Tasteful natural sweetener and flavor

Abstract

The invention describes products, uses thereof, compositions thereof, and methods to prepare products formed from Maillard reaction products from a sugar donor and/or sweet tea extracts, stevia extracts, swingle (mogroside) extracts, one or more sweet tea extract components, one or more steviol glycosides, one or more mogrosides, one or more glycosylated sweet tea glycosides, one or more glycosylated steviol glycosides or one or more glycosylated mogrosides and an amine donor/reactant.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A composition comprising:
 Maillard reaction product(s) comprising,   a stevia extract;   one or more reducing sugar(s) comprising one or more of mannose, glucose, rhamnose, fructose, arabinose, lactose, galactose, xylose or raffinose or mixtures thereof; and   one or more amine donor(s) comprising glutamic acid, valine, serine, proline, lysine, tryptophan, threonine, histidine, glycine, glutamine or mixtures thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the reducing sugar is galactose and the amine donor is glutamic acid. 
     
     
         3 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein, optionally, a portion of unreacted stevia extract and/or unreacted reducing sugar(s) and/or a portion of unreacted amine donor(s) remain in the composition. 
     
     
         4 . The composition of  claim 1 , further comprising further 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-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, glycyrrhizin, sodium cyclamate, brazzein, miraculin, curculin, pentadin, mabinlin, thaumatin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), maltol, advantame or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The composition of  claim 1 , wherein the composition has a citrus or tangerine taste. 
     
     
         6 . A method for preparing a citrus flavored composition, comprising the steps:
 preparing a reaction mixture comprising:   a stevia extract;   one or more reducing sugar(s), comprising one or more of mannose, glucose, rhamnose, fructose, arabinose, lactose, galactose, xylose or raffinose or combinations thereof; and   one or more amine donor(s) comprising, glutamic acid, valine, serine, proline, lysine, tryptophan, threonine, histidine, glycine, glutamine or combinations thereof;   optionally, combining the reaction mixture with one or more solvents to provide a reaction solution;   heating the reaction solution under conditions suitable for forming a solution or slurry wherein, optionally, the stevia extract is added during or after the completion of the conventional Maillard reaction, to form a Millard Reaction mixture composition; and   optionally, isolating the Millard Reaction mixture composition.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the reducing sugar is galactose and the amine donor is glutamic acid. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein, optionally, a portion of unreacted stevia extract and/or unreacted reducing sugar(s) and/or a portion of unreacted amine donor(s) remain in the composition. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising 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-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, glycyrrhizin, sodium cyclamate, brazzein, miraculin, curculin, pentadin, mabinlin, thaumatin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), maltol, advantame or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the Maillard Reaction mixture has a citrus or tangerine taste. 
     
     
         11 . A method for improving taste and/or mouthfeel profile of a food or beverage composition, comprising the steps:
 preparing a reaction mixture comprising:   a stevia extract;   one or more reducing sugar(s), comprising one or more of mannose, glucose, rhamnose, fructose, arabinose, lactose, galactose, xylose or raffinose or combinations thereof; and   one or more amine donor(s) comprising, glutamic acid, valine, serine, proline, lysine, tryptophan, threonine, histidine, glycine, glutamine;   optionally, combining the reaction mixture with one or more solvents to provide a reaction solution;   heating the reaction solution under conditions suitable for forming a solution or slurry, wherein, optionally, the stevia extract is added during or after the completion of the conventional Maillard reaction, to form a Millard Reaction mixture composition;   optionally, isolating the Millard Reaction mixture composition; and   adding the Millard Reaction mixture composition to provide a flavor modified food or beverage composition, wherein the taste and/or mouthfeel profile of the food or beverage is improved.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the reducing sugar is galactose and the amine donor is glutamic acid. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein, optionally, a portion of unreacted stevia extract and/or unreacted reducing sugar(s) and/or a portion of unreacted amine donor(s) remain in the composition. 
     
     
         14 . The method of either of  claim 11 , further comprising 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-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, glycyrrhizin, sodium cyclamate, brazzein, miraculin, curculin, pentadin, mabinlin, thaumatin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), maltol, advantame or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the modified food or beverage has a citrus or tangerine taste. 
     
     
         16 . An improved taste and/or mouthfeel food or beverage composition, comprising:
 Maillard reaction product(s) comprising,   a stevia extract;   one or more reducing sugar(s) comprising one or more of mannose, glucose, rhamnose, fructose, arabinose, lactose, galactose, xylose or raffinose or mixtures thereof; and   one or more amine donor(s) comprising glutamic acid, valine, serine, proline, lysine, tryptophan, threonine, histidine, glycine, glutamine or mixtures thereof.   
     
     
         17 . The improved food or beverage composition of  claim 16 , wherein the reducing sugar is galactose and the amine donor is glutamic acid. 
     
     
         18 . The improved food or beverage composition of  claim 16 , wherein, optionally, a portion of unreacted stevia extract and/or unreacted reducing sugar(s) and/or a portion of unreacted amine donor(s) remain in the composition. 
     
     
         19 . The improved food or beverage composition of  claim 16 , further comprising further 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-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester, glycyrrhizin, sodium cyclamate, brazzein, miraculin, curculin, pentadin, mabinlin, thaumatin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC), maltol, advantame or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The improved food or beverage composition of  claim 16 , wherein the improved food or beverage composition has a citrus or tangerine taste.