the raw material is the potassium salt of (−)- hydroxycitric acid which has been produced from the aqueous extract of garcinia cambogia , other garcinia species or by synthesis . in hydrated form , it is a viscous deep brown . it has a earthy smell and contains approximately 6 parts by weight of solids per liter of fluid . the novel concept is to encase the potassium salt of (−)- hydroxycitric acid with an acidophobic and hydrophobic polymer after driving off the water from the raw material . the polymer employed will not bind to the ligand sites of the raw material . this procedure results in a material which is resistant to water and acid media . moreover , by so coating the raw material , it becomes possible to easily work with it for the production of pharmaceutical formulations of various types and nature , to form it into edible bars , drinks , and other marketable forms of the basic substance . in addition , when the treated material is ingested , it resists degradation by the acid of the upper intestinal tract . treatment allows for a prolonged release time in the more basic ph of the small intestine , and this , in turn , allows for a slow and steady diffusion of the active ingredient across the gut wall . in essence the potassium salt of (−)- hydroxycitric acid is made aqueous by the addition of deionized water by bringing the volume to 5 l of water . in a separate container 1 l of deionized water is ammoniated with approximately 1 , 000 ml of 28 % acs ammonium hydroxide and stirred . into the khca is added 1 kg of maltodextrin and the mixture of maltodextrin and khca is stirred with a medium propeller mixer . into the 1 l of ammonium hydroxide is added 5 gm of cellulose acetate phthalate ( cap ), which is the polymer for encasement . the cap is then slowly poured into the blending khca and maltodextrin ; deionized water is added until the weights / water are 24 - 25 %. this thoroughly admixed solution is then passed into a spray dry chamber at 265 ° c . using a watson marlow pump and a flow rate at 1 - 2 l / minute . the powder is an off white dusk color and is collected in the collection bowl until all the fluid has been passed through the pump . the powder contains about 35 % of khca by weight . when left in an open plastic boat there is no evidence of hygroscopic interaction after 1 week with a relative humidity of 70 %. the powder showed no signs of degradation or discoloration after this time . to allow the powder to flow without sticking , magnesium stearate is added for capsule filling or tableting . with the proper revisions by one skilled in the art , this procedure can be applied readily to potassium , sodium or other salts of (−)- hydroxycitrate to be processed via fluid bed dryer . the following are examples of encapsulation and tableting which may be performed with the khca powder produced from this novel procedure . with very little modification , the same examples can be applied to a powder produced from sodium (−)- hydroxycitrate by the novel procedure . the powder from example 1 can be used to compress tablets weighing 1 , 000 to 1 , 500 mg which would contain from would contain from 540 to 818 mg of the prepared khca powder . considering that the starting material is only 35 % active , the amount of khca per tablet would be 189 - 287 mg . these tablets will not dissolve in the acid media of the stomach and will start a gradually release of the drug product once they arrive in the more ph neutral media of the 2nd part of the small intestine . additionally these tablets can be over coated with a clear film to protect them from any random damage , but this will not affect their dissolution rate . the khca powder is blended with anhydrous lactose and magnesium sterate for 3 minutes per kilogram . the powder should have a smooth flow and easily fill an 0 capsule to a weight of 750 mg yielding about 220 mg of khca per capsule . the amount of khca can be increased by decreasing the amount of excipients to where they flow well in the encapsulating machine . because the coating of the khca will prevent its destruction in the acidic environment of the stomach it may be that this formulation technology will perform in a superior manner and the amount of khca delivered in this fashion required for efficacy will be smaller than that which is required with the liquid or plain capsule formulations used in past clinical trials . a less elegant manner of delivering the drug is in the form of a acidic shake or drink . the drink formula can be made in the following manner : this is one example in which the cyclodextrin acts as a further chemical basket to entrap the khca and hold it in suspension . to thicken the solution one can add methocel power or pectin . if the use of carbopol is anticipated , it will have to be neutralized with an alkaline product inducing a higher ph and running the risk of premature rupture of the acid retardant film about the granulate . to maintain a slight acidity to the drink use citric acid or similar u . s . p . approved fruit acid . another method of producing a tablet is by slugging the powered material first then sizing it through a proper mesh screen and compression into a tablet . blend the khca and manitol in a blender or planetary mixer until an even and granular material is formed . place into a rotary press or a large slugging machine and compress into a large 1 - 3 gm tablet with 10 - 15 tons of pressure . when the granulate has been slugged run it through a fitzmill ® sizing apparatus with an # 063 screen . take the sized granulate and blend with magnesium sterate 0 . 