Non-animal soft capsule shell composition having improved disintegration and shell hardness
The present invention relates to a non-animal soft capsule shell composition having improved disintegration stability and shell hardness. More particularly, the present invention relates to a non-animal soft capsule shell composition and to a method for preparing same, in which an antioxidant and a disintegration aid are added to the non-animal soft capsule shell composition that is typically made of starch or a starch derivative, gums, a plasticizer, a buffering agent, and purified water which inhibit starch retrogradation and thus inhibit an increase in disintegration stability and capsule shell hardness, thereby improving disintegration stability and shell hardness.
1. A non-animal derived soft capsule shell composition having improved disintegration and shell hardness comprising:
i) 18 to about 25 wt % of mixed starch containing hydroxypropylated tapioca starch/cross-linked potato starch/hydroxypropylated maize starch in the ratio of 1/0.1 to about 0.5/0.1 to about 0.3;
ii) 3 to about 6 wt % of iota-carrageenan as gelling agent;
iii) 5 to about 20 wt % of plasticizer;
iv) 0.01 to about 3 wt % of buffering agent;
v) 0.01 to about 2 wt % of disintegration agent at least one selected from glucoamylase, maltogenic amylase, alpha-amylase, beta-amylase, iso-amylase or pullulanase;
vi) 0.01 to about 1 wt % of antioxidant; and
vii) 45 to about 60 wt % of purified water.
2. The non-animal derived soft capsule shell composition according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of said iota-carrageenan is in the range of 3.5 to about 5.5 wt %.
3. The non-animal derived soft capsule shell composition according to claim 1 , wherein said non-animal derived soft capsule shell composition comprises 2 to about 4 wt % of iota-carrageenan and 0.5 to about 1.5 wt % of kappa-carrageenan as gelling agent; 5 to about 20 wt % of plasticizer; 0.01 to about 3 wt % of buffering agent; 0.01 to about 2 wt % of disintegration agent; 0.01 to about 1 wt % of antioxidant and 45 to about 60 wt % of purified water.
4. The non-animal derived soft capsule shell composition according to claim 3 , wherein the amount of said iota-carrageenan is in the range of 2.5 to about 3.5 wt % and the amount of said kappa-carrageenan is in the range of 0.8 to about 1.2 wt %.
5. The non-animal derived soft capsule shell composition according to claim 1 , wherein said plasticizer is at least one selected from mannitol, crystalline or non-crystalline sorbitol, sorbitan, sucrose, xylitol, erythritol, maltitol, oligo sugar, iso-malto oligo sugar, glycerin, diglycerol or triglycerol.
6. The non-animal derived soft capsule shell composition according to claim 1 , wherein said buffering agent is at least one selected from organo-metal salt, sodium phosphate dibasic or potassium phosphate dibasic.
7. The non-animal derived soft capsule shell composition according to claim 1 , wherein said antioxidant is at least one selected from rosemary extract, green tea extract, tocopherol or gallic acid.