An insect collection device (10) comprises an elongated housing (20) extending in a downstream direction between first (22) and second (24) ends about a housing interior. A partition (36) separates the interior (26) into an upstream region proximate the first end (22) and a downstream region proximate the second end (24). The partition (36) is constructed to permit airflow between these regions, while impeding passage of insects therebetween. A movable closure (50) is disposed on a first end portion (33) of the housing to move between a closed position and an open position to create an entryway into the upstream region. A compression chamber (70) is disposed on a second end portion of the housing (20) and moves between compressed and uncompressed positions to urge the closure into the second/open position such that insects in a vicinity of the first end (22) are drawn into the upstream region for collection. A methodology for capturing insects is also provided.

The present invention generally relates to the field of insect collection and/or removal. More particularly, the present invention concerns an insect collection device which may be manually actuated to draw insects into an interior region for collection or extermination. The present invention also provides a method for capturing insects.
Insects are among the most industrious animals on Earth, capable of living in almost any land habitat. Nearly one million species of insects are known to exist, many of which serve industrially beneficial uses in the ecosystem, while others are capable of destroying crops, trees, and houses and even carry harmful diseases such as malaria. Insects also provide a source of enjoyment or entertainment for some whose hobby is their collection, and others who keep insects as pets by maintaining ant farms, beehives and the like. Perhaps for most others, however, insects are considered pests that bite or sting and appear in unwanted places such as homes, offices, restaurants, and the like.
Many different types of pest control products are available to alleviate such nuisances. For example, topical skin creams and sprays help deter insects from stinging or biting. Similarly, insecticides are used by many in homes and other indoor areas to help prevent insects from entering. However, while these types of treatments may temporarily lessen the nuisance attributed to insects, they are generally ineffective at alleviating the problem in its entirety.
When insects enter indoor areas, many are likely to remove or exterminate them. Depending on the extent of the problem, it may be necessary to consult a certified exterminator to alleviate the problem. Perhaps the most common, and simplest way of killing and removing an insect, however, is through the use of a flyswatter or other crude concoction such as a rolled-up newspaper. Commercially available flyswatters are both practical and inexpensive and typically have a long handle for reaching insects that have alighted from high or hard to reach areas. Though simple and efficient, the drawback to these types of techniques is the unsightly remnants of the insects which are left behind on walls or windows, necessitating an additional clean-up step for the individual. Other known insect extermination techniques include flypaper and xe2x80x9cbug lightsxe2x80x9d which serve to both attract and kill the flying insect. These types of devices, however, also have certain drawbacks that make their use indoors impractical because they are only efficient at killing insects in designated locations and also require subsequent removal of the exterminated pests.
Vacuum cleaners provide an attractive alternative to the aforementioned devices and have long been used to assist in the removal or extermination of insects. Vacuum cleaners typically do not present the individual with an additional clean-up step and provide a more sanitary and practical approach to removing insects from indoor areas. Vacuum cleaners are also more capable in removing insects due to the use of various attachments that extend the reach of the hose, narrow or widen the extent of the vacuum area, or provide special shapes that allow easy use for certain areas. Some attachments have been specifically designed to make the vacuum cleaner a more efficient tool for removing insects. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,279,095 to Aasen; 4,630,329 to Shores, and 4,488,331 to Ward each disclose attachments made for use with vacuum cleaners for the distinct purpose of capturing and removing insects.
While the collection of insects with a vacuum cleaner does not involve some of the uncleanly aspects of other conventional approaches, it too is not without certain disadvantages. For example, the length of an electrical cord or the length of the hose will limit the reach of many vacuum cleaners. Also, some vacuum cleaners can be cumbersome and awkward to maneuver, presenting a precarious situation for an operator requiring the use of a chair or a ladder to reach the insect. Finally, many vacuum cleaners have such a strong vacuum effect that the insect is killed once it is contained within the bag or other capturing device, such that these types of devices are not an attractive alternative for those individuals who want to capture insects for collection purposes.
There are several types of insect collection devices that have been designed to remedy some of these drawbacks. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,960 and related U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,598, both to Wade, disclose a collection device designed as a handheld battery operated vacuum. Although this device is not as cumbersome as some vacuum cleaners, or limited by the length of an electrical cord, its reliance on batteries to generate the necessary vacuum creates a different disadvantage. In addition to adding a separate expense, batteries have a limited useful life requiring that be replaced or recharged to properly operate the device. As the battery begins to expire, it becomes less capable of capturing the insects. Since the operator may not be aware of the battery""s power, the device is less dependable, and capable of failure at an inopportune time. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,495 to Winnicki that discloses a handheld device wherein the insect is drawn into the device by means of a vacuum. Although this device is not dependent upon a separate power source, the vacuum is generated by the movement of a tube from a retracted position to an extended position. This requires the operator to ascertain the appropriate distance from which to hold the device from the insect to be captured. As a result, if the device is used incorrectly, the forward thrusting of the tube can potentially cause damage to walls, glass, or other surfaces on which the insect is found.
Accordingly, there remains a need to provide a new design and construction for an insect removal device that is easy to hold, does not require the an external power source, and that effectively captures the insect such that it does not escape. There is a further need to provide a design and construction for an insect removal device that is portable, easy to use and easy to manufacture and maintain. The present invention is directed to meeting these needs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful device for the collection and/or removal of insects
It is another object of the present invention to provide an insect collection device that uses a vacuum effect created by manual actuation to draw in and trap insects.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an insect collection device which is adaptable for use in hard to reach areas, such as crevices and other small enclosures, while alleviating the cleanup mess associated with known techniques.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an insect collection device that is lightweight, reusable, easy to use, and provides a sanitary way of collecting and removing insects for use in indoor areas.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an insect collection device with a viewing area to give the operator the ability view the captured insects, and to determine when the device needs to be cleaned.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an insect collection device that is easy to clean because it can be disassembled.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an insect collection device having a mechanism capable of trapping the collected insect so as to prevent the insect from escaping the collection area.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an insect collection device that is relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture and inexpensive to purchased.
In accordance with these objectives, an insect collection device comprises an elongated and preferably tubular housing having a first end and extending from the first end in a downstream direction to terminate at a second end to define a housing interior. A partition separates the housing interior into a first/upstream region proximate to the first end and a second/downstream region proximate to the second end. The partition is constructed to permit air to flow between the first and second regions while impeding the passage of insects therebetween. A movable closure is disposed on a first end portion of the housing and moves between a first (closed) position to hinder access to the upstream region from the first end and a second (open) position to create an entryway into the upstream region from the first end. A compression chamber is disposed on a second end portion of the housing and operates when moved from a compressed position to an uncompressed position to urge the closure into the open position such that insects in a vicinity of the first end are drawn into the upstream region for collection.
