protection against oxidative stress. In addition, a further object of the invention is that the drinks have the highest possible ingredient density, i.e. the highest possible content of bioactive substances in relation to the energy value, while having the lowest possible energy value.

Surprisingly, it was found that in addition to the absolute level of the antioxidative potential, it is above all the ratio of various polyphenols to one another in combination with nutritional doses of vitamins B ₆ , B ₁₂ and folic acid that contributes significantly to the effect of the beverage according to the invention. In particular, the ratios of hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonol derivatives to the sum of the colorless polyphenols play an important role in the nutritional value of the beverage according to the invention.

The drinks according to the invention are characterized by a cardioprotective and collagen-stabilizing effect, among other things, and with regular consumption, a significant reduction in the homocysteine blood level can be observed. Due to their high ingredient density, i.e. their relatively low energy value in relation to the content of bioactive substances, they also have the advantage that their consumption does not lead to

leads to an undesirable, high calorie intake and thus possibly promotes obesity, which must be considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

The beverage according to the invention made from plant extracts and/or plant extracts and optionally other conventional additives thus comprises a combination of the following components:

• 0.8-30 mg/100 kcal, preferably 1.5-15 mg/100 kcal vitamin B ₆

• 0.5-20 mcg/100 kcal, preferably 0.8-10 mcg/100 kcal
Vitamin _B12

• 0.1-6.5 mg/100 kcal, preferably 0.2-3.5 mg/100 kcal
Folic acid

• at least 10 mg/100 kcal, preferably 20-100 mg/100 kcal colorless polyphenols and has

• a TEAC value of 0.5-15

and a ratio of the sum of the hydroxycinnamic acids, calculated as caffeic acid, to the sum of the colorless polyphenols of 1:1 to 1:20, preferably 1:1.5 to 1:10 and a ratio of the sum of the flavonol derivatives, calculated as quercetin-3-glucoside, to the sum of the colorless polyphenols of 1:1 to 1:20, preferably 1:1 to 1:10.

In this case, the ratios mentioned are understood to be weight ratios.

The beverage according to the invention preferably comprises 20-50 g/100 kcal, preferably 25-35 g/100 kcal total extract, whereby total extract is understood to mean the sum of the dissolved components.

Also preferably, the beverage according to the invention comprises 1.5-6 g/100 kcal, preferably 2.5-4.5 g/100 kcal total acid, calculated as citric acid, and has a pH of 3-4.5, preferably 3.5-4.3.

To achieve a harmonious sweet-acid ratio, the beverages according to the invention can contain, for example, lemon juice, lemon juice concentrate and/or edible acids such as citric acid, malic acid, lactic acid or tartaric acid, which can be used individually or in a mixture.

The beverage according to the invention preferably contains 20-95% by weight, particularly preferably 25-60% by weight, of plant extracts, extracts or other plant components.

The herbal extracts, extracts or other herbal constituents used in the manufacture are aqueous or alcoholic extracts of plants or herbs in liquid or solid form, fruit juices or concentrates, fruit pulp or concentrates, fruit flavourings, vegetable juices or concentrates, vegetable pulp or concentrates, which can be used individually or in mixtures.

For example, the plant extracts include apple juice concentrate, sloe juice concentrate, elderberry juice concentrate, quince juice concentrate, lemon juice concentrate and red grape juice. Plant extracts and flavors can be obtained from rose hips, hibiscus, apples, green tea, wild berries, elderflowers, mint, mango, banana, limes or lemons.

The beverage according to the invention can comprise, for example, water, sweeteners and vitamins as other usual ingredients.

According to the invention, the sugars commonly used in the beverage industry, e.g. sucrose, glucose, invert sugar syrup and glucose syrup, sugar substitutes such as sorbitol, mannitol, and sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame K, sucralose, saccharin, neohesperidin, cyclamate and thaumatin can be used as sweeteners. Drinks according to the invention are preferably produced without the addition of sugar in order to achieve the lowest possible energy value. The use of mixtures of the sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame K is particularly suitable.

Drinks according to the invention are enriched with vitamins from the B group, in particular vitamins B ₆ , B ₁₂ and folic acid, in nutritionally relevant quantities. In addition, additives of other vitamins and provitamins, e.g. vitamins C and E, can also be included.

