Stable fat-soluble vitamin compositions

Claim 1

A STABLE FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMIN-CONTAINING COMPOSITION IN WHICH THE FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMIN IS READILY AVAILABLE BIOLOGICALLY, SAID COMPOSITION COMPRISING A MULTIPLICITY OF SMALL, SUBSTANTIALLY SOLID SPHEROIDAL PARTICLES COMPRISING (A) A NORMALLY SOLID WAX-LIKE MATERIAL HAVING A MELTING POINT OF AT LEAST 45*C., (B) A FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMIN CONTAINING MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMIN A-CONTAINING MATERIAL, FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMIN D-CONTAINING MATERIAL AND MIXTURES THEREOF, (C) AN EDIBLE SURFACE ACTIVE MATERIAL, (D) AN EDIBLE ANTIOXIDANT AND (E) A HYGROSCOPIC POLYSACCHARIDE WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY DEVOID OF SURFACE ACTIVE PROPERTIES AND WHICH IS A POLYSACCHARIDE PRODUCED BY THE CONTROLLED AND CATALYZED POLYMERIZATION OF SPECIAL CORN SUGARS, SAID POLYSACCHARIDE CHARACTERIZED BY BEING WATER SOLUBLE AND ORGANIC SOLVENT INSOLUBLE, HAVING A PH OF NOT LESS THAN 3.5 WHEN IN THE FORM OF A 10% AQUEOUS SOLUTION AND A VISCOSITY OF 20 TO 100 POISES AT 70*F. WHEN IN THE FORM OF A 40% AQUEOUS SOLUTION, SAID SUBSTANCES, (A), (B), (C), (D) AND (E) BEING INTIMATELY COMBINED WITH EACH OTHER, SAID COMPOSITION HAVING BEEN PRODUCED BY FORMING (A), (B), (C), (D) AND (E) INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM MOLTEN MASS, THEREAFTER FORMING VERY SMALL FLUID DROPLETS FROM THE MOLTEN MASS AND PROJECTING THE FLUID DROPLETS THROUGH AN INERT ATMOSPHERE INTIL THEY ARE SUBSTANTIALLY SOLIDIFIED, THE SMALL SPHEROIDAL PARTICLES THUS PRODUCED HAVING (A), (B), (C), (D) AND (E) IN SUBSTANTIALLY SOLID SOLUTION, THE QUANTITY, BY WEIGHT, OF (A) IN SAID SPHEROIDAL PARTICLES BEING BETWEEN ABOUT 10% AND 70% OF THE WEIGHT OF THE PARTICLE, THE QUANTITY BY WEIGHT OF (C) BEING BETWEEN ABOUT 0.5% AND 60.0% OF THE WEIGHT OF THE PARTICLE AND THE QUANTITY BY WEIGHT OF (E) BEING BETWEEN ABOUT 0.5% AND 35.0% OF THE WEIGHT OF THE PARTICLE, THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF (C) AND (E) IN SAID PARTICLES BEING BETWEEN ABOUT 20% AND ABOUT 80% OF THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF THE PARTICLE AND SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID SPHEROIDAL PARTICLES BEING PASSABLE THROUGH A 10 MESH SCREEN AND BEING RETAINABLE ON A 100 MESH SCREEN.