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Title:
USE OF HONEYBUSH OR HONEYBUSH EXTRACTS WITH PREBIOTICS FOR SKIN AND HAIR
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2010/000578
Kind Code:
A2
Abstract:
The present invention relates to the use of Honeybush or Honeybush extract in combination with at least one prebiotic for improving skin or hair health by preventing, alleviating or treating skin or hair disorders or damages such as is effected by inflammatory reactions, environmental factors, ageing or cancer. It can also be used to improve UV protection or skin glow or reduce skin wrinkles or skin inflammation. It also relates to the compositions containing Honeybush or Honeybush extracts and at least one prebiotic.

Inventors:
ROGER OLIVIER YVES (CH)
CRESPY VANESSA (US)
Application Number:
PCT/EP2009/057116
Publication Date:
January 07, 2010
Filing Date:
June 09, 2009
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
NESTEC SA (CH)
ROGER OLIVIER YVES (CH)
CRESPY VANESSA (US)
International Classes:
A61K36/48; A23F3/00; A23L1/00; A61K8/97; A61P17/00
Domestic Patent References:
WO2003092413A12003-11-13
Foreign References:
FR2879446A12006-06-23
ZA200109559A2002-04-03
Other References:
ANONYMOUS: "Intaba Honeybush" INTERNET CITATION, [Online] XP002336787 Retrieved from the Internet: URL:http://www.intabateas.com/honeybush-tea.shtml> [retrieved on 2005-07-19]
MCKAY DIANE L ET AL: "A review of the bioactivity of South African herbal teas: Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) and honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia)" PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, vol. 21, no. 1, January 2007 (2007-01), pages 1-16, XP002500806 ISSN: 0951-418X
DATABASE WPI Week 200741 Thomson Scientific, London, GB; AN 2007-434817 XP002577216 & ZA 200 505 219 A (CAPE NATURAL TEA PROD PTY LTD) 26 April 2006 (2006-04-26)
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
CHAUTARD, Cécile (Vevey, CH)
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Claims:
Claims

1. An orally ingestible composition comprising Honeybush or an extract thereof and at least one prebiotic.

2. A composition in accordance with claim 1 characterized in that the prebiotic is selected from the group consisting of oligosaccharides, optionally containing fructose, galactose, mannose; dietary fibers, in particular soluble fibers, soy fibers; inulin; or mixtures thereof.

3. A composition in accordance with claim 1 characterized in that the prebiotic is fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), galacto-oligosacchahdes (IOS), isomalto- oligosaccharides, xylo-oligosacchahdes, oligosaccharides of soy, glycosylsucrose (GS), lactosucrose (LS), lactulose (LA), palatinose-oligosacchahdes (PAO), malto- oligosaccharides (MOS), gums and/or hydrolysates thereof, pectins and/or hydrolysates thereof.

4. A composition in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the extract is obtainable by extraction with a solvent from Honeybush plant material, in particular by a water extraction or an alcohol/water extraction, for example by a ethanol/water extraction.

5. A composition in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein at least 50wt.-%, preferably at least 70 wt.-% more preferably at least 95 wt.-% of the extract are water soluble.

6. A composition in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the extract is a commercially available extract, preferably Honeybush from Afriplex or Honeybush from Rooibos Ltd.

7. A composition in accordance with one of the preceding claims, which further comprises a protein source, a carbohydrate source, a lipid source, a mineral source and/or a vitamin source and is for oral, enteral and/or parenteral application.

8. A composition in accordance with one of the preceding claims, which comprises at least one kind of food grade micro-organisms, in particular probiotics selected from the group consisting of group consisting of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus and Saccharomyces or mixtures thereof.

9. Use of a composition according to claim 1 , for the preparation of an orally administrable product for improving skin or hair health by preventing, alleviating or treating skin or hair disorders or damages such as is effected by inflammatory reactions, environmental factors, ageing or cancer.

10. Use in accordance with claim 9, wherein the skin disorder or damage is selected from the group consisting of skin inflammation, reactive or dry skin, psoriasis, vitiligo, acne, ageing, UV protection, photo ageing, wrinkles, skin glow or skin hydration or moisture of the skin.

11. Use in accordance with claim 9, wherein the hair or coat disorder or damage is selected from the group consisting of hair and coat gloss, hair density, color, oilness, ameliorating hair fiber diameter, sebum production, glossiness and preventing hair and coat loss.

12. Use in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the product is a food product, a drink, a food supplement, a nutraceutical, a pet food product or a medicament.

