STEVIA COMPOSITION TO IMPROVE SWEETNESS AND FLAVOR PROFILE

Abstract

Stevia compositions are prepared from steviol glycosides of Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni. The compositions are able to provide a superior taste profile and can be used as sweetness enhancers, flavor enhancers and sweeteners in foods, beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A high solubility Stevia sweetener composition made by a process consisting essentially of the steps of: a) providing Reb D as a first Stevia sweetener; b) providing a second Stevia sweetener that is comprised of Reb A and Reb B of different ratios; c) providing water; d) mixing the water and the first and second Stevia sweeteners to make a mixture; e) increasing the temperature of the mixture by a gradient heat treatment having a controlled rate of temperature change of 1° C. minute to an elevated temperature of about 118° C. to about 125° C. to make a solution; holding the solution at the elevated temperature; g) decreasing the temperature of the solution by a gradient cooling method having a controlled rate of temperature change of 1° C. minute to obtain a Stevia sweetener solution having a clear solution stability at 80° C. for up to 15 minutes at a total sweetener concentration of up to 20% by weight; and h) spray drying the Stevia sweetener solution, wherein the the high solubility Stevia sweetener composition has a Reb D:Reb A:Reb B ratio of about 60:35:5 and a clear solubility at a sweetener concentration of up to 1% by weight.

13. The high solubility Stevia sweetener composition of claim 12, wherein the Reb B is at least partially converted to a carboxylate salt.

14-16. (canceled)

17. A reduced sugar or no-sugar added carbonated soft drink beverage comprising the high solubility Stevia sweetener composition of claim 12, having higher sweetness, better flavor perception and overall preference compared to Reb D, Reb A or Reb B sweeteners used individually as a sole sweetener or as a di-blend of these sweeteners in a comparative beverage.

18. The beverage of claim 17, wherein the beverage is a reduced sugar or no-sugar added carbonated cola drink and the higher sweetness, better flavor perception and overall preference are compared to a Reb A sweetened cola beverage.

19. A reduced sugar or no-sugar added iced tea beverage comprising the high solubility Stevia sweetener composition of claim 12, having a cleaner, rounded sweetness and a more sugar-like sweetness profile compared to a Reb A sweetened reduced sugar or no-sugar added iced tea.

20. A reduced sugar or no-sugar added dairy product comprising the high solubility Stevia sweetener composition of claim 12, having a rounded sweetness with reduced bitterness compared to a Reb A, or Reb B or Reb D sweetened dairy products.

21. The dairy product of claim 20, wherein the high solubility Stevia sweetener composition further comprises flavor modifiers and additional sweeteners selected from the group consisting of mogrosides, monatin, and taumatin, the dairy product having a most preferred sweetness with reduced bitterness compared to di-blends of Reb A, or Reb B or Reb D sweetened dairy products.

22. The high solubility Stevia sweetener composition of claim 12, wherein the sweetener is used as sweetener, a sweetness and flavor profile enhancer, or a flavor modifier, in a various food or beverage products selected from the group consisting of: carbonated soft drinks, ready to drink beverages, energy drinks, isotonic drinks, low-calorie drinks, zero-calorie drinks, sports drinks, teas, fruit and vegetable juices, juice drinks, dairy drinks, yoghurt drinks, alcohol beverages, powdered beverages, bakery products, cookies, biscuits, baking mixes, cereals, confectioneries, candies, toffees, chewing gum, dairy products, flavored milk, yoghurts, flavored yoghurts, cultured milk, soy sauce and other soy base products, salad dressings, mayonnaise, vinegar, frozen-desserts, meat products, fish-meat products, bottled and canned foods, tabletop sweeteners, fruits, and vegetables.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the embodiments of the invention.

[0030] FIG. 1 shows the chemical structure of Rebaudioside A and Rebaudioside B

[0031] FIG. 2 shows the chemical structure of Rebaudioside D

[0032] FIG. 3 shows the sweetness profile of Reb A, Reb B, Reb C, Reb D and stevioside

[0033] FIG. 4 shows the iso-sweet levels of Reb A, Reb B and Reb D

[0034] FIG. 5 shows the sweetness potency of Reb A, Reb B, Reb D and one of their blends called Delta

[0035] FIG. 6 shows the effect of blends of Reb D, Reb A and Reb B in different proportions in acidic water system

[0036] FIG. 7 shows the superior sweetness quality and flavor profile of the blend of Reb D, Reb A and Reb B compared to a Reb A solution.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] Advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

