Casein formulations for the delivery of bioactive constituents

Abstract

The present invention provides a formulation for the delivery of bioactive constituents to biological surfaces, wherein said formulation comprises a suspension or solution of at least one isolated and purified casein protein or salt thereof, in water, together with at least one bioactive constituent.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to formulations designed to deliver bioactive constituents to biological surfaces, in particular, but not limited to, dental surfaces.[0002] The casein formulations of the prior art have not described an isolated and purified casein protein, together with at least one bioactive constituent, wherein the formulation provides a delivery system for the bioactive constituent, whilst at the same time maintaining the activity of the casein protein and associated bioactive constituent. Further, the formulations of the prior art suffer from a number of significant disadvantages. For example, the prior art formulations have a limited shelf life at room temperature, before the occurrence of odorous bacterial breakdown or the appearance of a precipitate of protein resulting from the addition of incompatible components.[0003] The present invention provides a formulation for the delivery of bioactive constituents to biological surfaces, wherein said formulation compri...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0039] In particular, casein protein, typically, casein phosphoprotein has an affinity for biological surfaces, and as a consequence, when the formulation in accordance with the present invention is applied to a biological surface, by virtue of this affinity of the casein protein resident in the formulation, the concentration of the associated bioactive constituent at the biological surface is increased, thereby providing a delivery system wherein the bioactive constituent is presented to the biological surface.

[0168] In general, the dispersing agent increases the rate that the phosphoprotein dissolves or disperses into solution or suspension, and in this way enhances the bioactivity. Typically, an aqueous solution or suspension of the formulation in accordance with the twenty-seventh embodiment of the invention can be sprayed onto foods such as breakfast cereal or flour, followed by drying. Alternatively, and more preferably, the formulation in accordance with the twenty-seventh embodiment of the invention is spray dried to form a powder. The spray dried powder can then be added to a beverages, a variety of foods, including confectionary, baked foods, and chewing gum etc, or for that matter may even be integrated into dental hygiene products, such as dental floss.

Problems solved by technology

Further, the formulations of the prior art suffer from a number of significant disadvantages.

For example, the prior art formulations have a limited shelf life at room temperature, before the occurrence of odorous bacterial breakdown or the appearance of a precipitate of protein resulting from the addition of incompatible components.

Images