FORM2
THE PATENT ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENT RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICA TION
(See section 10 and rule 13)
/. Title of th e In vention
A SWEETENER PREMIX COMPOSITION AND A PROCESS OF PREPARATION THEREOF
2. Applicants)
Name Nationality Address
TATA CHEMICALS INDIA BOMBAY HOUSE, 24 HOMI MODY
LIMITED STREET, MUMBAI - 400001
3. Preamble to the description
COMPLETE SPECIFICA TION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is
to be performed.

Field of Invention
A sweetener composition having masked bitterness and aftertaste of stevia and a method of making the same is disclosed. The sweetener composition having masked bitterness and aftertaste and a method of making the same is new.
Background
Sugar has been the most widely used sweetener in the world. While sugars are found naturally in many foods, including fruits and milk, the addition of sugars to food products adds to the total energy content of the product. Consumption of foods, beverages, and packed foods containing sweeteners has increased markedly. Upon consumption, these sweeteners have their inherent drawback on human health leading to high blood sugar, weight gain and obesity etc. Evidence suggests that reducing sugar intake, especially in form of sugar-sweetened beverages, may help to maintain a healthy body weight and possibly reduce the risk of overweight and obesity in adults.
High intensity sweeteners are used as substitute to natural sweeteners as they are several times sweeter than sucrose and less in calories. Saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), sucralose, neotame and advantame are some commercially used artificial sweeteners. However there are several health concerns raised in various studies about high intensity sweeteners like weight gain, obesity, metabolic syndrome risk, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension etc. Also some high intensity sweeteners have bitter after taste and tend to alter the taste profile of many food products.
Stevia is a common name given to the extract of the leaves of the plant, Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni). The leaves contain sweet-tasting ent-kaurene diterpenoid glycosides, in

particular, stevioside and rebaudioside A, currently used as nonnutritive high potency sweeteners. The steviosides are 200 - 300 times sweeter than sucrose which makes it better alternative to sugar. However Stevioside is known to have inherent bitterness, with a liquorice aftertaste and lingering sweetness after the product is ingested.
Researchers have found that the bitter taste of Stevia is linked to the taste buds on the tongue. In human, the taste buds on the tongue have receptors to identify sweet and bitter chemical compounds. While there are 25 different receptors for bitter tastes, there is only one receptor for sweet taste. The bitter taste of Stevia is result of the chemical compounds in stevia interacting with both these receptors on tongue.
The bitter aftertaste of stevia limits its commercial possibilities in various applications. These properties are a disadvantage for application of stevia as a sweetener in table top sugar replacer since comparison of taste is made by the consumer with sucrose. The composition in the proposed invention has effectively reduced the bitter taste of steviosides and is comparable with sucrose.
Therefore, to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks and to meet the consumer demands of low calorie food, without compromising on the taste profile of food products, there is need for a sweetener which is natural, and has reduced bitterness and does not alter the taste profile of food product.
The present invention relates to a sweetener composition which has masked bitterness and aftertaste and has sweetness comparable to that of sugar. The sweetener composition of the present invention does not alter the taste profile of food products. The invention also relates to the method of producing the above mentioned sweetener composition.
Summary

A sweetener premix composition having masked bitterness and aftertaste and the method of producing such sweetener composition is disclosed. The sweetener composition comprises stevia, prebiotic sweetener, polyol and carrier. Said sweetener composition having reduced masked bitterness and aftertaste comprises 30% to 40% by weight of stevia, 15% to 25% by weight of prebiotic sweetener, 15% to 25% by weight of polyol, and 15% to 30% by weight of carrier in the composition. The said sweetener composition may further comprise of additives like flavor modifier, filler, anti-caking agents etc. The said flavor modifier is selected from sodium salts, silica, thaumatin or mixtures thereof.
A method of producing said sweetener composition having masked bitterness and aftertaste is also disclosed.
Brief Description of Drawings
Figure 1 (a) depicts results of trained sensory panel assessment of a sweetener premix composition of example 1 in water compared to 5% sugar (reference).
Figure 1 (b) depicts results of trained sensory panel assessment of a sweetener premix composition of example 1 in tea compared to 5% sugar (reference).
Figure 1 (c) depicts results of trained sensory panel assessment of a sweetener premix composition of example 1 in coffee compared to 5% sugar (reference).
Figure 2 (a) depicts results of trained sensory panel assessment of a sweetener premix composition of example 2 in water compared to 5% sugar (reference).
Figure 2 (b) depicts results of trained sensory panel assessment of a sweetener premix composition of example 2 in tea compared to 5% sugar (reference).

