FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
The Patent Rules, 2003
Complete Specification
(See section 10 and rule 13)
Chewable mouth freshener with improved properties.
Godfrey Phillips India Ltd.
An Indian company registered under the Companies Act, 1956
Andheri Sahar Road, Chakala, Andheri (East), Mumbai 400099, Maharashtra
State, India.
The following specification describes the invention:

Chewable Mouth Freshener With Improved Properties
Field of the Invention:
The present invention is related to the field of traditional Indian chewable mouth fresheners and in particular it describes a Paan Masala with improved anticaking and whitening properties.
Prior Art:
Paan Masala is a chewable mouth freshening mix of Indian origin.
A number of paan masala products are available for consumption. Godfrey Phillips India Limited collected a number of these products and carried out an analysis of these from independent laboratories. These analyses revealed that the products contain substances such as MgCO3 that are prohibited by the Indian Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). It is known to a person skilled in the art of paan masala, that MgCO3 imparts anticaking property to the paan masala so that the paan masala products have improved shelf life due to reduced moisture absorption. It is also known to a person skilled in the art of paan masala that MgCO3 imparts whitening property to the paan masala products.
The FDA authorities had tested various samples of zarda and supari mixes in a
government laboratory, and found that most of the varieties had no ill-effects


related to human health. At the same time, the use of magnesium carbonate was prohibited by the FDA under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act. Consumption of MgCO3, even in small quantity can lead to loose motions. And consumption of a large amount increases the toxic level of the body, resulting in respiratory and kidney problems. Magnesium carbonate might not be causing cancer directly but because of its alkaline nature, it causes irritation in the bucal mucosa which can cause cancer. Magnesium carbonate is used in pharmacy and chemical industry; however, there are some known common side effects of Magnesium Carbonate chewable tablets. These include severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty in breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); loss of appetite; muscle weakness; nausea; slow reflexes; vomiting.
FDA also found that many paan masala samples are substandard.
There is another popular chewing mix available in India containing tobacco is known as gutkha. The Indian Express newspaper reported on Tuesday, January 19, 1999, that an in-depth analysis of the samples of Gutkha by the FDA was carried out which revealed that they contained magnesium carbonate (3% to 5%), used as anti-caking agent and nicotine (0.67 to 2.36 per cent). The FDA also found that 82 samples of Gutkha were substandard. In this context, Health Minister Daulatrao Aher, who is also a qualified surgeon, had said that the
consumption of these two items (MgCO3 and nicotine) is injurious to health and


that the studies conducted by leading organisations suggested that in 90 per cent of the cases, cancer was caused by consumption of Gutkha or tobacco. Gutkha is quite distinct from paan masala in terms of ingredients; however, many people mistake the one for the other. This also means that there is a possibility that the paan masala is wrongly taken to pose health risks that a good quality paan masala does not.
There is therefore a need to provide a good quality paan masala product that reduces the health risks posed by the currently available paan masala products containing ingredients such as MgCO3. In particular, there is a need to replace the alkaline magnesium carbonate by a non-alkaline compound which will impart the good shelf life and taste to the final product without the negative effect of magnesium carbonate.
Objects and advantages of the invention:
The several objects and advantages of the present invention are described here. One of the key objects of the present invention is to provide a good quality paan masala product that reduces the health risks posed by the currently available paan masala products containing ingredients such as MgCO3. In particular, the object of the present invention is to replace the alkaline magnesium carbonate by a non-alkaline compound which will impart the good shelf life and taste to the final
product without the negative effect of magnesium carbonate.


