Comestible composition containing stabilized aspartame and process for preparing same

Claim 2

A comestible composition sweetened at least partially with at least one L-aspartic acid sweetening agent derivative freely dispersed therein and comprising stabilizing amounts of a stabilizer adapted, upon the normal commercial storage of said composition for at least twelve months, to retard or prevent the decomposition of said L-aspartic acid derivative into decomposition products which are devoid of sweetening characteristics to such extent as to allow for the recovery of at least 70% of the formulated amount of said L-aspartic acid derivative after said storage, said stabilizer comprising cooked hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, and said composition comprising moisture in such amounts as to cause or accelerate said decomposition of said L-aspartic acid derivative in the absence of said stabilizer.

Claim 3

A composition according to Claim 1 wherein the composition contains > 2% moisture and the cooked aqueous stabilizer has a moisture content of 10% ± 6%.

Claim 4

A composition according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the cooked stabilizer has a moisture content of 10 ± 4% and the composition has a moisture content of 2 to 8%.

Claim 5

A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the compositions contain up to 12% glycerene.

Claim 6

A composition according to any of Claims 2 to 4 wherein the formulated amount of the L-aspartic sweetening agent derivative is about 30 to 50% less than the amount of said L-aspartic acid sweetening agent that would have had to have been formulated into said composition, in the absence of the starch hydrolysate stabilizer, to provide the recoverable amount of the L-aspartic acid sweetening agent under the storage conditions, the moisture, L-aspartic acid sweetening agent and the stabilizer each being freely admixed into said composition, and said percents being weight percents.

Claim 7

6 . A composition according to Claim 1 comprising, in weight percent, i) about 2 to 8% moisture ii) about 0.01 to 2.0% L-aspartic acid sweetening agent derivative, and iii) as a stabilizer for said L-aspartic acid derivative, stabilizingly effective quantities of cooked hydrogenated starch hydrolysate having a moisture content of about 10 ± 6%, said composition being adapted, upon the storage thereof at 30° relative humidity and 100-105°F, to retain at least 80% of said L-aspartic acid derivative therein for at least 40 days.

Claim 8

A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 6 in which the L-aspartic acid derivative is aspartame.

Claim 9

A composition according to Claim 6 wherein 0.10 to 0.25% aspartame is present.

Claim 10

A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 8 further comprising the following additional components, 15 to 35% gum base 0 to 5.0% gum base modifier 20 to 70% bulk sweetening agent 0.1 to 0.5% coloring agent 0.5 to 2.5% flavoring agent

Claim 11

A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 9 having a cooked hydrogenated starch hydrolysate content of about 10 to 30 weight %.

Claim 12

A composition according to any of Claims 1 to 10 in the form of a flexible stick chewing gum product.

Claim 13

A composition according to Claim 11 wherein the chewing gum product has an ERH value of >25 to 50.

Claim 14

A process for preparing and storing a comestible composition that is sweetened at least partially with at least one L-aspartic acid sweetening agent derivative freely dispersed as such, therein, and wherein said composition has a moisture content and/or a heat history which, unless stabilized against, upon the normal commercial storage of said composition would cause or accelerate the decomposition of said L-aspartic acid derivative into decomposition products which are devoid of sweetening characteristics, the improvement which comprises formulating said composition with, as a stabilizer for said L-aspartic acid derivative and freely dispersed in said composition, on a wet basis, about 10 to 30% of cooked hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, and storing said composition and recovering at least 70% of the formulated amount of said L-aspartic acid derivative after said storage for at least twelve months.

Claim 15

A process for preparing and storing a comestible composition that is sweetened at least partially with at least one L-aspartic acid sweetening agent derivative freely dispersed as such, therein, and wherein said composition has a moisture content and/or a heat history which, unless stabilized against, upon the normal commercial storage of said composition would cause or accelerate the decomposition of said L-aspartic acid derivative into decomposition products which are devoid of sweetening characteristics, the improvement which comprises formulating said composition with, as a stabilizer for said L-aspartic acid derivative and freely dispersed in said composition, on a wet basis, about 10 to 30% of cooked hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, and storing said composition and recovering at least 70% of the formulated amount of said L-aspartic acid derivative after said storage for at least twelve months.

Claim 16

A process according to Claim 13 wherein the composition has a moisture content of > 2% and contains 0.01 to 2% aspartame, and the stabilizing of said aspartame against the destabilizing effects of said moisture with such stabilizingly effective amounts of cooked hydrogenated starch hydrolysate having a moisture content of about 10 ± 6% as to provide for the recovery of at least 70% of said formulated amount of aspartame after said comestible product has been subject to ambient commercial storage conditions for at least twelve months.

Claim 17

A process as in Claim 14 in which said aspartame is stabilized so as to allow for the recovery of at least 80% of said amount of aspartame after at least ten months of ambient commercial storage.

Claim 18

The use of cooked aqueous hydrogenated having a moisture content of 10 ± 6% in the preparation of a comestible containing aspartame.

Claim 19

The use of cooked aqueous hydrogenated having a moisture content of 10 ± 6% in the preparation of a comestible containing aspartame.

Claim 20

A use as in Claim 16 wherein said comestible is chewing gum.