Arla Foods Ingredients is tapping into the growing medical nutrition market with a prototype beverage that packs 10g of protein into a 100ml shot. The company worked with whey by utilizing its Lacprodan DI-7325 ingredient to enhance the beverage's heat stability and maintain proper viscosity. The medical beverage also contains added minerals according to FSMP (Food for Special Medical Purposes) rules, the company adds. Compacting a high nutrient density into a small serving size is one of the pervasive trends influencing NPD in the medical nutrition category as patients and the elderly may have a reduced ability to chew, swallow, taste and digest.

As a strong source of essential amino acids and leucine, whey protein is increasingly in demand in the medical nutrition market. According to Innova Market Insights, the number of global medical nutrition beverage product launches featuring whey protein grew by 9.9 percent CAGR between 2012 and 2017.

While the medical nutrition market as a whole is reportedly seeing steady growth and industry experts note that the market for oral nutritional supplements and enteral nutrition isgrowing at an increasing rate worldwide – from 6.3 percent in 2016 to 8.4 percent in 2018.

A recent study also noted that whey protein may be the best protein source for older adultswishing to rebuild lost muscle mass. The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, could be important for the medical nutrition area.As a strong source of essential amino acids and leucine, whey protein is increasingly in demand in the medical nutrition market.

However, despite whey’s suitability for medical nutrition applications, the production of high-protein whey beverages comes with challenges. “They can gel over time, taste can be compromised and, if the ingredient is not heat-stable, processing equipment can be blocked,” notes the company.

The concept utilizes Arla Foods Ingredients’ Lacprodan DI-7325, a high-quality whey ingredient specially designed for medical nutrition. The company stresses that Lacprodan DI-7325 is suitable for beverages containing minerals and maintains proper viscosity (with no gelation over time) as well as good heat stability.

“There is increasing demand for low-volume medical, nutritional food and beverages with high levels of high-quality protein. The excellent nutritional profile of whey protein makes it the perfect ingredient for this. But the fact is, whey proteins can be challenging in beverages when concentration increases. Thanks to Lacprodan DI-7325, your next low-volume, high-protein medical beverage solution will have great heat stability, it won’t gel over time and it won’t compromise on taste,” says Inge Lise Povlsen, Senior Category Manager at Arla Foods Ingredients.

Low-volume, high protein medical beverages made with Lacprodan DI-7325 can carry on-pack communication such as 100 percent of the protein from whey, UHT-stable and kosher and halal.

Manel Romeu Bellés, Industry Marketing Manager at Arla Foods Ingredients, says the company also offers range of other ingredients for medical nutrition. These include alpha-lactalbumin, whey protein isolate and whey protein hydrolysate for nutritional supplements for patients, as well as casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP-20) for phenylketonuria (PKU) nutrition.

The role of whey protein in clinical and medical nutrition
The next vital area of research for whey protein will be clinical nutrition, Moises Torres-Gonzalez, Ph.D., Scientific Subcommittee Chair, Whey Protein Research Consortium, tells.

“Whey protein has the potential to provide great benefits for older adults or any patient for recovery after hospitalization. We know that hospitalization, which is more common in older adults, causes a dramatic loss of muscle mass and strength,” Torres-Gonzale explains. “If patients don’t receive the proper nutrition, which should include a high-quality protein such as whey protein, after being discharged from the hospital, it is very likely they would have poor recovery and could end up being re-hospitalized. Here is where we feel whey protein has a great potential to become as part of the nutrition strategy for patients during and after hospitalization.” Compacting a high nutrient density into a small serving size is one of the pervasive trends influencing NPD in the medical nutrition category.

Stuart Phillips, Senior Author and Director of the Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE) at McMaster University, who led the study that identified whey protein as the best source of protein for older adults, notes that whey delivery methods need to be developed.

“I think that whey is clearly the superior protein source, but we need to work on vehicles for its delivery – drinks, puddings, bars – that are convenient and tastes great. It’s also likely that other nutraceutical bioactive components could be added to whey to improve its efficacy,” he says.

Phillips also highlights that although plant-based proteins are increasingly in demand from consumers, it is important for consumers “to understand the benefits of whey.”

“While there are a variety of reasons why people choose vegetarian options, whey protein is the superior option for stimulating muscle protein synthesis. It is a high-quality protein with a complete amino acid composition. And research has shown that its leucine content triggers protein synthesis more effectively than other proteins,” he concludes.