# US 11,304,431 B2 · Sweetener and flavor compositions, methods of making and methods of use thereof

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- Number: US 11,304,431 B2
- Document ID: US11304431B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/403,053
- Filed: 2019-05-03
- Published: 2019-11-14
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-08
- Assignees: EPC Natural Products Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: EPC Natural Products Co., Ltd.; Weiyao Shi
- Inventors: Jingang Shi; Hansheng Wang; Xin Shi; Yi Wang; Wei Lyu; Yingxiang Xin; Thomas Eidenberger; Weiyao Shi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11304431B2

## CPC

- A23L 2/60: Sweeteners
- A21D 2/181: {Sugars or sugar alcohols (honey A21D2/34)}
- A21D 2/245: {Amino acids, nucleic acids}
- A21D 2/26: Proteins
- A23C 9/1307: {Milk products or derivatives; Fruit or vegetable juices; Sugars, sugar alcohols, sweeteners; Oligosaccharides; Organic acids or salts thereof or acidifying agents; Flavours, dyes or pigments; Inert or aerosol gases; Carbonation methods}
- A23C 9/1526: {Amino acids; Peptides; Protein hydrolysates; Nucleic acids; Derivatives thereof}
- A23C 9/156: Flavoured milk preparations {; Addition of fruits, vegetables, sugars, sugar alcohols or sweeteners}
- A23F 5/465: {Flavouring with flavours other than natural coffee flavour or coffee oil}
- A23G 1/48: containing plants or parts thereof, e.g. fruits, seeds or extracts (containing gums A23G1/40)
- A23G 3/48: containing plants or parts thereof, e.g. fruits, seeds, extracts (containing gums A23G3/42)
- A23G 4/068: {containing plants or parts thereof, e.g. fruits, seeds, extracts (containing gums A23G4/10)}
- A23G 9/42: containing plants or parts thereof, e.g. fruits, seeds, extracts (containing gums A23G9/34)
- A23L 2/02: containing fruit or vegetable juices
- A23L 2/38: Other non-alcoholic beverages (drinks from legumes A23L11/60)
- A23L 2/54: Mixing with gases
- A23L 2/56: Flavouring or bittering agents (sweeteners A23L2/60)
- A23L 2/66: Proteins
- A23L 27/10: Natural spices, flavouring agents or condiments; Extracts thereof
- A23L 27/11: {obtained by solvent extraction}
- A23L 27/215: {heated in the presence of reducing sugars, e.g. Maillard's non-enzymatic browning}
- A23L 27/30: Artificial sweetening agents
- A23L 27/31: {containing amino acids, nucleotides, peptides or derivatives}
- A23L 27/33: {containing sugars or derivatives}
- A23L 27/34: {Sugar alcohols}
- A23L 27/36: {Terpene glycosides}
- A23L 27/88: {Taste or flavour enhancing agents}
- A23L 29/30: containing carbohydrate syrups; containing sugars; containing sugar alcohols, e.g. xylitol; containing starch hydrolysates, e.g. dextrin (products from apiculture A23L21/20; artificial sweetening agents A23L27/30)
- A23L 33/105: Plant extracts, their artificial duplicates or their derivatives
- A23L 33/125: containing carbohydrate syrups; containing sugars; containing sugar alcohols; containing starch hydrolysates (indigestible substances A23L33/21)
- A23L 33/145: Extracts
- A23L 33/175: Amino acids
- A23L 33/18: Peptides; Protein hydrolysates
- C13K 13/002: {Xylose}
- A23F 3/405: {Flavouring with flavours other than natural tea flavour or tea oil}
- A23G 3/36: characterised by the composition {containing organic or inorganic compounds}
- A23L 2/58: Colouring agents
- A23V 2002/00: Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
- A23V 2250/262: Stevioside
- A23V 2250/266: Thaumatine, talin
- A23V 2250/54: Proteins
- A23V 2250/60: Sugars, e.g. mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-saccharides
- A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B)
- A21D: TREATMENT OF FLOUR OR DOUGH FOR BAKING, e.g. BY ADDITION OF MATERIALS; BAKING; BAKERY PRODUCTS (preservation of flour or dough before baking A23B40/00; preservation of bakery products A23B45/00)
- A23C: DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER OR CHEESE; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; PREPARATION THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B11/00)
- A23F: COFFEE; TEA; THEIR SUBSTITUTES; MANUFACTURE, PREPARATION, OR INFUSION THEREOF
- A23G: COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
- C13K: SACCHARIDES OBTAINED FROM NATURAL SOURCES OR BY HYDROLYSIS OF NATURALLY OCCURRING DISACCHARIDES, OLIGOSACCHARIDES OR POLYSACCHARIDES (chemically synthesised sugars or sugar derivatives C07H; polysaccharides, e.g. starch, derivatives thereof C08B; malt C12C; fermentation or enzyme-using processes for preparing compounds containing saccharide radicals C12P19/00; production of sucrose C13B)
- A23V: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION

