Crystalline Maltitol Powder Less Prone to Consolidation and Method for Production Thereof

Abstract

The crystalline maltitol powder less prone to consolidation is obtained by charging crystalline or powdery maltitol into a shelf type dryer, a tunnel-type dryer, a cylindrical container, or the like and subjecting the equipment or container to a treatment wherein an air having a temperature of 30 to 33° C. and a relative humidity of 5% is allowed to flow into the equipment or container from one side thereof and withdrawn out of the other side thereof at a space velocity of 11 to 12 for consecutive 24 hours. Even when the relative humidity is 45%, the crystalline maltitol powder less prone to consolidation can be obtained by combining therewith other conditions such as an appropriate space velocity of the feed of air and an appropriate treatment duration.

1 . A crystalline maltitol powder less prone to consolidation, having a score of 0.6 or lower in degree of consolidation measured by an assay method of degree of consolidation,
 wherein 50 g of a sample crystalline maltitol powder is charged into a commercially available sample bottle with 150 ml in maximum capacity, 4.1 cm in mouth inside diameter, 5.5 cm in shell diameter, and 9.5 cm in overall height, under an environment having a relative humidity of 50% and a temperature of 20 degree C.,   wherein the bottle is tightly stoppered with accompanying polyethylene inner and polypropylene outer lids, and a vinyl tape is further provided thereon to seal the boundary between the lids and the bottle,   wherein the sealed bottle is charged into a chamber equipped with a temperature control and evaluated according to the following judgment criteria (1) to (3) after a lapse of 20 days of storage at a temperature of 20 degree C. and 40 degree C. alternately repeated at intervals of 12 hours,   wherein the evaluation is performed with five identical samples prepared for the assay method, and an average value of test results of these five samples is used as the degree of consolidation in the present assay method of degree of consolidation,   wherein (1) a score of 0 is given when the sample powder wholly flows toward the bottle mouth and thereby exhibits flowability without attaching onto the inside bottom of the sample bottle or slightly attaches onto the inside bottom of the sample bottle but flows toward the bottle mouth and thereby exhibits flowability, on the way of tilting the sample bottle containing the sample at an angle of 90 degrees without giving an impact thereto, (2) a score of 1 is given when the sample powder neither flows nor shows flowability by tilting the sample bottle at an angle of 90 degrees but flows toward the bottle mouth on the way of or within 1 minute after further tilting the bottle at an angle of 180 degrees, and (3) a score of 2 is given when the sample powder does not flow toward the bottle mouth even after a lapse of 1 minute after tilting the sample bottle at an angle of 180 degrees; and   wherein the crystalline maltitol powder has a crystalline state corresponding to the crystalline state obtained by exposure of a crystalline maltitol powder having a score exceeding 0.6 in degree of consolidation to air at a space velocity of about 2-15 h −1 , for about 5-50 hours.   
     
     
         2 . The crystalline maltitol powder less prone to consolidation according to  claim 1 , wherein the crystalline maltitol powder has a moisture content of 0.2% or less by weight and a maltitol content of 98% or more by weight per solid content. 
     
     
         3 . The crystalline maltitol powder less prone to consolidation according to  claim 1 , wherein the score in the degree of consolidation measured by the assay method of degree of consolidation is 0.4 or lower. 
     
     
         4 . The crystalline maltitol powder less prone to consolidation according to  claim 3 , wherein the crystalline maltitol powder has a moisture content of 0.2% or less by weight and a maltitol content of 98% or more by weight per solid content. 
     
     
         5 . The crystalline maltitol powder less prone to consolidation according to  claim 3 , wherein the score in the degree of consolidation measured by the assay method of degree of consolidation is 0.2 or lower. 
     
     
         6 . The crystalline maltitol powder less prone to consolidation according to  claim 5 , wherein the crystalline maltitol powder has a moisture content of 0.2% or less by weight and a maltitol content of 98% or more by weight per solid content. 
     
     
         7 . The crystalline maltitol powder less prone to consolidation according to  claim 1 , wherein 90% or more by weight of the powder has passed through a Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) sieve with a mesh size of 0.50 mm. 
     
     
         8 . The crystalline maltitol powder of  claim 1 , wherein said crystalline maltitol powder having a score exceeding 0.6 in degree of consolidation is brought into contact with air having a temperature of about 20-50° C. 
     
     
         9 . The crystalline maltitol powder of  claim 1 , wherein said crystalline maltitol powder having a score exceeding 0.6 in degree of consolidation is brought into contact with air having a relative humidity of about 5-50%. 
     
     
         10 . The crystalline maltitol powder of  claim 1 , wherein said crystalline maltitol powder having a score exceeding 0.6 in degree of consolidation is brought into contact with air having a temperature of about 20-50° C. and a relative humidity of about 5-50%.