Spray-dried L-aspartic acid derivatives

Claim 2

Process for fixation of L-aspartic acid derivative sweetening compounds which comprises causing a slurry-forming level of undissolved hydrated particles of the sweetening compound to be dispersed in an aqueous dextrin solution to produce a dispersion, the level of said sweetening compound being at least 15% by weight of the solids in said dispersion, the level of said undissolved sweetening compound being a major amount of the total level of said sweetening compound in said dispersion and the dispersion being maintained at a temperature low enough to assure the existence of at least a part of the sweetening compound as discretely distributed undissolved particles, and drying the dispersion to a moisture content below 5% and a density greater than 0.2 grams per cc. to encapsulate the particles of said sweetening compound in said dextrin.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 wherein the dispersion is sprayed as droplets and then dried.

Claim 4

The process of claim 1 wherein the sweetening compound is milled while in an aqueous medium to effect said dispersion.

Claim 5

The process of claim 3 wherein the sweetening compound is admixed with the dextrin solution and then milled.

Claim 6

The process of claim 1 wherein the dextrin material has a solution D.E. less than 20.

Claim 7

The process of claim 5 wherein the dextrin has a dextrose equivalency of 5-15 and wherein the dextrin material contains a major amount of oligosaccharides.

Claim 8

The process of claim 1 wherein the sweetening compound is a lower alkyl ester of L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine.

Claim 9

The process of claim 7 wherein the dispersion is maintained below 160°F.

Claim 10

The process of claim 1 wherein the dispersion is acidified.

Claim 11

The process of claim 9 wherein the acid is less than 10% of the composition.

Claim 12

The process of claim 1 wherein the dispersion is maintained below 100°F.

Claim 13

The process of claim 1 wherein the sweetening compound is present at a level of 40-70% of the total solids in the dispersion.

Claim 14

The process of claim 1 wherein the dispersion is cooled to less than 160°F and is spray dried at an inlet air temperature below 475°F.

Claim 15

The process of claim 13 wherein the sweetening compound is at least 15% of the total solids in the dispersion and the compound particles are milled in said dispersion by passage through a narrow orifice having an opening no larger than 125 microns.

Claim 16

A free-flowing, powderous, stable water-soluble, fixed sweetening composition produced by the process of claim 1 that is readily blendable, uniform in sweetening power and resists caking comprising L-aspartic acid sweetening compound particles and an encapsulating dextrin matrix, said composition having a major amount of said compound in the form of discrete randomly nested and interlaced crystals of said compound bound by the dextrin matrix, said composition having a density exceeding 0.20 grams per cc., the compound particles ranging in size from 1 to 75 microns, the dextrin having a dextrose equivalency less than 20, said composition having a moisture content less than 5% and an equilibrium relative humidity at room temperature such that the particles thereof do not pick up more than 9% moisture when the composition is dried to about 3% moisture and such that at between 40% and 80% equilibrium relative humidities the composition will pick up less water than the ground counterpart thereof.

Claim 17

The composition of claim 15 wherein the sweetener compound is a lower alkyl ester of L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine.

Claim 18

A spray dried form of the composition of claim 16.

Claim 19

The composition of claim 17 wherein the compound is a methyl ester.