Preferably, the compression chamber is in fluid communication with the downstream region of the housing and is also operative when moved from the uncompressed position to the compressed position to eject air from the housing interior and to create a vacuum within the housing interior when allowed to move from the compressed position to the uncompressed position. The insect collection device of the present invention also preferably includes a triggering assembly that is operative when placed in an engaged state to retain the compression chamber in the compressed position, and when moved from the engaged state to a disengaged state, to allow the compression chamber to return to the uncompressed position. To this end, the triggering assembly may include a plunger shaft moveable with the compression chamber between a retracted position when the compression chamber is in the uncompressed position and an armed position when the compression chamber is in the compressed position. The triggering assembly further includes a trigger switch operative to engagedly retain the plunger shaft in the armed position, thereby to define the engaged state for the triggering assembly, and to release from the plunger shaft to allow the compression chamber to move from the compressed position to the uncompressed position, thereby to define the disengaged state for the triggering assembly. The plunger shaft preferably has its proximal end connected to a butt end of the compression chamber and extends from the proximal end into the housing interior to terminate at a distal end. The trigger switch is resiliently biased into engagement with a notch when the plunger shaft is in the armed position. This notch may be formed as a region of reduced thickness along a medial portion of the plunger shaft. Where a triggering assembly is provided, the housing is preferably formed to include a trigger guard which projects on opposite sides of a trigger button that is coupled to the trigger switch.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the insect collection device comprises a tubular housing and compression chamber as discussed above, as well as a collection member releaseably disposed on the housing""s second end. The collection member may include a collection tube adapted to attach to the first end portion and having an outer surrounding sidewall which surrounds a collection region. A partition, as discussed above, is disposed within the collection tube to permit airflow between the collection region and the housing interior, while impeding the passage of insects therebetween. The moveable closure is disposed on an upstream end of the collection tube and moves between an open orientation whereby insects can be drawn into the collection region and a closed orientation to prohibit insects from entering into the collection region.
The moveable closure may be formed by a pair of trap doors. Alternatively, the moveable closure may include an annular ring which is sized and adapted to fit over the collection tube, and a plurality of closure flaps each having an attached portion secured to the webbing and a free portion to allow the closure flaps to swing about the attached portion as the compression chamber moves from the compressed position to the uncompressed position.
It is also preferred that the collection tube have a circumferential groove formed therein, with the partition formed as a screen mesh seated against this groove and tapered in the upstream direction toward the central longitudinally axis of the collection tube. With the exception of the primary housing section which supports the various components of the triggering assembly, etc., it is also preferred that the remaining upstream tubular sections of the insect collection device be transparent to allow for viewing of insects trapped therein.
In either of the above embodiments, it is preferred that the housing be selectively extensible to vary an effective length thereof. To this end, the housing extends along an central longitudinal axis and includes a plurality of tubular housing sections that are mateable with one another so that the effective length of the housing may be varied. Among these tubular housing sections is preferably a primary housing section that is releaseably attached to the compression chamber and formed by a pair of primary housing pieces that are mateable with one another. The compression chamber, which may be in the form of a flexible bellows, is attached to this primary housing section such as by a securement clamp. Where a plurality of tubular housing sections are provided, the moveable closure is disposed on a terminal, upstream one of these tubular housing sections.
It is preferred that the compression chamber be resiliently biased into the uncompressed position and that the moveable closure be biased into the closed position, yet urged into the open position as the compression chamber is returned to the uncompressed position from the compressed position. A purge valve may be associated with the housing and operates as the compression chamber moves from the uncompressed position to the compressed position to allow the air to escape from the housing interior.
The present invention also contemplates a method of capturing of insects. According to this methodology, an elongated retention tube is provided having a moveable closure at an upstream end portion that is biased into a closed position. Air is evacuated from the retention tube to establish a potential vacuum source therein. An upstream end portion of the retention tube is placed adjacent to a target insect, and air pressure is created within an interior upstream end portion of the retention tube that is less than ambient pressure at the upstream end whereby ambient air is drawn into the retention tube at a sufficient flow to cause the moveable closure to move into an open position and to draw the insect into the retention tube.
The method may also include a step of providing a compressible chamber at a downstream end portion of the retention tube, with the step of evacuating air from the retention tube being accomplished by compressing the chamber into a compressed position. Further, the step of creating air pressure within the upstream end portion of the retention tube that is less than ambient pressure may be accomplished by returning the compressible chamber to an uncompressed position. Finally, the step of evacuating air from the retention tube may be accomplished either before or after its upstream end portion is placed adjacent to the target insect.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention when taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:


Ultrasound imaging using gas microbubble-containing contrast agents may be performed in the recirculating phase following admixture of the contrast agent with the blood pool, thereby prolonging the useful imaging time window compared to that conventionally obtained during the backscatter signal peak resulting from first pass of a contrast agent bolus. The length of the time window may further be increased by imaging at ultrasound frequencies of 2 MHz or less, particularly by harmonic imaging at transmit frequencies less than the resonance frequencies of the gas microbubbles.

This invention relates to gas-containing ultrasound contrast agents, more particularly to their use in diagnostic ultrasound imaging.
It is well known that ultrasonic imaging comprises a potentially valuable diagnostic tool, for example in studies of the vascular system, particularly in cardiography, and of tissue microvasculature. A variety of contrast agents has been proposed to enhance the acoustic images so obtained, including suspensions of solid particles, emulsified liquid droplets, gas microbubbles and encapsulated gases or liquids. It is generally accepted that low density contrast agents which are easily compressible are particularly efficient in terms of the acoustic backscatter they generate, and considerable interest has therefore been shown in the preparation of gas-containing and gas-generating systems.
Initial studies involving free gas microbubbles generated in vivo by intracardiac injection of physiologically acceptable substances have demonstrated the potential efficiency of such microbubbles as contrast agents in echography; such techniques are severely limited in practice, however, by the short lifetime of the free microbubbles. Substantial interest has accordingly been shown in methods of stabilising gas bubbles for echocardiography and other ultrasonic studies, for example using emulsifiers, oils, thickeners or sugars, or by entraining or encapsulating the gas or a precursor therefor in a variety of systems, e.g. as porous gas-containing microparticles or as encapsulated gas microbubbles, and in the selection of gases which may themselves exhibit enhanced stability and duration of echogenic effect.
Prior art concerning both the use of phospholipids as components of gas-containing ultrasound contrast agents and the selection of gases said to give improved persistence in vivo is reviewed in WO-A-9729783, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. WO-A-9729783 itself discloses contrast agents for use in diagnostic studies comprising a suspension in an injectable aqueous carrier liquid of gas microbubbles stabilised by phospholipid-containing amphiphilic material, characterised in that the amphiphilic material consists essentially of phosphblipid predominantly comprising molecules with net charges. The phospholipid molecules are preferably negatively charged, for example as in naturally occurring (e.g. soya bean or egg yolk derived), semisynthetic (e.g. partially or fully hydrogenated) and synthetic phosphatidylserines, phosphatidylglycerols, phosphatidylinositols, phosphatidic acids and cardiolipins.
Contrast agents in which at least 70% of the phospholipid content consists of one or more phosphatidylserines, for example saturated (e.g. hydrogenated or synthetic) natural phosphatidylserine and synthetic or semi-synthetic dialkanoylphosphatidylserines such as distearoylphosphatidylserine, dipalmitoylphosphatidylserine and diarachidoylphosphatidylserine, are said to be preferred by virtue of their stability, minimal haemodynamic side effects and ease of elimination from the body.