The present invention describes paan masala products without using the magnesium carbonate as one of the key ingredients, which also shows improve properties.
Summary of the Invention:
The present invention provides a chewable mouth freshener containing boiled and roasted areca nuts (Supari), catechu (katha), lime, cardamom, along with an anticaking agent and a whitening agent, and optionally a number of fine natural flavouring materials. The resulting product has a good shelf life and poses reduced health risk to the consumer than similar products currently available in the market. The anticaking and whitening agent is selected from a group comprising arrow root powder, psyllium husk, wheat bran, wheat fiber, what husk, wheat starch, wheat protein, rice bran, rice starch, rice protein, extruded rice powder, pregelatinised rice powder, maltodextrin, tapioca starch, tapioca dextrin, oat meal, oat bran, oat fiber, corn fiber, corn starch, apple fiber, potato powder, potato starch, lactose, milk solids, milk salts.
Detailed description of the invention:
Paan products are consumed as mouth fresheners. The currently available paan masala products contain a combination of areca nuts (Supari), catechu (katha),
lime, cardamom, and a number of fine natural flavouring materials. They also


optionally contain magnesium carbonate. Paan masala products are being made by mixing these ingredients with other additives.
Catechu which has buff color contains polyphenols and catechins. In presence of moisture and alkaline media it tends to change its color from buff to brick red. Magnesium carbonate is added in such product to arrest these reactions. It has excellent whitening properties which make product of lighter shade as desired by consumer. And it also acts as anticaking agent which slows down the rate of moisture absorption. However, magnesium carbonate consumed in certain forms and quantities is considered harmful for human health and therefore banned for use in Paan Masala by PFA.
The inventors have found that certain special agents in the form of naturally
available substances, which are approved by the PFA, when added to a paan
masala mix yield anticaking and whitening properties, and also to improve taste
and general palatability. These naturally available substances are arrow root
powder, psyllium husk, wheat bran, wheat fiber, wheat husk, wheat starch, wheat
protein, rice bran, rice starch, rice protein, extruded rice powder, pregelatinised
rice powder, maltodextrin, tapioca starch, tapioca dextrin, oat meal, oat bran, oat
fiber, corn fiber, corn starch, apple fiber, potato powder, potato starch, lactose,
milk solids, milk salts. The substances are categorized depending on their
whitening property, represented by the 'L' value as measured by the Hunter
Labmeter. L value of 100 represents a pure white substance. These categories are:


A. Milk calcium, corn fiber, rice starch, wheat fiber, wheat starch, etc. which
have an L value in the range of 96.88 to 98.31, and come closest to
MgCO3 in whiteness.
B. Oat fiber, arrow root powder, tapioca, etc. which have an L value in the
range between 93.59 to 95.59, and are slightly inferior than MgCO3 as
compared to the category A substances..
C. Wheat protein that has an L vale in the range between 95.29-90.05, which
is still further inferior to MgCO3 in terms of whiteness.
D. Apple fiber is the most inferior of the lot in terms of whiteness than
MgCO3.
The L values of some of the ingredients of listed above are:
Native Rice starch (Penford, USA): 98.31
Wheat starch XXI (Roquette): 96.59
Oat fiber: 94.77
Arrow Root Powder: 93.08
Wheat Protein (Roquette): 90.05
Accordingly, the chewable mouth freshener of the present invention is a paan masala mix that comprises boiled and roasted areca nuts (Supari), catechu (katha), lime, and of the special agents listed herein, preferably corn starch, rice starch and wheat fiber, used alone or in combination. The total volume of the corn starch,
rice starch, and wheat fiber used in the mouth freshener of the present invention is


in the range from 1% to 20% w/w of the volume of the paan masala final product, preferably 4.25%-14.75% w/w, more preferably 7.5% - 9.25% w/w. With respect to 100g of the mouth freshener product of the present invention, the amount of said areca nuts used is in the range from 60g to 95g w/w, more preferably, 75g to 85g, w/w even more preferably 77g to 82g w/w; the amount of said lime used is in the range from 1.5g to 3.25g w/w, more preferably 2.0 to 2.7g w/w, and the amount of said catechu used is in the range from 7g to 8.5g w/w, more preferably 7.g to 8g w/w. The mouth freshener of the present invention also optionally contains cardamom, and a number of fine natural flavouring materials that are known to persons skilled in the art and also the amounts that are known to persons skilled in the art.
One other advantage of the chewable mouth freshener of the present invention is that it has enhanced nutritional properties on account of the aforementioned MgCO3 substitutes.
The key qualities that a consumer seeks in a paan masala product are its quality at
the time of consumption and its taste. The quality is generally associated with the
colour and the moisture content of the product. The 'darkened' products indicate
oxidization of the product and are considered as stale or inferior products. The
consumer prefers free-flowing products. Products that are not packed well or that
do not contain anticaking agents tend to absorb moisture thereby reducing their
shelf life and making products unsuitable for consumption. The inventors have


