Center filled confectionery

• US 6,280,762 B1
• Filed: 10/20/1999
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Hanke, Bernhard, Bealin-Kelly, Francis Joseph David, Nienaber, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Page, Thurman K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, SUSAN T
• Application Number:
  US09/403,377
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 424/439, 424/440, 424/464, 426/658, 426/660
• US Class Current: 424/440
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0056 Mouth soluble or dispersible forms; Suckable, eatable, chewable coherent forms; Forms rapidly disintegrating in the mouth; Lozenges; Lollipops; Bite capsules; Baked products; Baits or other oral forms for animals
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 11/02 Nasal agents, e.g. decongestants
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 11/04 for throat disorders
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 11/12 Mucolytics

Abstract

A throat drop comprises from 60 to 95% of a candy shell and from 5 to 40% of an aqueous filling, by weight of the drop. The filling comprises, by weight, by 8 to 20% water, from 50 to 85% bulk sweetener, and sufficient emulsifier to provide a contact angle of from 90° to 120°, the filling having a contact angle of greater than 120° in the absence of the emulsifier. The reduction in contact angle relative to a composition without the emulsifier provides an improved perception of liquidity of the filling.

Claims

1. A throat drop comprising from 60% to 95% of a candy shell and from 5% to 40% of an aqueous filling, by weight of the drop, the filling comprising, by weight of filling, from 8% to 20% water, from 50% to 85% of a bulk sweetener and sufficient emulsifier selected from the group consisting of mono-fatty acid glycerides, di-fatty acid glycerides, acetoglycerides, monoglycerides esterified with citric acid, lecithins and mixtures thereof to provide a contact angle of from 90 to 120°

, the filling having a contact angle of greater than 120°

in the absence of the emulsifier;

wherein the filling has a viscosity in the range of from about 5,000 to about 500,000 mPa.s.

2. A throat drop according to claim 1, wherein the filling comprises sufficient emulsifier to provide a contact angle of from 95 to 115°

.

3. A throat drop according to claim 1 wherein the emulsifier is soybean lecithin.

4. A throat drop according to claim 1 wherein the drop comprises from 75 to 85% of the shell and from 15 to 25% of the filling by weight of the drop.

5. A throat drop according to claim 1, wherein the filling comprises, by weight, from about 10% to about 15% water and from about 0.005% to about 0.1% emulsifier.

6. A throat drop according to claim 1, wherein the filling further comprises, by weight, from about 5% to about 25% glycerine.

7. A throat drop according to claim 1, wherein the filling comprises, by weight, from 5% to 80% sugar.

8. A throat drop according to claim 7 wherein the sugar is provided by high fructose corn syrup.

9. A throat drop according to claim 1 wherein the shell comprises a sugar-free base.

10. A throat drop according to claim 9 wherein the filling comprises a sugar alcohol.

11. A throat drop according to claim 10 wherein the sugar alcohol is in admixture with glycerine.

12. A throat drop according to claim 1 wherein the filling comprises a throat relief agent selected from the group consisting of physiological cooling agents, physiological warming agents and mixtures thereof.

13. A throat drop according to claim 1 wherein the filling has a viscosity in the range of from about 50,000 to about 100,000 mPa.s.

14. A throat drop according to claim 1, wherein the filling comprises from about 0.005% to about 0.1%, by weight, emulsifier.

15. A throat drop according to claim 14, wherein the filling comprises, by weight, from about 0.01% to about 0.05% emulsifier, and from about 10 to about 15% water.

16. A throat drop comprising:

(a) a shell, and

(b) an aqueous filling comprising water, sweetener and emulsifier selected from the group consisting of mono-fatty acid glycerides, di-fatty acid glycerides, acetoglycerides, monoglycerides esterified with citric acid, lecithins and mixtures thereof;

wherein the filling has an improved perception of liquidity as compared to a filling which does not comprise the emulsifier.

17. A throat drop according to claim 16, wherein the filling comprises from about 0.005% to about 0.1%, by weight, emulsifier.

18. A throat drop according to claim 17, wherein the emulsifier is a lecithin, and the lecithin is present in the filling in the form of vesicles encapsulating a throat relief agent.

19. A throat drop according to claim 18, wherein the filling has a contact angle of from 90°

to 120° and

a viscosity in the range of from about 5,000 to about 500,000 mPa.s.

20. A throat drop according to claim 19, wherein the shell comprises an ingredient selected from the group consisting of flavours and throat relief agents.

21. A throat drop according to claim 20, wherein an inner surface of the shell has a separate edible lining.

22. A throat drop comprising:

(a) a shell, and

(b) an aqueous filling comprising, by weight of filling, from about 10% to about 15% water, from about 0.001% to about 10% throat relief agent and from about 0.001% to about 1% of an emulsifier selected from the group consisting of mono-fatty acid glycerides, di-fatty acid glycerides, acetoglycerides, monoglycerides esterified with citric acid, lecithins and mixtures thereof;

wherein the filling has a viscosity in the range of from about 5,000 to about 500,000 mPa.s.

23. A throat drop according to claim 22, wherein the aqueous filling comprises, by weight, about 0.005% to about 0.1% emulsifier.

24. A throat drop according to claim 23, wherein the emulsifier is a lecithin, and the lecithin is present in the filling in the form of vesicles encapsulating the throat relief agent.

25. A throat drop according to claim 24, wherein the filling further comprises, by weight of the filling, from about 10% to about 20% glycerine.

26. A throat drop according to claim 25, wherein the confectionery filling has a contact angle of from 100°

to 110° and

a viscosity in the range of from about 50,000 to about 100,000 mPa.s.