HK1067014A - Use of erythritol and d-tagatose in diet or reduced-calorie beverages and food products - Google Patents

Description

Use of erythritol and D-tagatose in diet or reduced-calorie beverages and foods

Background

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the use of a combination of sugar alcohol and D-tagatose in a variety of diet or reduced-calorie beverages and foods. In particular, the present invention relates to naturally sweetened, zero-calorie and low-calorie beverages and foods sweetened with only one sugar alcohol and D-tagatose, and methods for producing the same. The present invention also relates to reduced-calorie beverages and food products sweetened with a sugar alcohol, D-tagatose and at least one nutritive sweetener, which taste similar to naturally sweetened full-calorie beverages and food products. The invention also relates to methods of producing such reduced-calorie beverages and food products.

Related Art

Zero or low calorie beverages and foods are very popular. Such dietary products typically contain non-nutritive sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame-K, saccharin, sucralose (sucralose), and cyclamate (cyclamate), either alone or in admixture. Although consumers do not have to worry about the calories of such dietary products, some consumers prefer naturally sweetened zero-calorie and low-calorie beverages or foods. However, no naturally occurring intense sweetener has been approved for use in the united states. Thus, it is difficult to make a good tasting, naturally sweetened diet or reduced calorie beverage or food.

Sorbitol and mannitol are examples of naturally occurring low intensity, low calorie sweeteners. Simply using sorbitol or mannitol to produce a reduced calorie sweetened beverage or food product would result in a product with a different sweetness quality than the naturally sweetened full calorie product, not to mention certain gastrointestinal problems. Also, partial replacement of such low intensity natural sweeteners will produce reduced calorie products lacking in certain respects compared to naturally sweetened, full calorie counterparts. All of these products may not be sufficiently sweet, may be off-flavoured, or may be incompatible with certain flavours. Thus, there is a need for good quality, naturally sweetened diets or reduced-calorie beverages and foods.

Summary of The Invention

The present invention relates to diet beverages sweetened with only one sugar alcohol and D-tagatose.

The present invention also relates to diet or reduced-calorie beverages sweetened with a sugar alcohol, D-tagatose and at least one nutritive sweetener. In certain preferred embodiments, the at least one nutritive sweetener is selected from the group consisting of: fructose, sucrose, glucose, maltose, trehalose, rhamnose, corn steep liquor and fructo-oligosaccharides.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, erythritol is present in an amount of about 0.1% to about 3.5% and D-tagatose is present in an amount of about 0.1% to about 1.0% based on finished beverage weight.

The diet or reduced-calorie beverages of the present invention may be selected from: soft drinks, barreled drinks (fountain beverages), ready-to-drink iced drinks, coffee drinks, tea drinks, powdered soft drinks, concentrated liquids, flavored water (flavored water), enhanced water (enhanced water), fruit juice and fruit juice flavored drinks, sports drinks, or alcoholic drinks. The diet or reduced-calorie food product of the invention may be selected from: confectionery, dairy products, gelatins, puddings, cake mixes, cereals or cereal-based products or baked goods.

The invention further relates to methods of producing diet or reduced-calorie beverages and foods comprising including a sugar alcohol, D-tagatose, and optionally at least one nutritive sweetener in the beverage or food.

The present invention also relates to a sweetener composition comprising a sugar alcohol, D-tagatose, and optionally at least one nutritive sweetener.

Detailed Description

The inventors have discovered that by combining two natural low intensity sweeteners, a sugar alcohol (e.g., erythritol) and D-tagatose, a sweetener composition is obtained that produces a sweet taste similar to sugar. In addition, the beverage or food sweetened with the sugar alcohol and D-tagatose combination had no aftertaste, nor had the known flavor compatibility problems. Thus, such a combination of sugar alcohol and D-tagatose can be used alone to impart sweetness to a zero-or low-calorie beverage or food, or can be used in combination with at least one nutritive sweetener to reduce the caloric content of a full-calorie beverage or food while maintaining the taste of the full-calorie product.

