SWEETENER COMPOSITIONS FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Sweetener compositions are provided, particularly tabletop sweeteners, comprising ground Hoodia as a weight control agent in combination with the non-caloric sweetener rebaudioside A and erythritol.

Claims

1. A sweetener composition in a powder form comprising: 0.5%-2% (w/w) ground Hoodia, 1.5%-4.5% (w/w) rebaudioside A, wherein the rebaudioside A is at least 95% pure; and 95%-96.5% (w/w) erythritol.

2. The sweetener composition of claim 1, wherein the Hoodia is Hoodia parviflora.

3. The sweetener composition of claim 1, wherein the ground Hoodia is ground Hoodia prepared from whole aerial parts of the plant.

4. The sweetener composition of claim 1, wherein the rebaudioside A is at least 97% pure.

5. The sweetener composition of claim 1, consisting essentially of: 0.5%-2% (w/w) ground Hoodia., 1.5%-4.5% (w/w) rebaudioside A, wherein the rebaudioside A is at least 95% pure; and 95%-96.5% (w/w) erythritol.

6. The sweetener composition of claim 1, consisting essentially of: 0.5%-2% (w/w) ground Hoodia; 3% (w/w) rebaudioside A, wherein the rebaudioside A is at least 95% pure; and 95%-96.5% (w/w) erythritol.

7. The sweetener composition of claim 1, consisting of 2% (w/w) ground Hoodia, 3% (w/w) rebaudioside A and 95% (w/w) erythritol.

8. The sweetener composition of claim 1, consisting of 0.5% (w/w) ground Hoodia, 3% (w/w) rebaudioside A and 96.5% (w/w) erythritol.

9. The sweetener composition of claim 1, packaged as an individual serving of 1 gr. total weight.

10. A food product sweetened with the sweetener composition of claim 1.

11. An individual serving of a sweetener composition comprising ground Hoodia, which provides an amount of Hoodia that is no more than 5-10% of the amount generally recognized as safe for daily consumption, and further comprising rebaudioside A, wherein the rebaudioside A is at least 95% pure, and erythritol.

12. An individual serving of a sweetener composition consisting of: ground Hoodia, which provides an amount of Hoodia that is no more than 5-10% of the amount generally recognized as safe for daily consumption; rebaudioside A, wherein the rebaudioside A is at least 95% pure; and erythritol.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] The present invention provides according to some aspects sweetener compositions comprising Hoodia as a weight control agent in combination with the non-caloric sweetener rebaudioside A and erythritol.

[0036] One of the advantages of the sweetener compositions of the present invention is the ease of integrating it into the dietary routine. Thus, a sweetener composition according to the present invention is likely to be consumed more consistently compared to products such as dietary supplements comprising Hoodia as a weight control agent which are consumed separately, and consequently to provide a better outcome in terms of weight reduction.

[0037] According to some embodiments, the sweetener compositions of the present invention comprise 0.5%-2% (w/w) ground Hoodia; 3% (w/w) rebaudioside A, the rebaudioside A being at least 97% pure; and 95%-96.5% (w/w) erythritol.

[0038] The percentages of Hoodia specified herein are in accordance with the guidelines for safe daily intake of this material.

[0039] According to some embodiments, a sweetener composition comprising ground Hoodia packaged as an individual serving is provided, the sweetener composition provides no more than 5-10% of the amount of Hoodia approved for daily intake.

[0040] Hoodia is a genus of stem succulents with columnar-shaped, fleshy stems, arranged in a branching, shrub-like form. The stems are thorny with flowers near their top (during the flowering season). The term Hoodia as used herein encompasses any species of Hoodia. In some particular embodiments, the Hoodia species is Hoodia parviflora. In additional particular embodiments, the Hoodia species is Hoodia gordonii.

[0041] According to some embodiments, ground Hoodia in a powder form prepared from aerial parts of the plant is used for preparing the sweetener compositions of the present invention. The term aerial parts refers to parts of the plant that are above the soil. For preparing ground Hoodia for the sweetener compositions of the present invention, the plants are preferably harvested outside the flowering season and therefore aerial parts as used herein include stems and thorns, and do not include flowers. Briefly, aerial parts are excised from Hoodia plants, preferably of more than 3 years of age, sanitized, dried, cut and subsequently ground into a fine powder. The powder is typically a powder with particle size in the range of 400-700 micron, preferably in the range of 500-600. In some exemplary embodiments, the particle size in the powder is 600 micron. An exemplary process for preparing ground Hoodia is described in Example 1 below. According to these embodiments, the plant material is used with no exceptional extraction, purification, or concentration procedures, but only light processing such as cutting and grounding.

