Culinary Seasoning Composition and a Method of Preparing the Same

Home , Magnesium chloride

Europaisches Patentamt s European Patent Office Office europ6en des brevets (11) Publication number: 0 248 810 B1

EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION

(45) Date of publication of patent specification : (Si) int. ci.5: A23L 1/237, A23L 1/304 28.08.91 Bulletin 91/35

(2i) Application number : 86901970.3

(2) Date of filing : 26.03.86

@ International application number: PCT/GB86/00177

(87) International publication number: WO 86/05660 09.10.86 Gazette 86/22

(54) CULINARY SEASONING COMPOSITION AND A METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME.

© Priority : 27.03.85 GB 8507977 @ Proprietor : THE HOWARD FOUNDATION Cambridge House 1 Victoria Terrace Otley Road @ Date of publication of application : Leeds LS6 3BE (GB) 16.12.87 Bulletin 87/51 Inventor : HOWARD, Alan, Norman @ Publication of the grant of the patent : 39 Gilmerton Court Long Road 28.08.91 Bulletin 91/35 Trumpington Cambridge CB2 2HQ (GB)

Designated Contracting States : Representative : Green, Alan James et al AT BE CH DE FR IT LI LU NL SE SANDERSON & CO. European Patent Attorneys 34, East Stockwell Street Colchester Essex CO1 1ST (GB) References cited : DE-B- 1 067 291 US-A- 2 744 823 US-A- 2 764 485 US-A- 4 107 346 CQ o 00 00 3 Note : Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Q_ Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement It shall not be deemed to have been UJ filed until the opposition fee has been paid (Art. 99(1) European patent convention).

Jouve, 18, rue Saint-Denis, 75001 PARIS EP 0 248 810 B1

Description

The present invention relates to a culinary seasoning composition and to methods of preparing the same. In particular, the invention relates to compositions containing sodium chloride, which may be mixed with potas- 5 sium chloride, and one or more trace elements. In the past various proposals have been made for providing seasoning salt compositions which have the seasoning "saltiness" of common salt itself, but which contain less than 100% sodium chloride. Thus, for example, U.S. Specification No. 2,742,366 describes a salt substitute comprising from 40 to 90% by weight of potassium chloride and up to 10% by weight of calcium chloride, together with from 5 to 50% by weight of a 10 sugar e.g. various amounts of sucrose and/or dextrose, and up to 10% by weight of a glutamate. In such a composition "saltiness" is provided by the potassium chloride, while the bitter flavour of that compound is masked by the remaining ingredients. Similarly, British Specification No. 1,160,191 describes a culinary seasoning salt composition comprising from 20 to 80% by weight of potassium chloride and from 80 to 20% by weight of sodium chloride, which has a greater salty taste than sodium chloride alone, but in which the bitter taste of potas- 15 sium chloride is at least partly masked by the sodium chloride. An example of a commercial composition comprising a mixture of sodium and potassium chlorides is that sold as "Seltin" and containing about 65% by weight of sodium chloride, about 25% by weight of potassium chloride and about 10% by weight of magnesium sulphate, together with a silicon dioxide anti-caking agent. In addition, other proposals have been put forward to base compositions having a saline flavour on 20 ammonium chloride or a glycinamide salt (see British Specification No. 1,531,349). The rationale behind all such proposals has been to provide a composition having a "saltiness" useful in seasoning applications, but which at the same time has a lowered or zero content of sodium chloride, whereby the daily consumption of that compound can be reduced, with consequent benefits to health. Furthermore, various proposals have been put forward to provide common salt compositions which include 25 a variety of other ingredients, for example, to enhance the free-flowing characteristics of the composition, to enhance its seasoning properties, to make it suitable for use in medicine, and for a number of other purposes. Thus, known additives besides potassium chloride comprise calcium salts, magnesium salts, ammonium salts, iodine compounds, phosphates, flavourings, flavour enhancers, colours, therapeutic compounds and vitamins. This is illustrated, for example, by British Specification No. 655,1 14, which describes mineral food supplements 30 inter alia for addition to salt comprising : from 14.4 to 28.8% of calcium, from 12.4 to 26.6% of phosphorus, and from 0.8 to 2.9% of iron, together with an edible filler such as starch. Another illustrative example is British Specification No. 694,597 35 which describes vitaminized salt comprising common salt coated with various B vitamins and vitamin C. In addition, U.S. Specification No. 2,744,823 describes the production of a dietary salt composition fortified with trace minerals. This specification is directed to producing a trace mineralized salt wherein the trace minerals are uniformly distributed throughout the product through the use of a non-toxic liquid polyhydric alcohol such as propylene glycol, which is used to coat salt crystals and to keep the small added amounts of finely 40 powdered trace elements from segregating and dusting during production and subsequent use. The trace elements disclosed include cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, zinc and iodine, and the claimed compositions include from 0.01 % to 2.0% of said liquid polyhydric alcohol. However, there is no teaching of any requirement to control the percent by weight of salt or trace elements in the salt composition. Furthermore, the disclosed compositions are all based on sodium chloride alone as the saline component. 45 Also, U.S. Specification No. 4,107,346 relates to a dietary salt composition which is described as a com- bination of salts of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium supplemented by suitable amounts of trace elements. The trace elements discussed are iron, iodine, copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, molybdenum, selenium, chromium, nickel, tin, silicon, fluorine and vanadium. The specification teaches a formulation wherein the major elements (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium) must be present in the same ratio as they are so in body fluids. Sodium and potassium are provided in the form of chlorides, while calcium and magnesium may be provided by the use of organic salts of glutamates, lactates, tartrates and gluconates. Thus, the specification discloses "salt" compositions utilizing sodium chloride in an amount of from 85 to 95%, potassium chloride in an amount of from 0.5 to 3%, calcium lactate in an amount of from 0.5 to 4% and magnesium gluconate in an amount of from 0.5 to 3.5%. The total amount of trace elements included in the formulation is generally des- 55 cribed as less than 0.5% and the formulation is proportioned to supply at least about 20% of the recommended daily allowance of the trace elements included for each 10 gram portion of the "salt" composition. More speci- fically, it is said that a suggested supplementation would provide about 1/4 to 1/2 of the estimated daily requirement of trace elements in 10 grams of the composition. EP 0 248 810 B1

