MX2007003334A - Non-bleeding and edible color film coating for seeds and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to the method of making a non-bleeding and edible color film coating for seeds and the like comprising a pigment and an edible film-former polymer which acts as an effective moisture barrier preventing color bleeding. The method includes preparing a pigment suspension in alcohol, with or without the use of a protective colloid, mixing the pigment suspension with a solution of an edible film-former polymer in mixtures of water and alcohol, prepared with or without the use of a plasticizer, and applying the film coating to a seed. Additionally, the invention relates to the method of making a non-bleeding and edible color film coating for seeds and the like using a film-former pigment, without using an edible film-former polymer.

Description

EDIBLE COLOR FILM COATING THAT DOES NOT IT IS DECOLORED FOR SEEDS AND SIMILAR DESCRIPTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the Invention This invention relates to the method for making an edible color film coating that does not discolor for seeds and the like. More specifically, an edible colored film coating that does not discolor for seeds used for edible ingredients. 1. - Now all types of seeds are used for edible ingredients in bakery, cereal mixes, snacks, desserts, ice cream, sauces, covers and other edible products. 2. - A lot of food coloring has been used as a way to improve the appearance of the food and bright colors are often used as a way to attract children and adolescents to certain edible products such as preserves, snacks or drinks. 3. - The use of dyed seeds can be used as a way to differentiate a food product and improve its appearance. However, since most edible products are exposed to highly humid environments, the color coating it must be water resistant, in other words the stained seed should not be discolored when it is eaten or is in contact with products with high water activity such as milk or yogurt. 4. - Seeds are also commonly used as a decorative cover in bakery products such as breads, rolls and rolls. The shelled sesame seed is widely used as a cover in hamburger buns around the world. Children and adolescents are a large part of the target market for hamburgers sold mainly through food chains. 5. - The use of sesame seeds dyed as a decorative cover in hamburger buns can be used as a way to attract children and adolescents. The dyed seeds can be used to form, letters, words, numbers or any other decorative figure to give a more colorful appearance to the hamburger bun. 6. - The colored seeds for decorative coverage in bakery products must meet at least the following conditions: a) The color in the seed should not be discolored, b) The colored film coating must resist the heating of baking. 7. - The lack of discoloration is important because the seeds will be exposed to water vapor and environments of high water activity in several stages before reaching the final customer.

