(12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization International Bureau (43) International Publication Date (10) International Publication Number 12 April 2007 (12.04.2007) PCT WO 2007/039262 Al (51) International Patent Classification: (81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every A23L 1/30 (2006.01) A23L 1/22 (2006.01) kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM, AT,AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BW, BY, BZ, CA, CH, CN, (21) International Application Number: CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, FI, PCT/EP2006/009527 GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HN, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KM, KN, KP, KR, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, (22) International Filing Date: 2 October 2006 (02.10.2006) LU, LV,LY,MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, OM, PG, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, RU, (25) Filing Language: English SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, SV, SY, TJ, TM, TN, TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW (26) Publication Language: English (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, (30) Priority Data: GM, KE, LS, MW, MZ, NA, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG, ZM, 60/721,993 30 September 2005 (30.09.2005) US ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), European (AT,BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, (71) Applicant (for all designated States except US): DSM IP FR, GB, GR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, LU, LV,MC, NL, PL, PT, ASSETS B.V. [NL/NL]; Het Overloon 1, NL-6411 TE RO, SE, SI, SK, TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, Heerlen (NL). GN, GQ, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG). (72) Inventors; and Published: — with international search report (75) Inventors/Applicants (for US only): SCHWEIKERT, — before the expiration of the time limit for amending the Loni [DE/CH]; Kohliberg 5, CH-4315 Zuzgen (CH). claims and to be republished in the event of receipt of STEINKE, Peter [DE/DE]; Schlossweg 14d, 79639 amendments Grenzach-Wyhlen (DE). For two-letter codes and other abbreviations, refer to the "G uid (74) Agents: STECK, Melanie et al.; DSM Nutritional Prod ance Notes on Codes and Abbreviations" appearing at the beg in ucts Ltd, Wurmisweg 576, CH-4303 Kaiseraugst (CH). ning of each regular issue of the PCT Gazette. (54) Title: NOVEL COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING POLYPHENOLS (57) Abstract: The present invention is directed to compositions containing at least a polyphenol and polyethylenglycol, to prod- ucts such as food, beverages, dietary supplements, feed, pharmaceuticals and personal care products containing such a composition as well as to the use of polyethylenglycol for masking the bitter taste of such polyphenols. The polyphenols are preferably selected from the group consisting of epigallocatechin gallate, resveratrol, hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein, polyphenols present in green tea ex- tracts, catechins, polyphenols present in extracts of red grape skin, polyphenols present in olives and/or olive waste water, and their mixtures. Novel compositions containing polyphenols Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to compositions containing at least a polyphenol and polyethylenglycol, to products such as food, beverages, dietary supplements, feed, pharmaceuticals and personal care products containing such a composition as well as to the use of polyethylenglycol for masking the bitter taste of such polyphenols, especially in dry applications like powders, chewable tablets and lozenges. Background and Summary of the Invention Polyphenols often have a bitter taste which is not accepted by customers. The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a substance which can be added to a composition containing such a bitter tasting polyphenol whereby the bitter taste can be masked. The object is solved by adding polyethylenglycol to a composition containing at least a polyphenol, especially at least a bitter tasting polyphenol. Preferably, the polyethylenglycol will be present in an amount to achieve a weight ratio of the polyphenol to the polyethylenglycol of from 10 : 90 to 70 : 30. The polyethylenglycol may advantageously be one of the following formula HO-(CH 2-CH 2-O-) nH with n being an integer, so that the average molecular weight of the polyethylenglycol is in the range from 1000 to 20000 g/mol. In some embodiments of the invention, the polyphenol is selected from the group consisting of epigallocatechin gallate, resveratrol, hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein, polyphenols present in green tea extracts, catechins, polyphenols present in extracts of red grape skin, polyphenols present in olives and/or olive waste water, and their mixtures. The green tea extract that may be used satisfactorily in accordance with the invention may be one containing epigallocatechin gallate in an amount of at least 30 weight-%, preferably of at MST/02. 