Probiotic Tablet Formulations

Abstract

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) 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         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) 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         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) 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         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. 
     
     
         30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         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) 
     
     
         35 . (canceled) 
     
     
         36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . (canceled) 
     
     
         38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         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) 
     
     
         42 . (canceled) 
     
     
         43 . (canceled) 
     
     
         44 . (canceled) 
     
     
         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) 
     
     
         49 . (canceled) 
     
     
         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%.