A very undesirable effect of the discoloration is the loss of the color of the seed and the staining of the hamburger bun in the area surrounding the seed. Also, for any other application, the lack of discoloration is important to prevent spotting of the mouth when the seed is eaten. 8.- The heat stability of the color film is important because the dyed seeds will be exposed to high temperatures during baking. (2) Description of the Related Art 1. - The technology to make dyed seeds was well developed, since the discoloration of seeds is necessary for its correct identification. The seeds to be used for seed formation were subjected to various disinfection procedures and other chemical treatments. Its accidental use for food from here is very dangerous. In view of this, seeds to be used for seed formation are often stained in various colors to clearly indicate that they are for planting. However, this technology uses materials that are not water approved since the color layer must allow the seed to germinate and thus is not suitable for dyeing seeds that are growing to be used as edible ingredients, that is, as decorative coverings. 2. - On the other hand, there is a well developed technology for pharmaceutical or edible film coatings. Without However, the pharmaceutical or edible film coating technology was never used to dye seeds for decorative purposes, which will be exposed to adverse environmental conditions. Exposure to high oven-type temperatures will not occur in pharmaceutical or confectionery applications. Also, film-coated confectionery and pharmaceutical products are designed to be dissolved by saliva or other body fluids. Thus, there is a need to create a method, which is only suitable for making an edible colored film coating that does not discolor to use seeds in food products. 3.- The following are some examples of pharmaceutical and food film coating technology: a) The patent of E.U.A. No. 6,468,561 describes the coating of pharmaceutical tablets, food, confectionery and the like with polydextrose, or a combination of polydextrose and another polymer or a polydextrose layer again coated with a layer of another polymer. This coating process, like many others described in the literature and patents, is based on water-based compositions, which are not suitable for forming moisture barriers as are necessary for this application. A number of water-based coating compositions have been tested for this application and all show poor discoloration test results. As can be seen in tables 1 and 2, the pigment suspension of Water-based coating, although coated by large amounts of film-forming polymers showed poor discoloration test results. The problem arises because there is poor adhesion of the film-forming polymer, edible soluble in alcohol, shellac, to the pigment particles when suspended in water. This effect is probably caused by the residual water in the pigment particles. Also, there is an additional problem with respect to the use of polymers such as polydextrose, which are very effective in suspending water-insoluble pigments in water. b) The patent of E.U.A. No. 4,810,534 to Seaborne et al., Discloses a method for preparing an edible film of low water permeability containing entangled shellac and one or more edible sources of polyphenols, benzaldehyde and derivatives, acetylated monoglycerides, polyglycerol esters, monocarboxylic acid and acids. straight chain dicarboxylics. c) PCT publications WO 87/03453 and WO 86/00501 both describe methods for preparing preformed edible films including a hydrophilic polymer layer selected from the group consisting of carbohydrate and edible film-forming proteins, and a lipid layer Adhered to the hydrophilic layer. d) The patent of E.U.A. No. 3,981,984 discloses the preparation of a pigment suspension for a film coating for tablets and the like comprising a solvent, particles of pigment dispersed in the solvent, and a polymer soluble in alcohol of low molecular weight. The composition described in the patent is useful for the preparation of a pigment suspension, however, the pigment suspension can also be made with other methods, including mechanical methods. The high-shear agitation equipment such as Silverson mixers can maintain the pigment particle suspension while being sprayed on the seeds with an appropriate pumping system. Additionally, the composition described in the aforementioned patent is not designed for the elaboration of an effective moisture barrier, since the object of the invention is to improve the limited solubility of standard color dyes for food in a coating solution for tablets. . Additionally, none of the film-forming polymers described in the patent, except shellac and zein, are approved worldwide for food. PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone) and polyethylene glycol are film-forming polymers authorized only for tablets, vitamin and mineral concentrates and non-nutritive sweeteners. The FDA does not list PVAP (polyvinyl acetate-phthalate) and CAP (cellulose acetate phthalate) as edible additives allowed for direct addition into food for human consumption. 4.- There are no comparative studies between shellac and zein in the related art. Both polymers are mentioned as film-forming polymers for foodstuffs or pharmacists However, most applications for film-forming polymers are in the field of pharmaceutical tablets and the like. In this field, film-forming polymers such as PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone), polyethylene glycol, PVAP (polyvinyl acetate phthalate) and CAP (cellulose acetate phthalate) are used instead of shellac and zein. Many patents and other references note shellac and zein, but they are not promoted but are only mentioned as known and historically used materials. 5.- Here it is shown that the shellac is the only polymer formed of film suitable for the elaboration of an edible color film coating that does not discolor for seeds. It is known in the art that shellac is an excellent film former. However, for technical and commercial reasons, its use has been declining for more than 30 years. The pharmaceutical industry has been inclined towards synthetic polymers of non-edible grade such as PVP (poiivinilpirrolidonas) and the food industry towards coatings based on lipids or sugar, which do not form efficient moisture barriers and thus are not suitable for this application. 6. In conclusion, the prior art does not describe any composition that is suitable for the production of an edible colored film coating that does not discolour for seeds that are to be used as food ingredients. 7.- Additionally, all coating compositions The color described in the related patents and literature used a common basic principle: the chromophore or pigmented particles should be protected from the environment by using an appropriate barrier, wherein said barrier is formed by a type of non-chromophore molecule. Thus, in a typical coating formula, the chromophore and the barrier are two different chemical substances. There is no description in the related art of a coating composition in which the chromophore and the environmental barrier are the same molecule. In addition, the most preferred method for making a colored film coating that does not discolour will be the method in which the chromophore will itself have the ability to form a suitable environmental barrier to prevent its own deterioration. 8.- A number of food-grade pigments seeking this film forming capacity have been investigated, and it was found that the solutions of some pigments have this unexpected potential. These pigments are turmeric pigments obtained from Curcuma longa. The purified powder of turmeric contains mainly three related phenolic pigments (curcuminoids) called curcumins, dimethoxyurcumin and bisdimethoxyurcumin. These are water-insoluble, aerofilic pigments with a surprising ability to form shellac films, water-resistant, suitable for film coating for pharmaceutical tablets, confectionery products, seeds and the like. 9. - The use of an edible film-forming pigment considerably simplifies the composition and coating method, which saves time and reduces costs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an edible color film coating that does not discolor for seeds and the like.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention is concerned with the preparation of an edible colored film coating that does not discolor for seeds such as sesame, poppy, sunflower, anise, squash, flax, caraway, hemp, cardamom, celery, coriander, cumin, fennel, dill, fenugreek, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, nuts, soybeans, pecans, macadamia, anacarados and other edible seeds. The invention also focuses on the use of the above-dyed seeds as food ingredients in bakery, dairy, meat or confectionery products, cereal mixes, snacks, desserts, ice cream, cheese, soups, pasta, sauces, covers, edible bars, food for pet and other food products. The invention also focuses on the use of dyed seeds above as a decorative cover on bakery products such as breads, rolls and rolls. As a colored decorative cover the seeds can be used to form any type of decorative figures, such as company logos, numbers, letters, words, etc. The dyed seeds can be applied at the same stage of the breadmaking process when normal seeds, ie sesame seeds without peel, are applied. Any type of mold can be used to form the decorative figures. According to the invention, the process for the preparation of a coating composition of seeds and the like comprises the steps of: a) preparing a pigment suspension by dissolving the protective colloid in the solvent and then mixing the opaque and the pigments with the protective colloid solution; and b) preparing an edible film-forming polymer solution by dissolving shellac in mixtures of water and organic solvent under constant stirring and then mixing the plasticizer with the shellac solution; and c) mixing the pigment suspension and the edible film-forming polymer solution. Also, according to the