13. Use in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the product contains Honeybush or an extract thereof in an amount in the range of about 0,1 g/l to 10 g/l, preferably in the range of 0,5 g/l to 3 g/l.

14. Use in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the product contains Honeybush or an extract thereof in a daily dose of 0,01 g-100g, preferably 0,25 g-10g.

15. Use in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the product further contains at least one phytonutrient, preferably selected from the group consisting of lutein and catechin.

Description:
Use of Honeybush or Honeybush extracts with prebiotics for skin and hair

The present invention relates to the use of Honeybush or Honeybush extract in combination with at least one prebiotic for improving skin or hair health by preventing, alleviating or treating skin or hair disorders or damages such as is effected by inflammatory reactions, environmental factors, ageing or cancer. It can also be used to improve UV protection or skin glow or reduce skin wrinkles or skin inflammation. It also relates to the compositions containing Honeybush or Honeybush extracts and at least one prebiotic.

Background of the Invention

The most prominent epithelial tissue in living beings is the skin, which represents the largest organ in the organism. The system of skin integument, which comprises the epidermis, dermis and the stratum corneum, correlates with those of internal organs and concurrently interacts with the surroundings. Being the interface between the environment and organism itself, the skin is heavily influenced by external factors and also variable parameters of the organism's inner system. The skin's regulative mechanisms need, therefore, always be active to induce systemic changes necessary to maintain normal pathological events concerning skin integument morphology and activities.

A great deal of processes assuring the adequate consumption of increased affluence of energetic and plastic substances according to the skin's needs become guarantors of morphological and functional stability of skin structures. So, the state of integuments determines the realization of metabolic processes necessary for skin cell viability and activity leading to the presence of healthy skin peculiarities such as barrier function, elasticity, turgor properties, humidity or pigmentation, for example.

During the lifetime of a living being different signs, characteristic of ageing, appear on the skin or hair, with the principal clinical signs being the appearance of fine lines and deep wrinkles which increase or are accentuated with age, loss of hair, reduced hair density, glossiness, color, oilness, fiber diameter, for example. These signs of ageing are even promoted by exposure of the skin and hair to exogenous influences, such as e.g. UV-radiation, pollutants, free radicals or chemical substances.

Moreover, the cutaneous barrier is exposed daily to chemicals, xenobiotic and particles composing urban pollution. Among these atmospheric pollutants likely to exert noxious effects on the skin and the hair, three main categories can be distinguished. They are essentially gas, heavy metals, and particles which are the residues of combustion on which are adsorbed many organic compounds. The gases contribute more particularly to the formation of an environment "pro-oxidant" to which the most external surface tissues are directly exposed.

The oxidation and the degradation of the lipids of the stratum corneum can deteriorate the function barrier of the stratum corneum. The disturbance of the external lipids and the architecture of proteins are factors starting in many dermatoses (psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, irritating dermatitis). In addition, a significant oxidative attack on the level of the surface layers of the stratum can initiate subjacent localised inflammatory processes. This deterioration of the cutaneous barrier can be in particular translated for a subject by feelings of cutaneous discomfort, phenomena sensory and/or the demonstration of undesirable cutaneous signs, even painful such as irritations. The above mentioned signs of discomfort can be moreover associated with undesirable cutaneous signs, such as rednesses, irritations, scabs, erythemas inflammatory, oedemas and/or buttons.

In the art several means have been proposed to prevent destructive effects of environment or ageing on skin epithelial cells. For example, means to prevent skin deterioration or ageing is to provide compounds scavenging free radicals. In this respect EP 0 761 214 discloses singlet oxygen quenchers comprising aniline derivatives and difurfuryl amine derivatives, which are reported to reduce the oxidative stress to the skin.

Although there is a great diversity of active compounds for ameliorating skin and hair or coat health, there still exists a need in the art to provide new active compounds, naturally occurring. In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide compositions that may be used over a long period of time by humans or pets, and susceptible to be provided in the form of a nutritional supplement, a food or petfood composition or a beverage.

Summary of the invention

The present inventors were surprised to see that they could achieve this object by using Honeybush or Honeybush extract, in particular in combination with at least one prebiotic.

Honeybush is a wild South African plant that grows in a specific area of the southwestern part of South Africa, and that is commonly used by local populations to prepare infusion in the same manner as tea. The scientific names of Honeybush species - thus called since its flowers have the smell of honey - that are most commonly consumed are C. intermedia, C. Subternata, C. Genistoides, C. Maculata.