Gases which may be present in such contrast agents include any substances (including mixtures) substantially or completely in gaseous (including vapour) form at the normal human body temperature of 37xc2x0 C. Representative gases thus include air, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, inert gases, sulphur fluorides, hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbons, especially fluorocarbons such as perfluorocarbons, typically containing 1-5 carbon atoms. The use of fluorinated gases such as sulphur hexafluoride, perfluoroal kanes and perfluorocycloalkanes is particularly preferred.
Ultrasound contrast agents are usually administered intravenously as a single bolus dosage, leading to a rapid and pronounced but relatively short lasting rise in backscatter intensity in respect of blood-perfused tissue and organs as the bolus mixes with surrounding blood, thereby generating a relatively narrow and high intensity backscatter signal peak in a plot against time; backscatter measurements are normally made during the existence of this peak. This may, however, give rise to problems in, for example, the imaging of deeper tissues and organs, where high backscatter from overlying tissue during the peak period may cause excessive shadowing.
It is often desirable to prolong the useful time window for imaging beyond the relatively short duration of the backscatter signal peak resulting from passage of the contrast agent bolus. In the case of non-recirculating contrast agents, i.e. agents which are incapable of surviving more than one passage through the systemic circulation, for example as a result of instability or of specific or non-specific trapping in certain tissues, this may require repeated injection or continuous infusion of the contrast agent; however, such techniques may be inconvenient in practice and may require special pharmaceutical formulations. Use of increased dosages of non-recirculating contrast agents in an attempt to prolong the imaging time window may be limited by toxicity considerations and will frequently cause excessive acoustic shadowing, thereby significantly shortening the useful time window.
Stabilised gas microbubble-containing contrast agents such as those disclosed in WO-A-9729783 are capable of surviving passage through the systemic circulation. Such agents can pass through the pulmonary capillary bed and survive the systolic pressure changes encountered in the bloodstream, and so may provide measurable backscatter levels after mixture with the whole blood pool. In such cases a plot of backscatter intensity against time will exhibit a decay phase after the peak period as a result of the presence of echogenic contrast agent in recirculating blood; this is hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9crecirculating phasexe2x80x9d. Hitherto, measurements of backscatter intensity during the recirculating phase have generally been disregarded, probably because of the low intensity levels involved. It has now surprisingly been found, however, that imaging during the recirculating phase may provide diagnostically useful results over a prolonged time period if a sufficient dosage of contrast agent is administered.
Thus the present invention is based on the finding that increasing the dose of a recirculating ultrasound contrast agent may lead to a substantial and disproportionately large increase in the useful imaging time window. Without wishing to be bound by theoretical considerations, it is thought that this unexpectedly prolonged time window may be the result of a change in the mechanism governing contrast duration. Thus, at low doses, contrast duration is determined solely by the bolus transit time, which is governed by the relationship between central blood volume and cardiac output. At high doses, on the other hand, contrast duration depends on clearance of the contrast agent from the blood, for example on the relationship between total blood volume and hepatic blood flow in the case of a contrast agent with predominantly hepatic clearance.
Thus according to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of ultrasound imaging which comprises (i) administering an ultrasound contrast agent comprising a stabilised dispersion of gas microbubbles in an injectable carrier liquid to the vascular system of a subject in an amount which is physiologically tolerable and sufficient to generate contrast enhancement within blood in a recirculating phase following admixture of the agent with the blood pool; and (ii) generating an ultrasound image of at least a part of the vascular system of said subject during said recirculating phase.
In a further embodiment the invention provides use of stabilised gas microbubbles in the manufacture of a contrast agent for administration to the vascular system of a subject in a dosage unit which is physiologically tolerable and sufficient to generate contrast enhancement within blood in a recirculating phase following admixture of the agent with the blood pool.
The contrast agents may, for example, comprise amphiphile-stabilised, e.g. phospholipid-stabilised, gas, microbubbles, advantageously in which the phospholipids or other amphiphiles form monolayer membranes at the microbubble-carrier liquid interfaces; such agents may combine high efficacy and low toxicity by virtue of the flexibility and low material content of the stabilising membranes. The use of negatively charged phospholipids as described in WO-A-9729783 is preferred, the use of phosphatidylserines, e.g. to stabilise fluorinated gases such as perfluorobutane, being particularly preferred since the particularly low toxicity of such products facilitates their use at higher dosages.
Such contrast agents may, for example, be administered at up to 30, e.g. 5-15 times the dosage which might normally be employed for conventional imaging of tissue such as the myocardium during the peak concentration period. Thus in the case of harmonic imaging using contrast agents as described in WO-A-9729783, contrast agent doses such that the amount of phospholipid injected is in the range 2-10 xcexcg/kg may be useful. The agents may, for example, be administered as a plurality of small doses in sequence, as a continuous infusion over an appropriate period of time or as a single high dose; this last method will generally be preferred for simplicity and convenience.
It will be appreciated that, for any given contrast agent, there will be an upper dosage limit above which shadowing will dominate for a dosage-dependent period of time, whereafter the useful imaging time window will begin; the length of the time window will remain constant at any dosage above this upper limit. The optimum dosage will therefore be one which gives substantial prolongation of the time window without causing shadowing in the recirculating phase.
Whereas imaging during the peak concentration period is typically constrained to an imaging time window of at most 4 minutes, sometimes less than 1 minute, imaging in the recirculating phase in accordance with the present procedure of tissue such as the myocardium may give an imaging time window in excess of 10, 15, 30 or even 45 minutes.
The useful imaging time window effectively ends when the backscatter from contrast agent in the recirculating phase falls to the tissue baseline level. It is therefore advantageous to use harmonic imaging techniques such as second harmonic imaging in the method of the invention, since these suppress tissue echo relative to contrast echo and will therefore extend the imaging time window. Thus, for example, a relative suppression of tissue echo by 10 dB will prolong the effective imaging time by about 3 halftimes, since 0.1≈(0.5)3.
It has also been found that imaging time windows, particularly for deeply located tissue sites, may be lengthened by use of lower than usual ultrasound imaging frequencies. It is well known that increased ultrasound frequency leads to enhanced image resolution but also results in higher attenuation; it is accordingly necessary to compromise in order to balance the requirements of adequate resolution and tissue penetration. Current diagnostic ultrasound imaging procedures typically employ frequencies of 2-10 MHz for transcutaneous measurements; thus, for example, frequencies of 2.5-5 MHz, e.g. 3.5 MHz, are commonly employed in adult cardiology and deep organ imaging.
Where highly echogenic gas microbubble-containing contrast agents are used, imaging of deeply located tissue sites of interest may be hindered as a result of attenuation (and therefore shadowing) by contrast agent in overlying tissue. Imaging of tissue in the region of interest will thus not be practicable until such attenuation has fallen sufficiently for backscatter from the tissue of interest to be determinable, thereby delaying onset of the time window for useful observations. This time window will then last until backscatter from the tissue of interest falls below the minimum level for useful observations.
The use of lower imaging frequencies, e.g. 2 MHz or less, may lengthen the imaging time window by reducing or even eliminating attenuation by contrast agent in overlying tissue and possibly also by such tissue itself, thereby advancing the time from which useful observations of the underlying tissue of interest may be made.