Furthermore, a variety of mineral, trace element and vitamin supplement compositions are known which seek to supply the minimum daily human requirement of such substances in an acceptable and assimilable form. However, where such supplement compositions contain sodium or potassium they contain those compounds in a proportion to the remaining minerals and/or trace elements whereby each of those compounds too 5 are supplied in the minimum daily amount per unit dose of composition. It is known, therefore, to provide seasoning compositions of various degrees of saltiness in which sodium chloride is employed as a carrier for other ingredients or other ingredients are employed to reduce the ill effects of sodium chloride when consumed in excess. It is also known to provide seasoning compositions supplemented with trace elements and to provide trace element supplements including sodium or potassium. 10 However, while a wide variety of sodium chloride-containing or other "salty" compositions have been proposed, while trace element supplement and like compositions are known, and while seasoning compositions including one or more trace elements are known, it has never before been proposed to employ a seasoning composition to supply a plurality of trace elements in a recommended daily dietary allowance. We have now found surprisingly that useful and effective trace element supplementation of a human diet is can be provided by formulating a seasoning composition based on a saline component (to provide a "salty" taste) and a trace element component, provided the composition is formulated such that a recommended daily dietary allowance of at least two trace elements is provided in a portion of from about 5 to about 15 grams, especially about 10 grams, of the composition. Accordingly, the present invention provides a culinary seasoning composition, which composition com- 20 prises a saline component and a trace element component, the saline component being sodium chloride or a mixture of sodium chloride and potassium chloride containing from 1 0 to 90% by weight of sodium chloride and from 90 to 10% by weight of potassium chloride, the trace element component comprising at least one compound of two or more trace elements selected from zinc, copper, manganese, chromium, selenium or molybdenum or a mixture of two or more such compounds, and the composition being formulated i.e. the salt and 25 trace element components, together with other optional ingredients being in a weight ratio, such that a portion of from about 5 to about 15 grams of the composition contains at least a recommended daily dietary allowance of at least two of said trace elements based on the following recommended daily dietary allowance amounts : about 15 mg of zinc about 2.0 to about 3.0 mg of copper 30 about 2.5 to about 5.0 mg of manganese about 50 to about 200 ug of chromium about 50 to about 200 ug of selenium or about 150 to about 500 ug of molybdenum. The compositions of the invention are intended to provide a seasoning composition useful in cooking or at 35 the table, which at the same time affords a useful and effective trace element supplementation in the daily diet. Therefore, the compositions may be formulated for domestic or industrial cooking or like applications, as well as for use at table as a substitute for "table salt". In the compositions of the invention, the saline component comprises sodium chloride, potassium chloride or a mixture comprising sodium chloride and potassium chloride in which there is from about 10 to about 90% 40 by weight of sodium chloride and from about 90 to about 1 0% by weight of potassium chloride. More preferably in the second aspect mentioned above the saline component comprises from about 60 to about 75% by weight of sodium chloride, the balance being potassium chloride. In addition, the composition may, as one preferred alternative, include an edible filler. In that case, the filler may be included in an amount of up to about five times the weight of saline component employed, e.g. sodium 45 or sodium and potassium chloride, but more preferably in an amount of about 20 to about 50% by weight of the saline component, depending on the effect required. Where a filler is to be used, preferred fillers are car- boxymethyl cellulose, an edible starch, an edible gum e.g. gum arabic, guar gum or Xanthan gum, gelatin, a sugar e.g. sucrose, glucose or lactose, or an alkaline earth phosphate e.g. disodium phosphate, magnesium monohydrogen phosphate or calcium monohydrogen phosphate. so Furthermore, besides the above-listed trace elements, the composition of the invention preferably includes at least one compound of calcium, magnesium, iron, iodine, fluorine or phosphorus to provide at least one additional mineral element. More preferably, the composition is one wherein a portion of from about 5 to about 1 5 grams of the composition contains at least a recommended daily dietary allowance of at least one of calcium, magnesium, iron, iodine, fluorine or phosphorus. 55 In formulating the composition of the invention, the preferred aim is to supply a recommended daily dietary allowance of two or more trace elements, optionally together with one or more additional mineral elements in the average daily portion of seasoning composition consumed by human beings. In that respect, we have found that where the datum amount is below 5 grams problems arising out of toxic effects of the trace elements may EP 0 248 810 B1