10.2006 Case 251 13WO least 50 weight-%, based on the total amount of the green tea extract. The extract of red grape skin that may be used satisfactorily in accordance with the invention may be one containing resveratrol in an amount of at least 30 weight-%, preferably of at least 50 weight-%, based on the total amount of the extract of red grape skin. The compositions of the invention may comprise vitamin C and/or vitamin E. The compositions of the invention may be forumulated into a product selected from the group consisting of dietary compositions, pharmaceuticals and personal care products. In some embodiments of the invention, the compositions of the invention may be in the form of a chewable tablet or a lozenge. Detailed Description of the Preferred Exemplary Embodiments The polyphenols are preferably selected from the group consisting of polyphenols present in green tea extracts like catechins, polyphenols present in extracts of red grape skin like resveratrol, polyphenols present in olives, olive waste water etc. like hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein, and their mixtures. Suitable green tea extracts are e.g. those containing epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in an amount of at least 30 weight-%, preferably in an amount in the range of from 30 weight-% to 100 weight-% (preferably in an amount in the range of from 35 weight-% to 60 weight- %), more preferably in an amount of at least 50 weight-%, most preferably in an amount in the range of from 50 weight-% to 99 weight-%, based on the total amount of the green tea extract. Those green tea extracts may also contain caffeine in an amount up to 15 weight- %, preferably in an amount in the range of from 0.1 to 12 weight-%, more preferably in an amount of from 0.1 to 3 weight-%, based on the total weight of the green tea extract. The total amount of tea polyphenols in such green tea extracts may be preferable in the range of from 85 to 98 weight-% (preferably in the range of from 90 to 98 weight-%), whereas the total amount of catechins may be preferably in the range of from 65 to 90 weight-% (preferably in the range of from 65 to 80 weight-%), based on the total weight of the green tea extract. Case 251 13WO The term "(-)-epigallocatechin gallate" (EGCG) encompasses also (-)-EGCG derivatives such as pharmaceutically acceptable salts. Catechins are especially found in green tea extracts such as epicatechin gallate (ECG), epigallocatechin (EGC), gallocatechin gallate (ECG) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), whereby EGCG is the most preferred one. EGCG can also be used in a formulated product form such as a Teavigo® tablet grade (= a green tea extract containing ca. 88% of EGCG admixed with ca. 3% of pectin), which is a directly compressible form granulated with pectin and is commercially available from DSM Nutritional Products Ltd, Kaiseraugst, Switzerland. Another suitable (—)-EGCG is e.g. Teavigo (a green tea extract containing > 94% of EGCG), commercially available from DSM Nutritional Products Ltd, Kaiseraugst, Switzerland. Another preferred embodiment for (-)-epigallocatechin gallate is a green tea fraction comprising at least 90 weight-% of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and at most 2 weight-% of caffeine, especially a green tea fraction comprising at least 90 weight-% of EGCG, at most 1 weight-% of caffeine and at most 10 weight-% of epicatechin gallate (ECG), more especially a green tea fraction comprising at least 90 weight-% of EGCG, at most 0.5 weight-% (preferably at most 0.1 weight-%) of caffeine, at most 5.0 weight-% of epicatechin gallate (ECG) (preferably in the range of from 0.1 to 2.5 weight-%) and at most 3.5 weight-% (preferably at most 1.0 weight-%) of a total amount of epicatechin (EC), catechin (CAT), catechin gallate (CG), epigallocatechin (EGC), gallocatechin gallate (GCG), gallocatechin (GC) and gallic acid (GA) together, based on the total weight of the green tea extract. Resveratrol can be used in its essentially pure form derived from natural sources or from chemical synthesis, in a product form containing resveratrol and further additives, e.g. as a directly compressible form or as an extract. The extracts of red grape skin are especially those containing resveratrol in an amount of at least 30 weight-%, preferably in an amount in the range of from 30 weight-% to 100 Case 251 13WO weight-%, more preferably in an amount of at least 50 weight-%, most preferably in an amount in the range of from 50 weight-% to 99 weight-%, based on the total amount of the red wine extract. The term "resveratrol" as used herein comprises a derivative, metabolite or analogue thereof. The carbon-carbon double bond may be trans or cis and includes cis/trans mixtures. Etherified or esterified hydroxy groups may be derived from non-substituted or substituted, straight or branched chain alkyl groups having 1 to 26 carbon atoms or from non-substituted or substituted, straight or branched chain aliphatic, araliphatic or aromatic carboxylic acids having 1 to 26 carbon atoms.