[0038] The compositions can be used as sweetness enhancer, flavor enhancer and sweetener in various food and beverage products. Non-limiting examples of food and beverage products include carbonated soft drinks, ready to drink beverages, energy drinks, isotonic drinks, low-calorie drinks, zero-calorie drinks, sports drinks, teas, fruit and vegetable juices, juice drinks, dairy drinks, yoghurt drinks, alcohol beverages, powdered beverages, bakery products, cookies, biscuits, baking mixes, cereals, confectioneries, candies, toffees, chewing gum, dairy products, flavored milk, yoghurts, flavored yoghurts, cultured milk, soy sauce and other soy base products, salad dressings, mayonnaise, vinegar, frozen-desserts, meat products, fish-meat products, bottled and canned foods, tabletop sweeteners, fruits and vegetables.

[0039] Additionally the compositions can be used in drug or pharmaceutical preparations and cosmetics, including but not limited to toothpaste, mouthwash, cough syrup, chewable tablets, lozenges, vitamin preparations, and the like.

[0040] The compositions can be used “as-is” or in combination with other sweeteners, flavors and food ingredients.

[0041] Non-limiting examples of sweeteners include steviol glycosides, stevioside, Rebaudioside A, Rebaudioside B, Rebaudioside C, Rebaudioside D, Rebaudioside E, Rebaudioside F, dulcoside A, steviolbioside, rubusoside, as well as other steviol glycosides found in Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni plant and mixtures thereof, stevia extract, Luo Han Guo extract, mogrosides, high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, invert sugar, fructooligosaccharides, inulin, inulooligosaccharides, coupling sugar, maltooligosaccharides, maltodextins, corn syrup solids, glucose, maltose, sucrose, lactose, aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, sugar alcohols.

[0042] Non-limiting examples of flavors include lemon, orange, fruit, banana, grape, pear, pineapple, bitter almond, cola, cinnamon, sugar, cotton candy, vanilla flavors.

[0043] Non-limiting examples of other food ingredients include flavors, acidulants, organic and amino acids, coloring agents, bulking agents, modified starches, gums, texturizers, preservatives, antioxidants, emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, gelling agents.

[0044] As used herein, a “comparative” product refers to a product that has a nearly identical formulation as the test product, but without the inventive composition.

[0045] The following examples illustrate various embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the materials, proportions, conditions and procedures set forth in the examples, which are only illustrative.

EXAMPLE 1

Determination of Sweetness Profile of Steviol Glycosides

[0046] Stevia sweetener (Reb A, Reb B, Reb C, Reb D and stevioside) solutions were made by completely dissolving 200 ppm stevia sweeteners into distilled water. Solutions were tasted and evaluated by a trained internal panel. The taste panel estimated the sweetness intensity and associated sweetness profile including sweet onset, after tastes that include bitterness, liquorish and sweet lingering of different steviol glycosides as shown in FIG. 3. It illustrates the superior taste profile of Reb D over other steviol glycosides, specifically in the area of lower bitterness, cleaner and overall sweet taste profile.

EXAMPLE 2

Preparation of Blends of Reb A, Reb B and Reb D Concentrated Solutions

[0047] The PCT application PCT/US2012/051163 illustrates the methodology to make higher soluble Reb D samples. Several concentrated suspensions of Reb D and mixtures of Reb D (RD) with Reb A (RA) and Reb B (RB) were prepared (as shown in Table 2), where sweetener to water ratio was 20:80. The Reb A, B, D samples were produced by PureCircle Sdn Bhd (Malaysia) and had 98.7%, 99.0% and 98.1% purity, respectively. The sweetener suspensions were incubated in thermostatic oil bath. The temperature was increased at 1° C. per minute to 121° C. The mixture was maintained at 121° C. for 1 hour and then the temperature was decreased to 80° C., at 1° C. per minute. A small portion of each solution was kept at 80° C. and observed for solution stability. Rest of the solution, maintained at 80° C., was then spray dried using YC-015 laboratory spray drier (Shanghai Pilotech Instrument & Equipment Co. Ltd., China) operating at 175° C. inlet and 100° C. outlet temperature. The spray dried samples were then tested for solubility at different concentrations in water. The blend sample of RD/RA/RB showed better solubility than RD or RD/RA blend as shown in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Solubility and solution stability of sweetener compositions containing Reb D Solutions after Observation RD RD/RA RD/RA/RB processing step point (100) (70/30) (60/35/5) Solution T: 1 min Cloudy Clear Clear Stability after T: 5 min Intense Cloudy Clear Heat treatment crystal- lization T: 15 min Viscous Intense Clear Slurry crystal- lization Solubility after @ 0.05% Slightly Clear Clear Spray Drying Cloudy @ 0.5% Cloudy Slightly Clear Cloudy @ 1.0% Visible Cloudy Clear Precipita- tion