Thus, the present invention relates to an orally administrable composition comprising honeybush or an extract thereof in combination with at least one prebiotic.

It also relates to an orally administrable composition comprising Honeybush or an extract thereof in combination with at least one prebiotic. for the preparation of a product to improve skin or hair health, treat, alleviate and/or prevent skin or hair disorders.

The skin disorders or damages that can be treated, alleviated or prevented according to the present invention can for example be selected from the group consisting of skin inflammation, such as UV or chemical-induced skin inflammation, reactive or dry skin, psoriasis, vitiligo, acne, ageing, UV protection, photo ageing, wrinkles. It also provides beneficial effects on skin glow or skin moisture, hydration of the skin.

The hair (or coat) disorders or damages that can be treated or prevented are hair and coat gloss, hair density, color, oilness, ameliorating hair fiber diameter, sebum production, glossiness and preventing hair and coat loss. Also, the composition according to the present invention is administered to a human or to an animal, for ameliorating antioxidant status or barrier function of the skin.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In a particular preferred embodiment of the present invention, suitable extracts of Honeybush may be prepared by any means that are known in the art, e.g., by steam extraction, solvent extraction, distillation, pressing or grinding.

It is however preferred if the extract is obtainable, in particular obtained, by extraction with a solvent from Honeybush plant material, in particular by a water extraction or an alcohol/water extraction, for example by a ethanol/water extraction.

The use of water as extraction medium has the advantage that the obtained product can be directly incorporated into final products without having to eliminate the extraction medium first.

The traditional process to prepare infusible leaves out of Honeybush plants was as follows: plants are harvested by cutting their stems and leaves which are then put in a heap. The temperature inside the heap rapidly raises up to 40 0 C, which causes fermentation of the leaves. After about one day, the leaf and stem pieces are dried in the sun and sieved, ready for infusion. This process is progressively replaced by batch rotary fermentation of moistened leaves and stems, after which a sun-drying step is still preferred. The infusion is then prepared in large quantities which are filtered and concentrated. Preferably after further purification, the ingredient is then ready to be added to any food preparation.

The Honeybush extracts may also be obtainable, and are in particularly obtained by a method comprising the steps of: i) mixing and milling Honeybush material in milk or a milk protein-containing liquid medium, ii) optionally separating insoluble material to obtain an aqueous suspension iii) optionally pasteurising the resulting suspension iv) optionally add synthetic or natural bioactive components during the processing v) and further optionally drying the suspension to obtain a powder. This process has the advantage of being natural and cost effective enabling improved delivery of multi-nutrients in the form of a combination of stabilized water- and fat-soluble compounds in their natural compositions, free of organic solvent residues.

If an extract of Honeybush is used in the present invention it is preferred if at least 50wt.-%, preferably at least 70 wt.-% more preferably at least 95 wt.-% of the extract are water soluble. This has the advantage that the extract can easily be admixed with other water based foodstuffs before consumption.

One typical example of an extract of Honeybush that can be used in the framework of the present invention is Honeybush tea.

Suitable extracts of Honeybush for the purpose of the present invention are also extracts that are commercially available, such as for example Honeybush from Afriplex or Honeybush from Rooibos Ltd.

The product also contain at least one prebiotic. "Prebiotic" means food substances that promote the growth of probiotics in the intestines. They are not broken down in the stomach and/or upper intestine or absorbed in the Gl tract of the person ingesting them, but they are fermented by the gastrointestinal microflora and/or by probiotics.

Prebiotics are known to produce a synergistic effect with probiotics, thus the combination of probiotics, prebiotics and Honeybush or an extract thereof will also be very effective in treating or preventing inflammatory disorders.

The prebiotics that may be used in accordance with the present inventions are not particularly limited and include all food substances that promote the growth of probiotics in the intestines.

Preferably, they may be selected from the group consisting of oligosaccharides, optionally containing fructose, galactose, mannose; dietary fibers, in particular soluble fibers, soy fibers; inulin; or mixtures thereof. The prebiotic is preferably in an amount of 0.3 to 10 % dry weight of the composition.

Further examples of prebiotics include certain oligosaccharides, such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and galactooligosaccharides (GOS). A combination of prebiotics may be used, such as 90% GOS with 10% short chain fructooligosaccharides such as the product sold under the trade mark Raftilose® or 10% inulin such as the product sold under the trade mark Raftiline®.