found that the anticaking agent used by them reduces the moisture absorption and also preserves the original colour of the product for a substantial length of time.
Inventors prepared batches of the chewable mouth freshener of the present invention. These were evaluated by a panel of consumers in the form of answers to a questionnaire. The results of different main parameter tested are summarized in Table 1. The higher the percentage in any of the tested parameter, the higher the customer satisfaction in that respect.

Test Parameter GPI Sample Benchmark Sample
Flavour 65% 42%
Aroma 75% 58%
Chewability 67% 45%
Freshness 47% 23%
Mouth feel 45% 22%
Cooling 47% 30%
Less Bitter 69% 43%
Good Quality Supari 60% 32%
Crispiness of Supari 62% 32%
Table 1: Customer survey results
Based on the result of the evaluation the inventors conclude that the consumer preferred the product of the present invention over the products available in the market. The inventors therefore conclude that the present invention produces better quality of paan masala and that the consumers are satisfied with the taste of


the mouth freshener of the present invention as compared to the 'traditional' paan masala products.
The inventors tested a number of samples of the paan masala products available in the market for its moisture absorption properties. The inventors found that the moisture absorbed in case of the paan masala products containing magnesium carbonate is approximately 7% w/w (see Table 2), when dried at 110°C for three hours whereas for the same conditions, The moisture content of one of the combinations of the present invention using wheat fiber:rice starch:corn starch in the ratio 0.25-1.75:2.5-3.25:3.5-4.5. This is a technical effect of the product of the present invention suggesting that the chewable mouth freshener of the present invention has advantageously better moisture absorption properties.

Sample Magnesium Carbonate Content Moisture Content
S1 1.25% 4.4%
S2 2.76% 9.7%
S3 2.16% 4.8%
S4 1.77% 8.7%
Product of the present invention Substitute of Magnesium Carbonate 4.9%
Table 2: Moisture Content Evaluation


A further property that is crucial to a paan masala product is its colour. Paan masala's colour deteriorates upon contact with moisture and oxygen. Colour deterioration of the product of the present invention was assessed using the Hunter Labmeter Illuminant model D65 to find out the product's whitening property and its stability (shelf life). These properties were also compared with those of the prior art products. The prior art products that contain magnesium carbonate show that the L value changes from 63.77 to 61.04 in 3 hrs. and 15 mint., while the product without using magnesium carbonate shows a decrease in L value from 65.77 to 63.89 after 3 hrs and 15 mints when exposed at 80% RH and 37°C.
It was also noticed by the inventors that the samples of the chewable mouth freshener of the present invention recorded a stable 'b' value as compared to the traditional products containing MgCO3 when exposed at 80% RH and 37°C. The 'B' value indicates the probability of the product changing its colour from white to red and therefore degradation of the quality with respect to time (shelf life). The inventors therefore conclude that the whitening property of the chewable mouth freshener of the present invention is superior to that of the traditional paan masala products.
Table 2A & 2B show the change of L and B value of the product of the present invention and the benchmark sample respectively with respect to time (see example 1). It indicates our samples are more stable in respect to its whitening property with respect to the benchmark sample.


The result of one of the combinations of the present invention use wheat fiber:rice starch:corn starch in the ratio 0.25-1.75:2.5-3.25:3.5-4.5 measured v/v.