5 %. after blending for 1 minute per kilogram place onto a rotary press and compress into tablets weighing 1000 - 1500 mg and a hardness of 10 - 15 kg . the encapsulated product showed a slow even disintegration in ph 5 . 6 water . in an acid media there was little or no disintegration after 4 hours . a . blend items 1 - 5 in mixing bowl until smooth and even . b . take the liquid and spray into spray - drying oven at 300 ° c . until white powder forms . when powder has formed , blend with suitable bulking agent , if necessary , and compress into 800 mg tablets with hardness of 10 - 15 kg . this will mean that each tablet , if starting with 62 % khca polymer powder , will have about 31 % khca . however , if the tablets are pressed to 1600 mg , the dose will be equal to 800 × 62 % khca . c . after pressing the granulate through the screen , make sure that it flows well and compress into oblong tablets . d . tablets should have a weight of 1600 mg and a hardness of 14 ± 3 kg fracture force . when tablets are completed , check for disintegration in ph 6 . 8 , 0 . 05m kh2po4 . disintegration should occur slowly over 4 - 5 hours . (−)- hydroxycitrate has a multitude of metabolic functions . the literature teaches that the compound induces weight loss and decreases appetite in both animals and humans . the product in the preferred form of the potassium salt and in its secondarily preferred form as a sodium salt is highly soluble and extremely hygroscopic . it can be maintained as a powder only under controlled conditions . when manipulated by normal methods , it is unstable because of its sensitivity to acids and its extremely hygroscopic nature . without special precautions , hca in its free acid form and in its potassium and sodium salt forms will bind to numerous other compounds and thereby to become markedly less assimilable . hence , neither of the preferred salts of (−)- hydroxycitric acid prior to the present teaching have been fully stable or workable as capsules , tablets , powders , in beverages or prepared snacks , or in controlled release vehicles . similarly , full potency of the compound &# 39 ; s preferred salts can be compromised by digestive actions . prior art teaches a method of producing a khca product which is stable and non - hygroscopic only so long as it is packaged under a controlled atmosphere and thereafter protected from exposure to moisture . the present application teaches a method of spray drying the extracted material with maltodextrin and cellulose acetate phthalate . this results in a fine powder which is protected from acidic breakdown and protected from high humidity environments . using the powder of this process , it is possible to encapsulate the material , tablet the product , to place the material into a dry drink or meal replacement powder , or to mix it into a liquid acidic drink formulation and acidic snack bars . the powder can further be manipulated to produce controlled release products . with minor revisions , one skilled in the art can use the procedures taught herein to produce acceptably stable versions of the potassium and sodium salts of (−)- hydroxycitric acid via fluid bed dryer rather than through recourse to spray drying . likewise , one skilled in the art can use the procedures taught herein to make other non - preferred salts of (−)- hydroxycitric acid , e . g ., calcium and magnesium salts and various mixtures of the known salts , amenable to stable inclusion in liquid acidic drink formulation and acidic snack bars and , likewise , protect these against the acidic environment of the upper digestive tract .
a method for making the potassium and sodium salts of - hydroxycitric acid and mixtures thereof workable , non - hygroscopic and non - reactive in acidic media by encasement in hydrophobic and acidophobic polymers . the calcium and magnesium salts of - hydroxycitric acid likewise can be rendered nonreactive in acidic media . the resulting products are suitable for tableting , encapsulation and use in other dry media for weight loss , appetite suppression , improvements in fat metabolism and postprandial lipemia and other pharmaceutical purposes . further , the products of this invention can be made nonreactive as components of acidic liquid drink mixes and snack bars and can be used in the production of controlled release administration formats .