Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2113~86
PALATABLE LOW SALT SUBSTITUTES
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compositions
suitable as salt substitutes. In particular, the
palatable compositions of the present invention comprise
a nutritious, unique blend of various salt forms or,
optionally, free acid forms, of a select group of
organic acids, including Vitamin C. The compositions of
the present invention also contain, but in relatively
minor amounts, potassium chloride and sodium chloride.
2. Background of the Invention
The overconsumption of sodium chloride has
been blamed for a wide range of human ailments including
high blood pressure, coronary disease and heart attacks.
Indeed, medical research has shown that a reduction in
the amount of sodium salt intake can be accompanied by
a corresponding decrease in the blood pressure of
hypertensive patients. Thus, great emphasis has been
placed on low "salt" diets in which most, if not all,
the sources of sodium chloride salt are eliminated.
Many products abound in which the major constituent of
the low "salt" formulation or salt substitute is
potassium chloride or sodium iodide.
For example, "a sodium-free yet saline tasting
composition of matter" is disclosed in United States
Patent Number 2,968,566. Potassium chloride contributes
about seventy percent by weight of the compositions
described in particular examples of this patent,
although the claimed composition can comprise from about
forty to about ninety parts potassium chloride. Calcium
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ascorbate is only a minor constituent of the
compositions disclosed in this patent. Language
reciting a limitation of "from about four to about
fifteen parts" of ascorbate (either as calcium ascorbate
or as free ascorbic acid) appears as a specific element
of the claims of this patent. Such a high proportion of
potassium chloride, such as that disclosed in this
patent, renders the resulting composition inherently
susceptible to the bitter after taste of potassium
chloride.
Vitamin C and its salts, including calcium
ascorbate, are, of course, quite old in the art and have
been utilized most commonly as stabilizers or
preservatives, as well as in vitamin supplements.
Vitamin C has also been the subject of inventions
relating to various granulation methods. For instance,
Canadian Patent Number 846,155 discloses a method of
granulating ascorbic acid with an alkali metal chloride.
More recently, United States Patent Number 5,077,310
discloses granulation products of calcium ascorbate
which also contains a number of solid organic acids,
including citric acid and ascorbic acid. The pH of the
granulated product of this recent patent is preferably
in the range of 5.5 to 7.0, and the product, thus, is
described as being "prevented from being colored."
There, thus, remains a need for a dietary low
"salt" substitute that possesses substantially all the
desirable olfactory characteristics of conventional
table salt, while significantly lowering the intake of
sodium chloride. The discovery of such a palatable
composition that is, in addition, able to provide
nutritional amounts of calcium and Vitamin C would be a
significant achievement.
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3. Summary of the Invention
To the great surprise of the present
applicants, the desirable palatable, dietary and
nutritional characteristics, stated above, can be
obtained in a composition having, as a principal
component, the calcium salt of ascorbic acid. In
particular, a palatable composition has been discovered
which is suitable as a salt substitute and which
comprises a mixture of about forty to about sixty
percent by weight of the mixture (wt%) of the calcium
salt of ascorbic acid, about five to about twenty-five
wt% of the sodium salt of ascorbic acid, about fifteen
to about twenty wt~ of sodium chloride and about one to
about two wt% of potassium chloride. The palatable
composition of the present invention may further contain
free ascorbic acid in an amount that is up to about
fifteen percent by weight of the mixture.
In a specific embodiment of the present
invention, the palatable composition may also contain,
in addition to the components described, above, the free
acid, calcium salt, potassium salt, sodium salt or
combinations thereof of at least one of the supplemental
acids selected from the group consisting of gluconic
acid, citric acid, tartaric acid or glutamic acid.
Consistent with the objectives of the present
invention, the applicants have further found that
palatable compositions, having a preferred salty and
nonbitter taste, include those with a pH value of about
3.5 to about 5.5, most preferably, about 4 to about 5.
Yet another ob~ective of the present invention
relates to providing a method of enhancing the flavor of
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comestible solid or liquid matter comprising the
addition of an effective flavor-enhancing amount of at
least one of the various palatable low "salt" substitute
compositions disclosed or equivalent to those disclosed
in the present specification.
It is a further objective of the present
invention to provide palatable compositions that resist
discoloration and absorption of atmospheric moisture.
Any further objectives of the present
invention will be apparent to the reader skilled in the
art upon further reflection of the contents of the
present disclosure, including the detailed description,
immediately following, which serves merely as a further
illustration of specific embodiments of the instant
invention.
4. Detailed DescriPtion of the Invention
As described previously above, the present
invention relates to a low "salt" substitute that
possesses substantially all the desirable olfactory
characteristics of conventional table salt, while
significantly lowering the intake of sodium chloride.