Preferred prebiotics are fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), galacto-oligosacchahdes (IOS), isomalto-oligosacchahdes, xylo-oligosaccharides, oligosaccharides of soy, glycosylsucrose (GS), lactosucrose (LS), lactulose (LA), palatinose-oligosaccharides (PAO), malto-oligosacchahdes (MOS), gums and/or hydrolysates thereof, pectins and/or hydrolysates thereof.

A particularly preferred prebiotic is a mixture of galacto-oligosacchahde(s), N- acetylated oligosacchahde(s) and sialylated oligosaccharide(s) in which the N- acetylated oligosacchahde(s) comprise 0.5 to 4.0% of the oligosaccharide mixture, the galacto-oligosacchahde(s) comprise 92.0 to 98.5% of the oligosaccharide mixture and the sialylated oligosacchahde(s) comprise 1.0 to 4.0% of the oligosaccharide mixture. This mixture is hereinafter referred to as "CMOS-GOS". Preferably, a composition for use according to the invention contains from 2.5 to 15.0 wt% CMOS- GOS on a dry matter basis with the proviso that the composition comprises at least 0.02 wt% of an N-acetylated oligosaccharide, at least 2.0 wt% of a galacto- oligosaccharide and at least 0.04 wt% of a sialylated oligosaccharide.

The product comprising a composition comprising Honeybush or an extract thereof and a prebiotic according to the present invention may be for example a food product, a drink, a food supplement, a nutraceutical, a pet food product or a medicament.

The product may also further comprise a protein source, a carbohydrate source, a lipid source, a mineral source and/or a vitamin source. The presence of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals and/or vitamins may have several advantages. These compounds generally contribute to the taste and mouthfeel of the final product. They also provide the body with nutrients that it may need urgently when it is affected by skin/hair disorders. They also allow formulating the product of the present invention as a complete nutritional formula, so that no additional nutrition is needed. This might be in particularly helpful for consumers that do not ingest sufficient amounts of food or that have trouble swallowing and that hence wish to ingest only small amounts of food.

Consequently, the products used in the present invention are preferably intended for enteral application. While the products are primarily intended to be used by humans, they may also be applied to animals, in particular companion animals, pets or livestock.

Particularly preferred products are products selected from the group consisting of teas, iced teas, a foamed beverage, a confectionery product, a culinary product, a nutritional complete formula, a dairy product, a chilled or shelf stable beverage, a product for lactating mothers, a liquid drink, a soup, a dietary supplement, a meal replacement, a nutritional bar, a milk or a fermented milk product, a yoghurt, a milk based powder, an enteral nutrition product, an infant formula, an infant nutritional product, a puree, a cereal product or a fermented cereal based product, an ice-cream, candy, sweets, biscuits, cakes, a chocolate, a cappuccino, a coffee, a culinary product such as mayonnaise, tomato puree or salad dressings, a pet food, a pet beverage, a tablet, a capsule, a pill, a solution, a suspension, a syrup, a powder, a gel, a dried oral supplement or a wet oral supplement.

The amounts of Honeybush or an extract thereof and prebiotic in the product will depend on several factors, such as the nature of the extract, the condition of the plant, the age, condition and size of the person or animal to be treated, the frequency, the product will be applied and/or the specific kind of skin/hair disorder or damage to be treated or prevented.

The present inventors have found that the effectiveness of the composition according to the present invention is generally dose dependant and follows a dose response curve. If generally mild skin/hair disorders or damages are to be prevented and the product will be used frequently, very small amounts of the composition will be sufficient to achieve the desired effect. If a severe skin disorder is to be treated, larger amounts of the composition will be more appropriate, although also small amounts will produce an effect.

Generally, it is preferred if the product contains Honeybush or an extract thereof in an amount in the range of about 0,1 g/l to 10 g/l, preferably in the range of 0,5 g/l to 3 g/l product. If the total amount of product cannot be measured in litres it is preferred if the product contains Honeybush or an extract thereof in an amount in the range of about 0,1 g/kg to 10 g/kg, preferably in the range of 0,5 g/kg to 3 g/kg product.

Preferably the product contains Honeybush or an extract thereof in a daily dose of 0,01 g-100g, preferably 0,25 g-10g.

Preferably, if the prebiotic is in the form of dietary fiber, the fibre content is between 2 and 40 g/l of the composition as consumed, more preferably between 4 and 10 g/l.

The product may also comprises at least one kind of food grade micro-organism, in particular probiotics.

"Food grade" are all substances that are approved for human or animal consumption.