Figure 2 (c) depicts results of trained sensory panel assessment of a sweetener premix composition of example 2 in coffee compared to 5% sugar (reference).
Figure 3 (a) depicts results of trained sensory panel assessment of a sweetener premix composition of example 3 in water-compared to 5% sugar (reference).
Figure 3 (b) depicts results of trained sensory panel assessment of a sweetener premix composition of example 3 in tea compared to 5% sugar (reference).
Figure 3 (c) depicts results of trained sensory panel assessment of a sweetener premix composition of example 3 in coffee compared to 5% sugar (reference).
Figure 4 (a) depicts results of trained sensory panel assessment of a sweetener premix composition of example 4 in water compared to 5% sugar (reference).
Figure 4 (b) depicts results of trained sensory panel assessment of a sweetener premix composition of example 4 in tea compared to 5% sugar (reference).
Figure 4 (c) depicts results of trained sensory panel assessment of a sweetener premix composition of example 4 in coffee compared to 5% sugar (reference).
Detailed Description
For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to embodiments and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the disclosed composition and method, and such further applications of the principles of the disclosure therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the disclosure and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.
Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" "an embodiment" or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment", "in an embodiment" and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
The disclosure relates to a sweetener premix composition having masked bitterness and aftertaste of stevia and the method of producing such sweetener composition. Said sweetener premix composition comprises Stevia, prebiotic sweetener, a compound selected from silica, sodium silicate, sodium meta silicate and combinations thereof and a salt selected from sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and combinations thereof.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the sweetener premix composition comprises of 60% to 95% by weight of stevia; 2% to 30% by weight of a prebiotic sweetener; 0.5% to 10% by weight of a compound selected from silica, sodium silicate, sodium meta silicate and combinations thereof; 0.5% to 10% by weight of a salt selected from sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and combinations thereof, based on the total weight of the sweetener premix composition.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the sweetener premix composition comprises of 60% to 95%) by weight of stevia; 2% to 30% by weight of a prebiotic sweetener; 0.5% to 10%o by weight of a compound selected from silica, sodium silicate, sodium meta silicate and combinations thereof; 0.5% to 10%) by weight of a salt selected from sodium acetate, sodium

carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and combinations thereof, based on the total weight of the sweetener premix composition.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the sweetener premix composition optionally comprises additives anti-caking agents, binders, carriers and bulking agents.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention the sweetener premix composition, the bulking agent could be used in any suitable amount as per the requirement, suitable for handling the sweetener premix composition.
In accordance with an aspect the bulking agent could be selected any food matrix, sweetener matrix or ingredient suitable for the application. The suitable matrix could be but not limited to sucrose, dextrose, fructose, maltodextrin, starch, corn syrup, lactose, a polyol selected from erythritol, maftitol, mannitol, sorbitol, lactitol, xylitol, isomalt, galactitol, isomaltulose, and a mixture thereof.
Stevia
Stevia is a sweetener and sugar substitute extracted from the leaves of the plant species Stevia rebaudiana. The leaves contain ent-kaurene type of diterpenoid glycosides that are typically the characteristics of leaves of Stevia Rebaudiana berioni. Relative to sucrose, the potent sweetness intensities of these glycosides have projected them as cost effective sucrose substitute. Stevia is 200 times sweeter than sugar in the same concentration and has no calories. Seviol glycosides are non-fermentable, stable at heat and pH. Steviosides have a negligible effect on blood glucose, which makes stevia attractive to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets.
The drawback in the use of stevia is its taste. It has slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, and has a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations.

