Container With Taste Sensation Enhancement Delivery

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container for a beverage provided with an edible flavor enhancement coating for release upon opening of a beverage by coming in connect with the liquids in the human mouth. More particularly, the present invention relates to a container with the portion being placed in the mouth for drinking provided with a water-soluble an edible flavor enhancement coating that dissolves by coming in contact with liquids in the human mouth or beverage to be drunk only upon opening of the beverage container, in such a way so as to stimulate the taste receptors immediately prior to and during the drinking or pouring of the contents within the beverage container.

1 . A beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container comprising:
 a beverage container having a mouth for dispensing a beverage, said container being formed from plastic, aluminum or glass;   a taste sensation enhancement surface coating applied to said mouth along a narrow circumferential band so as to be covered by an enclosure means in such a way as to avoid contact with said beverage prior to opening of said beverage and so as to avoid exposure to external elements prior to opening of said beverage;   said taste sensation enhancement surface coating being formed from the group comprising at least one of the following of: (a) an edible film forming agent with flavorants and edible adhesive for adhering the edible film forming agent to said mouth; (b) a spray dry product with flavorants adhered with a water soluble carrier for adhering said spray dry product to said mouth wherein said water soluble carrier is chosen from the group comprising preparations of fructose, glucose, or cellulose based ingredients and with flavorants mixed therein or a water soluble carrier adhered to said mouth having a plurality of microspheres being homogenously dispersed therein.   
     
     
         2 . The beverage container with a water-soluble edible flavor coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 1 , wherein said edible film forming agent is comprised of a low viscosity hydrolyzed vegetable gum selected from the group consisting of hydrolyzed guar gum, hydrolyzed locust bean gum, hydrolyzed larch gum, hydrolyzed carrageenan, hydrolyzed gum arabic, hydrolyzed gum tragacanth and combinations thereof, and said edible adhesive is comprised of: (a) from about 18% to about 71%, by weight, modified starch; (b) from about 27% to about 80%, by weight, maltodextrin; (c) from about 0.01% to about 7%, by weight, surfactant; and (d) from about 0.02% to about 2.5%, by weight, polysaccharide. 
     
     
         3 . The beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 2 , wherein said low viscosity hydrolyzed vegetable gum is present in an amount of approximately 2% to about 60% by weight of said edible film forming agent, wherein said low viscosity vegetable gum has a viscosity of up to about 10,000 cps. 
     
     
         4 . The beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 3 , wherein said edible film forming agent further comprises a filler selected from the group consisting of microcrystalline cellulose, cellulose polymers, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, ground limestone, silicates, magnesium silicate, aluminum silicate, clay, talc, titanium dioxide, mono-calcium phosphate, di-calcium phosphate, tri-calcium phosphate and combinations thereof, wherein said filler is present in the amount of about 2% to about 30% by weight of said edible film forming agent. 
     
     
         5 . The beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 4 , wherein said edible film forming agent further comprises a softener selected from the group consisting of sorbitol, xylitol, glycerin, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, hydrogenate starch hydolysates, corn syrups, glycerin, triacetin, glycerol oleate, sucrose fatty acid ester, Neobee® oil and combinations thereof and is present in the amount of about up to 20% by weight of said edible film forming agent. 
     
     
         6 . The beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 5 , wherein said edible film forming agent further comprises a flavorant which comprise at least one of the following of: essential oils, top-notes, or flavor compounds consisting of mixtures of aldehydes, ketones, or esters. 
     
     
         7 . The beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 6 , wherein said edible film forming agent further comprises an emulsifier which is selected from the group consisting of lecithin, fatty acids, mono-glycerides, diacyl-glycerides, polyglycerol esters, polyethylene sorbitan esters, propylene glycol, sorbitan monopalmitate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan tristearate, enzyme modified lecithin, hydroxylated lecithins, and combinations thereof and is present from about 0.1% to about 3% by weight of said edible film forming agent. 
     
     
         8 . The beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 7 , wherein said edible film forming agent further comprises a sweetener. 
     
     
         9 . The beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 1 , wherein said spray dry product is comprised of:
 at least one flavorant which comprise at least one of the following of: amino acids, neutraceuticals, essential oils, top-notes, or flavor compounds consisting of mixtures of aldehydes, ketones, or esters, provided according to approximately 10% to about 30%, on a dry weight basis;   modified starch, provided according to approximately 50% to about 80% by weight percent, and   a sweetener, provided according to approximately 5% to about 30%, by weight percent.   
     
     
         10 . The beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of microspheres contain an active agent and are formed of a moisture sensitive matrix material, wherein said moisture-sensitive matrix material is selected from the group consisting of: water soluble synthetic polymers, water dispersible synthetic polymer, starch derivative, natural gum, polysaccharide, protein, hydrocolloid and mixtures thereof, wherein said microspheres dissolve upon contact with said moisture so as to release said active agent thereafter. 
     
     
         11 . The beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 10  wherein said water-soluble synthetic polymer is selected from the group consisting of: polyvinyl pyrrolidone, water soluble cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene maleic anhydride copolymer, methylvinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer, acrylic acid copolymers, anionic polymers of methacrylic acid and methacrylate, cationic polymers with dimethyl-aminoethyl ammonium functional groups, polyethylene oxides, water soluble polyamide and polyester and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 11  wherein said microsphere releases an effective amount of said active agent to provide a burst of said active agent. 
     
     
         13 . The beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 12  wherein said active agent is selected from one or more of a flavorant, sensory marker, or nutraceutical. 
     
     
         14 . The beverage container with a taste sensation enhancement surface coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 13  wherein said flavorant is selected from the group consisting of: crystalline ingredients, which comprise at least one of the following of: essential oils, top-notes, spices, natural flavors, artificial flavors, thickening agents, protein compounds, vegetable gums, flavor compounds consisting of mixtures of aldehydes, ketones, esters, amino acids, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The beverage container with a water-soluble edible flavor coating for ready dissolution upon opening of said beverage container of  claim 1 , wherein said enclosure means is chosen from a group comprising a pop-off cap, a screw-on cap, or an aluminum pop-top with a releasable protective covering thereon.