be encountered. On the other hand, where the datum amount is above 1 5 grams the trace elements are supplied in amounts which can be ineffective. Thus, while the above broad range of from about 5 to about 15 grams we believe sets the broadest limits on the datum amount, nevertheless it is preferred that in the composition of the invention a recommended daily dietary allowance of any trace element or additional mineral element is provided 5 relative to a portion of the composition in an amount of from about 8 to about 12 grams. More preferably, that daily allowance is provided relative to a portion in an amount of about 10 grams. The composition of the invention in one aspect should preferably comprise at least essentially all of the following elements, namely : Calcium 10 Phosphorus Magnesium Potassium Sodium Chlorine 15 Fluorine Iodine Iron Zinc Copper 20 Manganese Selenium Molybdenum Chromium. Nevertheless, because the main aim of the invention is to provide two or more of the said trace elements 25 in a daily portion, and because certain readily-obtainable calcium, magnesium and phosphorus compounds such as monocalcium phosphate and magnesium oxide are water-insoluble, the daily allowance requirements of say calcium and phosphorus need not be met if the meeting of those requirements would provide a composition which is unacceptable to the consumer. Thus, for example, monocalcium phosphate and/or magnesium oxide preferably should not be included in a composition intended for use in domestic cooking, e.g. in cooking 30 vegetables by boiling, or as a "table salt", because of the fact that both compounds leave an insoluble residue in cooking water and appear as a "snow" when sprinkled on food. Furthermore, while magnesium sulphate and magnesium chloride are readily obtainable as substitutes for magnesium oxide, because there is no such readily-obtainable substitute for monocalcium phosphate, it may be preferred to "sacrifice" calcium and phosphorus in order to produce a viable composition. However, for dough or pastry-making, or in industrial 35 applications where such factors are not a consideration, such water-insoluble compounds may be included. Up to the present time the authorities of various countries, as well as international bodies, have attempted to define in various ways the minimum daily human requirements of the above-listed trace elements and mineral elements. Thus, in some countries such as the U.K., there is a recommended daily dietary allowance (RDA) figure for certain of the listed elements, whereas for other elements no such U.K. RDA figure has so far been 40 given. Furthermore, the RDA figure for any particular element can vary from country to country. However, the National Academy of Sciences in the U.S.A. has sought to define a range of Adequate Daily Dietary Intake (ADDI) for each necessary element, and the figures given below are taken from "Recommended Dietary Allowances" Ninth Revised Edition, 1980, National Academy of Sciences Washington, D.C. Neverthe- less, it is to be understood that where for any particular country an RDA figure is lower or higher, that figure 45 may be adopted as necessary or desired within the limitations of the invention as defined above. Thus, for example, in the U.K. the only RDA figures given for the above-listed elements are as follows : Calcium about 500 mg Iron about 12 mg Iodine about 140 ug, so and the remaining elements are not assigned an "official" RDA. Nevertheless, preferred minimum levels taken from the U.S. ADDI ranges can be stated as follows : Calcium about 800 mg Phosphorus about 800 mg Magnesium about 300 mg, for example, about 300 to about 400 mg, typically about 350 mg 55 Iron about18mg Iodine about 150 ug Fluorine about 1 .5 mg, for example, about 1 .5 to about 4.0 mg Zinc about 15.0 mg EP 0 248 810 B1

Copper from about 2.0 to about 3.0 mg Manganese from about 2.5 to about 5.0 mg, typically about 4 mg Selenium about 50 |xg , for example, about 50 to about 200 u.g, typically about 60 meg Chromium about 50 ng, for example, about 50 to about 200 jig, typically about 60 \ig 5 Molybdenum about 150 \xg, for example, about 150 to about 500 jig. Furthermore, in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries there is a more recent tendency to set the figures for selenium, chromium and molybdenum higher than the minimum figures given above, although within the above ranges. Thus, for example, in Denmark it is currently recommended that the typical daily amount of selenium should be about 125 ng and that the corresponding figures for chromium and molybdenum should 10 be about 125 \xg and about 250 ng respectively. Accordingly, the composition of the invention includes at least two trace elements, optionally together with at least one additional mineral element, at least in a recommended daily dietary allowance as defined above per an about 5 to about 15 gram portion of composition. While the basic ingredients of the composition are as set out above, the composition may also include a 15 variety of other ingredients. In particular, the composition may include one or more of the following : 1. Bitterness-reducing agents, especially where potassium chloride is employed as the saline component or as part of that component. As examples of such agents, there may be mentioned yeasts, autolysed yeasts, and organic acids and their salts e.g. tartaric, succinic, citric, adipic, aspartic, lactic, and malic acids and their sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium salts. However, a preferred agent is Talin (registered 20 Trade Mark) protein (or Thaumatin), an intensely sweet, natural protein extracted from the fruit of the West African plant Thaumatococcus danielli. 2. Flavours, for example, onion juice, garlic or celery. 3. Flavour enhancers, for example, a glutamate e.g. monosodium, potassium or calcium glutamate, or a nucleotide e.g. guanylic, inosinic or adenosinic acid or a salt thereof. 25 4. Anti-caking agents, for example, a sodium, aluminium silicate, a zirconium salt, tricalcium phosphate, magnesium carbonate, an insoluble metallic stearate e.g. calcium or magnesium stearate, rice starch, anhydrous sodium sulphate or silicon dioxide. Furthermore, the composition may include one or more vitamins, which again may be included on the same or similar preferred basis as the above-mentioned elements, namely in terms of a recommended daily dietary 30 allowance. More preferably vitamins may be included in amount in excess of their RDA, with preferred levels per daily portion being as follows :

Vitamins Percentage U.K. RDA

35 Vitamin A about 1.0 mg 133 Vitamin B-^ about 1.5 mg 125 Vitamin B2 about 1.7 mg 106 Niacin about 19.0 mg 106 Vitamin Bg about 2.2 mg * Pantothenic Acid about 7.0 mg * 45 Biotin about 200.0 meg * Folic Acid about 400.0 meg 133 Vitamin B12 about 3.0 meg 150 Vitamin C about 60.0 200 ^ mg Vitamin D3 about 10.0 meg 400 Vitamin E about 10.0 mg * Vitamin K about 140.0 meg * (* No U.K. RDA - figure within ADDI range).

In the foregoing description, magnesium is mentioned as part of an optional mineral element content, or 5 EP 0 248 810 B1

as part of other optional ingredients. Furthermore, when present as such, and especially when present to meet the preferred requirement of including from about 300 to about 400 mg of magnesium in say about 10 grams of composition, a magnesium salt such as magnesium sulphate would need to be employed in an amount of from about 15 to about 20% by weight of the composition. Nevertheless, in another preferred embodiment a 5 magnesium salt may be included in significantly smaller amounts of up to say about 10% by weight, in particular when employed as diluent to a saline component of the "Seltin" type mentioned above. Thus, in that other preferred embodiment the saline component and diluent together may, for example, comprise : about 65% by weight of sodium chloride, about 25% by weight of potassium chloride, and 10 about 10% by weight of magnesium chloride or sulphate. The composition of the invention may be prepared by any method which affords an intimate mixture of saline component and trace element component, with each component being essentially homogeneously distributed throughout the composition. Thus, for example, the composition may be prepared, if desired, by a method using a polydric alcohol as described in U.S. Specification No. 2,744,823 or by the dry or wet methods, the latter fol- 15 lowed by spray or freeze drying, or the like as described in U.S. Specification No. 4,107,346. Preferably, however, the composition is prepared by a method in which the ingredients are brought together in a particular manner, that is to say by first dissolving at least part of a trace element component in a small amount of water, blending the solution with part of the saline component or with at least part of any diluent or filler or a mixture thereof, and thereafter blending with the saline component or the remainder thereof and any 20 remaining ingredients. Furthermore, so as to avoid discolouration by reaction between certain ingredients, in particular potassium iodide and trace element compounds, we have found that a composition at least essentially free from discolouration can be prepared by a method in which the potassium iodide and at least some of the trace element component are each separately dissolved in a small amount of water, blended e.g. as by granulation, with some of the saline component and/or diluent or filler, and then blended with the remainder. 25 Accordingly, the present invention also provides a method of preparing a culinary seasoning composition in accordance with the invention, which method is as defined above, in particular one which comprises dissolving any potassium iodide and at least part of the trace element component separately in a small amount of water, mixing each separately with part of the saline component or with at least part of any diluent or filler or a mixture thereof, drying each mixture as necessary, and thereafter blending each with the saline component 30 or the remainder thereof, together with any remaining or other desired ingredients. Preferably, in any such method any iron compound is included at the stage of the final blending. In preferred embodiments of the above method the following alternative procedures may be employed :