All steviol glycosides share a common steviol backbone. The differences between the various steviol glycosides are due to the number of sugar molecules attached to the steviol core and its arrangement. Generally rebaudioside A and stevioside are the major glycosides found in stevia leaves based on dry weight, with steviosides like rebaudioside D in much lower concentrations in the plant. A combination of any the individual approved steviol glycosides can contribute to the 95% or more steviol glycoside content required to meet the JECFA specification. In fact, for the purposes of food science and great taste, steviol glycosides are increasingly used in combinations in packaged foods and beverages to achieve the ideal sweetness profile given the food matrix or beverage composition.
Stevia extracts have several unique properties such as long shelf life, high temperature tolerance and non-fermentative.
However stevia sweetener has signature bitter aftertaste. Bitterness is perceived when bitter-eliciting compounds interact with receptors within foliate and circumvallate papillae on the lateral and posterior surfaces of the tongue, respectively. Within these papillae are hundreds (in foliate) and thousands (in circumvallate) of taste buds that contain taste receptor cells (TRCs), which for bitter taste includes the seven transmembrane G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family, TAS2Rs.
Various combination of compounds which can interact and compete with bitterness causing compounds of receptors on the tongue are been explored by food processing industry to reduce the perception of bitterness of steviosides.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, stevia includes the stevia leaf extract, isolated steviol glycoside (stevioside), isolated rebaudioside A, isolated rebaudioside C, isolated rebaudioside D and isolated rebaudioside F individually and in any combination as
well.

Prebiotic sweetener
Prebiotics are specialized plant fiber that stimulates the growth and activity of beneficial intestinal microorganisms in the colon and helps in improving the health of an individual. Prebiotics acts as food for the beneficial intestinal microorganisms which are already present in the colon. Prebiotics are used as alternative sweetener with 25 - 50 % sweetness level as compared to sucrose. The addition of prebiotics to the sweetener composition helps in masking the bitterness of stevia as well as addition of fiber beneficial to the gut.
The prebiotic sweetener used in the present sweetener composition is selected from fructo-oligosaccharides, galacto-oligosaccharides, xylo-oligosaccharides, mannan -oligosaccharides, soy-oligosaccharides, inulin, raffinose, stachyose and verbascose, trans-galactooligosaccharides, gentio-oligosaccharides, gluco-oligosaccharides, human milk oligosaccharides, isomalto-oligosaccharides, lactosucrose, maltotriose, melibiose-derived oligosaccharides, N-acetylchito-oligosaccharides, pectic-oligosaccharides and a mixture thereof.
The present invention also relates to a process of making the above mentioned sweetener premix composition having masked bitterness and aftertaste. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a process for preparing sweetener premix composition having masked bitterness and aftertaste of stevia comprising the blending of 60% to 95% by weight of stevia; 2% to 30% by weight of a prebiotic sweetener; 0.5% to 10% by weight of a compound selected from silica, sodium silicate, sodium meta silicate and combinations thereof; 0.5%o to 10% by weight of a salt selected from sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and combinations thereof with respect to the total weight of the composition; mixing the said mixture in a blender and subsequently passing through the sieve to get uniform particles to obtain the premix sweetener composition.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the sieving ranges from 20 to 40 mesh.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the sweetener premix composition may be in the form of powder, granules, and tablets.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the premix sweetener composition has masked bitter and after taste of stevia.
In an embodiment, the premix sweetener composition of the present invention has a taste and flavor profile that yields a liking score from a sensory perspective that is significantly higher than the standard stevia based premix sweetener composition a flavor linking score of at least 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 based on a 9-point hedonic scale. The 9-point hedonic scale is one of the most widely used stale for measuring food acceptability. For example, the 9-point hedonic scale assigns points 1-9 based on user preferences for a food product as follows: Like Extremely -9; Like Very Much - 8; Like Moderately - 7; Like Slightly - 6; Neither Like nor Dislike - 5; Dislike Slightly - 4; Dislike Moderately - 3; Dislike Very Much - 2; and Dislike Extremely -1.
Example 1: Process of making premix sweetener composition
90 gm of stevia extract, 48 mg of fructooligosaccharides, 9 gm of silica and 3 gm of sodium acetate was mixed in a ribbon blender for 5 minutes at 150 rpm. The obtained mixture is passed through 30 mesh sieve.
Example 2: Process of making premix sweetener composition
90 gm of stevia extract, 48 gm of fructooligosaccharides, 9 gm of silica and 3 gm of sodium acetate was mixed in a ribbon blender for 5 minutes at 150 rpm. The obtained mixture is

