US-20260125625-A1 - HOPS ACIDS STABILIZED EMULSIONS

US20260125625A1US 20260125625 A1US20260125625 A1US 20260125625A1US-20260125625-A1

Abstract

Compositions in the form of an oil-in-water emulsion composition include an oil phase that includes one or more flavorants; and a continuous aqueous phase that includes water, one or more preservatives, one or more emulsifying agents, and optionally one or more emulsifier adjuvants; wherein the preservative includes a hop acid and/or a salt thereof.

Inventors

Marcos A. OJEDA
Marlene A. McGorrin
Iain W.H. OSWALD
Thomas J. Martin, Jr.
Kevin A. KOBY

Assignees

ABSTRAX TECH INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251105

Claims (20)

1 . An oil-in-water emulsion composition comprising: a first phase comprising: about 0.01 wt. % to about 30 wt. %, based on a total weight of the emulsion composition, of a flavorant; and about 0.01 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, based on the total weight of the emulsion composition, of an emulsifier adjuvant; and a continuous aqueous phase comprising: water; about 0.001 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, based on the total weight of the emulsion composition, of a preservative comprising a hop acid, a hop acid salt, or a combination thereof; and about 0.01 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, based on the total weight of the composition of the emulsion composition, of an emulsifying agent.
2 . The oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 1 , wherein the continuous aqueous phase further comprises about 0.01 wt. % to about 8 wt. %, based on the total weight of the emulsion composition, of the preservative.
3 . The oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 1 , wherein the hop acid or hop acid salt comprises an alpha acid, a beta acid, a tetra acid, an iso-alpha acid, and salts thereof.
4 . The oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 1 , wherein the preservative comprises a hop acid, and the hop acid comprises humulone, cohumulone, adhumulone, lupulone, colupulone, adlupulone, tetrahydroisohumulone, tetrahydroisocohumulone, tetrahydroadlupulone, isohumulone, isocohumulone, isoadhumulone, or a salt thereof.
5 . The oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 1 , wherein the preservative comprises a hop acid salt, and the hop acid salt comprises potassium humulone, potassium cohumulone, potassium cohumulone, potassium humulone, potassium cohumulone, potassium adhumulone, potassium lupulone, potassium colupulone, potassium adlupulone, potassium tetrahydroisohumulone, potassium tetrahydroisocohumulone, potassium tetrahydroadlupulone, potassium isohumulone, potassium isocohumulone, or potassium isoadhumulone.
6 . The oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 1 , wherein the flavorant comprises hop oil, cannabis oil, hemp oil, hop extract, flavorant blends, hop-derived flavorant compounds, carrier oils, a terpene, a terpene blend, a thiol, a ketone, an ester, an aldehyde, an alcohol, a heterocycle, a phenol, sugars, sugar alcohols, or a combination of any two or more thereof.
7 . The oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 1 , wherein the emulsifying agent comprises a phospholipid, gum arabic, ester gum, acacia gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, carrageenan, locust bean gum, monoglycerides, diglycerides, ethoxylated castor oil, albumin, alginates, casein, egg yolk, glycerol monostearate, or a combination of any two or more thereof.
8 . The oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 1 , wherein the emulsifying agent comprises a sunflower lecithin.
9 . The oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 1 , wherein the emulsifying agent comprises about 0.01% to about 5% by weight of the total weight of the emulsion composition.
10 . The oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 1 , wherein the emulsifier adjuvant comprises citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, ascorbic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, or a salt thereof.
11 . The oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 1 , wherein the water is present in an amount corresponding to the remaining balance of material in the oil-in-water emulsion composition.
12 . The oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 1 , wherein the oil-in-water emulsion composition is substantially free of a weighting agent.
13 . A product comprising the oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 1 , wherein the product is an edible product, a flavor product, or an aroma product.
14 . The product of claim 13 , wherein product is the edible product and the edible product comprises a food or beverage.
15 . The product of claim 14 , wherein the edible product comprises the beverage that is a fermented beverage, optionally wherein the fermented beverage comprises kombucha, beer, wine, or cider.
16 . An oil-in-water emulsion composition comprising: about 0.01 wt. % to about 8 wt. %, based on the total weight of the emulsion composition, of a hop acid and/or a salt thereof; about 0.5 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, based on a total weight of the emulsion composition, of a flavorant; about 0.01 wt. % to about 5 wt. %, based on the total weight of the emulsion composition, of a sunflower lecithin; and water in an amount corresponding to a remaining balance of material in the oil-in-water emulsion composition.
17 . The oil-in-water emulsion composition of claim 16 , wherein the wherein the hop acid is an alpha acid, and wherein the salt is a potassium salt.
18 . A method comprising: providing an oil phase comprising a flavorant and optionally an emulsifier adjuvant; providing an aqueous phase comprising water, a preservative comprising a hop acid and/or a salt thereof, an emulsifying agent, and optionally an emulsifier adjuvant; mixing the oil phase and the aqueous phase to obtain a pre-emulsion; and homogenizing the pre-emulsion to obtain an oil-in-water emulsion; wherein the oil-in-water emulsion is substantially free of weighting agents and gum acacia; optionally wherein the homogenizing comprises a multi-stage homogenization process.
