Patent Application
20100266728
The present invention relates to all-natural tingling compositions, to the use thereof in food products, in particular in frozen food and chilled dairy products and to a method for producing said tingling compositions.
A plethora of compounds (plant extracts or synthetic compounds) are known in the art to provide a tingling trigeminal perception and are used accordingly in a number of food products. Such plant extracts include extracts from pepper, onion, garlic, radish, horseradish, mustard, chili, ginger etc. These may more precisely include, but are not limited to: Jambu Oleoresin or para cress (Spilanthes sp.) in which the active ingredient is Spilanthol; Japanese pepper extract (Zanthoxylum peperitum), including the ingredients known as Saanshool-I, Saanshool-II and Sanshoamide; black pepper extract (piper nigrum), including the active ingredients chavicine and piperine; Echinacea extract; Northern Prickly Ash extract; and red pepper oleoresin. Tingling agents are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,780,443 to Nakatsu et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,665 to McLaughlin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,509 to Johnson et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,424 to Nakatsu et al.
US2004/0241312 describes the use of trans-pelletorin as a compound providing a salivating and/or prickly effect. Although the compound may be extracted from natural products, it is preferably synthesised as to avoid undesired taste arising from the natural products. Examples of products comprising said compound are toothpaste, mouthwash, chewing gum, seasoning for snack foods, cracker cream filling.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide an all natural tingling trigeminal composition which can be used in a variety of food products.
Accordingly, the present invention relates, in a first aspect, to a tingling trigeminal composition comprising Sichuan pepper extract and cinnamaldehyde in a ratio of 1:0.005 to 1:0.01, preferably 1:0.008.
In a second aspect, the invention also concerns a frozen food or chilled dairy composition comprising the tingling trigeminal composition of the invention.
The use of Sichuan pepper extract and cinnamaldehyde in the production of a tingling trigeminal composition thus also forms part of the invention.
Finally, a method for the production of a tingling trigeminal composition comprising the steps of
The present invention is described hereinafter with reference to some embodiments shown in the figures wherein
The present invention relates to a tingling trigeminal composition. By “tingling” is to be understood a prickly, spicy, slightly numbing effect felt upon consumption of a product.
The tingling perception arises upon consumption by stimulation of cell receptors involved in trigeminal perception and responsible for tingling perceptions. Measure of the tingling intensity at receptor level can be determined by the appropriate bio molecular technique. Cells expressing tingling sensing receptors (TRPA1) and burning sensing receptors (TRPV1) were engineered. Functional assays, measuring the increase of intracellular calcium levels were performed to quantify receptors activity by the tingling mixture.
These assays allowed to determine the optimum concentration for Sichuan extract with high tingling effect versus low burning effect. They also allow to quantify the synergistic effect between cinnamaldehyde and Sichuan extract at the TRPA1 receptor level.
The present invention provides a new tingling trigeminal composition comprising Sichuan (also written Szechuan) pepper extract and cinnamaldehyde in a ratio of 1:0.005 to 1:0.01, preferably 1:0.008.
By “Sichuan pepper extract” is meant the extracts resulting from a cold extraction with an organic solvent such as hexane, of the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum (e.g. Zanthoxylum piperitum, Zanthoxylum americanum etc.). These extracts include alpha-, beta-, gama-sanshool, hydroxy sanshool, flavonoids, terpenes, benzophenthedin alkaloids, xanthoxylin, sesamin, limonene, citronellol, essential oils etc. Preferably, the extract is in the form of an oleoresin.
Sichuan pepper has been used in the past, e.g. it has been listed in some prior art Asian recipes. However, up-to date the pepper has only been used in a processed, e.g. cooked form, which presents the drawback of denaturing some properties of the ingredient. The extract used according to the present invention, prepared via a cold extraction process is in a form that has proven to provide unexpected trigeminal perceptions when used in the combination here-disclosed.
Cinnamaldehyde is obtainable commercially and is a commonly used flavouring ingredient. According to the present invention, cinnamaldehyde is used in such proportions that it does not impart a taste or olfactory perception to the end composition to which it is added, but only triggers a trigeminal tingling perception when combined with the Sichuan pepper extract.