passed through 30 mesh sieve. The sieved mixture is mixed with the 50 gm of maltitol and mixed using ribbon blender at 100 rpm for 5 minutes.
Example 3: Process of making premix sweetener composition
111.75 gm of stevia extract, 30 gm of rructooligosaccharides powder, 7.5 gm of silica and 0.75 gm of sodium bicarbonate was mixed in a ribbon blender for 5 minutes at 150 rpm. The obtained mixture is passed through 30 mesh sieve. The sieved mixture is mixed with the 50 gm of maltitol and mixed using ribbon blender at 100 rpm for 5 minutes.
Example 4: Process of making premix sweetener composition
90 gm of stevia extract, 48 gm of fructooligosaccharides powder, 9 gm of sodium silicate and 3 gm of sodium acetate was mixed in a ribbon blender for 5 minutes at 150 rpm. The obtained mixture is passed through 30 mesh sieve. The sieved mixture is mixed with the 50 gm of maltitol and mixed using ribbon blender at 100 rpm for 5 minutes.
Example 4: Sample preparation for sensorial analysis
Tea was prepared in water containing skim milk by conventional method. Coffee was prepared using automated coffee maker machine in water containing skim milk.
a) 30 mg of sweetener premix of example 1 was dissolved in three separate food matrix of 100 ml of water, 100 ml of tea and 100 ml of coffee, separately.
b) 40 mg of sweetener premix of example 2 was dissolved in three separate food matrix of 100 ml of water, 100 ml of tea and 100 ml of coffee, separately.
c) 40 mg of sweetener premix of example 3 was dissolved in three separate food matrix of 100 ml of water, 100 ml of tea and 100 ml of coffee, separately.

d) 40 mg of sweetener premix of example 2 was dissolved in 100 ml of water, 100 ml of tea and 100 ml of coffee, separately.
Example 6: Sensorial evaluation
Sensorial evaluation was conducted of the sweetener formulation obtained from example 1, example 2, example 3 and example 4 by sensorial expert panel of 20 people. Puffed chickpea and water was given after each sample for neutralizing the taste. Panel constituted both male (M) and female (F) members. Samples prepared as per example 5 were compared with 5% sugar solution prepared in water, tea and coffee (5 gm of sucrose dissolved in 100 ml of water, tea and coffee, prepared as per example 5). Panelists score the samples on Hedonic scale 1-9 against the parameters. The finding has been tabulated in table 1 to 4 based on the average value against the parameters and depicted in figure 1 (a) to 4 (c).
Sensory evaluation:
Table 1:
Sweetener premix of example 1 5% sugar
Parameter 1 1 j 1
Water Tea Coffee Water Tea Coffee
Sweetness ? 69 ?31 J63 15 ?>2? ^
intensity
Sweetness g 19 ? 63 ? gg g5 g n ?M
onset
Bitterness 1 1.25 1.25 0 0 0
Liquorice ogl {3l u9 Q Q Q
taste

Lingering ^ ^
sweetness
Mouthfeel 7.19 7.06 7.88 7.81 8.06 7.64
Overall score 7.75 7.06 7.56 7.88 8 8
Table 2:
Sweetener premix of example 2 5% sugar
Parameter 1 r 1 1
Water Tea Coffee Water Tea Coffee
Sweetness
intensity 7.06 6.81 7.44 7.5 7.27 7.56
Sweetness
onset 7.69 7 7.69 8.5 8.13 7.94
Bitterness 1.63 0.94 2 0 0 0
Liquorice
taste 0.56 0.44 0.31 0 0 0
Lingering
sweetness 0.94 0.31 1.5 0 0 0
Mouthfeel 7.31 7.13 7.56 7.81 8.06 7.64
Overall score 7.31 7.44 7.63 7.88 8 8
Table 3:
Parameter Sweetener premix of example 3 5% sugar