The imaging frequency may, for example, be in the range 1-2 MHz, and may advantageously be less than 1.8 MHz, preferably less than 1.6 MHz, for example about 1.5 MHz. The use of harmonic imaging techniques, for example second harmonic imaging, and analogous techniques such as pulse inversion imaging, may be particularly advantageous; in such cases the above-defined frequencies refer to the transmitted ultrasound signals.
It will be appreciated that such transmit frequencies are significantly below the resonance frequencies of most gas microbubble-containing contrast agents, these typically being of the order of 3-5 MHz. It has hitherto been a general belief that non-linear imaging techniques such as harmonic imaging require oscillation of microbubbles at their resonance frequency (see, for example, Ultrasonics 15(1), pp. 7-13 (1977)), so that deviation from the resonance frequency is generally considered to be disadvantageous. The finding that harmonic imaging at a transmit frequency below the resonance frequency of the microbubbles produces improved contrast to tissue signal ratios and thus substantially prolongs the useful imaging time window is therefore most unexpected.
Without wishing to be bound by theoretical considerations, it is believed that non-linear imaging such as second harmonic imaging does not in fact require the phenomenon of microbubble resonance. Thus, provided that a sufficient oscillation amplitude is experienced at the transmit frequency, non-linear oscillations may be the main source of harmonic components in the contrast obtained from contrast agent microbubbles, although not at the optimum level corresponding to resonance frequencies.
The use of lower transmit frequencies is advantageous in that attenuation is thereby reduced, allowing more power to penetrate and reach the region of interest and so giving more efficient harmonic conversion. Since, as noted above, shadowing is reduced by the use of lower frequencies, the maximum useful dose of contrast agent may be increased, thereby permitting further lengthening of the useful imaging time window.
This embodiment of the invention is particularly suited to perfusion imaging, for example myocardial perfusion imaging. It will be appreciated that spatial resolution, which may to some extent be compromised by the use of low imaging frequencies, may not be a critical parameter in such imaging.
By way of illustration of the lengthened imaging time windows which may be achieved using this embodiment, it has been found that harmonic imaging of a dog heart at 1.5 MHz produced useful results immediately after administration of a contrast agent comprising phosphatidylserine-stabilised perfluorobutane microbubbles.
Contrast agents useful in this embodiment of the invention include gas microbubbles encapsulated by flexible membranes such that they readily undergo oscillations under the influence of ultrasound energy. They may therefore, for example, comprise amphiphile-estabilised, e.g. phospholipid-stabilised gas microbubbles, for example as hereinbefore described. Again the use of negatively charged phospholipids such as phosphatidylserines, e.g. to stabilise fluorinated gases such as perfluorobutane, may be particularly advantageous.
Alternatively the contrast agent microbubbles may be less flexibly encapsulated, e.g. by stabilised protein shells, where the encapsulating material is capable of transiently softening and becoming more elastic under the influence of ultrasound energy, thereby permitting volume oscillation.
It may be advantageous during imaging in accordance with the method of the invention, especially in cardiac imaging, to induce pharmacological stress in the subject. As is well known, such stress may enhance the distinction between normally perfused healthy tissue, e.g. of the myocardium, and tissue regions supplied by stenotic arteries. Thus healthy tissue undergoes vasodilatation and increased blood flow, and may therefore exhibit significantly increased contrast echo. Blood flow in underperfused tissue supplied by a stenotic artery, on the other hand, is substantially unchanged as a result of the capacity for arteriolar vasodilatation already being exhausted by inherent autoregulation seeking to increase the restricted blood flow.
Such pharmacological stress is conveniently induced by administration, e.g. by injection, of a vasodilator, preferably while imaging is being performed during the recirculating phase.
Representative examples of vasodilators which may be used include adenosine, dipyridamole, nitroglycerine, isosbrbide mononitrate, prazosin, doxazosin, hydralazine, dihydralazine, sodium nitroprusside, pentoxyphylline, amelodipine, felodipine, isradipine, nifedipine, nimoidipine, verapamil, diltiazem and nitric oxide. Stress-inducing agents such as arbutamine and dobutamine, which have a secondary vasodilatation-inducing effect as a result of their metabolism-increasing effects, may similarly be used. Use of adenosine is particularly preferred since it is an endogenous substance and has a rapid but short-lived vasodilatating effect. This latter property is confirmed by the fact that it has a blood pool half-life of only a few seconds; possible discomfort to patients during vasodilatation is therefore minimised. Vasodilatation induced by adenosine will be most intense in the heart since the drug will tend to reach more distal tissues in less than pharmacologically active concentrations; it is therefore the vasidilator of choice in echocardiographic applications of this embodiment of the invention.


A clasp (1) for bracelets, necklaces and similar items has a female element and a male element fastened together by a plug belonging to the male element that fastens in a corresponding hole in the female element by a locking belong to an extending member. The extending member has a protruding actuator end and a first part held in a first seat of the plug, which has a fork at its end created by two arms spread apart that meet to create a seat that encloses across a fixed pin set crossways through the first seat of the plug. The plug has an opening to introduce a tool suited to closing the arms rotating around the fixed pin.

The invention concerns a clasp with plug especially suited to being applied to gold or fashion jewellery such as for instance bracelets, necklaces, chains and similar.
As is known one type of clasp that is frequently applied to items of gold and fashion jewellery is often called a xe2x80x9cplug claspxe2x80x9d.
This basically comprises a female element provided with first means of attaching to a first end of one of said items, which has a hole that receives a plug belonging to a male element provided with second means of attaching to the second end of the same item.
The firm yet detachable coupling of the plug of the male element within the corresponding hole in the female element, is achieved by one or more extending members that are made to flex by elastic devices and are provided with means of locking suited to connecting with corresponding means of striking belonging to the female element.
Known plug clasps of the type described above, in comparison to other known kinds of clasp, have the advantage of offering greater reliability against accidental opening. What""s more they can be made in any shape whatsoever suited to being integrated with the shape of the item they are applied to.
These clasps do nevertheless have a limitation in that the extending members and the elastic devices they work with, are all enclosed within the plug of the male element and consequently the plug cannot be produced in sizes smaller than a given minimum limit governed by the coexistence inside of the extending members and the elastic devices.
As a result, known types of plug clasp cannot be used on any items, such as necklaces or bracelets, which are somewhat small in cross-section since this would ruin the overall aesthetic appearance of these items.
To overcome these limitations and inconveniences, the depositee of this invention has registered under the same name the Italian patent for industrial invention having deposit number V196A000064 which describes an improved type of plug clasp that against equivalent, known types of plug clasp has markedly smaller cross-sectional dimensions.
To be more precise the clasp comprises a female element and a male element provided with a plug that can be fastened in a corresponding hole in the female element.
The male element contains a flexibly extending member externally operated by an actuator end, provided with means of locking that connect with corresponding means of striking belonging to the female element when the plug is fastened in the hole of the female element.
The extending member is basically L-shaped and sits in a cavity made in the body of the male element, which ends with a well that holds the shaped end of the extending member.
A pivot point is thereby created that allows the extending member to rotate when the user presses it from the outside on the actuator end.
A spring inserted in the body of the male element, having one end connected to the male element and its opposite end restrained within a hole made in the extending member, provides the latter with a flexing movement.