Procedure I 35 1 . Dissolve potassium iodide in water and blend e.g. granulate, with part of any diluent or filler to be used e.g. magnesium sulphate or magnesium chloride, for example, using from about 5 to about 10% by weight of the total diluent; 2. Dissolve trace element compounds in water and blend e.g. granulate, with remainder of diluent or filler ; 40 3. Dry blends of steps 1 and 2 ; and 4. Mix dry blends of steps 1 and 2 with iron compounds and saline component, premixed if desired.

Procedure II

45 1 . Blend saline component and any diluent or filler such as magnesium sulphate or magnesium chloride ; 2. Mix a small portion of the blend of step 1 , for example, from 5 to 1 0% by weight of the total, with a solution of potassium iodide in water ; 3. Mix small portions of the blend of step 1 , for example, from 5 to 10% by weight of the total, each separately with a solution of a chromium, molybdenum or selenium compound in water ; so 4. Dry the blends of steps 2 and 3 ; 5. Mix the remainder of the blend of step 1 with any iron, zinc, copper or manganese compounds ; and 6. Mix together the blends of steps 2, 3 and 5. In procedure II above the mixing of step 3 may be accomplished, if desired, using a single solution including compounds of each of chromium, molybdenum and selenium. Also, in the method of the invention as illustrated 55 by the above procedures any suitable drying may be effected as desired or necessary, for example, at a tem- perature of from about 40° to about 70°C for times of from about 15 minutes to about 1 1/2 hours. In addition, mixing or blending may be accomplished as necessary or desired by granulation where appropriate and/or by the use of mixing or milling equipment Furthermore, the water used to dissolve potassium iodide etc. preferably EP 0 248 810 B1

should be de-ionised water or other purified water essentially free from contaminating ions. Following is a description by way of example only of specific compositions in accordance with the invention, and their preparation.

5 Example 1

A composition suitable for use as a table salt was produced according to the following formulation :

Ingredient Amount in grams 10 Sodium chloride 650.0 Potassium chloride 250.0 Magnesium sulphate (ex. sice.) 75.0 is Ferrous sulphate (dried) 6.0 Zinc sulphate, 7H2O 6.6 Copper sulphate (anhydrous) .750 Manganese sulphate, 4H90 1.620 20 * Chromic chloride, 6H2O 0.064 Sodium selenite 0.027 Sodium molybdats, 2H2O 0.063 25 Potassium iodide 0.0196n.mqfi

30 990.1436

The composition was prepared by a procedure involving the following method steps, namely : 35 1) The potassium iodide was dissolved in 1 cm3 of de-ionised water. 2) 5 grams of the magnesium sulphate were granulated with the solution from step 1 and, once the mixture had "set" sized through a No.20 screen. 3) The zinc sulphate, copper sulphate, manganese sulphate, chromic chloride, sodium selenite and sodium molybdate were dissolved in 30 cm3 of de-ionised water. 40 4) The solution from step 3 was then used to granulate the remaining 70 grams of magnesium sulphate. Once the mixture had "set" it was sized through a No.20 screen. 5) The granulates from step 2 and step 4 were dried for about 1/2 hour at about 50°C before blending in the remaining sodium chloride, potassium chloride and ferrous sulphate. The above procedure produced quite a good salt, with only very small amounts of discolouration. 45 Example 2

The composition described in Example 1 was prepared by an alternative and preferred procedure involving the following method steps for a batch of 1 kg, namely : 50 1) The sodium chloride, potassium chloride and magnesium sulphate were mixed together and sieved through a No.20 screen. 2) To 100 grams of the mixture from step 1 was added a solution of 0.0196 grams of potassium iodide in 10 cm3 of de-ionised water and the whole mixed using a nestle and mortar. 3) The mixture from step 2 was dried at about 60°C for about one hour and then sized though a No.20 55 screen. 4) The procedure of steps 2 and 3 was reneated using 100 gram portions of the mixture from step 1 for each of the following solutions in turn : 0.064 grams of chromic chloride in 10 cm3 of de-ionised water, EP 0 248 810 B1

0.063 grams of sodium molybdate in 10 cm3 of de-ionised water, 0.027 grams of sodium selenite in 10 cm3 of de-ionised water. 5) To the remainder from step 1 the ferrous sulphate, zinc sulphate, copper suphate and manganese sulphate powder were sieved in, with the fractions from steps 2, 3 and 4, through a No.20 screen and mixed. 5 This preferred procedure produced excellent results in the form of a good salt with no discolouration.

Example 3

A composition suitable for use as a table salt was produced according to the following formulation : 10 Ingredient Amount in grams Sodium chloride 650.0 Potassium chloride 190.0 Magnesium sulphate (ex. sice.) 160.0 Ferrous sulphate (dried) 6.0 Zinc sulphate, 7H2O 6.6 20 Copper sulphate (anhydrous) 0.750 Manganese sulphate, 4H2O 1.62 Chromic chloride, 8H2O 0.64 Sodium selenite 0.027 Sodium molybdate, 2H2O 0.063 Potassium iodide 0.0196

Total 1015.1436

35 The composition was prepared by a procedure involving the method steps set out in Example 2. That procedure again produced a good salt with no discolouration.

