SWEETENER AND FLAVOR COMPOSITIONS, METHODS OF MAKING AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF

Abstract

Sweetener and flavor compositions with improved taste profiles are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods of making and methods of using such sweetener and flavor compositions.

Claims

1. A method for improving the taste profile of a beverage, comprising the steps of: (1) adding a Maillard reaction product (MRP) composition to the beverage, wherein the MRP composition is produced by heating a reaction mixture comprising (A) one or more reducing sugars comprising a free carbonyl group and (B) one or more amine donors comprising a free amino group at a temperature for a period of time sufficient to initiate a Maillard reaction; and (2) adding a sweetener composition to the beverage, wherein the sweetener comprising one or more Stevia-related components selected from the group consisting of Stevia extracts, glycosylated Stevia extracts, steviol glycosides, and glycosylated steviol glycosides to produce a final product, wherein the MRP composition is present in the final product in a concentration of 0.1-15,000 ppm.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more amine donors comprise thaumatin.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more amine donors comprise an amino acid and thaumatin.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sweetener composition comprises one or more sweeteners selected from the group consisting of sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame-K, neotame, erythritol, trehalose, raffinose, cellobiose, tagatose, allulose, inulin, N--[N-[3-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)propyl]-alpha-aspartyl]-L-phenylalani- ne 1-methyl ester, glycyrrhizin, sodium cyclamate, brazzein, miraculin, curculin, pentadin, mabinlin, thaumatin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), naringin dihydrochalcone, maltol, ethyl maltol and advantame.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction mixture comprises thaumatin, or NHDC, or both.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the MRP composition has a citrus or tangerine flavor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the final product does not contain any product made from roasted coffee beans.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the beverage further comprises a product from roasted coffee beans and wherein the added MRP composition is not made from roasted coffee beans.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the beverage is a carbonated soft beverage or a flavored water.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the beverage is a fruit juice or a beverage comprising a fruit juice.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of adding thaumatin, or NHDC, or both thaumatin and NHDC, to the beverage.

12. A method for improving the taste profile of a bakery product, comprising: (1) preparing a dough comprising: (A) a first component comprising a Maillard reaction product (MRP) composition formed from a reaction mixture comprising: (a) one or more reducing sugars having a free carbonyl group, and (b) one or more amine donors having a free amino group; and (B) a second component comprising one or more Stevia-related components selected from the group consisting of Stevia extracts, glycosylated Stevia extracts, steviol glycosides, and glycosylated steviol glycosides, wherein the MRP composition is present in an amount in the range of 0.001-20 wt % of the dough, and (2) baking the dough to produce the bakery product.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more amine donors comprise thaumatin.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more amine donors comprise an amino acid and thaumatin.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the dough further comprises one or more sweeteners selected from the group consisting of sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame-K, neotame, erythritol, trehalose, raffinose, cellobiose, tagatose, allulose, inulin, N--[N-[3-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)propyl]-alpha-aspartyl]-L-phenylalani- ne 1-methyl ester, glycyrrhizin, sodium cyclamate, brazzein, miraculin, curculin, pentadin, mabinlin, thaumatin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), naringin dihydrochalcone, maltol, ethyl maltol and advantame.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second components are present in the dough in a concentration range of 0.01-10 wt % of the dough.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the first component is present in the dough in an 1 amount in the range of 0.0001-1 wt % of the dough.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the reaction mixture comprises thaumatin, or NHDC, or both.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the amine donors comprise one or more of a primary amine compound, a secondary amine compound, an amino acid, a protein, a peptide, a yeast extract or mixtures thereof.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more reducing sugars comprise a monosaccharide, a disaccharide, an oligosaccharide, an polysaccharide, or a combination thereof.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the dough further comprises a sweetener selected from the group consisting of sweet tea extracts, swingle extracts, sweet tea glycosides, mogrosides, glycosylated sweet tea glycosides, and glycosylated mogrosides.