As used herein, "taste" refers to a combination of sweetness, temporal effects of sweetness (i.e., onset and lingering), off-tastes (e.g., bitterness and metallic taste), residual taste (aftertaste), and tactile sensation (e.g., richness and thickness). As used herein, "zero calorie" means less than 5 calories per serving (e.g., per 8 ounces of beverage). As used herein, "reduced calorie" means less than or equal to 40 calories per serving (e.g., per 8 ounces of beverage). As used herein, "diet" refers to "zero calories" or "low calories: additionally, "reduced calorie" refers to a reduction in calorie count as compared to the full calorie counterpart; more specifically, "reduced calorie" generally means at least a 25% reduction in calories per serving (e.g., per 8 ounces of beverage).

According to a first embodiment of the invention, a diet or reduced-calorie beverage is sweetened with (a) a sugar alcohol and (b) D-tagatose. According to a second embodiment, a diet or reduced-calorie beverage is sweetened with (a) a sugar alcohol, (b) D-tagatose and (c) at least one nutritive sweetener.

Beverages include, but are not limited to: carbonated soft drinks, fountain beverages, ready-to-drink ice beverages, coffee beverages, tea beverages, powdered soft drinks, as well as concentrates, flavored waters, enhanced waters, fruit juice and fruit juice flavored drinks, sports drinks, and alcoholic beverages. The beverage may be carbonated or non-carbonated. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the beverage is a flavored water, carbonated cola flavored soft drink, or iced carbonated beverage (FCB).

Sugar alcohols suitable for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to: sorbitol, mannitol, lactitol, maltitol, xylitol, erythritol and combinations thereof. The sugar alcohol is typically present in an amount of about 0.1% to about 3.5% by weight of the finished beverage. Erythritol, i.e., meso-erythritol, is particularly preferred for the purposes of the present invention. Erythritol is generally present in an amount of about 0.1% to 3.5%, preferably about 0.2% to 2.5% of the finished beverage. Erythritol is available from Cerestar (Hammond, Indiana) and is reported to produce little heat (0.2 calories/gram).

The D-tagatose is present in an amount of about 0.1% to 1.0%, preferably 0.2% to 0.9%, most preferably 0.3% to 0.6% by weight of the finished beverage. D-tagatose is available from Arla Foods (Union, New Jersey) and is reported to provide about 1.5 calories/gram.

All nutritive sweeteners are suitable; as used herein, "nutritive" sweeteners are those commonly used in amounts that result in significant caloric content, i.e., greater than about 1 calorie per serving (8 ounces of beverage). Suitable nutritive sweeteners include, but are not limited to: fructose, sucrose, glucose, maltose, trehalose, rhamnose, corn steep liquor and fructo-oligosaccharides. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that nutritive sweeteners may be combined in various proportions to form nutritive sweetener blends suitable for use in the present invention. The exact proportion of nutritive sweetener depends on the combination of sweeteners used in a particular blend and the overall sweetness desired for a particular use. One skilled in the art can readily determine the appropriate ratio.

It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the amount of nutritive sweetener or blend of nutritive sweeteners in the finished beverage will depend on a variety of factors such as the desired overall sweetness for a particular application. One skilled in the art can readily determine the appropriate amount.

The combination of sugar alcohol and D-tagatose can be used to replace a portion of the nutritive sweetener in a full calorie beverage without losing sweetness or taste. This is an unexpected advantage of the reduced-calorie beverages of the present invention.

Other embodiments of the present invention relate to diet or reduced-calorie food products sweetened with a combination of (a) a sugar alcohol, (b) D-tagatose and optionally (c) at least one nutritive sweetener. Such food products include, but are not limited to: confectionery, dairy products, gelatine, puddings, cake mix, cereals and cereal-based products and baked goods. All of the above descriptions relating to the inclusion of a sugar alcohol, D-tagatose and at least one nutritive sweetener in a diet or reduced-calorie beverage apply to diet or reduced-calorie food products.

Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to methods of producing diet or reduced-calorie beverages and foods comprising sweetening the beverage or food with a combination of (a) a sugar alcohol, (b) D-tagatose and optionally (c) at least one nutritive sweetener.

Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a sweetener composition comprising (a) a sugar alcohol, (b) D-tagatose and optionally (c) at least one nutritive sweetener, as described above.

