Low calorie dry sweetener composition

Abstract

Pulverulent free-flowing water-soluble low calorie sweetener compositions having the general appearance of sucrose are produced by preparing a strong aqueous solution or slurry of an aspartyl-phenylalanine methyl ester sweetener at a relatively low temperature, admixing therewith a heated aqueous starch hydrolysate having a D.E. of zero to 20, and promptly thereafter, feeding the mixture to the preheater of a spray drier and thereupon spray drying said mixture to provide an expanded dry pulverulent composition containing a low moisture content.

We claim: 
     
       1. A method of preparing a dry pulverulent low calorie sweetener composition containing an aspartyl dipeptide lower alkyl ester of the formula ##STR3## wherein X is selected from the group of radicals consisting of ##STR4## and   (CH.sub.2).sub.n S(O).sub.m (lower alkyl)     R being a member of the group consisting of hydrogen and a lower alkyl radical, m an integer selected from the group consisting of 0 and 2 and n a positive integer less that three, which comprises   a. preparing an aqueous starch hydrolysate solution having a D.E. up to 20 and having a temperature of about 30° to about 80° C,   b. preparing a substantially concentrated aqueous solution or slurry of said ester having a temperature in the range up to about 40° C,   c. admixing a minor proportion of the b. solution or slurry with a major proportion of the a. solution, and   d. promptly drying the c. mixture to provide a dry pulverulent composition containing from 0.5 to 10 percent, by weight, of said ester, and not more than about 4 percent moisture.   
     
     
       2. A method of preparing a dry pulverulent low calorie sweetener composition containing an aspartyl dipeptide lower alkyl ester of the formula ##STR5## wherein X is selected from the group of radicals consisting of ##STR6## and   (CH.sub.2).sub.n S(O).sub.m (lower alkyl)     R being a member of the group consisting of hydrogen and a lower alkyl radical, m an integer selected from the group consisting of 0 and 2 and n a positive integer less than three, which comprises   a. preparing an aqueous starch hydrolysate having a D.E. up to 20 and having a temperature of about 30° to about 80° C,   b. preparing a substantially concentrated aqueous solution or slurry of said ester having a temperature not exceeding about 40° C,   c. admixing a minor proportion of the b. solution or slurry with a major proportion of the a. solution, said minor proportion being in an amount sufficient to provide in the final product from 0.5 to 10 percent, by weight,   d. promptly feeding the c. mixture to a preheater of a spray dryer and thereupon spray drying said c. mixture to provide a dry pulverulent composition containing not more than about 4 percent moisture.   
     
     
       3. The method of claim 2 in which the starch hydrolysate is a sorghum starch hydrolysate having a D.E. in the range up to about 12. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 2 in which the ester comprises from about 2 to 5 percent by weight of the dry sweetener composition.  . .5. The method of claim 2 in which the ester is aspartyl-phenylalanine methyl ester..!. . .6. The method of claim 5 in which the starch hydrolysate is a sorghum starch hydrolysate having a D.E. in the range up to about 12..!. . .7. The method of claim 5 in which the dry pulverulent composition is dried to a 
     
     
        moisture content up to about 1 percent..!. 8. A sweetener composition made by the method of claim 1. .Iadd. 9. A method of preparing a dry pulverulent low calorie sweetener composition containing aspartyl-phenylalanine methyl ester as the sweetener, which comprises a. preparing an aqueous starch hydrolysate having a D.E. up to 20 and having a temperature of about 30° to about 80° C,   b. preparing a substantially concentrated aqueous solution or slurry of said ester having a temperature not exceeding about 40° C,   c. admixing a minor proportion of the b. solution or slurry with a major proportion of the a. solution, said minor proportion being in an amount sufficient to provide in the final production from 0.5 to 10 percent, by weight,   d. promptly feeding the c. mixture to a preheater of a spray dryer and thereupon spray drying said c. mixture to provide a dry pulverulent composition containing not more than about 4 percent moisture. .Iaddend..Iadd. 10. The method of claim 9 in which the starch hydrolysate is a sorghum starch hydrolysate having a D.E. in the range up to about 12. .Iaddend..Iadd. 11. The method of claim 9 in which the dry pulverulent composition is dried to a moisture content up to about 1 percent. .Iaddend.