R. No. Period of exposure L B
1341 l/2a Zero hour (control) 63.78 14.60
1341 l/2b After 2 hours 61.78 14.41
1341 l/2c After 2 hours 30 min 61.72 14.39
1341 l/2d After 3 hours 15 min 61.00 14.19
1341 l/2e After 4 hours 60.99 14.18
1341 l/2f After 4 hours 30 min 60.12 14.24
1341 l/2g After 5 hours 60.66 14.21
Table 2A: Colour Value Determination on Sample No. 70806

R. No. Period of exposure L B
1341 l/8a Zero hour (control) 62.01 13.17
1341 l/8b After 2 hours 58.52 12.97
1341 l/8c After 2 hours 30 min 58.77 12.72
1341 l/8d After 3 hours 15 min 58.26 12.91
1341 l/8e After 4 hours 58.29 12.29
1341 l/8f After 4 hours 30 min 58.81 12.25
1341 l/8g After 5 hours 58.55 12.24
Table 2B: Colour Value Determination on Sample No. 70814
The inventor also checked the stability of whiteness in our different samples with respect to the benchmark sample by keeping it in different environmental conditions for long term (3 weeks). The results are furnished in the tabular form for different samples being clearly termed as benchmark samples. The comparison

(see Tables 3A and 3B) clearly shows that the L values for the samples of the product of the present invention are consistently better than those obtained for the benchmark samples. (Note that RH stands for relative humidity and RT stands for the room temperature which is taken to be 27-28 °C.)

Ref. No. Stated Sample Reference L B
14073/1 Product of the present invention; B. No.: S05 Ref.: 27°C, 3 Weeks 62.45 13.82
14073/4 Product of the present invention; B. No.: S05 Ref.: Refrigerator, 3 Weeks Old 62.88 13.69
14073/7 Product of the present invention; B. No.: S05 Ref.: 37°C/90 % RH, 3 Weeks 55.67 12.97
14073/10 Product of the present invention; B. No.: S05 Ref.: 45°C, 3 Weeks Old 62.24 13.65

Ref. No. Stated Sample Reference L B
14073/2 Product of the present invention; B. No.: S06 Ref.: 27°C, 3 Weeks 62.77 13.57
14073/5 Product of the present invention; B. No.: S06 Ref.: Refrigerator, 3 Weeks Old 63.00 13.84
14073/8 Product of the present invention; B. No.: S06 Ref.: 37°C/90 % RH, 3 Weeks 55.99 12.91
14073/11 Product of the present invention; B. No.: S06 Ref.: 45°C, 3 Weeks Old 61.50 13.50

R. No. Stated Sample Reference L B
14073/3 Product of the present invention; B. No.: IF01 Ref.: 27°C, 3 Weeks 64.04 13.97
14073/6 Product of the present invention; B. No.: IF01 Ref.: Refrigerator, 3 Weeks Old 64.71 14.34
14073/9 Product of the present invention; B. No.: IF01 Ref.: 37°C/90 % RH, 3 Weeks 57.31 13.16
14073/12 Product of the present invention; B. No.: 1F01 Ref.: 45°C, 3 Weeks Old 63.27 13.94
Table 3A: Hunter Labmeter Tests on the products of the present invention -
long term


R. No. Stated Sample Reference L B
14073/13 Benchmark product Ref.: 27°C, 3 Weeks old 61.52 13.10
14073/13 Benchmark productRef.: Refrigerator, 3 weeks old 62.15 13.20
14073/13 Benchmark productRef.: 37°C/90 % RH, 3 weeks old 50.52 12.12
14073/13 Benchmark product Ref.: 45°C, 3 weeks old 55.15 13.10
Table 3A: Hunter Labmeter Tests on the benchmark products - long term
Some examples are now provided in support of the ongoing discussion.
Example 1: Hunter Labmeter Test:
75 grams of paan masala product of the present invention containing rice starch was used. It was exposed at 80% RH and 37°C. The L and B meter values changed after 3 hours and 15 minutes from 63.78 to 61.00 and 14.60 to 14.19 respectively.
It will thus be clear that the present invention provides a safe chewable mouth freshener that is devoid of health risks posed by the products currently available in the market.
In view of the detailed foregoing description of the present invention, it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the present invention basically comprises the following items:
1. A chewable mouth freshener comprising boiled and roasted areca nuts,
catechu, lime, and at least one of the special agents selected from a group