Example 4 40 The composition described in Example 3 was prepared by another alternative and preferred procedure by the following method steps, namely : 1) The sodium chloride, potassium chloride and magnesium sulphate were mixed together and sieved through a No.20 screen. 45 2) Two solutions were prepared : (a) 0.0196 grams of potassium iodide made up to 10 cm3 with de-ionised water. (b) 0.027 grams of sodium selenite, 0.064 grams of chromic chloride, 0.083 grams of sodium molybdate, so made up to 10 cm3 with de-ionised water. 3) 100 grams of the mix from step 1 were mixed with solution (a) using of clean dry planetary mixer on medium speed, and then dried at about 60°C for about one hour. 4) 300 grams of the mix from step 1 were mixed with solution (b) diluted with 20 cm3 of de-ionised water to 30 cm3, using a clean dry planetary mixer on medium speed, and then dried at about 60°C for about 1 55 hour. 5) The fractions from steps 3 and 4 were then Fitzmilled through a 2mm screen, with the knives forward, at medium speed. 6) The remainder from step 1 and the ferrous sulphate, zinc sulphate, copper sulphate and manganese 8 EP 0 248 810 B1

sulphate were sieved in through a No.20 screen and the mixture cube blended. This other alternative and preferred procedure produced and excellent "salt" which was much easier to prepare than by other procedures and which also was free from discolouration. In addition, the "salt" was even resistant to discolouration when left exposed, although protection from moisture is advisable, s Example 5

A composition suitable for use as a table salt is produced according to the following formulation :

10 Ingredient Amount

Sodium chloride 70 g Magnesium sulphate (anhydrous) 20 g 15 Ferrous Furaarate 550 mg Zinc sulphate, 7^0 6660 60 mg Copper sulphate (anhydrous) 775 5 mg Manganese sulphate 162 mg Chromic chloride, 6^0 6.4 mg Sodium selenite 2.7 mg Sodium rnolybdate, 2H20 6 . 3 mg 25 Potassium iodide 1.96 mg Silica 0.5 g Rice starch balance to 100 g 30 The composition is prepared by any one of the procedures of Examples 1 to 4, with the rice starch being added with the sodium chloride and/or magnesium sulphate.

Example 6 35 A composition suitable for use as a table salt is produced according to the following formulation :

Ingredient Amount 40 Sodium chloride 65 g Potassium chloride 25 g Magnesium sulphate (anhydrous) 10 g Ferrous fumarate 550 mg Zinc sulphate, 7H2O 660 mg Copper sulphate (anhydrous) 75 mg Manganese sulphate 162 mg so Chromic chloride, 6H20 6.4 mg Sodium selenit^ 2.7 mg dod.lum molybdate, 2H20 6.3 mg Potassium iodide 1.961 .96 55 mg

The composition is prepared by any one of the procedures of Examples 1 to 4. EP 0 248 810 B1

Example 7

A composition suitable for use as a table salt is produced according to the formulation of Example 6 with the addition of the following vitamin ingredients : 5 Ingredient Amount Vitamin A 1 0 mg Vitamin B., 1 5 10 ' ma^ Vitamin B2 1 7 mg Niafin 190 mg Vitamin Bg 22 mg 15 Pantothenic Acid 70 mg Biotin 2 mg Folic Acid 4 rag Vitamin 20 B-, 2 30 meg Vitamin C 600 mg Vitamin D3 1 00 meg Vitamin E 100 mg Vitamin K 1 . 4 mg

Example 8

30 A composition suitable for use as a table salt is produced according to the formulation of Example 6 or the formulation of Example 7 with the addition of about 33 mg of anhydrous sodium fluoride.

Example 9

35 A composition suitable for use in domestic cooking is produced according to the following formulation :

10 EP 0 248 810 B1

Ingredient Amount Sodium chloride 1 0 g Potassium chloride 50 g Ammonium chloride 5 g Magnesium sulphate (anhydrous) 10 g Ferrous fumarate 550 mg 10 Zinc sulphate 660 mg Copper sulphate (anhydrous) 75 mg Manganese sulphate 1 62 mg Chromic chloride, 6H2O 6.4 mg 15 Sodium selenite 2.7 mg Sodium molybdate, 2H2O 6.3 mg Potassium iodide 1.96 mg 20 Mono sodium glutamate 2 g Adipic acid 2 g Silica 0.5 g Sucrose balance to 100.00 g

The composition is prepared by any one of the procedures of Examples 1 to 4, with the mono sodium glutamate, the adipic acid, the silica and the sucrose being added with the sodium and/or potassium and/or ammonium chloride. 30 Example 10

Using each of the formulations of Examples 1 to 9 above similar compositions are produced by substituting magnesium chloride for magnesium sulphate and/or zinc chloride for zinc sulphate. 35 Example 11

A composition suitable for use in industrial cooking, for example, in dough or pastrymaking, is produced according to the following formulation : 40

11 EP 0 248 810 B1

Ingredient Amount Sodium chloride 50 g Potassium chloride 119 9 g 5 Magnesium oxide 6.6 g Ferrous fumarate 550 mg Zinc oxide 186 mg 10 Copper sulphate (anhydrous) 75 mg Manganese sulphate • 1162 62 mg Chromic chloride, 6H20 6.4 mg Sodium selenite 2.7 mqmg 15 Sodium molybdate, 2H20 6.3 mg Potassium iodide 1.961 .96 mg Mono calcium phosphate balance to 100.00 g 20 The composition is prepared by any one of the procedures of Examples 1 to 4, with the mono calcium phosphate being added with the sodium chloride and/or potassium chloride. It is of course to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of the above specific Examples and that numerous variations of ingredients and in preparative procedure may be employed within the spirit 25 and scope of the following claims.