invention, the method for coating seeds comprises spraying the above composition with the seeds in a range of about 10% to about 20% by weight of the seeds, preferably about 15% by weight of the seeds, and then dry the coated seeds using hot air. According to the invention, the edible color film coating composition which does not discolour comprises: a) An edible pigment such as: FD &C synthetic lacquers, iron oxides, titanium dioxides and water-insoluble natural colors as a powder turmeric, carmine lacquer, charcoal, etc. Water-soluble pigments such as synthetic dyes of FD &C and water-soluble natural colors such as emulsions of turmeric, achiote, cochineal extract, anthocyanins, chlorophyllin copper complexes, caramel, safflower, betalaino, gardenia, monascus, etc. which were insolubilized by any chemical or physical methods such as precipitation, complex, absorption, etc. - The chlorophyll soluble in oil or caronetoneide or santofilos pigments like achiote, beta-carotene, luteino, paprika, lycopene, astaxsatina, cantaxsatina, apoestercarotenoides, etc. used as an oil suspension or as water dispersible pigments. As can be seen in tables 1 and 2, water-soluble dyes such as carminic acid (cochineal extract), although coated with large amounts of film-forming polymers, showed poor results in the discoloration test. In this way, the chromophores used for this application must be insoluble in water. Optionally an opacifier such as titanium dioxide, carbonate of magnesium, talc and silica gel can be used together with any of the above chromophores. Titanium dioxide is by far the most widely used opacifier. The high reactive index and the brilliant white color of titanium dioxide makes it an effective opacifier for color coatings. The preferred opacifier range, expressed as% by weight of the pigmented particles is from about 5% to about 25%. Opaquents can also be used to obtain seeds stained white, since they are also white pigments insoluble in water. The pigments and opacifiers can be applied individually or pigment mixtures can be made to achieve a desired shade of color. All pigments and dyes can be obtained in Biocolor Chile S.A. The preferred concentration range of pigment particles (including the opacifier), is expressed as% by weight of the coated seeds, is from about 0.3% to about 2.2%. Below 0.3% the color is not enough to obtain an attractive product. More than 2.2% of the color does not improve and the costs increase unnecessarily. Also, adding too many pigment particles also increases discoloration. The most preferred pigment particle concentration range is between 0.8% to 1.5% depending on the pigment used. b) A protective colloid: the use of protective colloid is not essential since the pigment can be kept in suspension with the use of agitation equipment, such as Silverson high mixers shear strength. However, a protective colloid reduces the viscosity of the pigment suspension which facilitates the preparation of concentrated pigment particle suspensions and therefore reduces the time of seed coating and solvent consumption. Protective colloids such as hydroxypropylcellulose, ethylcellulose or other low molecular weight alcohol soluble polymers can be used for the preparation of the pigment suspension. Hydroxypropylcellulose is sold by Hercules, Inc. under the Klucel trademark and ethylcellulose sold by Dow Chemical under its Ethocel trademark. The protective colloid can be used in a range, expressed as% by weight of the pigment particles, from 2% to 7%. The preferred range being 4% to 5% and the most preferred being 4.5%. c) An edible film-forming polymer shellac: Shellac refers to all forms of purified lacquer, a natural resin secreted by the lacquer insect on certain trees, mainly in India and Thailand. It has been known for 300 years and for the first time was made commercially important by the purple-red dye extracted from the insect to dye textiles. There are two procedures for the production of shellac, one based on fusion (heat process) and the other, on solvent extraction (solvent process). Even though most of the red lacquer dye is removed during the procedure, some shade of orange persists. When dissolved in alcohol, the "orange shellac" forms an amber colored solution and the dried film has a distinctive amber trail. For many applications, however, a colorless film is preferred. To satisfy this market preference, a chemical bleaching process removes the color. Also, during this procedure, the natural wax present in the orange lacquer gum is removed, which results in what is called "lacquered gum without wax and bleached". According to the invention, the shellac for covering seeds must be de-whitened and bleached. Waxed and bleached shellac is sold by Tolaram Oversas Corporation. Shellac should be applied in a range of 20% to 60% by weight of the pigment particles. Below 20%, the moisture barrier is not strong enough to prevent discoloration when highly pigmented seeds are to be made. More than 60% results are not improved and costs increase unnecessarily. The most preferred range being 45%. As can be seen in tables 1 and 2, shellac showed excellent results in discoloration tests. Also, seeds coated with shellac are able to resist the baking that is essential for this application. For this reason, shellac is the most preferred edible film-forming polymer. Another polymer approved as food and edible film former that can be used is zein, which is a protein derived from corn with the unique ability to form films. Zein was successfully used to coat confectionery products for decades. However, the zein showed poor results in discoloration tests when it was used for cover seeds (see table 1 and table 2 for discoloration test results) and thus is not an edible film-forming polymer suitable for our application. d) A plasticizer: any food grade plasticizing agent or mixtures thereof, can be used, which is soluble in the solvent used to prepare the film-forming solution. It was found that plasticizing agents that are useful in film-forming solutions include propylene glycol, glycerin, diesters of phthalic acid, ie, diethyl phthalate, acetylated monoglycerides and triacetin. The plasticizer helps extend the life of the film and provides a more polished appearance. The plasticizer can be used in a range of about 55% to about 80% by weight of the edible film-forming polymer (shellac). It has been found that the optimum amount is 66%. More than 80%, the coating is difficult to dry and the discoloration increases substantially. e) All the solids described above are dissolved in alcohol or mixtures of water and alcohol in a form in which the percentage of solids in the final mixture are in the range of about 5% to about 20%. With less than 5% there is an unnecessary waste of solvent that increases processing costs. Dispersions of more than 20%, solids are very difficult to prepare and control. The optimum percentage of solids is 13%. Additionally, according to the invention, the method of the preparation of a composition for coating seeds and the like comprises solubilizing the phenolic pigments of turmeric obtained from Curcuma longa in a mixture of solvent and plasticizer. Also, according to the invention, the method for coating seeds comprises spraying the above composition on the seeds in a range of about 10% to about 20% by weight of the seeds, preferably about 15% by weight of the seeds, and then Dry the coated seeds using hot air. According to the invention, the edible color film coating that does not discolour comprises: a) An edible film-forming pigment. The turmeric pigments of turmeric (curcumin, dimethoxyurcumin and diteto-toxicurcumin) have the surprising ability to form water-resistant films, of the shellac type, suitable for film coating for pharmaceutical tablets, confectionery products, seeds and the like. Turmeric can be used as a pure extract (95% curcumin), which is supplied by Biocolor Chile S.A. In order to form water resistant films, of the shellac type, the turmeric phenolic pigments must be solubilized. The dispersions of these pigments do not form efficient moisture barriers and must be coated with shellac. The turmeric powder 90 and 95% can be used in a range of 0.5% to 1.5% by weight of the edible film-forming pigment solution. The most preferred range being 1.1%. These values are a consequence of the solubility of the turmeric powder 95% in alcohol at room temperature, which is below 1.5%. When using solution turmeric solutions, that is, less than 0.5% will unnecessarily increase the amount of solvent used that increases processing costs. When using saturated solutions, that is, more than 1.5%, it creates the risk that some pigment will not be solubilized and a film of low quality will be formed. By using a 1.1% solution, the use of solvent is optimized and all phenolic pigments are solubilized. b) a plasticizer, in general, any non-toxic, food-grade plasticizing agent, or mixtures thereof, can be used, which is soluble in the solvent used in preparing the film-forming solution. It was found that plasticizing agents are useful in film-forming solutions including propylene glycol, glycerin, diesters of italic acid, ie, diethyl phthalate, acetylated monoglycerides and triacetin. The plasticizer helps extend the life of the film and provides a more polished appearance. The plasticizer can be used in a range of about 50% to about 120% by weight of the edible film-forming pigment (95% curcumin). It has been found that the optimum amount is 90%. More than 120%, the coating is difficult to dry and substantially increases discoloration. The most preferred method for making the edible tinted seed that does not discolour is to use pigments edible film formers. However, the only pigments approved as edible, which are capable of forming water-resistant films, of the shellac type are the phenolic pigments found in turmeric. Carotenoids can be solubilized in alcohol but do not form an appropriate film type barrier and shellac should be used to prevent discoloration of the seed.