The diet or reduced-calorie beverages and foods of the present invention can contain appropriate amounts of any other ingredients typically used in beverages and foods. One skilled in the art can determine the appropriate amount. These ingredients include, but are not limited to: fragrances, pigments, preservatives, acidulants, buffer salts, caffeine, antifoaming agents, and foaming agents.

The following examples are intended to illustrate certain preferred embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

Example 1

Erythritol (3% or 30g/L) and D-tagatose (0.9% or 9g/L) were dissolved in 0.9L Aquafina  water. To the solution were added sodium citrate (0.113g) and citric acid (0.13 g). In addition, water is added to make 1L finished beverage. A low calorie water with good taste and natural sweetening is obtained.

Example 2

Erythritol (3% or 30g/L) and D-tagatose (0.9% or 9g/L) were dissolved in 0.9L Aquafina  water. To the solution was added sodium citrate (0.113g), citric acid (0.13g) and 0.2% fruit flavor (based on the weight of the finished beverage). In addition, water is added to make 1L finished beverage. A low-calorie fruity water with good taste and natural sweetening is obtained.

Example 3

Erythritol (3% or 30g/L) and D-tagatose (0.9% or 9g/L) were dissolved in 0.9L Aquafina  water. To the solution was added sodium citrate (0.113g), citric acid (0.13g), 0.2% fruit flavor (based on the weight of the finished beverage) and fructose (0.29% or 2.9 g/L). In addition, water is added to make 1L finished beverage. A good tasting, naturally sweetened, low-calorie (10 calories per 8 ounce) fruit-flavored sport beverage was obtained. The beverage has a sweetness equal to or higher than that of a sports drink made with high fructose corn syrup alone (35 calories per 8 ounces).

Example 4

The 11 Brix cola beverage was replaced with 40% high fructose corn syrup with a 2% erythritol/0.9% D-tagatose blend. A reduced-calorie, naturally sweetened cola beverage is obtained having the same sweetness and taste as the full-calorie counterpart.

Example 5

Erythritol (3% or 30g/L) and D-tagatose (0.9% or 9g/L) were dissolved in 0.9L Aquafina  water. To the solution was added sodium citrate (0.113g), citric acid (0.13g), 0.2% fruit flavor (based on the weight of the finished beverage), vitamin B complex (10% recommended daily value based on the finished beverage) and fructose (0.29% or 2.9 g/L). In addition, water is added to make 1L finished beverage. A good tasting, naturally sweetened, low-calorie (10 calories per 8 ounce) fruit-flavored sport beverage was obtained. The beverage has a sweetness equal to or higher than that of a sports drink made with high fructose corn syrup alone (35 calories per 8 ounces).

Example 6

To 1 gallon of unsweetened Diet Mountain Dew  base was added erythritol (2.5% by weight of the finished beverage) and D-tagatose (0.9% by weight of the finished beverage), and the solution was stirred until completely dispersed. Fructose (3.6% based on the weight of the finished beverage) was then added and the solution was stirred again until completely dispersed. The syrup thus prepared was placed in a chilled carbonated beverage machine (Cornelius, V3, Wisconsin) in a ratio of 1+5 (1 part syrup plus 5 parts carbonated water). The resulting naturally sweetened, low calorie FCB has good carbon dioxide effervescence, mellow, milky mouthfeel and excellent taste. In addition, the syrup can be continuously passed through the FCB machine, and high-quality FCB can be continuously obtained.

Other variations and modifications of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The invention is not limited except as by the following claims.

Claims (37)

1. A diet beverage comprising (a) a sugar alcohol, and (b) D-tagatose.

2. The diet beverage according to claim 1, wherein the sugar alcohol is selected from the group consisting of: sorbitol, mannitol, lactitol, maltitol, xylitol and erythritol.

3. The diet beverage according to claim 2, wherein the sugar alcohol is erythritol.

4. The diet beverage according to claim 3, wherein the erythritol is present in an amount of 0.1% to about 3.5% based on finished diet beverage weight.

5. The diet beverage according to claim 4, wherein the erythritol is present in an amount of about 0.2% to about 2.5% based on finished diet beverage weight.

6. The diet beverage according to claim 1, wherein the D-tagatose is present in an amount of about 0.1% to about 1.0% based on finished diet beverage weight.

7. The diet beverage according to claim 6, wherein the D-tagatose is present in an amount of about 0.2% to about 0.9% based on finished diet beverage weight.