Together with its flexing function, the spring also performs the function of travel stop that limits the movement of the extending member while it rocks to open or close the clasp. The clasp described above has however some limitations and inconveniences.
A first inconvenience is the difficulty found when producing the well that holds the end of the extending member in the body of the male element.
Another inconvenience is the need to produce the hole in the extending member that holds the end of the elastic device. Last but not least an inconvenience is the lack of a genuine travel stop that allows to limit the rocking of the extending member inside the seat that holds it.
This invention intends to overcome these limitations and inconveniences.
In particular a first scope of the invention is to produce a plug clasp that is simpler to produce than the clasp under the aforementioned patent.
Another scope is that the clasp of the invention should also have a greater precision in its operation. Last but not least a scope is that the clasp invention be easier to assemble than similar, equivalent clasps.
Said scopes are achieved by producing a clasp for gold and/or fashion jewellery items such as bracelets, necklaces and similar that in accordance with the main claim comprises:
at least one female element and at least one male element fastened by means of attaching each to its respective end of one of said adornments;
a plug belonging to the body of said at least one male element, suited to being fastened in a corresponding hole in said at least one female element;
an extending member basically shaped in the form of an L that comprises a first part fitted in a first seat made lengthways in said plug and a second part fitted in a second seat made in the body of said male element and provided with means of locking suited to snapping onto corresponding means of striking belonging to said female element when said plug is fastened in said hole;
a shaped end belonging to said second part and protruding from the body of said at least one male element that acts as the actuator piece for the user to operate;
at least one elastic device inserted between said extending member and the body of said male element, and wherein the end of said first part of said extending member has a fork created by two arms spread apart that meet to create a seat suited to being closed across a fixed pin set crossways through said first seat of said plug, the latter being provided with an opening for introducing a tool suited to closing said arms rotating around said fixed pin.
According to a preferred form of execution, the second part of said extending member consists of a flat sheet metal body whose end is shaped to provide the fork.
The fork is created by two arms spreading apart in a V-shape that meet to create a basically ringed sectioned seat that will couple around the outside of a pin, which also has a basically ringed cross-section.
When the fork""s arms are closed by bending, achieved for instance by pliers that are introduced through the opening made in the end of the plug, the extending member remains coupled rotating around the plug.
The elastic devices consist of a coil spring restrained between the second part of the extending member and the body of the male element.
The body of the male element also has a slot from which protrudes an adjustable striking element suited to limiting the movement of the extending member inside said plug.
An advantage obtained from the clasp is that it is easier to produce since the plug does not have blind spots.
Another advantage is that the particular forked construction of the end of the extending member and the way by which it is coupled rotating around the pin, allows greater precision in the clasp""s operation.

Clasp with plug for items of gold and fashion jewellery such as bracelets, necklaces and similar


Chewy confectionery products, and processes for producing said products, are provided as delivery systems for minerals such as calcium. The carbohydrates of the fortified confectionery products include at least one reducing sugar and one non-reducing sugar in a weight ratio of about 1:0.2 to about 1:1 reducing sugar:non-reducing sugar. The chewy confectionery products offer a matrix for about 0.2 wt. % to 45 wt. % of a fortifying component while maintaining a smooth and soft texture.

This invention relates to confectionery delivery systems for nutrients. A process for preparing nutritional confectionery products is also provided.
Vitamin and mineral supplements often provide fortification otherwise not present in regular dietary intake. The supplements may be delivered in a variety of known forms, such as by tablet, capsule, powders, edible food products and so on. Regardless of the number of delivery systems available, there is a continuing need to provide alternative forms of supplements that are appealing, and therefore increase the likelihood of compliance to those in need of ingesting such supplements. Confectionery based supplements are appealing because they provide good tasting delivery systems.
One of the problems associated with preparing acceptable delivery systems for minerals and vitamins, particularly confectionery delivery systems, is obtaining a product with an acceptable taste, stability, and texture. Undesirable organoleptic characteristics, such as pasty, dry, dusty, chalky, bitterness and aftertaste are problematic in delivery minerals and vitamins in an edible matrix, particularly a chewable matrix. For example, a common occurrence in preparing a calcium fortified confectionery is that the product tends to taste chalky or gritty. Additional challenges in preparing good tasting supplements is that the solubility or strong flavor of the vitamins and/or minerals make it difficult to sustain a good taste throughout the eating process.
Further, when fruit flavored chews are made, particularly those with citric acid, the confectionery products may have a strong acidic, sour flavor or aftertaste. Further still, when the fruit chew employs an acid component, the calcium used to fortify the chew may react with the acid component to form a gas thereby impairing undesirable characteristics for the end product confectionery or prematurely react during product manufacture.
Within the area of fortification, the relationship between certain vitamins and minerals and bone mineral content and associated bone loss, formation, and/or restoration continues to generate much interest. Providing a delivery system having an acceptable matrix to deliver vitamins and minerals specific to the area of bond content would be particularly desirable.
As used herein, weight percentages (wt. %) are based on the total weight of said confectionery composition.
The above-described problems and needs have been solved with the discovery of a chewy confectionery composition comprising from about 0.2 weight percent (wt. %) to about 45 wt. % of a fortifying component comprising a vitamin source, a mineral source, or a mixture thereof; from about 3 to about 18 wt. % of a fat; from about 40 wt. % to about 70 wt. % of a carbohydrate comprising at least one non-reducing sugar and at least one reducing sugar, wherein said reducing sugar:non-reducing sugar ratio ranges from about 1:0.2 to about 1:1. Also provided is a chewy confectionery comprising from about 0.2 wt. % to about 45 wt. % of a fortifying component, from about 3 to about 18 wt. % of a fat; from about 40 wt. % to about 70 wt. % of a carbohydrate comprising from about 10 to 50 wt. % of an oligosaccharide, a polysaccharide or a mixture thereof and from about 50 to about 90% of a monosaccharide, a disaccharide, or a combination thereof. The matrix of the confectionery composition provides a method of delivering vitamins and minerals in a manner that retains the desirable characteristics for a confectionery such as good taste, good texture, and substantially no aftertaste.
In a preferred embodiment, from about 2 to about 32 wt. % of a calcium is employed in the fortifying composition. In yet another preferred embodiment, the confectionery is prepared using an encapsulated citric acid that provides a fruit flavored chew. In addition to providing a composition capable of incorporating high percentages of a fortifying composition, also provided is a process improvement for the preparation of a confectionery composition incorporating calcium. In particular, said process comprises the steps of cooking a confectionery comprising from about 3 to about 18 wt. % of a fat; from about 40 wt. % to about 70 wt. % of a carbohydrate comprising at least one reducing sugar and at least one non-reducing sugar present in a ratio of reducing sugar:non-reducing sugar of from about 1:0.2 to about 1:1, and from about 0 to about 10 wt. % of a protein to form a precooked mass and thereafter adding to said precooked mass said fortifying component comprising from about 0.2 to about 45 wt. %. All weight percentages used herein are based on the total weight of the complete confectionery composition.
Advantages presented with the fortified confectionery include obtaining high levels of fortifying components in the confectionery without compromising taste and texture. The preferred products are soft without exhibiting stickiness and do not taste chalky or gritty.
