Confectionery products

Abstract

Disclosed is a process for the production of a tablet-based confectionery product that features the use of water-soluble ingredients.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to tablets containing water-soluble components, which do not cause the formation of lumps that may also impede or prevent the compression process.

[0002] The tablets of the present invention exhibit a visually varying outer surface due to a combination of differently colored granules.

Background Art

[0003] [[ID=1L6]]Prior Art Some known tablets are produced, for example, as shown in US 2002016518, by compressing granules, particularly granules consisting of sweeteners. However, this US 2002016518 discloses the use of very small granules and requires the use of sorbitol syrup rather than the use of hydrophilic colloids as binders used in granulation.

[0004] EP 329977 also discloses a method for preparing tablets by compressing large granules, which undergoes a granulation process using syrup as a binder.

[0005] Both EP 329977 and US 2002016518 involve the use of irregularly shaped sweetener granules.

[0006] EP 452262 discloses tablets containing powder active ingredients such as colorants, flavorings, and sweeteners added to pre-formed polydextrose granules.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The prior art documents include the production of tablets by mixing separately pre-formed granular components before compression.

[0008] The aforementioned technique presents several drawbacks, as it includes a drying process designed to remove moisture in order to prevent the formation of granular clumps that would obstruct the proper flow of material into the compression chamber.

[0009] The aforementioned technique also requires that the granules of the various components of the tablet be pre-mixed.

[0010] A further technical problem inherent in the aforementioned process is the difficulty in verifying the formulation of the mixture introduced into individual molds (because the distribution of the various components is random and therefore not uniform, and as a result, the tablets may contain different amounts of the active ingredient).

[0011] Furthermore, the aforementioned technology does not enable the production of granules that are perfectly spherical and have the desired dimensions; on the contrary, the granules have irregular shapes and sizes.

[0012] The aforementioned irregularity means that gaps are created between some granules during compression, resulting in the undesirable effect of producing excessively brittle tablets. Furthermore, the irregularity negatively affects the material flow, preventing the flow from optimally sliding into the compression chamber.

[0013] Another drawback associated with the technologies described above, which require little to no water, is the inability to use water-soluble active ingredients.

[0014] Granulation techniques are known that are characterized by the use of larger starting granules coated with smaller granules using an aqueous binder.

[0015] The aforementioned technology, used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, makes it possible to produce multilayer spherical granules of a desired size. However, even with the use of this technology, the problem of using water-soluble active ingredients in the manufacture of confectionery products has remained unresolved. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] Description of the Invention The problems of the prior art can now be overcome by compressing substantially spherical granules consisting of a sweetener core having an appropriate particle size, the core being coated with particles of the same or another sweetener having a smaller particle size than the core (where the particles are attached to the core by an aqueous solution of a suitable hydrophilic colloid and at least one water-soluble active ingredient).

[0017] In this specification, "particle size" refers to the average size of the particles or granules constituting the aggregate, as measured by sieving. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] Furthermore, it was found that using granules of different colors resulted in tablets with visually diverse outer surfaces. The resulting surfaces have a very pleasant and entirely novel visual effect, which can be described as a mosaic effect (Figure 1).

[0019] Surprisingly, tablets obtained from spherical granules of different colors exhibit a smooth, gapless surface.

[0020] Bounded polygons interlock perfectly with each other, are visually distinguishable, and each shape is characterized by the color of the starting granules.

[0021] The mosaic effect also allows for further verification of the product's manufacturing and final composition, as the color of the granules may correlate with the specific active ingredients within them. For example, red granules may contain vitamins, while yellow granules may contain inorganic salts. This means that the presence of ingredients included in the product's formulation, as listed or displayed on the product packaging, can be confirmed not only during manufacturing but also by the end user.

[0022] Therefore, the components belonging to the various granules constituting the tablet of the present invention are not mixed with each other, but are separated and enter the adjacent regions derived from the starting granules without gaps. This makes it possible to include components that are incompatible by other methods in the same tablet.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] It is an image of the surface of a tablet having a visually colorful outer surface.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] Therefore, the present invention provides a tablet obtained by compressing a plurality of substantially spherical granules of multiple colors, each consisting of a sweetener core having a particle size in the range of 400 to 600 μm, preferably about 500 μm, and coated with particles of the same or another sweetener having a smaller particle size than the core, preferably about 100 μm (where the particles may contain a water-soluble active ingredient and are adhered to the core by an aqueous solution of a hydrophilic colloid).

[0025] Preferably, the sweetener is sorbitol and the hydrophilic colloid is hydroxypropyl methylcellulose.

[0026] Other polyols such as isomalt, mannitol and xylitol can be used.

[0027] The tablets of the present invention contain suitable conventional fillers, especially fillers suitable for direct compression such as sugar, dextrose, powdered milk, spray-dried lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, dicalcium phosphate, and other known additives.

[0028] The granules used for compression typically have a diameter in the range of 1.8 mm to 2.2 mm, preferably 2 mm.