In addition, the palatable composition of the present
invention, provides nutritious amounts of an essential
vitamin, Vitamin C, and an important dietary supplement,
calcium ion. All this is obtained from a composition
comprising a mixture of about forty to about sixty
percent by weight of the mixture of the calcium salt of
ascorbic acid, about five to about twenty-five percent
by weight of the mixture of the sodium salt of ascorbic
acid, about fifteen to about twenty percent by weight of
the mixture of sodium chloride and about one to about
4 ~ ~
two percent by weight of the mixture of potassium
chloride. The palatable composition of the instant
invention may further comprise from zero, or close to
zero, to about fifteen percent by weight of the mixture
5 of free ascorbic acid.
The calcium ascorbate component of the instant
invention is preferably in crystalline granular form
(See, for example, United States Patent Number
4,251,449), or, further, can be in the form of a
dihydrate (See, for example, united States Patent
Numbers 2,596,103 and 2,631,155).
In a preferred embodiment of the instant
15 invention, the pH of 3.5 grams of the palatable
composition, when dissolved in 100 mL of distilled
deionized water, should fall in the range of about 3.5
to about 5.5, preferably about 4 to about 5. Such
preferred compositions have a more appealing, agreeable
20 taste.
Other preferred compositions include those in
which the amount of the sodium salt of ascorbic acid and
the amount of the free ascorbic acid are approximately
25 equal in the mixture that also contains calcium
ascorbate, sodium chloride and potassium chloride.
Other suitable salt substitute compositions contain a
mixture in which the amount of the calcium ascorbate
present is about equal to the sum of the respective
30 amounts of sodium ascorbate, free ascorbic acid, if
present, and sodium chloride.
, . .
A
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The following Table lists specific examples of
preferred mixtures suitable for incorporation into the
palatable compositions contemplated by the instant
invention. The pH of a 3.5 percent by weight aqueous
solution of the mixture of Ex. 1 was found to be 4.35,
while that of a 3.5 percent by weight aqueous solution
of the mixture of Ex. 2 was found to be 4.55.
TABLE
PREFERRED MIXTURES OF SALTS AND ASCORBATES
Percent by Weight
Inqredientof Mixture
Ex. 1 sodium chloride 17.3
calcium ascorbateA51.8
sodium ascorbate14.9
ascorbic acid 14.9
potassium chloride1.0
Ex. 2 sodium chloride 19.8
calcium ascorbateA49.5
sodium ascorbate14.8
ascorbic acid 14.8
potassium chloride1.0
A As the dihydrate
Generally, the amount of sodium chloride by
weight of the preferred mixture is about seven to about
twenty times that of the potassium chloride present.
Also, generally, the calcium ascorbate comprises about
forty to about sixty percent by weight of the mixture,
3S preferably about fifty percent.
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In particular embodiments of the invention,
the mixture of ascorbates and potassium chloride and
sodium chloride is further supplemented by the free acid
form of gluconic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid or
glutamic acid. Alternatively, the calcium, potassium or
sodium salts of these supplemental organic acids may be
added. Likewise, any combination involving the free
acid, calcium, potassium or sodium salts may be
utilized. However, the presence of such supplemental
ingredients are generally limited to about one to about
ten percent by weight of the mixture, preferably about
two to about six percent by weight.
The palatable composition of the present
invention may further comprise other components that
would have utility apparent to those of ordinary skill
in the art. For instance, it may be useful to include
binders (e.g., a water-soluble cellulose), a sugar, a
repellant, a lubricant, other vitamins, flavoring
agents, and the like.
The granulated composition should further be
of a desirable size mesh, for example, in the range of
about 20 mesh to about 80 mesh, preferably about 30 to
about 50 mesh.
Preferred low salt compositions of the present
invention may be prepared by the following method.
Mixtures such as those listed in the Table, were ground
in a pestle mortar until the powder had an average
particle size of about 80 to about 100 mesh. To lo
grams of this finely powdered mixture was added 2 grams
of distilled water with thorough mixing under nitrogen
atmosphere with a glass spatula. The slurry thus
obtained was allowed to stand at a temperature below
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50~C with nitrogen bubbling through it slowly (to
maintain a substantially oxygen free atmosphere) until
all of the water had evaporated. On evaporation, a hard
crystalline crust was obtained which was then ground to
about 30-50 mesh size crystallites. The resulting
material was slightly flesh colored with no tendency to
absorb moisture from the atmosphere and no tendency to
discolor further.
It should be apparent to those skilled in the
art that other compositions not specifically disclosed
in the instant specification are, nevertheless,
contemplated thereby. Such other compositions are
considered to be within the scope and spirit of the
present invention. Hence, the invention should not be
limited by the description of the specific embodiments
disclosed herein but only by the following claims.