TABLE 1 COVERING COMPOSITIONS FOR PROOF OF DECOLORATION No. Suspension / pigment solution (1) Film-forming polymer (2) 1 Rubber Lacquer blue No. 1 FD &C in ethanol Gum Lacquer 14% 2 Rubber Lacquer blue No. 1 FD &C in ethanol Gum Lacquer 45% 3 Rubber Lacquer blue No. 1 FD &C in ethanol Gum Lacquer 68% 4 Goma Lacquer blue No. 1 FD &C in ethanol Zein 45% 5 Goma Lacquer blue No. 1 FD &C in ethanol Zein 68% 6 Goma Lacquer blue No. 1 FD &C in ethanol Zein 200% 7 Gum Lacquer blue No. 1 FD &C in water (3) Lacquer Gum 200% 8 95% Turmeric powder solution in ethanol 9 90% carminic acid solution in Gum Lacquer 1000% ethanol (4) 10 Goma Lacquer blue No. 1 FD &C in ethanol Gum Lacquer 45% (5) • Lacquer blue No. 1 FD &C, turmeric powder 95% and carminic acid 90% were used in 1.1%. 0.17% and 1.0% by weight of the coated seeds respectively. • (2) by weight of pigment particles. • (3) The water suspension was made using polydextrose. • (4) Carminic acid is a water soluble dye extracted from the cochineal insect. • (5) Covered seeds were placed in hamburger bun dough and baked at 180 ° C for 20 minutes.