[0029] Water-soluble active ingredients can be any compound used in the fields of food, pharmaceuticals, or dietary supplements. Examples of types of active ingredients include colorants, flavorings, vitamins, minerals, syrups, pharmaceuticals, plant extracts, amino acids, probiotics, prebiotics, inactivated bacteria, and high-intensity sweeteners.

[0030] Sweeteners make up 90-99% of the total tablet weight, hydrophilic colloids 0.1-0.5% of that, and other ingredients 1-10% of that.

[0031] The weight ratio of core granules to smaller sweetener particles is typically in the range of 1 / 3 to 1 / 5.

[0032] The different colors of the granules can be determined by adding food-grade colorants or by the natural colors of the active ingredients or fillers contained in the granule composition.

[0033] Tablets obtained by compressing granules of two, three, or four colors are preferred.

[0034] Tablets and confectionery products made from tablets can be prepared by a process including the following: a) A step of treating a sweetener core having a particle size in the range of 400 to 600 μm, and one or more sweeteners having smaller particle sizes, preferably sorbitol particles, with an aqueous solution of a hydrophilic colloid and a water-soluble active ingredient to obtain substantially spherical granules with a diameter in the range of 1.8 mm to 2.2 mm, preferably 2 mm; b) A step in which step a) is repeated once or multiple times using an aqueous solution of a hydrophilic colloid containing cores and particles of a different color from the granule cores and particles produced in step a), and different water-soluble active ingredients; c) The granules obtained in a) and b) are mixed, and a lubricant is added to the mixture; d) A step of distributing the mixture between the molds and compressing it.

[0035] To optimize the compression process, the granules selected for tablet production are mixed together with a lubricant, preferably magnesium stearate.

[0036] The resulting tablets typically consist of 99.75% granules and 0.25% lubricant. [Examples]

[0037] The following examples illustrate a method for preparing single-layer tablets obtained by compressing granules having three different colors. Using the same invention, one or more layers of a multilayer tablet can be manufactured.

[0038] Example 1 A single-layer tablet using granules of three different colors.

[0039] [Table 1]

[0040] The tablets of Example 1 are obtained by using three different sets of granules. The granules belonging to the first set, characterized by color 1, have a particle size of 2 mm and are obtained from components 1 to 5; the granules belonging to the second set, characterized by color 2, have a particle size of 2 mm and are obtained from components 6 to 10; and the granules belonging to the third set, characterized by color 3, have a particle size of 2 mm and are obtained from components 11 to 15.

[0041] The granules belonging to the three sets are spherical and are mixed in a tumbler, to which magnesium stearate is added.

[0042] Next, the mixture of three sets of granules and magnesium stearate is carried to a mold of a rotary tablet press, where it is compressed to obtain tablets containing the components listed in Table 1 along with their proportions.

[0043] The tablet has a single layer characterized by a smooth surface, where regions with polygonal boundaries can be identified, each featuring one of the colors indicated as color 1, color 2, and color 3.

[0044] Examples 2-4 Examples 2-4 describe tablets prepared according to the compositions in Table 2; however, each example is prepared with granules of a different particle size.

[0045] [Table 2]

[0046] [Table 3]

[0047] The tablets of Examples 2-4 were obtained by using three different sets of granules, each characterized by a different water-soluble active compound and a different color. The granules belonging to the first set, characterized by the presence of sodium ascorbate, are naturally white and are obtained from components 1-5 (Table 3); the granules belonging to the second set, characterized by the presence of iron bisglycinate, are naturally green and are obtained from components 6-10 (Table 3); and the granules belonging to the third set, characterized by the presence of pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), are colored red with allura red coloring and are obtained from components 11-16 (Table 3).

[0048] The tablets of Examples 2-4 have the same composition; a daily dose of 6 x 700 mg tablets provides 23% of the NRV (Nutrient Reference Intake) of vitamin C, 16% of the NRV of iron, and 25% of the NRV of vitamin B6.

[0049] The tablets of Examples 2-4 are distinguished from each other by the size of the resulting granules. All granules are obtained from a sorbitol core granulated with smaller-sized sorbitol.

[0050] The tablets were obtained from the granules belonging to the three sets described in Example 1. As reported in Table 2, the size of all three sets in each example was the same. The resulting tablets were qualitatively evaluated by a group of four experts based on their appearance, depending on whether the presence of various functional components was observed.

Claims

1. A tablet obtained by compressing substantially spherical granules of a plurality of colors, wherein the granules consist of a sweetener core having a particle size in the range of 400 to 600 μm and particles of the same or a different sweetener having a particle size smaller than the core, The core is coated with the particles, forming a tablet (wherein the particles are attached to the core by an aqueous solution of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and the aqueous solution of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose may contain water-soluble active ingredients selected from colorants, flavorings, vitamins, minerals, syrups, pharmaceuticals, plant extracts, amino acids, probiotics, prebiotics, inactivated bacteria, and high-intensity sweeteners).

2. The tablet according to claim 1, wherein the sweetener of the core is sorbitol, and the central granule has a particle size of 500 μm.

3. The tablet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the granules have a diameter in the range of 1.8 mm to 2.2 mm.

4. A confectionery product comprising a tablet according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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