Claims

30 1 . A culinary seasoning composition, which composition comprises a saline component and a trace element component, the saline component being sodium chloride or a mixture of sodium chloride and potassium chloride containing from 10 to 90% by weight of sodium chloride and from 90 to 10% by weight of potassium chloride, the trace element component comprising at least one compound of two or more trace elements selected from zinc, copper, manganese, chromium, selenium or molybdenum or a mixture of two or more such compounds, 35 and the composition being formulated such that a portion of from about 5 to about 1 5 grams of the composition contains a recommended daily dietary allowance of at least two of said trace elements based on the following recommended daily dietary allowance amounts : about 15 mg of zinc about 2.0 to about 3.0 mg of copper 40 about 2.5 to about 5.0 mg of manganese about 50 to about 200 ug of chromium about 50 to about 200 ug of selenium or about 150 to about 500 ug of molybdenum. 2. A composition according to claim 1 , which includes up to about 10% by weight of a magnesium compound 45 as diluent. 3. A composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, which includes at least one compound of calcium, magnesium, iron, iodine, fluorine or phosphorus to provide at least one additional mineral element, preferably a composition wherein said portion of from about 5 to about 1 5 grams of the composition contains at least a recommended daily dietary allowance of at least one of calcium, magnesium, iron, iodine, fluorine or phosphorus. 50 4. A composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a recommended daily dietary allowance of any trace element or additional mineral element is provided relative to a portion of the composition in an amount of from about 8 to about 12 grams, preferably an amount of about 10 grams. 5. A composition according to any one of the preceding claims, which includes relative to said from about 5 to about 15 gram portion the following : 55 from about 50 to about 200 ug of chromium, from about 50 to about 200 ug of selenium, or from about 150 to about 500 ug of molybdenum, and/or at least : 12 EP 0 248 810 B1

about 800 mg of calcium, about 300 mg of magnesium, about 18 mg of iron, about 150 \xg of iodine, 5 about 1 .5 mg of fluorine or about 800 mg of phosphorus. 6. A composition according to any one of the preceding claims, which contains relative to said from about 5 to about 15 gram portion all of the trace elements required by man in at least a recommended daily dietary allowance and/or all of the mineral elements required by man in at least a recommended daily dietary allowance. 10 7. A composition according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein a portion of about 1 0 grams of the composition contains at least a recommended daily allowance of all of the trace and mineral elements required by man. 8. A composition according to any one of the preceding claims, which also includes one or more vitamins, and preferably all of the vitamins required by man in at least a recommended daily dietary allowance in a from is about 5 to about 1 5 gram portion of the composition. 9. A method of preparing a composition according to any one of the preceding claims, which method comprises dissolving at least part of the trace element component in a small amount of water, blending the solution with part of the saline component or with at least part of any diluent or a mixture thereof, and thereafter blending with the saline component or the remainder thereof and any remaining ingredients. 20 10. A method of preparing a composition according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which method comprises dissolving any potassium iodide and at least part of the trace element component separately in a small amount of water, mixing each separately with part of the saline component or with at least part of any diluent or filler or a mixture thereof, drying each mixture as necessary, and thereafter blending each with the saline component or the remainder thereof, together with any remaining or other desired ingredients. the of final 25 1 1 . A method according to claim 9 or claim 1 0, wherein any iron compound is included at stage blending. 12. A method according to claim 11, which comprises the steps of : 1. Dissolving potassium iodide in water and blending with part of any diluent orfiller to be used, for example, using from about 5 to about 1 0% by weight of the total diluent or filler ; 30 2. Dissolving trace element compounds in water and blending with the remainder of the diluent or filler ; 3. Drying the blends of steps 1 and 2 ; and 4. Mixing the dry blends of steps 1 and 2 with iron compound(s) and saline component, premixed if desired. 13. A method according to claim 11, which comprises the steps of : 1. Blending the saline component and any diluent or filler ; 35 2. Mixing a small portion of the blend of step 1, for example, from 5 to 10% by weight of the total, with a solution of potassium iodide in water ; 3. Mixing small portions of the blend of step 1 , for example, from 5 to 1 0% by weight of the total, each separately with a solution of a chromium, molybdenum or selenium compound in water or with a single solution including compounds of each of chromium, molybdenum and selenium ; 40 4 Drying the blends of steps 2 and 3 ; 5. Mixing the remainder of the blend of step 1 with any iron, zinc, copper or manganese compounds ; and 6. Mixing together the blends of steps 2, 3 and 5.

45 Patentanspriiche

1. Speisegewurzzusammensetzung, die eine salzhaltige Komponente und eine Spurenelementkompo- nente umfaRt, wobei die salzhaltige Komponente Natriumchlorid oder eine Mischung aus Natriumchlorid und Kaliumchlorid ist, welche 10 bis 90 Gew.% Natriumchlorid und 90 bis 10 Gew.% Kaliumchlorid enthSIt, und so wobei die Spurenelementkomponente mindestens eine verbindung aus zwei odermehreren Spurenelementen, die aus Zink, Kupfer, Mangan, Chrom, Selen oder Molybdan ausgewahlt werden, Oder eine Mischung aus zwei oder mehreren derartigen Verbindungen umfaRt, und wobei die Zusammensetzung soformuHert wird, daR eine Menge von etwa 5 bis etwa 15 g der Zusammensetzung eine empfohlene tagliche Diatration von mindestens zwei derspurenelemente auf derGrundlage derfolgenden empfohlenen Mengen furdie tagliche Diatration ent- 55 halt : etwa 15 mg Zink etwa 2,0 bis etwa 3,0 mg Kupfer etwa 2,5 bis etwa 5,0 mg Mangan 13 EP 0 248 810 B1