It has thus now been found that a combination of Sichuan pepper extract and cinnamaldehyde in a specific ratio provides a tingling trigeminal composition which is longer lasting and more intense than compositions comprising Sichuan pepper extract alone or cinnamaldehyde alone. The synergistic effect of the present combination is shown on
Referring to
n is the number of subjects and the 1.64 is normal law z value for =5% (one-tailed).
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Thus, without wishing to be bound by theory, it is thought that the mechanism of the invention is based on a synergistic effect between Sichuan pepper extract and cinnamaldehyde at the receptor level.
Thus a tingling composition comprising Sichuan pepper extract and cinnamaldehyde present in a ratio of 1:0.005 to 1:0.01, more preferably 1:0.008, forms part of the present invention.
The composition of the present invention does not aim at imparting a flavour, odour or taste, when used in a food application but more at triggering tingling trigeminal perception.
The tingling trigeminal composition of the invention may thus be advantageously used in any types of foods or food compositions such as milk based dessert, confectionery, food “additives” such as spice mixes, sauces, dressings etc. When used in food applications, the tingling composition of the invention is preferably used such as to not undergo any harsh processes in order to preserve its properties.
A further advantage of the present tingling trigeminal composition is that it comprises natural compounds and can thus be further used in the manufacture of all-natural food products.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tingling trigeminal composition is used in the manufacture of frozen food products. Said frozen food products may be preferably selected from ice cream, sorbet, mellorine, sherbet, milk ice or water ice. Most preferably, the frozen food product is a water ice.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the tingling composition is used in the manufacture of chilled dairy products including but not limited to fermented or non-fermented milk-based products, wherein milk is meant as fresh or reconstituted animal milk, or alternatively as vegetable-based milk such as for instance juice obtained from soy, nut, hazelnut, almond etc.
The tingling composition of the invention can also be used in fermented or non-fermented aqueous, fruit, cereal or vegetal-based products, including but not limited to gels, purées, mousses, smoothies, porridges, fermented cereals, creams and soy yoghurts.
When used in frozen food products or dairy products, the tingling trigeminal composition is preferably present in an amount up to 0.005-0.02%, more preferably 0.0125% by weight of the product on a dry matter basis. This presents the advantage that a much smaller quantity of tingling composition is used compared to the amount of traditional tingling agent normally used in such products. Indeed, at least a five-fold reduction of the quantity of tingling composition can be achieved with the present invention.
Cinnamaldehyde is preferably present in an amount lower or equal to 0.0001% by weight of the product so that it does not impart any taste or olfactory perception to the latter.
The present frozen products are thus provided with an intense and longer lasting refreshing perception upon consumption.
A method for producing a tingling trigeminal composition falls under a further aspect of the invention. The method involves in a first step providing a Sichuan pepper extract. The extract can be bought commercially. Alternatively, it may be prepared by grinding the dried Sichuan pepper fruit, sieving the ground product to remove the fruit peal, immersing the ground product in water, decocting the suspension for about 10 min and filtering to give a final extract.
The Sichuan pepper extract is then mixed in a solution of cinnamaldehyde. The amount of Sichuan pepper extract in the final flavour composition is about 0.005-0.02%, preferably 0.0125%. The amount of cinnamaldehyde in the final trigeminal composition is about 0.00005-0.00015%, preferably 0.00010%. Preferably the solution comprises emulsifiers. The solution is also preferably an aqueous solution. The emulsifiers may be any food-grade emulsifier known in the art and are used to provide a homogeneous solution of both tingling agents.
In summary, the present invention provides a new way in which an all-natural tingling trigeminal composition can be produced. The composition further confers to the products to which it is added an intense and long-lasting refreshing perception.
The present invention is further illustrated hereinafter with the following non-limiting examples.
A typical water ice composition according to the present invention is given in the table below.
A typical chocolate mousse composition according to the present invention is given in the table below.
A typical healthy fruit drink composition according to the present invention is given in the table below.
A typical drinkable gel composition according to the present invention is given in the table below.
A typical drinkable yoghurt composition according to the present invention is given in the table below.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07120825.0 | Nov 2007 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2008/065475 | 11/13/2008 | WO | 00 | 5/11/2010 |