TABLE 2 RESULTS OF SCORING TEST FOR SEEDS OF AJONJOLI COATED WITH COLOR The following are the comparative results for decolorization using the coating compositions described in Table 1 (1): No. 1 hour 2 hours 4 hours 8 hours 1 0.94 1.27 1.66 1.98 2 0.27 0.43 0.45 0.47 3 0.28 0.40 0.43 0.46 4 5.80 6.78 7.13 7.30 5 5.19 5.99 6.53 6.87 6 3.04 4.73 5.60 6.17 7 3.68 4.22 4.75 5.12 8 0.02 0.03 0.03 0.04 9 (2) 2.40 2.41 2.42 2.42 (3) 0.23 0.36 0.46 0.47 • (1) 100 grams of sesame seed were covered with 15 grams of the cover composition. Then 5 grams of the coated seeds are emptied into 100 grams of soft water at 20 ° C. Discoloration was measured as direct absorption in a 1 cm square cell at 600 nm for formulas from 1 to 7, at 425 nm for formula 8 and at 520 nm for formula 9. Color intensity was measured using a 1240 UV minispectrometer of Shimadzu. • (2) for seeds coated with carminic acid, an absorption of 2.40 means all the color that migrated from the seeds in the water that surrounds it. In other words, no color remained in the seeds after 1 hour in soft water. • (2) the baked seeds were removed from the hamburger bun dough and tested as normal unbaked seeds.