As used herein, dextrose equivalent (DE) is defined as the percent of reducing sugars on a dry basis calculated as dextrose. As familiar to one skilled in the art, glucose (or corn) syrups are formed by reacting a starch with an acid and/or enzyme. The DE is a measurement of the degree of hydrolysis that starches undergo to yield different DE syrups. As used herein, glucose and dextrose are used interchangeably. Standard corn syrups are defined as having about a DE value of approximately 42. Syrup processed to have a xe2x80x9chighxe2x80x9d DE using has a value of approximately 65 DE. The higher the level of DE in a carbohydrate component, the sweeter the ingredient. With the sweetness factor, the high DE carbohydrates may also contribute to negative product characteristics, such as, greater tendency to crystallize (could lead to a product defect if there""s too much or too big of a crystal formulation); less viscosity (could lead to a product that is too sticky, inability to bold form); tendency to brown (could lead to flavor problems and coloration problems); tendency to be more hygroscopic (could lead to product that has too much crystallization); and so on. A xe2x80x9creducing sugarxe2x80x9d is defined as a sugar which can chemically react with a special copper reagent known as Fehlings solution (alkaline solution), whereby the xe2x80x9creducingxe2x80x9d sugar will reduce this copper solution to copper oxide (cuprous oxide). A xe2x80x9cnon reducing sugarxe2x80x9d is defined as a sugar that will not react with the special copper reagent. Sucrose is an example of a common non-reducing sugar. Corn syrups, fructose and milk sugars are examples of reducing sugars.
Typically, in caramels, toffees and other chewy confectionery products, the carbohydrates are 1 part reducing sugars and 1.2 to 1.4 parts non-reducing sugar (sucrose). Unexpectedly, in the present invention, the conventional ratio of carbohydrates does not work well because they provide a product that is too hard and grainy in texture. On the other hand, too high of a ratio of reducing sugar to non-reducing sugar will provide a confectionery having a texture that is too sticky and runny. Accordingly, large-scale manufacture of the fortified chew was found technically unfeasible.
The carbohydrates used in the invention may be selected from any source commonly used in the art of preparing confectionery products (see, e.g. Food Technology, March, 1991, pp. 148-149, hereby incorporated by reference). More particularly, the carbohydrate preferably has at least one reducing sugar and at least one non-reducing sugar. The carbohydrate preferred may also be defined as comprising from about 10 to 50 wt. % of an oligosaccharide, a polysaccharide or a mixture thereof and from about 50 to about 90% of a monosaccharide, a disaccharide, or a combination thereof. Sugars falling into the category of monosaccharide, disaccharide, etc. are readily ascertainable by one skilled in the art (see, e.g. Food Technology article cited herein). More preferably from 20 to 50 wt. %, most preferably from 22 to 36 wt. % of the carbohydrate is selected from oligosaccharides, polysaccharides and mixtures thereof. The ratio of the reducing sugar:non-reducing sugar is preferably from about 1:0.2 to 1:1, more preferably from 1:0.3 to 1:0.8, and most preferably from 1:0.3 to 1:0.4. In addition to the reducing and non-reducing sugars, the carbohydrate fraction of the confectionery may include other carbohydrate components such as lactose, maltodextrin and the like (which will permit formulations having fewer calories). More particularly, various corn syrups (starch hydrolysates), polydextrose (polymer of dextrose with sorbitol and an acid), sucrose, dextrose, fructose, lactose, maltose, brown sugar, cane sugar, and beet sugar; invert sugar; sugar alcohols (sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, xylitol), honey; lycasin and mixtures thereof may be selected as the carbohydrate component. More preferably employed is at least one reducing sugar selected from corn syrup (24 DE to 65 DE), high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup solid, high maltose corn syrup, fructose, invert sugar, and mixtures thereof is employed with at least one non-reducing sugar (such as sucrose and the like) is used. In addition to the non-reducing and reducing sugars, artificial sweeteners may also be used as sweetening agents, such as aspartame, saccharin, lactitol, sucralose, acesulfame-K, stevia; Neohesperidine DC, cyclamates and the like. Particularly preferred carbohydrates are sucrose (the non-reduced sugar) combined with reducing sugars described in Table 2 below.
As described in the Table 2, the non-reducing sugar, preferably sucrose, may be combined with various combinations of reducing sugars selected from the following combinations: (1) a corn syrup having a DE of 62/63 with a high maltose corn syrup having a 42 DE, (enzymatically treated corn syrup resulting in the production of a maltose); (2) a corn syrup (42 DE) and fructose; (3) a high maltose corn syrup (42DE) with a high fructose corn syrup; (4) a corn syrup (42 DE) and a high fructose corn syrup; (5) a corn syrup (62/63 DE), high maltose corn syrup, and a high fructose corn syrup;(6) a corn syrup (42 DE) and a corn syrup (62/63 DE), and a high fructose corn syrup; (7) a corn syrup (42 DE) and a corn syrup (62-63 DE).
The confectionery is defined as having at least about 40 wt. % carbohydrate. Preferably from about 40 wt. % to 70 wt. %, more preferably, from 50 to 60 wt. % of the carbohydrate is employed in the confectionery.
Provided is a chewy, semi-solid confectionery having a matrix appropriate for a delivery of any number of combinations of mineral salts and vitamins. The inventive confectionery delivery system optimally has from about 4 to about 10 wt. %, and preferably between 6 and 8 wt. % moisture. The water activity (Aw) of the confectionery is below approximately 0.65, preferable between 0.4 to about 0.55.
As used herein, water activity, Aw, is defined as equal to Equilibrium Relative Humidity (ERH) divided by 100. ERH is the state of equilibrium state at which the confectionery product neither absorbs nor loses moisture to the environment. In the confectionery, the ERH is influenced by the composition of the syrup phase, particularly the water content thereof, and may be present as free or bound water. The free water influences the storage capabilities of the confectionery which could result in undesired crystallization of the confectionery during storage.
The composition may be processed in any standard candy making machinery, either in a batch process using open pan cooking or in a continuous system. In a continuous system, preferably the basic mix is caramelized and other ingredients added thereafter. The cooked mass may then be poured onto a cooling table, cut and further processed on a standard caramel wrapping machine. The candy may be further processed in any acceptable commercial form including bars, rolls, individually wrapped pieces and so on. The physical characteristics of softness preferably do not interfere with individually wrapping the confectionery products. Wrapping materials may be selected from any known, non-reactive material used in the food industry. The composition may be formulated using known flavor technology (natural, artificial, and nature identical) including preparations as a caramel, chocolate or fruit flavored chew. The caramel flavor may be contributed to the confectionery naturally during the cooking process or commercially by adding caramel powders, dairy products (e.g., milk crumb) and/or other flavoring ingredients. Cocoa butter, cocoa, cocoa liquor, chocolate flavor, and mixtures thereof are particularly useful in providing an acceptable tasting chocolate confectionery. For fruit flavored confectionery products, flavor may be provided by encapsulated citric acid and optionally additional fruit juices and/or fruit flavoring commonly used in food technologies.
Advantages presented with the inventive confectionery are that the confectionery products are highly stable as well as good tasting. Unexpectedly, in one embodiment, calcium fortification provided in the amounts described herein creates a type of matrix that allows for the candies to hold their form at high temperature and high humidity conditions. Further, the confectionery compositions stay soft for a longer than expected time when tested at high temperature and low humidity. Additionally, crystallization of product is lower than expected when the compositions are evaluated under Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA).