The TEAC value (Trolox Equivalent Antioxidative Capacity) refers to the total antioxidant potential. To measure the TEAC value, the artificial, water-soluble tocopherol "Trolox" (6-hydroxy-2, 5, 7, 8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid) is used as a reference substance.

The principle of the method is based on the delay of a linearly increasing color reaction of metmyoglobin and ABTS (2,2·-azinobis-(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) when hydrogen peroxide is added. The metmyoglobin acts as a catalyst and forms a dye called ferryl myoglobin in interaction with the resulting ABTS radical cation, the formation of which is inhibited in the presence of antioxidants.

The phenolic compounds or polyphenols collectively known as hydroxycinnamic acids are mono- and dihydroxy derivatives of cinnamic acid, in particular the derivatives

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caffeic acid, coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, sinapic acid and ferulic acid; the sum of the colorless polyphenols includes, in addition to the hydroxyethyl esters, flavones, flavonols, flavanones, flavanols, procyanidins and dihydrochalcones.

The colorless polyphenols are determined by separation using HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) and their detection at different wavelengths with a diode array detector.

The samples are prepared in several steps:

• Dimethylformamide (DMF) preparation for samples containing flavanone glucosides:

10 ml of the beverage according to the invention are mixed with 10 ml of dimethylformamide (DMF) and 10 ml of a freshly prepared solution of 3.55 g of ammonium oxalate in one liter of water. The mixture is then heated in a water bath at 90° C for 10 minutes. The cooled solution is then made up to 50 ml with water.

• Methanol extraction of cloudy juices, i.e. juices containing pulp particles:

10 ml of drink is mixed with 20 ml of methanol and stirred vigorously for 1 hour.

• Solid phase extraction on a C18 phase:

The clear or clarified drinks are divided into a neutral and an acidic fraction by solid phase extraction. For this purpose, the C18 phase (500 mg) is preconditioned with 20 bed volumes of methanol and 20 bed volumes of water (pH 6) - neutral cartridge - or 0.5% acetic acid (pH 2) - acidic cartridge. 2 ml of drink sample are then added to the neutral cartridge, washed with 5 ml of water and the eluate together with the wash water is filtered off after adjusting the pH value to pH 2 (with

HCl) is added quantitatively to the acid cartridge. It is then washed with 5 ml of 0.5% acetic acid. The polyphenols adsorbed on the cartridges are eluted with 5 ml of methanol each. The eluates are evaporated at 35°C in a stream of nitrogen. The residues are taken up with 2 ml of water/methanol 2/8 v/v each.

• Fractionation of polyamide:

A glass column (250x27 mm) is filled to a height of 100 mm with polyamide (SC-6, Macherey-Nagel, Düren) pre-swollen in methanol. The column is washed with water until methanol-free. After adding 20 ml of juice, it is washed with 150 ml of water. The neutral fraction is eluted with 300 ml of methanol, whereas the acidic fraction is eluted with 300 ml of methanol/formic acid 98.5/1.5 w/w. The eluates are gently concentrated at 35° C and brought to a methanol content of approx. 20% with water.

• Cation exchange processing to separate interfering anthocyanins:

In a small glass column, 2 ml of cation exchanger

(H ⁺ form / Dowex 50 WX4, 50-100mesh). 10 ml of clarified drink or clear fraction are added. The first milliliters are discarded and only the remaining approx. 2/3 are reused.

The juices prepared in this way are membrane filtered (0.2 μηη filter) before HPLC injection.

HPLC conditions:

HPLC system with diode array detector, gradient pump and column oven, column: LiChrospher RP18 5μπα 250x4.6mm + 10x4mm, pre-column with the same material, column temperature 40° C, initial pressure at gradient start approx. 120 bar,
Eluent A: 4OmM formic acid in water,

Eluent B: 4OmM formic acid/methanol, flow rate: 1 ml/min.