19 . A method for stabilizing an oil-in-water emulsion, the method comprising adding to the oil-in-water emulsion a preservative comprising a hop acid, a hop acid salt, or a combination thereof.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein (a) the hop acid comprises one or more of an alpha acid, a beta acid, a tetra acid, and an iso-alpha acid; and (b) the hop acid salt comprises potassium humulone, potassium cohumulone, potassium cohumulone, potassium humulone, potassium cohumulone, potassium adhumulone, potassium lupulone, potassium colupulone, potassium adlupulone, potassium tetrahydroisohumulone, potassium tetrahydroisocohumulone, potassium tetrahydroadlupulone, potassium isohumulone, potassium isocohumulone, or potassium isoadhumulone.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/717,246, filed Nov. 6, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD The present invention generally relates to compositions and methods for preserving consumer products. In particular, the present invention relates to various compositions, products, and methods involving oil-in-water emulsions that provide improved preservation of foods and beverages, by using natural preservatives as alternatives to synthetic preservatives. BACKGROUND The following discussion is provided to aid the reader in understanding the disclosure and is not admitted to describe or constitute prior art thereto. In the food industry, preservatives serve to prevent food from spoiling by extending the shelf life. Generally, this is done by inhibiting the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, molds, and yeasts, by using preservatives which function as antimicrobial (interfering with the cell), antioxidants, and chemical preservatives, and by affecting the acidity of the environment. In recent years, there has been a focus on replacing synthetic preservatives with natural alternatives. In-vitro studies suggest that these synthetic preservatives (e.g., potassium sorbate) may be toxic to DNA and have a negative effect on immunity. The shift toward natural products is exemplified by the stringent ingredients accepted by Whole Foods Market (WFM), a major retailer known for its focus on natural and organic products. WFM has banned certain ingredients, including potassium sorbate, from its products, creating a systemic need for alternative natural and safe alternatives. Consumers now demand greater transparency about the ingredients added to their food and beverages. By banning synthetic preservatives, retailers like Whole Foods meets this demand, providing products with clear and straightforward ingredient lists. Existing natural preservatives often lack the broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and stability provided by potassium sorbate. Therefore, there is a need for natural alternatives that can effectively replace potassium sorbate in food products. Among the several natural alternatives being explored, hop acids are one option known for their antimicrobial activity. Hops, traditionally used in brewing, contain alpha acids with antimicrobial properties, making them a promising natural alternative to potassium sorbate. While these compounds' properties are known and recognized within the brewing industry, they are almost exclusively used in their isomerized forms due to enhanced water solubility to impart bitterness. The unisomerized acids naturally found in hops in large concentrations have few commercial applications aside from being a feedstock for their isomerized analogs. Economically, alpha acids are a commodity that is produced in high concentrations by hops and can be easily extracted. Antimicrobial compositions comprising a large amount of one or more hop acid salts are described, for example, in WO2007117433A2. However, hop acids are susceptible to degradation by oxidation, light, and acid catalyzed reactions, which has been seen as limiting their broad use. At present, there is therefore a need for the development of an additive that not only behaves as an antimicrobial preservative but also functions to stabilize or prevent aggregation of particles within emulsion systems. SUMMARY According to a first aspect, an oil-in-water emulsion composition includes an oil phase that includes about 0.01 wt. % to about 30 wt. %, based on a total weight of the emulsion composition, of a flavorant; and optionally about 0.01 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, based on a total weight of the emulsion composition, of an emulsifier adjuvant; and a continuous aqueous phase of water; containing about 0.01 wt. % to about 30 wt. %, based on a total weight of the emulsion composition, of a preservative including a hop acid and/or a salt thereof; and about 0.01 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, based on a total weight of the emulsion composition, of an emulsifying agent. In one embodiment, the oil-in-water emulsion composition includes an aqueous phase which includes about 0.001 wt. % to about 8 wt. %, based on a total weight of the emulsion composition, of a preservative comprising a hop acid and/or a salt thereof. In one embodiment, the hop acid includes one or more of an alpha acid, a beta acid, a tetra acid, and an iso-alpha acid. In one embodiment, the preservative may include humulone, cohumulone, adhumulone, lupulone, colupulone, adlupulone, tetrahydroisohumulone, tetrahydroisocohumulone, tetrahydroadlupulone, isohumulone, isocohumulone, or isoadhumulone, or salts thereof. In one embodiment, the hop acid salt may include potassium humulone, potassium cohumulone, potassium cohumulone, potassium humulone, potassium cohumulone, potassium adhumulone, potassium lupulone, potassium colupulone, potassium adlupu