of substances comprising milk calcium, corn fiber, rice starch, wheat fiber, wheat starch, oat fiber, arrow root powder, tapioca, wheat protein, and apple fiber, or any combination thereof.
2. A chewable mouth freshener as described in item 1 wherein said mouth freshener further comprises of cardamom and a number of fine natural flavouring materials.
3. A chewable mouth freshener as described in any of items 1 to 2, wherein said special agent is a mixture of corn starch, rice starch, and wheat fiber in a proportion in the range from 1% to 20% w/w of said mouth freshener, preferably in the range from 4.25% - 14.75% w/w, more preferably in the range from 7.5% - 9.25% w/w.
4. A chewable mouth freshener as described in any of items 1-3, wherein
with respect to 100g of said mouth freshener, the amount of said areca nuts
used is in the range from 60g to 95g w/w, more preferably, 75g to 85g
w/w, even more preferably 77g to 82g w/w; the amount of said lime used
is in the range from 1.5g to 3.25g w/w, more preferably 2.0g to 2.7g w/w,
and the amount of said catechu used is in the range from 7g to 8.5g w/w,
more preferably 7.5g to 8g w/w.
5. A chewable mouth freshener as claimed in any of claims 1-4, wherein
when said special agents used are wheat fiber, rice starch, and corn starch,
they are used in a proportion that is in the range between 0.25-1.75:2.5-
3.25:3.5-4.5 measured v/v.


While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations in the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.


We claim:
1. A chewable mouth freshener comprising boiled and roasted areca nuts, catechu, lime, and at least one of the special agents selected from a group of substances comprising milk calcium, corn fiber, rice starch, wheat fiber, wheat starch, oat fiber, arrow root powder, tapioca, wheat protein, and apple fiber, or any combination thereof.
2. A chewable mouth freshener as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mouth freshener further comprises of cardamom and a number of fine natural flavouring materials.

3. A chewable mouth freshener as claimed in any of claims 1 to 2, wherein said special agent is a mixture of corn starch, rice starch, and wheat fiber in a proportion in the range from 1% to 20% w/w of said mouth freshener, preferably in the range from 4.25% - 14.75% w/w, more preferably in the range from 7.5% - 9.25% w/w.
4. A chewable mouth freshener as claimed in any of claims 1-3, wherein with respect to 100g of said mouth freshener, the amount of said areca nuts used is in the range from 60g to 95g w/w, more preferably, 75g to 85g w/w, even more preferably 77g to 82g w/w; the amount of said lime used is in the range from 1.5g to 3.25g w/w, more preferably 2.0g to 2.7g w/w, and the amount of said catechu used is in the range from 7g to 8.5g w/w, more preferably 7.5g to 8g w/w.


5. A chewable mouth freshener as claimed in any of claims 1-4, wherein when said special agents used are wheat fiber, rice starch, and corn starch, they are used in a proportion that is in the range between 0.25-1.75:2.5-3.25:3.5-4.5 measured v/v.
6. A chewable mouth freshener, substantially as herein described in the specification.

Chewable Mouth Freshener With Improved Properties
Abstract:
The present invention provides a chewable mouth freshener containing boiled and roasted areca nuts (Supari), catechu (katha), lime, cardamom, along with a special agent, and optionally a number of fine natural flavouring materials. The resulting product has a good shelf life and poses reduced health risk to the consumer than similar products currently available in the market. The special agent is selected from a group comprising arrow root powder, psyllium husk, wheat bran, wheat fiber, what husk, wheat starch, wheat protein, rice bran, rice starch, rice protein, extruded rice powder, pregelatinised rice powder, maltodextrin, tapioca starch, tapioca dextrin, oat meal, oat bran, oat fiber, corn fiber, corn starch, apple fiber, potato powder, potato starch, lactose, milk solids, milk salts.