[0042] In some embodiments, the ground Hoodia is prepared from whole aerial parts of the plant. According to these embodiments, the ground Hoodia is prepared from the stems including the thorns. In other embodiments, the ground Hoodia is prepared from the stems without the thorns.

[0043] For preparing the sweetener compositions of the present invention, alternatives of ground Hoodia such as dried extracts may also be used. Hoodia extracts may be prepared from the stems of the plant, as known in the art.

[0044] The term rebaudioside A as used herein refers to the steviol glycoside identified by CAS Registry number 58543-16-1. The term encompasses the compound itself and also an extract from a Stevia plant (typically from the leaves) containing the compound, which is at least 95% pure, preferably at least 97% pure. The extract containing rebaudioside A according to the present invention has purity greater than 95%, meaning that it contains 95% or more rebaudioside A (by dry weight) and minor or even trace amounts of other steviol glycosides and/or other plant components such as cellulose and the like. Herein, the term extract containing rebaudioside A with at least 95% purity is used interchangeably with rebaudioside A which is at least 95% pure, rebaudioside A with purity greater than 95% and the like.

[0045] For preparing the sweetener compositions of the present invention, rebaudioside A which is at least 95% pure, preferably at least 97% pure, in a powder form is used.

[0046] In some embodiments, the rebaudioside A is at least 98% pure, at least 99% pure, or 100% pure, by dry weight. Each possibility represents a separate embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Rebaudioside A is available in a purified form from various commercial sources.

[0048] Methods for purifying rebaudioside A are known in the art and described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,791,253 and 9,012,626. In brief, first, a crude extract of stevia leaves is prepared, typically by water extraction. Rebaudioside A is separated and purified via crystallization techniques.

[0049] For example, rebaudioside A may be crystallized in a single step from an aqueous organic solution comprising at least one organic solvent and water in an amount from about 10% to about 25% by weight, more particularly from about 15% to about 20% by weight. Suitable organic solvents include alcohols, acetone, and acetonitrile.

[0050] Purification of rebaudioside A may further include seeding the rebaudioside A solution at an appropriate temperature with high-purity crystals of rebaudioside A sufficient to promote crystallization of the rebaudioside A to form pure rebaudioside A.

[0051] Purification of rebaudioside A typically further includes separating and washing the purified rebaudioside A. The purified rebaudioside A may be separated from the aqueous organic solution by a variety of solid-liquid separation techniques that utilize centrifugal force. The process also typically includes washing the purified rebaudioside A using various aqueous organic solvents and mixtures thereof, and drying the purified rebaudioside A, partially or totally.

[0052] The purification process may be repeated or the purified rebaudioside A may be purified further using an alternative purification method, such as the column chromatography.

[0053] Purity of rebaudioside A can be measured, for example, by HPLC, as known in the art.

[0054] The term erythritol refers to the low-caloric sugar alcohol (polyol) identified by CAS Registry number 149-32-6. Erythritol is approved for use as a food additive throughout the world. Erythritol in a powder form is available commercially from various sources.

[0055] The sweetener compositions of the present invention are prepared, according to some embodiments, by mixing ground Hoodia, rebaudioside A and erythritol, each in a powder form, to obtain a blend in which the components are distributed evenly. According to some embodiments, the resulting blend is packaged as individual servings, each of 1 gr. total weight.

[0056] The following examples are presented in order to more fully illustrate certain embodiments of the invention. They should in no way, however, be construed as limiting the broad scope of the invention. One skilled in the art can readily devise many variations and modifications of the principles disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the invention.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

Tabletop Sweetener Composition in a Powder Form

[0057] A sweetener composition in a powder form containing ground Hoodia parviflora, rebaudioside A (97% pure) and erythritol was prepared. The sweetener composition contained 2% (w/w) ground H. parviflora, 3% (w/w) rebaudioside A and 95% (w/w) erythritol.