etwa 50 bis etwa 200 \ig Chrom etwa 50 bis etwa 200 \xg Selen oder etwa 150 bis etwa 500 jig Molybdan. 2. Zusammensetzung nach Anspruch 1, die bis zu etwa 10 Gew.% einer Magnesiumverbindungalsstreck- 5 mittel einschlieSt. 3. Zusammensetzung nach den Anspruchen 1 oder 2, welche mindestens eine verbindung von Calcium, Magnesium, Eisen, Jod, Fluor oder Phosphor einschlie&t, um mindestens ein zusatzliches mineralisches Ele- ment bereitzustellen, vorzugsweise eine Zusammensetzung, in der die Menge von etwa 5 bis etwa 15 g der Zusammensetzung mindestens eine empfohlene tagliche Diatration von mindestens einem der Elemente Cal- 10 cium, Magnesium, Eisen, Jod, Fluor oder Phosphor enthalt. 4. Zusammensetzung nach einem der vorhergehenden Anspriiche, in der eine empfohlene tagliche Dia- tration irgendeines Spurenelementes oderzusatzlichen mineralischen Elementes in Relation zu einer Portion der Zusammensetzung in einer Menge von etwa 8 bis etwa 12 g, vorzugsweise einer Menge von etwa 10 g bereitgestellt wird. 15 5. Zusammensetzung nach einem der vorhergehenden Anspriiche, welche relativ zur Portion von etwa 5 bis etwa 15 g das folgende einschlieSt : von etwa 50 bis etwa 200 |ig Chrom, von etwa 50 bis etwa 200 \ig Selen, oder von etwa 150 bis etwa 500 |xg Molybdan, 20 und/oder mindestens : etwa 800 mg Calcium, etwa 300 mg Magnesium, etwa 18 mg Eisen, etwa 150 \xg Jod, 25 etwa 1 ,5 mg Fluor oder etwa 800 mg Phosphor. 6. Zusammensetzung nach einem der vorhergehenden Anspruche, welche relativ zur Portion von etwa 5 bis etwa 15 g samtliche fur den Menschen erforderiichen Spurenelemente in mindestens einer empfohlenen taglichen Diatration und/oder samtliche fur den Menschen erforderiichen mineralischen Elemente in minde- 30 stens einer empfohlenen taglichen Diatration enthalt. 7. Zusammensetzung nach einem der vorhergehenden Anspruche, bei der eine Portion von etwa 10 g der Zusammensetzung mindestens eine empfohlene tagliche Ration samtlicher fur den Menschen erforderiichen Spuren- und mineralischen Elemente enthalt. 8. Zusammensetzung nach einem der vorhergehenden Anspruche, welche ferner ein oder mehrere Vita- 35 mine, vorzugsweise aber samtliche fur den Menschen erforderiichen Vitamine in mindestens einer empfohlenen taglichen DiStration in einer Portion von etwa 5 bis etwa 15 g der Zusammensetzung einschlieSt. 9. Verfahren zur Herstellung einer Zusammensetzung gemaB einem der vorhergehenden Anspruche, umfassend das Losen von mindestens einem Teil derSpurenelementkomponente in einer kleinen Menge Was- ser, das Vermischen der Losung mit einem Teil der salzhaltigen Komponente oder mit mindestens einem Teil 40 des gegebenenfalls vorhandenen Streckmittels oder einer Mischung davon, und das anschlieBende Vermi- schen mit der salzhaltigen Komponente Oder dem Rest davon und mit alien verbleibenden Inhaltsstoffen. 10. verfahren zur Herstellung einer Zusammensetzung gemad einem der Anspruche 1 bis 8, umfassend das Losen von gegebenenfalls vorhandenem Kaliumjodid und von mindestens einem Teil der Spurenelement- komponente getrennt voneinander in einer kleinen Menge Wasser, das jeweilige Vermischen getrennt vonein- 45 ander mit einem Teil der salzhaltigen Komponente oder mit mindestens einem Teil eines gegebenenfalls vorhandenen Streck- oder Fullmittels oder einer Mischung davon, das Trocknen jeder Mischung soweit not- wendig, und das anschlieRende Vermischen jeder einzelnen mit der salzhaltigen Komponente oder dem Rest davon zusammen mit gegebenenfalls noch vorhandenen restlichen oder mit anderen gewunschten Inhalts-stof- fen. 50 11. Verfahren nach den Anspruchen 9 oder 1 0, bei dem eine gegebenenfalls vorhandene Eisenverbindung bei der Stufe des endgflltigen Vermischens eingeschlossen ist 12. Verfahren nach Anspruch 11, welches die folgenden Schritte umfaftt : 1 . L6sen von Kaliumjodid in Wasser und Vermischen mit einem Teil des gegebenenfalls zu verwendenden Streck- oder Fullmittels, zum Beispiel unter Verwendung von etwa 5 bis etwa 10 Gew.% des gesamten 55 Streck- oder Fullmittels ; 2. Losen von Spurenelementverbindungen in Wasser und Vermischen mit dem Rest an Streck- oder Full- mittel ; 3. Trocknen der Mischungen aus Stufen 1 und 2 ; und 14 EP 0 248 810 B1

4. Mischen der trockenen Mischungen aus den Stufen 1 und 2 mit Eisenverbindung(en) und salzhaltiger Komponente, gewiinschtenfalls vorgemischt. 13. Verfahren nach Anspaich 11, welches die folgenden Schritte umfa&t : 1 . Vermischen der salzhaltigen Komponente mit einem gegebenenfalls vorhandenen Streck- Oder Fullmit- 5 tel; 2. Mischen eines kleinen Anteils der Mischung aus Stufe 1 , zum Beispiel von 5 bis 1 0 Gew.% des Gesam- ten, mit einer Losung von Kaliumjodid in Wasser ; 3. Mischen kleiner Anteile der Mischung aus Stufe 1, zum Beispiel von 5 bis 10 Gew.% des Gesamten, jeweils getrennt voneinander mit einer Losung einer Chrom-, Molybdan- oder Selenverbindung in Wasser 10 oder mit einer einzigen Losung, die jeweils Verbindungen von Chrom, Molybdan und Selen einschlie&t ; 4. Trocknen der Mischungen aus den Stufen 2 und 3 ; 5. Mischen des Restes der Mischung aus Stufe 1 mit einer gegebenenfalls vorhandenen Eisen-, Zink-, Kup- fer- oder Manganverbindung ; und 6. Zusammenmischen der Mischungen aus den Stufen 2, 3 und 5. 15