EXAMPLE 3

Sweetness Potency of Reb A, Reb B, Reb D and Their Blend

[0048] Several sweetener solutions of sugar, Reb A, Reb B and Reb D samples were made by completely dissolving different amount of sweeteners into distilled water. Solutions were tasted and evaluated by a trained internal panel to develop iso-sweet curves for each sweetener against sugar solutions as shown in FIG. 4. Similar iso-sweet data was generated for a blend (called Delta) of Reb A, Reb B and Reb D prepared by the methodology outlined in Example 2. The sweetness potency values (FIG. 5) were calculated at each sugar-equivalent sweetness level for individual and a blend (Delta) of Reb D, Reb A and Reb B sweeteners.

EXAMPLE 4

[0049] Sweetener solutions were made with 300 ppm of different combination of Reb A, Reb B, Reb D in distilled water. A trained panel of five employees tasted these samples in duplicates and commented the quality of sweetness profile as shown in Table 2. The tri-blend of sweeteners gave better sweetness profile than di-blend of sweetener.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Blend of stevia sweetener and their effect on sweetness profile Ratio of Sample Sweetener Comment Reb D/Reb B 75/25 Fast sweet peak, mouthcoating, lingering Reb D/Reb A 65/35 Mouth coating, sweetness builds, some lingering Reb A/Reb D/Reb B 50/30/20 More rounded sweetness, slight lingering, less sweet than other two sample

EXAMPLE 5

Comparison of Sweetness Profile of Blends of Reb A, Reb B and Reb D

[0050] Prepared 10% sugar-equivalent sweetness solutions in acidified water (citric acid 700 ppm) with 500 ppm Reb A (99.3% purity), 1512 ppm Reb B (99.1% purity) and 488 ppm Reb D (98.2% purity). Used the individual sweetener solutions to create two blended solutions with sweetness ratios of Reb A: Reb B: Reb D as 1:1:1, and 1:1:2. Also, prepared a 10% sugar-equivalent sweetness acidified solution (citric acid 700 ppm) with 526 ppm PureCircle Alpha (PureCircle Limited) that contains Reb A and Reb B in an approximate ratio of 4:1.

[0051] A semi-trained panel of 12 members tasted the samples presented in a randomized format. Difference testing was performed to evaluate sweetness onset, total sweetness, rounded sweetness, bitterness, acidity, plant note, licorice, astringency, mouth coating, sweet lingering, and bitter lingering. Samples were rated on scale of zero (0) to ten (10), with zero indicating immediate onset, no intensity or very sharp peak, and ten indicating very late onset, high intensity, or very round peak. Sucrose solutions of 5% and 10% in acidified water (700 ppm citric acid) were presented to panelists as references for 5 and 10 points on the sweetness scale, respectively. One-way single factor ANOVA was used to analyze sensory results. Average scores were computed and used for comparison as shown in FIG. 6.

[0052] FIG. 6 show that Reb D, in a blend with Reb A and Reb B, decreases bitterness and modifies the sweetness profile.

EXAMPLE 6

Comparison of Sweetness Profile of Reb A and Delta in Acidic Solution

[0053] Two sweetener solutions of Reb A and Delta (a blend of Reb D, Reb A and Reb B) were prepared in a citric acid solution at pH 3.2. The concentrations of Reb A and Delta were 550 and 926 ppm, respectively. Both samples were tested in duplicated by a trained sensory panel of 10 members, who evaluated sweetness profile and several attributes as shown in FIG. 7. Delta provided rounded sweetness and flavor profile, significantly less bitter, less astringency and tingle/burn sensation, and less lingering compared to Reb A.

EXAMPLE 7

[0054] Reduced Sugar Peach Flavored Ice Tea Samples with Reb A and Delta

[0055] The peach flavored ice tea samples as outlined in Table 3 was prepared using different sweetener, where the control was made with 7.7% sugar, the test samples were made with 50% less sugar and stevia sweeteners PureCircle Reb A 97 or PureCircle Delta, which is a blend of Reb D, Reb A and Reb B. The ice tea samples were tested by an internal trained panel of tasters. The panel concluded that Delta provided a cleaner and rounded sweetness profile compared to Reb A. The Delta sample had similar sweetness profile of the control (sugar sweetened). Majority of the panel members detected difference in mouthfeel, expressed as syrupy, between reduced sugar samples and control.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Peach flavored ice tea samples prepared with different sweeteners Control Reb A 97 Delta Water 91.9 95.7 95.7 Sucrose 7.70 3.85 3.85 Black Tea Powder - 0.138 0.138 0.138 Finlays STD90 Black Tea Powder - 0.138 0.138 0.138 Finlays STD625 Citric Acid 0.088 0.088 0.088 Peach Flavor - OC 0.033 0.033 0.033 Flavors Sodium Citrate 0.015 0.015 0.015 Potassium Sorbate 0.015 0.015 0.015 PureCircle Reb A 97 0.0139 PureCircle Delta 0.0149 Xanthan Gum - TIC 0.0013 0.0013 0.0013