TABLE-US-00001 Ingredient Amounts Supplier Erythritol 150 kg ZHUCHENG DONGXIAO BIOTECHNOLOGY CO. LTD, CHINA Rebaudioside A 4.7 kg NINGBO GREEN (97% pure) HEALTH PHARMACEUTICAL CO. LTD, CHINA H. parviflora 3.1 kg DESERT LABS, ISRAEL powder* IN COOPERATION WITH CHAM 2000 INDUSTRIES, ISRAEL.

[0058] The ingredients (all in a powder form) were dry blended to obtain a homogeneous blend. The resulting blend was packaged into 1 gram sachets.

[0059] *H. parviflora powder is prepared by the supplier from whole aerial parts of the plant (stems+thorns) according to the following procedure:

[0060] (i) aerial parts of H. parviflora plants of more than 3 years of age are excised and washed in tap water;

[0061] (ii) excised plant parts undergo sanitization with a disinfection agent;

[0062] (iii) sanitized plant parts are washed in tap water, dried (sun dried), and cut into pieces of 10-20 cm in size;

[0063] (iv) cut pieces undergo a second sanitization, washed and cut into cubes;

[0064] (v) cubes are frozen to (18) C.;

[0065] (vi) cubes are heated to 80 C. and then ground into a powder with particle size of about 600 micron. The powder is packaged and stored.

[0066] The plant parts are processed essentially immediately after their excision, such that the drying step is carried out within 24 hours from the harvest. The water content in the dry material following freezing and heating is up to 2.5%.

Example 2

Efficacy of the Sweetener Composition in Promoting Weight Reduction

[0067] The sweetener composition prepared in Example 1 is tested for its efficacy in promoting weight reduction in human subjects.

[0068] A first group of healthy subjects with BMI between 18.5-29.99 (corresponding to normal weight or overweight) is instructed to consume 8 grams of the sweetener composition of Example 1 (corresponding to 8 individual servings packaged in sachets) per day for 40 days. The participants are instructed to consume the sweetener composition by adding it into a beverage.

[0069] A second group of healthy subjects with the same BMI range is instructed to consume 8 grams of a sweetener composition which does not contain Hoodia (e.g., containing only rebaudioside A, 97% pure, and erythritol) per day for 40 days, by adding it into a beverage.

[0070] Other than that, the subjects in both groups are instructed to continue their regular dietary routine.

[0071] The weight of the subjects in both groups is measured at the beginning of the trial, following 3 weeks, and at the end of the 40 days.

Example 3

Efficacy of the Sweetener Composition in Promoting Weight ReductionComparative

[0072] One of the advantages of the sweetener composition of the present invention which combines Hoodia as a weight control agent is the ease of integrating it into the dietary routine. Thus, a sweetener composition according to the present invention is likely to be consumed more consistently compared to products such as dietary supplements comprising Hoodia as a weight control agent which are consumed separately, and consequently to provide a better outcome in terms of weight reduction.

[0073] A protocol was composed to demonstrate the efficacy of sweetener compositions prepared according to Example 1 in weight reduction in comparison to a dietary supplement containing ground Hoodia in a tablet form.

[0074] Two groups of healthy human subjects with BMI between 18.5-29.99 (corresponding to normal weight or overweight) are enrolled. One group receives a pack of 1 gram sachets containing a sweetener composition according to Example 1, and the other group receives a pack of tablets containing ground Hoodia (20 mg ground Hoodia per tablet). The first group is instructed to consume two sachets of the sweetener composition every day for three months. The second group is instructed to consume two tablets every day for three months at intervals of no less than 8-10 hours between tablets. The subjects in the first group are free to decide when to consume the sweetener product during the day. Other than that, the subjects in both groups are instructed to continue their regular dietary routine.

[0075] Subjects' reported compliance throughout the trial is evaluated and compared between the two groups. Subjects' weight is measured at the beginning and at the end of the trial and weight loss is compared between the two groups.

[0076] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without undue experimentation and without departing from the generic concept, and therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. The means, materials, and steps for carrying out various disclosed chemical structures and functions may take a variety of alternative forms without departing from the invention.