Title:  Elemental enteral formula

United States Patent:  6,194,379

Assignee:   Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, IL)

Filed:  May 1, 1998

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a new elemental nutritional product that solves a number of problems associated with the prior art elemental formulas. The nutritional product of this invention utilizes a totally hydrolyzed protein system that includes soy protein hydrolysate. The protein system comprises hydrolyzed soy proteins in combination with hydrolyzed casein. The use of a totally hydrolyzed protein system makes it easier for the patient to digest the proteins in the product, thereby obtaining the amino acids required for proper nutrition.

This elemental nutritional product also incorporates a structured lipid formed from marine oil and medium chain triglyceride oil. The marine oil provides a source of n-3 fatty acids which alter eicosanoid and cytokine production, yielding an improved immunocompetence and reduced inflammatory response to injury. The inventors further believe that incorporating both marine oil and a medium chain triglyceride into a structured lipid will reduce gastrointestinal complications and infections in patients who have had GI surgery when compared with a group receiving both medium chain triglycerides and marine oil from a physical oil blend.

This elemental formula also solves a serious problem associated with prior art nutritional formula's containing marine oil and extensively hydrolyzed protein systems. Marine oil enhances the immune system of the patient and thus is very desirable in a nutritional product. However, marine oil can produce a nutritional formula having an extremely objectionable taste to a large number of patients. Hydrolyzed proteins also are known to create a product with an extremely objectionable and bitter taste. The lack of palatability leads to noncompliance in ambulatory patients and ultimately to sub-optimal nutritional status in the patient.

The present invention is directed to an elemental liquid nutritional product useful for providing nutrition to a patient having a malabsorption condition by enterally feeding to the patient a nutritionally effective amount of the liquid nutritional products of the present invention. One nutritional product of the present invention includes a protein system in which at least 65 w/w % of said proteins have a molecular weight of less than 5,000 daltons. The proteins system includes soy protein hydrolysate, and partially hydrolyzed caseinate. The preferred products further include a structured lipid formed from marine oil and medium chain triglyceride oil. Palatability of elemental nutritional products has been improved by keeping caloric density in a range from 0.60 kcal/ml to about 1.05 kcal/ml and incorporating sufficient amounts of selected palatability enhancers.

Claim 1 of 21 Claims

We claim:

1. An elemental liquid nutritional product comprising:

a) a protein system which comprises;

i) from about 40 w/w % to about 90 w/w % of soy protein hydrolysate,

ii) from about 10 w/w % to about 60 w/w % of partially hydrolyzed caseinate in which: a) the fraction of the caseinate having a molecular weight greater than 10,000 daltons but less than 25,000 daltons, is at least 26 w/w % of the total caseinate present and is no greater than about 55 w/w % of the total caseinate present and b) the fraction of the caseinate having a molecular weight of less than 14,000 daltons, is less than about 20 w/w % of the total caseinate present, and,

iii) optionally, from about 0 w/w % to about 10 w/w % of arginine;

b) at least one lipid, wherein the at least one lipid comprises a structured lipid formed from marine oil and medium chain triglyceride oil, and;

c) at least one carbohydrate.

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