EXAMPLE 8

No-Sugar Added Carbonated Cola Drink

[0056] Carbonated cola drink samples were prepared using Reb A or Delta as the only sweetener. Two different Reb A samples were used, one of which had 99.3% purity (Reb A 99), the other had 97.5% purity (Reb A 97). The regular and diet Cola syrup were prepared with ingredients as outlined in Table 4. The diet syrup was sweetened with stevia sweetener and diluted with carbonated water (ratio to make the beverage. The concentration of Reb A used for both purity levels was 530 ppm, whereas the Delta content was 926 ppm in the final product.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Cola Beverage Syrup COLA BEVERAGE FORMULA Control Diet Water 84.9415 99.5817 HFCS 55 14.6402 Cola Flavor - Flavor Systems 0.3750 0.3750 International Phosphoric Acid 85% 0.0333 0.0333 Caffeine 0.0100 0.0100 Total 100 100

[0057] A 5-members trained panel evaluated the samples in duplicate by using standard references for three attributes—sweetness, brown spice and vanilla flavor notes. Delta showed significantly higher sweetness and directionally higher spice note compared to Reb A. There was no difference in vanilla note. The overall taste of the formula with Delta was preferred.

EXAMPLE 9

No Fat Yogurt

[0058] The objective of this test was to determine the effect of individual stevia sweeteners, different blends of those sweeteners and flavor modifiers on the organoleptic quality of no-fat, no-sugar added yogurt. The Dannon non-fat, plain yogurt (DANONE) was used for making yogurt with different sweeteners including sugar and stevia sweeteners—Reb A, Reb D, Reb B and their blends as outlined in Table 5. Samples included a full sugar reference and 6 samples with stevia sweeteners and their blends. Test 5 and 6 samples were zero sugar samples, which contained RebA/RebB/Reb D blend. Test 6 sample had stevia sweetener blend and flavor modifiers—NSF01 (PureCircle), Taumatin (Naturex), and GSG (an isolated fraction of NSF02, a flavor modifier marketed by PureCircle).

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 No-fat yogurt samples sweetened with sugar and stevia sweeteners Con- Test Test Test Test Test Test trol 1 2* 3 4 5 6 No-Fat 92.0 98.96 98.96 98.96 98.96 99.96 99.96 Yogurt Sugar 8.00 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0 0 Reb A 0.04 0.032 0.012 0.004 Reb B 0.008 0.008 0.001 0.001 Reb D 0.04 0.04 0.02 0.008 NSF01 0.017 (PureCircle) GSG 0.0084 (Reb Q/R) (PureCircle) Taumatin 0.0001 (Naturex) *Test 2 contained PureCircle Alpha

[0059] The yogurt samples were prepared by adding sweetener(s) in powder form to the non-fat yogurt mixed thoroughly and then refrigerated overnight. All samples were evaluated by a trained internal panel and screened for overall sweetness, bitterness, astringency, mouth coating, flavor intensity, acidity/tartness, sweet lingering and bitter lingering.

[0060] The Test 1 sample with Reb A 97 had significant bitter taste, which was improved in the Test 2 (with Reb A and Reb B), but test 2 showed significant lingering. The Test 3 sample with Reb D tasted better than Test 1 and 2 with significantly less lingering compared to Test 2. The Test 4 sample with Reb D and Reb B blend showed slightly delayed, but higher sweetness than control and slight mouth coating with astringency. The Test 5 had slightly lower sweetness due to significantly lower amount of Reb D, which impacted the overall sourness and sweetness lingering. The panel judged the Test 6 as the best among all samples where stevia derived flavors (NSF01, Reb Q/R) and taumatin helped in rounding the sweetness profile with no lingering, as well as balanced the acidity profile with very little astringency.

[0061] Although the foregoing description and examples have fully described the present invention, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the invention described in the specification. As one skilled in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure of the invention, the compositions, processes method and steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein are encompassed by the scope of the invention.