According to the invention, the fortified confectionery shows minimal textural changes when exposed to extremes in humidity and temperature. The confectionery is considered commercially desirable because melting and hardening of the confectionery are avoided during the standard shelf life of the product. As used herein, crystallization is unacceptable if it is present in such a quantity as to manifest a textural (harder) and mouth-feel (gritty) change in the product. Above 35 microns, the crystals in the product will appear coarse to the palate. Temperature fluctuations generally induce crystallization. According to the invention, preferred embodiments showed acceptable crystallization levels (substantially no crystals above 35 microns) when the confectionery samples were subjected to two heat/cool cycles at 37xc2x0 C./20xc2x0 C. and 95xc2x0 C./35xc2x0 C. for 5 days (as measured DSC and DMA).
Further, preferred embodiments stay xe2x80x9cintactxe2x80x9d (no weeping) and maintain rigidity when tested for at least about a two-week period at an ambient temperature (25xc2x0 C.) and high (85%) relative humidity (RH). When preferred embodiments are tested at high temperature (37xc2x0 C.) and high (85%) relative humidity (RH) for at least about two-week period, the confectionery stays xe2x80x9cintact.xe2x80x9d Although the confectionery may become softer at those adverse conditions, it has the capability to revert back to its original when equilibrated back to ambient conditions. Also, when preferred embodiments are exposed to high temperature (37xc2x0 C.) and low (33%) RH, for a period of at least about two weeks, the confectionery continues to keep a xe2x80x9csoftxe2x80x9d texture. In preferred embodiments, the confectionery has a shelf life of commercial acceptability of at least 120, preferably 365, days at room temperature.
The fortifying component may be selected from vitamins, minerals, and combinations thereof. Preferred as a key component is calcium selected from any source fit for dietary consumption (including combinations in various forms). For example, acceptable calcium sources include calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, calcium phosphate, calcium lactate, calcium gluconate, calcium fumarate, calcium aspartate, tricalcium citrate tetrahydrate, and mixtures thereof. Further, natural sources of calcium may also be used such as egg shell, oyster shell, milk calcium, and mixtures thereof. Additionally, calcium salt from reaction between an acid and calcium hydroxides may also be used. Most preferably employed is calcium carbonate. Another mineral favored in the fortifying component associated with bone health is a magnesium source in any acceptable food grade form, including, magnesium oxide, magnesium phosphate, magnesium carbonate, and combinations thereof. Other minerals particularly well suited as incorporated in the matrix because of association with calcium metabolism and bone health include copper (cupric sulfate, cupric carbonate, copper gluconate, cupric oxide); manganese (manganese gluconate, manganese sulfate); zinc (zinc chloride, zinc oxide, zinc gluconate), boron (sodium borate), silicon and mixtures thereof. Amounts of these minerals used in the fortifying component may be adjusted by anyone skilled in the art as long as the amounts do not exceed safety levels. Preferably at least about 10% RDA is included for each selected mineral. Preferably the mineral sources are in a micronized or ultrafine form, optimally with a media particle size of from about 2 to about 10 microns.
Any number of vitamins and combinations thereof may also be part of the fortifying component, including various forms of vitamin D (vitamin D3, cholecalciferol palmitate and vitamin D2, ergocaciferol), vitamin A (palmitate), vitamin E (vitamin E acetate, alpha tocopherols), vitamin B1 (thiamine hydrochloride, thiamine monohydrate), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), niacin, vitamin B12, vitamin C (ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate), biotin, folacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin K1 (phytonadione), pantothenic acid, and so on.
The total weight percentage of the fortifying component (mineral and vitamin) that may be delivered in the confectionery matrix ranges from about 2 wt. % to about 45 wt. %, preferably from 10 to 45, and more preferably 20 to 25, based on the total weight of the confectionery product.
The matrix provided by the confectionery is particularly appropriate for the delivery of minerals and vitamins appropriate for sustaining bone health. Preferably the confectionery product is prepared using from about 4 to about 32 wt. % of a calcium carbonate (about 95 mg to about 750 mg calcium per piece of total composition, piece defined as from about 5 to 7 grams). More preferably, the confectionery includes from 12.5 wt. % to 32 wt. % calcium carbonate (from 300 mg to 766 mg of calcium per piece) and most preferably about 21 wt. % calcium carbonate (about 500 mg of calcium per piece). Also, the preferred composition for bone health supplementation includes a magnesium salt, favored is magnesium phosphate. When magnesium phosphate is employed as the magnesium salt in the fortifying component, preferably the amount ranges from about 3.6 wt. % to about 12 wt. % (40 mg to 200 mg magnesium phosphate per piece), more preferably from 4.8 to 12 wt. % (40 mg to 100 mg magnesium per piece), and most preferably about 6 wt. % (50 mg per piece).
When the confectionery is formulated as a bone health supplement, in addition to the calcium and magnesium salts, also provided are vitamin D (preferably D2, D3 or mixtures thereof, most preferably D3) and vitamin K (preferably K1). As both of these vitamins are fat soluble, and theoretically absorb best when taken with dietary fat, the fat containing confectionery matrix is an optimal delivery system for both, particularly vitamin K. Preferably, vitamin D is provided in an amount of from about 50-200 IU per piece, preferably 100 IU per piece (e.g., 0.0042 wt. % of vitamin D powder, preferably palmitate powder). Vitamin K may be employed in amounts ranging from about 0.0001 wt. % to about 0.006 wt. % (about 5 to about 300 mcg per piece); more preferably 0.0003 to 0.0008 wt. % (10 to 50 mcg per piece).
In the bone health supplement, vitamin D is selected to promote absorption of the calcium as well as for contributing to homoestasis and bone mineralization. As many populations have decreased fats and oils from their dietary intake, there is concern that certain populations are vulnerable to receiving less than the recommended daily allowance for vitamin K. The current Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin K is based on the needs for the liver (blood clotting mechanisms) and not on requirements for bone (extrahepatic needs). Emerging scientific data, however, support a relationship between vitamin K and bone strength and accordingly provided herein are suggested amounts of vitamin K that satisfy a current need in the area of bone supplementation.
According to the invention, the fat is emulsified together with the protein and sugar syrup during the early stages of preparation, favorably during mixing steps. As cooking progresses, simultaneous denaturation of the proteins and changes in the sugar entrap the fat in a homogenous fashion across the confectionery matrix. While not wishing to be bound in theory, electron microscopy shows that the supporting medium in caramels is the sugar phase (due to large percent in the formulation) with inclusion of fat and protein.
Because of the high temperatures of the cooking process, the vitamins are added only after the cooking steps to prevent degradation.
Other minerals that may be included in a confectionery prepared for supplements directed to bone health include sources of copper, manganese and zinc. Cooper may be used in an amount of from about 0.1 to 3 mg per piece. Manganese may be used in amounts of about 0.25 to 5 mg per piece. Zinc may be used in an amount of about 3 mg to 12 mg per piece.