"Probiotic" means microbial cell preparations or components of microbial cells with a beneficial effect on the health or well-being of the host.

For the purpose of the present invention, the probiotics may be selected from the group consisting of group consisting of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus and Saccharomyces or mixtures thereof, in particular selected from the group consisting of Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus salivahus, Streptococcus faecium, Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus reuteri or mixtures thereof, preferably selected from the group consisting of Lactobacillus johnsonii NCC 533 (CNCM 1-1225), Bifidobacterium longum NCC 490 (CNCM 1-2170), Bifidobacterium longum NCC 2705 iCNCM 1-2618) , Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12, Bifidobacterium lactis NCC2818 (CNCM I-3446), Lactobacillus paracasei NCC 2461 (CNCM 1-2116), Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus rhamnosus NCC4007 (CGMCC 1.3724) Enterococcus faecium SF 68 (NCIMB 10415), and mixtures thereof.

The presence of probiotics in a composition comprising Honeybush or an extract thereof may have several important effects. Consequently, the combination of probiotics with Honeybush or an extract thereof can be expected to have a further positive effect on the treatment and prevention of skin/hair disorders or damages.

Finally, the product prepared for the use of the present invention may also contain at least one phytonutrient.

The term "phytonutrient" describes those plant compounds which have health- protecting qualities. For example antioxidant, immune boosting or other health promoting properties of active compounds in plants are typical effects of phytonutrients. Phytonuthents include but are not limited to terpenes, carotenoids, limonoids, polyphenols, and phytosterols.

The carotenoids may be selected from the group consisting of carotenes and xanthophylls such as lycopene, carotene, phytofluene, phytoene, canthaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, capsanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, or those in the form of fatty acid esters, or mixtures thereof.

The polyphenols are preferably selected from the group consisting of flavones such as apigenin, luteolin or diosmetin, flavonols such as quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol, flavanones, anthocyanidins or isoflavones such as genistein, daidzein, or phenolic acids such as caffeic, ferulic acid or mixtures thereof.

Preferred phytonutrients for the present invention are beta-carotene, lutein, and/or catechin. The phytonutrients may be also provided in the form of a plant or plant extract.

It is clear to those of skill in the art that they can freely combine all features described herein without departing from the scope of the present invention as disclosed. Further advantages and features of the present invention are apparent from the following examples.

For examples 1 and 2 below, Honeybush is added to the other ingredients as Honeybush extract powder. In all example compositions, "Honeybush" refers to Honeybush extract. This Honeybush sweetening powder is obtained by the following preparation process, comprising the steps of, in order:

(i) mixing 10Og Honeybush dried leaves and stems with 1 litre boiling water, (ii) infusing the mix for about 5 minutes, and then

(iii) discarding solids from the infusion so as to obtain a liquid beverage containing about 10 g/l of Honeybush dry matter,

(iv) removing water so as to obtain a dry extract powder.

Example 1 :

Powdered beverage composition comprising cereals, fruit powder and/or bits, and/or chocolate ingredients are prepared that incorporate an extract of Honeybush plant. They are formulated as follows (quantities are given in % of total weight of the composition):

- Honeybush dry matter between 0 and 80 %

- Cocoa between 5 and 40 %

- Maltodextrine between 0 and 80 %

- Flavours, vitamins and Lecithin 1-5 % - Sugar between 0 and 80%

Example 2:

Confectionery and chocolate compositions can also be prepared, that incorporate Honeybush. Examples of such food compositions are as follows (quantities are given in % of total weight of the final composition).

For chewing gum:

- gum base from 20 to 35% - gum acacia solution from 5 to 15%

- sorbitol from 40 to 50%

- mannitol from 10 to 20%

- Honeybush from 10 to 35% - Flavour from 0.001 to 1 %

- Artificial sweeteners from 0 to 2%

For a low-sugar chocolate:

- Cocoa mass from 35 to 45%

- Cocoa butter from 10 to 20%

- erythritol from 40 to 53%

- Honeybush from 0.02 to 10%

- Lecithin from 0.1 to 1 % - Vanillin from 0.01 to 0.03%

Example 3

A cereal beverage composition is prepared that incorporates a sweetening ingredient from Honeybush plant. The said food composition comprises (quantities are given in % of total weight of the composition):

- Cereal beverage (eg. Ecco® or OrzoroCaro® 6% to 99% - Others (aromas, nutriments) 0.5% to 10%

- Honeybush 0.04% to 0.8%