GELLAN SEAMLESS BREAKABLE CAPSULE AND PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING THEREOF

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a seamless breakable capsule, comprising co-extruding an external and hydrophilic liquid phase, and an internal and lipophilic liquid phase, in order to form a capsule constituted of a core comprising the internal and lipophilic phase, and a shell comprising the external and hydrophilic phase, immersing into an aqueous solution containing a curing agent, wherein the external liquid phase includes a gelling agent comprising gellan gum alone or in combination with another gelling agent, a filler, and a divalent metal sequestering agent, and to breakable capsules comprising a core and a shell, wherein the shell includes a gelling agent comprising gellan gum alone or in combination with another gelling agent, a filler, and a divalent metal sequestering agent.

Claims

1-26. (canceled)

27. A seamless breakable capsule comprising: an oily core comprising one or more aromatic or fragrance molecules; and a shell composition surrounding the oily core, the shell composition comprising: a gelling agent comprising gellan gum alone or in combination with another gelling agent, a filler selected from the group consisting of starch derivatives such as dextrin, maltodextrin, alpha cyclodextrin, beta cyclodextrin, and gamma cyclodextrin, or, cellulose derivatives, such as hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC), and methylcellulose (MC), and mixtures thereof, the filler being from 25 to 95% by weight on the total dry weight of the shell composition, and a divalent metal sequestering agent selected from the group consisting of trisodium citrate, trisodium phosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate and mixtures thereof, the amount of sequestering agent being at most 2% by weight on the total dry weight of the shell composition, wherein said capsule is incorporated into a fluid medium and has a shell composition which is water impermeable wherein said and has a crush strength between 0.1 and 2.5 kp and wherein the filler allows increasing the dry material amount of the capsule shell.

28. The seamless breakable capsule according to claim 27, wherein the shell composition further comprises a plasticizer selected from the group consisting of glycerol, sorbitol, maltitol, triacetine, and mixtures thereof, the plasticizer being from 0.1 to 30% by weight of the total dry weight of the shell composition.

29. The seamless breakable capsule according to claim 27, wherein the gelling agent of the shell composition is a combination of gellan and one gelling agent selected from the group consisting of gelatin, agar, carrageenan, pectins, xanthan gum, cellulose gum, alginate, dextran, curdlan, welan gum, rhamsan gum and modified starches.

30. The seamless breakable capsule according to claim 27, wherein the gelling agent of the shell composition is 4 to 95% by weight of the total dry weight of the shell composition.

31. The seamless breakable capsule according to claim 27, wherein the gelling agent is gellan gum alone.

32. The seamless breakable capsule according to claim 27, wherein, when the gelling agent of the shell composition is used in combination with at least another gelling agent, the weight ratio between gellan gum and the other gelling agents is from 80/20 to 20/80.

33. The seamless breakable capsule according to claim 27, wherein the amount of the filler of the shell composition is from 50 to 80% by weight on the total dry weight of the shell composition.

34. The seamless breakable capsule according to claim 27, wherein the amount of sequestering agent of the shell composition is at most 0.5% by weight of the total dry weight of the shell composition.

35. The seamless breakable capsule according to claim 27, wherein the shell composition further comprises an acid salt selected from the group consisting of citrate, glucuronate, adipate, fumarate, gluconate and salt of glucono-delta-lactone, and mixtures thereof.

36. The seamless breakable capsule according to claim 27, wherein the shell composition further comprises a plasticizer, the plasticizer being from 0.1 to 30% by weight of the total dry weight of the shell composition.

37. A slurry containing co-extruded and breakable capsules according to claim 27, in suspension in a gel formed with a gel forming agent selected from the group consisting of CMC, xanthan gum, and Carbopol, and optionally comprising preservatives and stabilizers.

38. A food product including breakable capsules according to claim 27.

39. An oral care product including breakable capsules according to claim 27.

40. A pharmaceutical product including breakable capsules according to claim 27.

41. A fragrance including breakable capsules according to claim 27.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0057] FIG. 1 is a plot of wet capsule crush strength (gel strength) measured for both capsules A1a and A1b using a texturometer, comparing influence of concentration of calcium.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Examples

Example 1

[0058] Menthol Capsules (referred as 3039/A1) are prepared by co-extruding an outer liquid phase and an internal liquid phase presenting the following compositions:

TABLE-US-00001 Outer liquid phase %/total %/dry Dry matter: 15.0% weight matter gellan 2.000% 13.33% Sorbitol 1.000% 6.67% Dextrin Cristal Tex 11.400% 76.00% 648 Sodium citrate 0.200% 1.33% Citric acid 0.1% 0.67 unipure blue 0.300% 2.00% pigment CI77007 Deionized water 85.000% 100% 100.000% Internal liquid phase % % Ethanol 5.0000% Miglyol 812S 81.5000% Menthol codex 13.5000% Total 100.0000% 100.00%

[0059] The obtained capsules are separated into two batches referred as A1a and A1b. Capsules from each batch are cooled at 4 C. for 1 h, washed with desionised water and then immersed in a bath containing an aqueous solution of calcium chloride (0.1% for A1a and 1% for A1b) at pH=3.5 at T=20 C. during 15 minutes.

[0060] Wet capsule crush strength (gel strength) is then measured for both capsules A1a and A1b using a texturometer TA.XT plus from Micro Stable System to compare influence of concentration of calcium (the results are presented on FIG. 1).

[0061] Wet capsule strength is higher using 1% CaCl.sub.2) solution than using 0.1% CaCl.sub.2) solution.

[0062] After drying, crush strength of the capsules is measured using a texturometer in compression mode.

TABLE-US-00002 3039/A1a 3039/A1b Crush strength 184 g 186.6 g (dry capsules)

[0063] The obtained capsules present the following physical characteristics:

[0064] diameter: 2 mm,

[0065] thickness of the shell: 0.096 mm,

[0066] total weight: 4 mg,

[0067] weight of the core: 2.8 mg (70%),

[0068] weight of the shell: 1.2 mg (30%).

Example 2

[0069] Cinnamon Capsules (referenced as 4053/F1) are prepared by co-extruding an outer liquid phase and an internal liquid phase presenting the following compositions:

TABLE-US-00003 Outer liquid phase %/total %/dry Dry matter: 13.0% weight matter gellan 2.000% 15.38% Sorbitol 1.000% 14.62% Dextrin Cristal Tex 8.500% 65.38% 648 Sodium citrate 0.200% 1.54% Calcium citrate 0.100% 0.77% Titanium dioxide 0.300% 2.31% Osmosed water 87.000% 100% 100.000% Internal liquid %/total % without phase weight ethanol Ethanol 5.0000% Miglyol 812S 58.9000% 85.79% Cinnamon 19.6000% 14.21% Physcool 10.0000% 10.53% N-ethyl-p-menthane- 6.5000% 6.84% 3-carboxamide commercialy available as WS3 Total 100.0000% 100.00%

[0070] The obtained capsules are cooled at 4 C. for 1 h, washed with desionised water and then immersed in a bath containing an aqueous solution containing 1.25% of calcium chloride at pH=3 at T=20 C. during 30 minutes.

[0071] The obtained capsules present the following physical characteristics:

[0072] diameter: 1.2 mm,

[0073] thickness of the shell: 0.053 mm,

[0074] total weight: 0.87 mg,

[0075] weight of the core: 0.62 mg (71.98%),

[0076] weight of the shell: 0.24 mg (28.02%),

[0077] Capsules are then incorporated into a toothpaste base containing mint flavour and cinnamon capsules 4053/F1 at a 0.2% use level. During brushing, cinnamon flavour is clearly identified showing good breakability of the capsules.