EXAMPLES The following examples are not intended to limit in any way, but show some preferred embodiments of the present invention.

EXAMPLE 1 I) A pigment suspension is formed in accordance with the following formula: 77. 0 gr. Ethanol 96% 20.0 gr. Blue Lacquer Gum No. 1 FD &C 2.0 gr. Titanium dioxide (used as an opacifier) 1.0 gr. Hydroxypropylcellulose (Klucel) The hydroxypropylcellulose was dissolved in alcohol. Then the powdered shellac and the titanium dioxide were stirred into the hydroxypropylcellulose solution using a Silverson high shear mixer. The pigments were dispersed using the Silverson mixer for 10 minutes at 3500 rpm. II) A solution of edible film-forming polymer is formed according to the following formula: 82. 5 gr. Etanoi 96% 9.2 gr. Water 5.0 gr. Lacquer gum (without wax and bleached) 3.3 gr. Propylene glycol (used as a plasticizer) The waxed and bleached shellac was dissolved in the mixture of water and ethanol at 60 to 80 ° C under constant stirring. Propylene glycol I was added once the shellac dissolved completely. III) An edible film coating composition is formed by mixing the previous pigment suspension and the solution of edible film forming polymer according to the following formula: 33. 0 gr. Pigment suspension 67.0 gr. Film forming polymer solution grams of the film coating was used to dye 100 grams of sesame seed. The film coating was carefully sprayed onto the seeds in a rotating stainless steel coating pan and dried using hot air.

Example 2 I) A pigment suspension was formed according to the following formula: 7. 0 gr. Ethanol 96% 0.0 gr. Carmine rubber 57% .0 gr. Titanium dioxide (used as an opaque) .0 gr. Hydroxypropylcellulose (Klucel) The hydroxypropylcellulose was dissolved in the alcohol. Then the powdered shellac and the titanium dioxide were stirred into the hydroxypropylcellulose solution using a Silverson high shear mixer. The pigments were dispersed when using the Silverson mixer for 10 minutes at 3500 rpm.

II) A solution of edible film forming polymer is formed according to the following 82. 5 gr. Ethanol 96% 9.2 gr. Water 5.0 gr. Lacquer gum (without wax and bleached) 3.3 gr. Propylene glycol (used as a plasticizer) The waxed and bleached shellac was dissolved in the mixture of water and ethanol at 60 to 80 ° C under constant stirring. The propylene glycol was added once the shellac dissolved completely. III) An edible film coating composition is formed by mixing the above pigment suspension with the edible film-forming polymer solution according to the following formula: 3. 0 gr. Pigment suspension 7.0 gr. Film forming polymer solution grams of the film coating was used to dye 100 grams of sesame seed. The film coating was carefully sprayed onto the seeds in a rotating stainless steel coating pan and dried using hot air.

Example 3 l) A pigment suspension is formed according to the following formula: 79. 0 gr. Ethanol 96% 20.0 gr. Yellow Lacquer Gum No. 6 FD &C 1.0 gr. Hydroxypropylcellulose (Klucel) The hydroxypropylcellulose was dissolved in alcohol. Then the powdered shellac and the titanium dioxide were stirred into the hydroxypropylcellulose solution using a Silverson high shear mixer. The pigments were dispersed using the Silverson mixer for 10 minutes at 3500 rpm. An edible film forming polymer solution is formed according to the following formula: 2. 5 gr. Ethanol 96% .2 gr. Water .0 gr. Lacquer gum (without wax and bleached) .3 gr. Propylene glycol (used as a plasticizer) The waxed and bleached shellac was dissolved in the mixture of water and ethanol at 60 to 80 ° C under constant stirring. The propylene glycol was added once the shellac dissolves completely.

III) An edible film coating composition is formed by mixing the above pigment suspension and the edible film-forming polymer solution according to the following formula: 33. 0 gr. Pigment suspension 67.0 gr. Film forming polymer solution grams of the film coating was used to dye 100 grams of sesame seed. The film coating was carefully sprayed onto the seeds in a rotating stainless steel coating pan and dried using hot air.

Example 4 A film former pigment solution is formed according to the following formula: 97. 9 gr. Ethanol 96% 1.1 gr. Turmeric powder 95% 1.0 gr. Propylene glycol (used as a plasticizer) The turmeric powder was dissolved in the mixture of ethanol and propylene glycol (used as a plasticizer) at 60 ° C with slight agitation until the solution was completely clear. 15 grams of the film coating was used to dye 100 grams of the Sesame seeds. The film coating was carefully sprayed onto the seeds in a rotating stainless steel coating pan. The coated seeds were dried in the rotating stainless steel pan using hot air. Having thus described certain embodiments of the present invention, various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations as modifications, and improvements are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to be limiting.

