Probiotic Tablet Formulations
A probiotic tablet comprising a probiotic micro-organism and other nutritionally active ingredients in two zones, a first zone comprising said probiotic micro-organism and precisely selenium, and a second zone comprising at least one said other active ingredient such as iron, other minerals and vitamin B6 kept separated from the probiotic micro-organism of said first zone, the water activity in said probiotic micro-organism containing first zone being no greater than 0.2 and the water content of said tablet being as much as 3% by weight. Good viability of the micro-organisms is obtained despite the relatively high overall moisture content.
1 . A probiotic tablet comprising a probiotic micro-organism and other nutritionally active ingredients, the tablet comprising at least two zones, a first of said zones comprising said probiotic micro-organism, and a second of said zones comprising at least one said other active ingredient kept separated from the probiotic micro-organism of said first zone, the water activity in said probiotic micro-organism containing first zone being no greater than 0.2 and the water content of said tablet being no less than 0.2% by weight.
2 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first zone contains also one or more of iodine, magnesium, nicotinamide, folic acid and selenium as a said at least one other active ingredient.
3 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first zone is free from amounts deleterious to the viability of the probiotic micro-organisms of iron, copper, vitamin B6, vitamin C, zinc, chromium or pantothenic acid or its salts.
4 . (canceled)
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11 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said second zone contains iron, vitamin B6, vitamin C, copper, manganese, pantothenic acid or a salt thereof, zinc or chromium as at least one said other active ingredient.
12 . (canceled)
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19 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said second zone contains any two or more of iron, vitamin B6, vitamin C, pantothenic acid or a salt thereof, zinc, copper, chromium and manganese, each as at least one said other active ingredient.
20 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the probiotic micro-organism is mixed with a desiccant carrier material serving to reduce the water activity of the zone containing the probiotic micro-organism, wherein said desiccant carrier material comprises at least one of carboxymethylcellulose, colloidal silica, polyvinylpyrrolidone, starch, gelatine, hydroxypropylcellulose—low-substituted, microcrystalline cellulose, fumed silicon dioxide, sodium croscarmellose, crospovidone, povidone, magnesium aluminum silicate, methylcellulose, sodium alginate, sodium starch glyconate, gelatine, pregelatinized starch, or sorbitol.
21 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second zone contains a desiccant carrier material serving to reduce the water activity of the zone containing the probiotic micro-organism, wherein said desiccant carrier material comprises at least one of carboxymethylcellulose, colloidal silica, polyvinylpyrrolidone, starch, gelatine, hydroxypropylcellulose—low-substituted, microcrystalline cellulose, fumed silicon dioxide, sodium croscarmellose, crospovidone, povidone, magnesium aluminum silicate, methylcellulose, sodium alginate, sodium starch glyconate, gelatine, pregelatinized starch, or sorbitol.
22 . (canceled)
23 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , having a multilayer structure comprising at least two layers, one of said layers constituting said first zone and another of said layers constituting said second zone.
24 . A tablet as claimed in claim 23 , wherein said layer constituting said first zone is free of encapsulated iron, zinc or copper.
25 . (canceled)
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27 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said layer constituting said first zone contains encapsulated vitamin B1, vitamin B6, manganese, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin B12 or vitamin B2.
28 . (canceled)
29 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said layer constituting said second zone contains encapsulated zinc.
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32 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , having a multitude of granules constituting said first zone surrounded by a matrix, and wherein said matrix constitutes said second zone or wherein said matrix also contains a multitude of granules constituting said second zone.
33 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the water content of the tablet is at least 1% by weight.
34 . (canceled)
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39 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the water content of the tablet is no more than 7% by weight.
40 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the water activity of said first zone is no greater than 0.15.
41 . (canceled)
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45 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first zone is separated from said second zone by a water excluding barrier material, wherein said barrier material is a fat or wax based barrier material.
46 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the tablet is surrounded by a water excluding barrier material, wherein said barrier material is a fat or wax based barrier material.
47 . (canceled)
48 . (canceled)
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50 . A tablet as claimed in claim 1 , wherein upon immersion in water a first of said zones disintegrates at a faster rate than a second of said zones such that the time for disintegration of said faster disintegrating zone as a percentage of the total time for disintegration of the faster and the slower disintegrating zones is no more than 50%.