The detection of the different groups of colorless phenolic compounds occurs at the following wavelengths:

Hydroxycinnamic acids: 325 nm

Flavones: 315 nm

Flavonols: 355 nm

Flavanones: 284 nm

Flavanols, procyanidins: 278 nm

Dihydrochalcones: 284 nm

The following examples serve to further explain the invention:

example 1

To produce 10,000 liters of a beverage according to the invention, 842 kg of a mixture of apple juice, sloe juice, elderberry juice and lemon juice concentrate, 0.9 kg of a mixture of aspartame and acesulfame K, 1 kg of a mixture of vitamins B ₆ , B ₁₂ and folic acid, 60 kg of a mixture of plant extracts and flavors from rose hips, hibiscus, apples, green tea and wild berries are supplemented with demineralized, degassed water to make 10,000 liters. The degassed water has a residual oxygen content of <0.5, preferably <0.2 mg/l. The preparation takes place in such a way that the resulting mixture is preferably heated to 50-55 ⁰ C and degassed with aroma recirculation in a vacuum (e.g. 120-150 mbar), with the aroma condensate being continuously fed back into the product stream according to the injector principle. Following the subsequent short-term heating required for preservation (e.g. 85 to 90°C, holding time approx. 10-15 seconds), the hot beverage is fed directly to the filling machine

passed, filled into suitable containers, e.g. bottles, and cooled in the recooler to temperatures of approx. 20 "C. Drinks according to the invention can also be filled cold-sterile, ie the product, which has been heated up quickly for pasteurization, is cooled in the heat exchanger to approx. 20 ⁰ C and filled into sterile containers at this temperature.

The drink produced in this way has the following characteristics:

Total extract:

Total acid, calculated as citric acid

PH value

Vitamin B ₆ Vitamin B ₁₂ Folic acid

TEAC value

colorless polyphenols fruit content

Hydroxyethyl esters: colorless polyphenols

Flavonol derivatives: colorless polyphenols

29.5 g/100 kcal 1.75 g/100 kcal 3.8

2.7 mg/100 kcal 0.98 mcg/100 kcal 0.35 mg/100 kcal

34.5 mg/100 kcal 51 wt.%

1:1.3

1:7.4

Example 2

To produce another beverage according to the invention, 816.75 kg of a mixture of red grape juice, apple juice, elderberry juice and lemon juice concentrate, 36.25 kg of a mixture of plant flavors and extracts from rose hips, elderflowers and apples, 0.45 kg of a mixture of aspartame and acesulfame K and 0.8 kg of a mixture of vitamins B ₆ , B ₁₂ and folic acid are added to 5,000 liters with demineralized and degassed water. Production and bottling are carried out as described in Example 1.

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Example 3

432.3 kg of a mixture of lemon juice, quince juice and apple juice concentrate are supplemented with 18.475 kg of a mixture of flavours and extracts of mint, mango, banana, lime, green tea, lemons and apples, 0.45 kg of a mixture of aspartame and acesulfame K and 1.0 kg of a mixture of vitamins B ₆ , B ₁₂ and folic acid with demineralised and degassed water to make 5,000 litres. The mixture is prepared and bottled as described in Example 1.

Claims (8)

Eckes-Granini GmbH & Co. KG Protection claims 1. Beverage made from plant extracts and/or plant extracts and, where appropriate, other usual ingredients, the beverage comprising a combination of the following ingredients: 0.8-30 mg/100 kcal Vitamin B,
0.5-20 mcg/100 kcal Vitamin B12»
0.1-6.5 mg/100 kcal folic acid and at least 10 mg/100 kcal colorless polyphenols and the drink a TEAC value of 0.5-15, a ratio of the sum of the hydroxycinnamic acids, calculated as caffeic acid, to the sum of the colourless polyphenols of 1:1 to 1:20 and a ratio of the sum of the flavonol derivatives, calculated as quercetin-3-glucoside, to the sum of the colorless polyphenols of 1:1 to 1:20. 2. A beverage according to claim 1, which comprises 20-50 g/100 kcal total extracts. 3. A beverage according to any preceding claim, comprising 1.5-6 g/100 kcal total acid, calculated as citric acid. 4. A beverage according to any one of the preceding claims, which has a pH of 3-4.5. 5. A beverage according to any one of the preceding claims, which comprises 20-95% by weight of herbal extracts, extracts or other herbal constituents. 6. Drink according to one of the preceding claims, which comprising as further ingredients water, vitamins and/or sweeteners. 7. Drink according to one of the preceding claims, which comprises as plant extracts apple juice concentrate, sloe juice concentrate, elderberry juice concentrate, lemon juice concentrate, quince juice concentrate and/or red grape juice. 8. Drink according to one of the preceding claims, which comprises a mixture of plant extracts and flavors from rose hips, hibiscus, apples, green tea, wild berries, elderflower, mint, mango, banana, lime and/or lemon.