## Abstract

Sweetener and flavor compositions with improved taste profiles are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods of making and methods of using such sweetener and flavor compositions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A food product comprising:
one or more non-volatile compounds of a Maillard reaction product (MRP) composition formed from a reaction mixture comprising:
(i) one or more Stevia-related components selected from the group consisting of glycosylated Stevia extracts and glycosylated steviol glycosides; and
(ii) one or more amine donors having a free amino group,
wherein (i) and (ii) undergo Maillard reaction and wherein the one or more non-volatile compounds are present in the food product in an amount sufficient to improve a taste profile and/or mouthfeel of the food product.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The food product of claim 1, wherein the reaction mixture further comprises one or more reducing sugars having a free carbonyl group.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The food product of claim 1, further comprising thaumatin, or neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), or both.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The food product of claim 1, wherein the reaction mixture further comprises thaumatin, NHDC, or both.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The food product of claim 1, further comprising a sweetener.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The food product of claim 5, wherein the sweetener is selected from the group consisting of sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame-K, neotame, erythritol, trehalose, raffinose, cellobiose, tagatose, allulose, inulin, N—[N—[3-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)propyl]-alpha-aspartyl]-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, glycyrrhizin, sodium cyclamate, brazzein, miraculin, curculin, pentadin, mabinlin, thaumatin, NHDC, naringin dihydrochalcone, maltol, ethyl maltol and advantame.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The food product of claim 1, wherein the one or more non-volatile compounds are present in the food product in a concentration range of 0.001-20 wt % of the food product.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The food product of claim 1, wherein one or more non-volatile compounds are present in the food product in a concentration range of 0.01-2 wt % of the food product.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The food product of claim 1, wherein (i) and (ii) undergo Maillard reaction at a temperature in the range of 60-250° C.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The food product of claim 1, wherein the reaction mixture further comprises one or more reducing sugars, and wherein the one or more reducing sugars comprise a monosaccharide, a disaccharide, an oligosaccharide, an polysaccharide, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 11

A beverage comprising:
one or more non-volatile compounds of a Maillard reaction product (MRP) composition formed from a reaction mixture comprising:
(i) one or more Stevia-related components selected from the group consisting of glycosylated Stevia extracts and glycosylated steviol glycosides; and
(ii) one or more amine donors having a free amino group,
wherein (i) and (ii) undergo Maillard reaction and wherein the one or more non-volatile compounds are present in the beverage in an amount sufficient to improve a taste profile of the beverage.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The beverage of claim 11, wherein the reaction mixture further comprises one or more reducing sugars having a free carbonyl group.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The beverage of claim 11, (i) and (ii) undergo Maillard reaction at a temperature in the range of 60-250° C.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The beverage of claim 11, wherein the reaction mixture further comprises thaumatin, or NHDC, or both.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The beverage of claim 11, further comprising a sweetener.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The beverage of claim 15, wherein the sweetener is selected from the group consisting of sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame-K, neotame, erythritol, trehalose, raffinose, cellobiose, tagatose, allulose, inulin, N—[N—[3-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)propyl]-alpha-aspartyl]-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, glycyrrhizin, sodium cyclamate, brazzein, miraculin, curculin, pentadin, mabinlin, thaumatin, NHDC, naringin dihydrochalcone, maltol, ethyl maltol and advantame.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The beverage of claim 11, wherein the beverage does not contain any product made from roasted coffee beans.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The beverage of claim 11, wherein the beverage further comprises a product from roasted coffee beans and wherein the added MRP composition is not made from roasted coffee beans.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The beverage of claim 11, wherein the beverage is a carbonated soft beverage or a flavored water.

### Claim 20 (depends on 11)

The beverage of claim 11, wherein the beverage is a fruit juice or a beverage comprising a fruit juice.

### Claim 21 (depends on 11)

The beverage of claim 11, wherein the one or more non-volatile compounds comprise a terpene.

### Claim 22 (depends on 1)

The food product of claim 1, wherein the one or more non-volatile compounds comprise a terpene.