8. The diet beverage according to claim 7, wherein the D-tagatose is present in an amount of about 0.3% to about 0.6% based on finished diet beverage weight.

9. The diet beverage according to claim 1, wherein the beverage is selected from the group consisting of: soft drinks, barreled drinks, ready-to-drink iced drinks, coffee drinks, tea drinks, powdered soft drinks, concentrated solutions, flavored waters, perfume, fruit juice and fruit juice flavored drinks, sports drinks, and alcoholic drinks.

10. The diet beverage according to claim 9, wherein the diet beverage is a cola soft drink or a iced carbonated beverage.

11. The diet beverage according to claim 1, further comprising at least one nutritive sweetener.

12. The diet beverage according to claim 11, wherein the at least one nutritive sweetener is selected from the group consisting of: fructose, sucrose, glucose, maltose, trehalose, rhamnose, corn steep liquor and fructo-oligosaccharides.

13. A method of producing a diet beverage comprising the step of sweetening said diet beverage with (a) a sugar alcohol and (b) D-tagatose.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the sugar alcohol is selected from the group consisting of: sorbitol, mannitol, lactitol, maltitol, xylitol and erythritol.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the sugar alcohol is erythritol.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the erythritol is present in an amount of 0.1% to about 3.5% based on finished diet beverage weight.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the erythritol is present in an amount of about 0.2% to about 2.5% based on finished diet beverage weight.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the D-tagatose is present in an amount of about 0.1% to about 1.0% based on finished diet beverage weight.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the D-tagatose is present in an amount of about 0.2% to about 0.9% based on finished diet beverage weight.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the D-tagatose is present in an amount of about 0.3% to about 0.6% based on finished diet beverage weight.

21. The method according to claim 13, wherein the beverage is selected from the group consisting of: soft drinks, barreled drinks, ready-to-drink iced drinks, coffee drinks, tea drinks, powdered soft drinks, concentrated solutions, flavored waters, perfume, fruit juice and fruit juice flavored drinks, sports drinks, and alcoholic drinks.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the diet beverage is a cola-type beverage or a iced carbonated beverage.

23. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of sweetening the diet beverage with at least one nutritive sweetener.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the at least one nutritive sweetener is selected from the group consisting of: fructose, sucrose, glucose, maltose, trehalose, rhamnose, corn steep liquor and fructo-oligosaccharides.

25. A diet food comprises (a) a sugar alcohol and (b) D-tagatose.

26. The diet food product according to claim 25, wherein the food product is selected from the group consisting of: confectionery, dairy products, gelatine, puddings, cake mix, cereals and cereal-based products and baked goods.

27. A method of producing a diet food product comprising the step of sweetening said diet food product with (a) a sugar alcohol and (b) D-tagatose.

28. A reduced-calorie beverage comprising (a) a sugar alcohol, (b) D-tagatose and (c) at least one nutritive sweetener.

29. A method of producing a reduced-calorie beverage comprising the step of sweetening said reduced-calorie beverage with (a) a sugar alcohol, (b) D-tagatose and (c) at least one nutritive sweetener.

30. A reduced-calorie food product comprising (a) a sugar alcohol, (b) D-tagatose and (c) at least one nutritive sweetener.

31. A method of producing a reduced-calorie food product comprising the step of sweetening the reduced-calorie food product with (a) a sugar alcohol, (b) D-tagatose and (c) at least one nutritive sweetener.

32. A sweetener composition comprising (a) a sugar alcohol and (b) D-tagatose.

33. The sweetener composition according to claim 32 further comprising (c) at least one nutritive sweetener.

34. A reduced-calorie cola soft drink comprising (a) a sugar alcohol, (b) D-tagatose and (c) at least one nutritive sweetener.

35. The reduced-calorie cola soft drink according to claim 34, wherein the sugar alcohol is erythritol and the at least one nutritive sweetener is fructose.

36. A reduced-calorie frozen carbonated beverage comprising (a) a sugar alcohol, (b) D-tagatose and (c) at least one nutritive sweetener.

37. The reduced-calorie frozen carbonated beverage according to claim 36, wherein the sugar alcohol is erythritol and the at least one nutritive sweetener is fructose.