Claims (21)

1. A composition for coating seeds and the like comprising a pigment suspension and an edible film-forming polymer solution, wherein said edible film-forming polymer solution comprises shellac.

2. The composition according to claim 1, wherein said pigment suspension comprises a solvent, an edible pigment selected from water-insoluble pigments, water-soluble pigments that were previously insolubilized by any physical or chemical method and / or oil-soluble pigments used as an oil suspension or as water-soluble pigments, and optionally an opacifier, and optionally a protective colloid.

3. The composition according to claim 2, wherein said opaquer is selected from titanium dioxide, magnesium carbonate, talc and silica gel, being in a range from about 5% to about 25% by weight of the particles of pigment.

4. The composition according to claims 1 to 3, wherein said pigment particles, including the opacifier, are in a range from about 0.3% to about 2.2% by weight of the coated seeds.

5. The composition according to claim 2, wherein the protective colloid of said pigment suspension is selected from hydroxypropylcellulose or ethylcellulose, being in a range from about 3% to about 6% by weight of the pigment particles.

6. - The composition according to claim 2, wherein said solvent is selected from a C1-C6 food grade alcohol, preferably ethanol.

7. The composition according to claim 1, wherein said edible film-forming polymer solution comprises an organic solvent, water, shellac and optionally a plasticizer.

8. - The composition according to claims 1 and 7, wherein said edible film-forming polymer is shellac in a range from about 20% to about 60% by weight of the pigment particles.

9. The composition according to claim 7, wherein said plasticizer is selected from propylene glycol, glycerin, diesters of eftalic acid, diethylphthalate, acetylated monoglycerides and triacetin and mixtures thereof, being in a range of about 55% to about 80% by weight of the edible film-forming polymer.

10. The composition according to claim 7, wherein said organic solvent is selected from a C1-C6 food grade alcohol, preferably ethanol.

11. - A process for the preparation of the composition according to claim 1, said process comprises the steps of: a. prepare a pigment suspension by dissolving the protective colloid in the solvent and then mixing the opacifier and the pigments with the protective colloid solution; and b. preparing an edible film-forming polymer solution by dissolving the shellac in mixtures of water and organic solvent under constant stirring and then mixing the plasticizer with the shellac solution; and c. mix the pigment suspension and the edible film-forming polymer solution.

12. - A composition for coating seeds and the like comprising a solvent, turmeric pigments of turmeric obtained from Curcuma longa and optionally a plasticizer.

13. - A composition for coating seeds according to claim 12, wherein said plasticizer is selected from propylene glycol, glycerin, diesters of italic acid, diethyl phthalate, acetylated monoglycerides and triacetin and / or mixtures thereof, which are the range of about 50% to about 120% by weight of the edible film-forming pigment.

14. A composition for coating seeds according to claim 12, wherein said solvent is selected from a food grade alcohol, preferably C1-C6, most preferred ethanol.

15. A process for the preparation of the composition according to claim 12, said method comprises solubilize the phenolic pigments of turmeric obtained from Curcuma longa in a mixture of solvent and plasticizer.

16. - A method for coating seeds comprising spraying the composition according to claims 1 or 12 on the seeds, and then drying the coated seeds using hot air.

17. - The method for coating seeds according to claim 16, wherein said composition according to claims 1 or 12 is useful in a range of about 10% to about 20% by weight of the seeds, preferably about 15%. % by weight of the seeds.

18. - Coated seeds and the like, where the seeds are selected from sesame, poppy, sunflower, anise, pumpkin, flax, caraway, hemp, cardamom, celery, cilantro, cumin, fennel, dill, fenugreek, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, walnuts, soy nuts, pecan, macadamia, pearly nut and other edible seeds, and the cover is the composition according to claims 1 or 12.

19. The use of the coated seed according to claim 18 , to prepare bakery, dairy, meat or confectionery, cereal mixes, snacks, desserts, ice cream, cheese, soups, pasta, sauces, covers, edible bars, pet food and other food products.

20. - The bakery, dairy, meat or confectionery, cereal mixes, snacks, desserts, ice cream, cheese, soups, pasta, sauces, covers, edible bars, pet food and other food products comprising the coated seed according to claim 18.

21. The bread, bun or roll comprising the coated seed according to claim 18.