The fat sources that may be included are those appropriate for making confectionery products, i.e., any commercial available fat, or mixture of any fat, such as, for example, hardened vegetable fat/oil; cocoa butter; milk fat; butter oil, whole butter or any fraction thereof; butter; hydrogenated soybean oil, hydrogenated vegetable oils (any single source vegetable oil or mixed vegetable oils). The level of fats used is preferably from about 3 wt. % to about 18 wt. %, more preferably from 3 wt. % to 15 wt. %, and most preferably about 9 wt. %.
The optional protein sources of the confectionery compositions may be selected from any number of known and commercially available sources. For example, the protein may be a milk component such as sweetened condensed skim milk (milk solids), condensed whole milk, evaporated milk, reconstituted milk powder, protein hydrolysates, milk protein concentrate, total milk protein, or mixtures thereof. Alternatively or in addition to the milk component, other sources of protein may be used such as a soy protein; a fish protein; egg protein; or a mixture thereof. Additionally, whey proteins may be substituted as they provide a less expensive substitute for milk solids. Whey proteins include sweet (rennet) whey powder, whey protein concentrates or high calcium fractionated whey products. When whey proteins are selected as a protein, either as the single source or in combinations with other proteins, it should be taken into account that the whey products are more reactive in Maillard reactions than other milk proteins. The Maillard reaction (reaction of the amino groups in the protein and the glycosidic hydroxyl, reducing groups) of the sugars results in a brown condensation pigment that may contribute to flavor and color development of the confectionery particularly for caramel, butterscotch or xe2x80x9cbrownxe2x80x9d flavors, but is generally undesirable for fruit or mild flavors. Preferably, the protein source is a nonfat milk based protein. Preferably the protein is employed in amounts from about 0 to 5 wt. %, more preferably from 1 to 5 wt. %, and most preferably from 2 to 4 wt. %.
A stabilizer agent may be added to prevent excessive denaturization of the protein which is important in providing texture for calcium supplements. Stabilizers known in the food industry may be used, such as disodium phosphate and sodium citrate, in amounts of up to 0.5 wt. %, more preferably 0.01 to 0.5 wt. %, most preferably 0.05 to 0.01 wt. %.
When the confectionery is formulated as a fruit flavored chewy morsel, preferably the flavor component includes from about 0.1 wt. % to 2 wt. % of an encapsulated citric acid (as widely commercially available or within the skill of those familiar with the art to prepare). From a processing aspect, the encapsulated citric acid is preferable because the premature reaction between the citric acid and the calcium source, e.g., calcium carbonate, is substantially prevented by the encapsulation of the citric acid. For example, when the citric acid is not encapsulated, the processing of the confectionery product is difficult due to the release of carbonate dioxide and subsequent foaming of the preparation. The citric acid functions to provide tartness of the fruit flavored confectionery products. Further, the encapsulated citric acid substantially prevents the inversion of sucrose when it is employed as one of the carbohydrate components. Inversion is the hydrolysis of sucrose to its component monosaccharides, dextrose and fructose. Increased levels of fructose will result in increased hygroscopicity (defined as tendency to pick up moisture resulting in a sticky or crystallized product), an undesired property of a confectionery, and thus are preferably avoided by formulation adjustments.
Any number of processes within the skill of one familiar with candy making may be used for preparing the confectionery. Preferred is a process comprising heating said carbohydrate, fat, and optional protein mixture to form a precooked mass; incorporating a fortifying component to said precooked mass; and cooling said fortified precooked mass to form a fortified confectionery product. Preferably, a hydrocolloid (such as, for example, carrageenan, locust bean gum, furcellaran, agar, gellan, or mixtures thereof, most preferably carrageenan) is used. The hydrocolloid, (from about 0.01 to about 0.2 wt. %, preferably 0.08 to 0.09 wt. %) is dispersed in an aqueous solution. A portion of selected carbohydrate (up to about 1 wt. % of a monosaccharide or disaccharide, most preferably fructose, sucrose or a mixture thereof) may be present in the aqueous dispersion or alternatively the entire source carbohydrate is added after the initial mixing of the aqueous dispersion containing the hydrocolloid. Once the aqueous dispersion has agitated, the carbohydrate (or remaining portion of carbohydrate); milk product (preferably sweetened condensed skim milk) and fat (optionally in a form contributing to flavor such as cocoa butter) are heated with a food grade emulsifying (used in a range of 0 to 5 wt. %, more preferably 0.05 to 0.5 wt. %, agent, preferably lecithin or glycerol manostearate) to form an emulsion. The resulting carbohydrate-fat-protein mixture is then heated to a temperature ranging from about 220xc2x0-270xc2x0 F., preferably 230xc2x0-245xc2x0 F. if processing is by a batch open pan cooking to form a precooked mass. For a continuous manufacture, the carbohydrate-fat-protein mixture is passed through scraped surface evaporators and then transferred to carameliser kettles and cooked at about 220xc2x0-270xc2x0 F., preferably 230xc2x0-245xc2x0 F. to form a precooked mass. To the precooked mass, additional flavors and food grade dyes (such as chocolate liquor, vanilla, food colors, caramel colors, and fruit flavor) may be added. Additionally included to the precooked mass is the fortifying component, preferably a calcium salt, other mineral salts (such as magnesium, zinc, copper, and the like) and vitamins (such as preferred vitamins D, K, and mixtures thereof). The fortifying component may be added in any step, including addition during different steps. If the confectionery is a fruit flavored variety having an encapsulated citric acid present, the encapsulated citric acid is preferably added to the precooked mass once the mixture is slightly cooled (i.e., 175xc2x0 F. or less).
Any number of miscellaneous ingredients may be included as recognizable to one skilled in the art. For example, any one or a combination of the following may be included: acidulants (citric acid, fumaric acid, lactic acid gluconic acid; or a mixture), Veltol(trademark), Talin(trademark), Salatrim(trademark), sugar ester, gums, gelatin, carrageenan, cellulose, ginseng, active phyto chemicals such as ferulic acid (apples), beta carotene (carrots, sweet potatoes), capsicanoids (peppers), anthocyanidins (berries), bioflavanoids like hesperidin or quercetin (citrus fruits), d-limonene (citrus fruits), isothiocyanates (cruciferous vegetables), s-allyl cysteine and S-methyl cysteine (garlic), 6-gingerol (ginger), ellagic acid (grapes, tea), polyphenol catechins (green tea), allyl sulfides (onion family), phytosterols and isoflavones (soybeans), lycopene (tomatoes), curcumin (tumeric) and so on. Colors that may be included may be artificial or natural. Examples of natural colors are caramel colors which are derived from pure caramelized sugars specific carbohydrates which are heated with accelerators such as ammonia. Also vitamins such as beta carotene or the B vitamins may impart yellow and orange colors which may be compatible with certain confectionery flavors.
It is to be understood that various modifications to the invention will be apparent to and can readily be made by those skilled in the art, given the disclosure herein, without departing from the scope and materials of this invention. It is not, however, intended that the scope of the claims appended hereto be limited to the description as set forth herein, but rather that the claims be construed as encompassing all features of patentable novelty which reside in the present invention, including all features which would be treated as equivalents thereof by those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. It is also noted that the examples given herein are intended to illustrate and not to limit the invention.

Fortified confectionery delivery systems and methods of preparation thereof