Water Tea Coffee Water Tea Coffee
Sweetness ?31 ?25 ?_3g
intensity
Sweetness gl3 ? 44 75fi g5 g B ? ^
onset
Bitterness 1.81 0.94 1.75 0 0 0
Liquorice QM QM QM Q Q Q
taste
Lingering Q 8] UJ ^ Q Q Q
sweetness
Mouthfeel 8 7.75 7.25 7.81 8.06 7.64
Overall score 7.81 7.44 7.38 7.88 8 8
Table 4:
Sweetener premix of example 4 5% sugar
Parameter 1 1 1 1
Water Tea Coffee Water Tea Coffee
Sweetness _ cn- n , n nn
' o. IJ „ „ I ,Zs 1.2.1
intensity 7.19 7.56
Sweetness
onset 7.88 7.94
Bitterness 1.75 1.81 1.94 0 0 0
Liquorice QM l3{ Q Q
taste 1 0
I I | I I I

Lingering lM ,,, „
sweetness 1.19 0
Mouthfeel 7.56 7.19 7.5 7.81 8.06 7.64
Overall score 7.25 7.06 7.38 7.88 8 8
The premix sweetener composition was substantially equal in terms of sweetness with 5% of the sugar.
Industrial application:
With growing health concern of use of sugar has led to people to adopt the alternatives. The proposed sweetener premix composition is an ideal replacement of sugar with masked after taste of stevia. The sweetener composition can be used as table top sweetener, or can be used in various food and beverages to replace the sugar. The proposed premix sweetener composition is suitable for diabetic people.

We Claim:
1. A sweetener premix composition having masked bitterness and aftertaste of stevia
comprising:
a) stevia;
b) a prebiotic sweetener;
c) a compound selected from silica, sodium silicate, sodium meta silicate and combinations thereof;
d) a salt selected from sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and combinations thereof;
2. The sweetener premix composition claim 1, wherein the sweetener premix
composition comprising:
a) about 60% to 95% by weight of stevia;
b) about 2% to 30% by weight of a prebiotic sweetener;
c) about 0.5% to 10%o by weight of a compound selected from silica, sodium silicate, sodium meta silicate and combinations thereof;
d) about 0.5%o to 10% by weight of a salt selected from sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and combinations thereof with respect to the total weight of the composition;
3. The sweetener premix composition of claim 1 wherein said prebiotic sweetener is
selected from fructo-oiigosaccharides, galacto-oligosaccharides, xylo-
oligosaccharides, mannan-oligosaccharides, soy-oligosaccharides, inulin, raffinose,
stachyose and verbascose, trans-galactooligosaccharides, gentio-oligosaccharides,
gluco-oligosaccharides, human milk oligosaccharides, isomalto-oligosaccharides,

lactosucrose, maltotriose, melibiose-derived oligosaccharides, N-acetylchito-oligosaccharides, pectic-oligosaccharides and a mixture thereof.
4. The sweetener premix composition of claim 1 wherein optionally comprises a polyol selected from erythritol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, lactitol, xylitol, isomalt, galactitoi, isomaltulose, and a mixture thereof.
5. The sweetener premix composition of claim 1 wherein optionally comprises of anti-caking agents, binders carriers and bulking agents.
6. The sweetener premix composition of claim 1 wherein optionally comprises about
0.5% to 2.5% by weight of a flavor modifier with respect to the total weight of the composition.
7. The sweetener premix composition of claim 1 wherein said flavor modifier is selected from khandsari sugar, cane sugar, sugar (disaccharide carbohydrate), brown sugar, turbinado sugar, maple sugar, and demerara sugar or mixture thereof.
8. A food product comprising the sweetener premix composition of claim 1 wherein the food is any food matrix but not limited to bakery products, sweets, juices, chocolates, beverages.
9. A process for preparing sweetener premix composition having masked bitterness and aftertaste of stevia comprising the blending of 60% to 95% by weight of stevia; 2% to 30% by weight of a prebiotic sweetener; 0.5% to 10% by weight of a compound selected from silica, sodium silicate, sodium meta silicate and combinations thereof;

0.5% to 10% by weight of a salt selected from sodium acetate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and combinations thereof with respect to the total weight of the composition; mixing the said mixture in a blender and subsequently passing through the sieve to get uniform particles to obtain the premix sweetener composition.
10. The sweetener premix composition of claim 17 wherein optionally comprises about 0.5% to 2.5% by weight of a flavor modifier with respect to the total weight of the composition.
11. The sweetener premix composition of claim 18 wherein said flavor modifier is selected from khandsari sugar, cane sugar, sugar (disaccharide carbohydrate), brown sugar, turbinado sugar, maple sugar, and demerara sugar or mixture thereof.