Revendications

1. Composition d'assaisonnement ou condiment culinaire, laquelle composition comprend un composant 20 salin et un composant a base d'oligo-elements, le composant salin etant du chlorure de sodium ou un melange de chlorure de sodium et de chlorure de potassium contenant de 10 a 90% en poids de chlorure de sodium et de 90 a 10% en poids de chlorure de potassium, le composant a base d'oligo-elements comprenant au moins un compose de deux ou de plus de deux oligo-elements choisis parmi le zinc, le curvre, le manganese, le chrome, le selenium ou le molybdene ou un melange de deux ou plus de deux de ces composes, et la compo- 25 sition etantformulee de telle maniere qu'une portion allant d'environ 5 a environ 15 g de la composition contient une ration dietetique quotidienne recommandee d'au moins deux de ces oligo-elements basee sur les quantites suivantes de la ration dietetique quotidienne recommandee : environ 15mgdezinc, environ 2,0 jusqu'a 3,0 mg de cuivre 30 environ 2,5 jusqu'a environ 5,0 mg de manganese environ 50 jusqu'a environ 200 ng de chrome environ 50 jusqu'a environ 200 ug de selenium ou environ 150 jusqu'a environ 500 ug de molybdene. 2. Composition selon la revendication 1, qui comprend jusqu'a environ 10% en poids d'un compose de 35 magnesium en tant que diluant. 3. Composition selon la revendication 1 ou 2, qui comprend au moins un compose de calcium, de magnesium, de fer, d'iode, de fluor ou de phosphore pourfournir au moins un Element mineral supplementaire, de preference une composition dans laquelle la portion allant d'environ 5 jusqu'a environ 15 g de la composition contient au moins une ration dietetique quotidienne recommandee d'au moins un des elements calcium, 40 magnesium, fer, iode, fluor ou phosphore. 4. Composition selon I'une quelconque des revendications precedentes, dans laquelle une ration dietetique quotidienne recommandee de I'un quelconque des oligo-elements ou d'un element mineral supplementaire est prevue par rapport a une portion de la composition en une quantite allant d'environ 8 jusqu'a environ 12 g, de preference en une quantite d'environ 10 g. 45 5. Composition selon I'une quelconque des revendications precedentes qui comprend, par rapport a la portion d'environ 5 jusqu'a environ 15 g, les elements suivants : d'environ 50 jusqu'a environ 200 ug de chrome, d'environ 50 jusqu'a environ 200 ug de selenium ou d'environ 150 jusqu'a environ 500 ug de molybdene, 50 et/ou au moins : environ 800 mg de calcium environ 300 mg de magnesium environ 18 mg defer environ 150 ug d'iode 55 environ 1 ,5 mg de fluor ou environ 800 mg de phosphore. 6. Composition selon I'une quelconque des revendications precedentes qui contient, par rapport a la portion allant d'environ 5 jusqu'a environ 15 g, la totalite des oligo-elements necessaires a I'homme en au moins 15 EP 0 248 810 B1

une ration dietetique quotidienne recommandee et/ou de tous les elements mineraux necessaires a I'homme en au moins une ration dietetique quotidienne recommandee. 7. Composition selon I'une quelconque des revendications precedentes, dans laquelle une portion d'environ 10 g de la composition contient au moins une ration quotidienne recommandee de tous les oligo-elements 5 et des elements mineraux necessaires a I'homme. 8. Composition selon Tune quelconque des revendications precedentes, qui contient egalement une ou plusieurs vitamines et, de preference, toutes les vitamines necessaires a I'homme en au moins une ration dietetique quotidienne recommandee dans une portion allant d'environ 5 jusqu'a environ 15 g de la composition. 9. Procede pour la preparation d'une composition selon I'une quelconque des revendications precedentes, 10 lequel procede comprend I'etage consistant a dissoudre au moins une partie du composant a base d'oligo-elements dans une petite quantite d'eau, a melanger la solution avec une partie du composant salin ou avec au moins une partie de tout diluant ou d'un melange de celui-ci, et ensuite a doser avec le composant salin ou le reste de celui-ci et tout ingredient restant. 10. Procede pour la preparation d'une composition selon Tune quelconque des revendications 1 a 8, lequel 15 procede comprend I'etape consistant a dissoudre tout iodure de potassium et au moins une partie du composant a base d'oligo-elements separement dans une petite quantite d'eau, a melanger chacun separement avec une partie du composant salin ou avec au moins une partie de tout diluant ou matiere de charge ou melange de ceux-ci a secher chaque melange comme cela est necessaire et ensuite a doser chacun avec le composant salin ou son reste avec tout ingredient restant ou tout autre ingredient souhaite. 20 11. Procede selon la revendication 9 ou 10, dans lequel tout composant de fer est introduit a I'etape du dosage final. 12. Procede selon la revendication 11, qui comprend les etapes consistant a : 1. dissoudre I'iodure de potassium dans I'eau et doser avec une partie de tout diluant ou matiere de charge a utiliser, par exemple en utilisant d'environ 5 a environ 10% en poids du diluant total ou de la matiere de 25 charge ; 2. dissoudre les composes d'oligo-elements dans I'eau et doser avec le reste du diluant ou matiere de charge ; 3. secher les dosages des etapes 1 et 2 ; et 4. melanger les dosages sees des etapes 1 a 2 avec le ou les composes de feret le composant sal in, melan- 30 ges prealablement si on le souhaite. 13. Procede selon la revendication 11, qui comprend les etapes consistant a : 1. doser le composant salin et tout diluent ou matiere de charge ; 2. melanger une petite portion du dosage de I'etape 1 par exemple de 5 a 10% en poids du total, avec une solution d'iodure de potassium dans I'eau ; 35 3. melanger de petites portions du dosage de I'etape 1 par exemple de 5 a 10% en poids du total, chacun separement avec une solution d'un compose de chrome, de molybdene ou de selenium dans I'eau ou avec une solution unique comprenant des composes de chacun du chrome, molybdene et selenium ; 4. secher les dosages des etapes 2 et 3 ; 5. melanger le reste du dosage de I'etape 1 avec tout compose de fer, de zinc, de cuivre ou de manganese ; 40 et 6. melanger ensemble les dosages des etapes 2, 3, 5.