Soft, chewable and orally dissolvable and/or disintegrable products

Abstract

A soft, chewable and orally dissolvable and/or disintegrable product includes a biopolymer-sugar based matrix and botanical powder dispersed throughout the biopolymer-sugar based matrix. The biopolymer-sugar based matrix includes at least one biopolymer, at least one sugar and optional additives. Soft, chewable and orally dissolvable and/or disintegrable product can also include flavor beads.

1 . A An oral product comprising:
 a biopolymer-sugar based matrix including,
 at least one biopolymer in an amount of 1 wt % to 35 wt %, and 
 at least one sugar in an amount of 2 wt % to 60 wt %; 
   a botanical powder in the biopolymer-sugar based matrix; and   at least one energizing agent in an amount of up to about 10 wt %, the product being free of animal products.   
     
     
         2 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one energizing agent includes caffeine, taurine, guarana, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one biopolymer includes gellan gum, konjac gum, modified starch, pectin, carrageenan, guar gum, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, agar, gum Arabic, alginate, cellulose, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the product includes the botanical powder in an about of 30 wt % to 75 wt %. 
     
     
         5 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the botanical powder includes tobacco powder, coffee powder, tea powder, herb powder, spice powder, cocoa powder, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sugar includes monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, sugar alcohols, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the botanical powder has dimensions of less than about 50 mesh. 
     
     
         8 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the product is up to about 1 inch in height, up to about 1 inch in width, and up to about 1 inch in length and the product has a density of less than 2.0 g/cm 3 . 
     
     
         9 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the product further comprises at least one vitamin, at least one mineral, at least one nutraceutical, at least one amino acid, at least one soothing agent, at least one coloring agent, at least one chemesthesis agent, at least one antioxidant, at least one food-grade emulsifier, at least one pH modifier, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the product has a water activity of 0.70 a w  to 0.30 a w . 
     
     
         11 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the product has water activity of less than 0.60 a w . 
     
     
         12 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sugar includes fructose, glucose, xylose, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one biopolymer includes carrageenan. 
     
     
         14 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein
 the product includes 1 wt % to 5 wt % flavor beads,   the flavor beads include a solid, liquid or gel center and a hard outer coating, and   the flavor beads have a diameter of 0.5 mm to 4 mm.   
     
     
         15 . The product of  claim 14 , wherein the product includes a hard outer coating comprising a polymeric coating. 
     
     
         16 . The product of  claim 14 , wherein the flavor beads are included in the product in an amount of 1 wt % to 5 wt %. 
     
     
         17 . The product of  claim 14 , wherein the flavor beads are in a center of the product, on an exterior of product, or both in a center of the product and on an exterior of the product. 
     
     
         18 . A method of making the product of  claim 1  comprising:
 dissolving a biopolymer and a sugar in water to form a solution; 
 adding botanical powder to the solution; 
 stirring the solution to form a suspension; 
 gelling the suspension to form a gel; 
 drying the gel to form a dried gel; and 
 portioning the dried gel to form the product. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein
 the at least one biopolymer includes gellan gum, konjac gum, modified starch, pectin, carrageenan, guar gum, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, agar, gum Arabic, alginate, cellulose, or any combination thereof,   the product includes the botanical powder in an about of 30 wt % to 75 wt %,   the botanical powder includes tobacco powder, coffee powder, tea powder, herb powder, spice powder, cocoa powder, or any combination thereof, and   the at least one sugar includes monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, sugar alcohols, or any combination thereof.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the at least one energizing agent includes caffeine, taurine, guarana, or any combination thereof.