POWDERED THICKENER MAINTAINING ITS EXTENSIONAL PROPERTIES WHEN RECONSTITUTED AND FOR PROMOTING SAFE SWALLOWING BY INDIVIDUALS WITH DYSPHAGIA

Abstract

A thickening powder promotes safe swallowing of a composition by an individual with dysphagia and can be used in methods of treating dysphagia, promoting safe swallowing of a composition, and mitigating a risk of aspiration during swallowing of a composition. The powder contains beta-glucan and a carrier ingredient that is a carbohydrate that is neutral toward or enhances the extensional properties of the composition. The carrier ingredient is preferably at least one of isomaltulose or a low molecular weight carbohydrate such as sucrose or lactose. The powder can be diluted in a liquid comprising at least one of water or milk to form at least a portion of a composition such as a nutritional product and to improve the cohesiveness of the composition.

Claims

1. A thickening powder formulated for dilution into at least a portion of a composition, the thickening powder comprising beta-glucan and a carrier ingredient that is a carbohydrate that is neutral toward or enhances extensional properties of the composition.

2. The thickening powder of claim 1, wherein the carrier ingredient is selected from the group consisting of isomaltulose, sucrose, lactose and mixtures thereof.

3. The thickening powder of claim 1, wherein the carrier ingredient is isomaltulose.

4. The thickening powder of claim 1, wherein the thickening powder consists of the beta-glucan and the carrier ingredient.

5. The thickening powder of claim 1, wherein the thickening powder comprises the carrier ingredient and the beta-glucan in a weight ratio of about 10:1 to about 300:1.

6. The thickening powder of claim 1, wherein the composition is a liquid composition.

7-12. (canceled)

13. A method of making a composition, the method comprising forming at least a portion of the composition by diluting a thickening powder comprising beta-glucan and a carrier ingredient that is a carbohydrate that is neutral toward or enhances the extensional properties of the composition.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the diluting of the thickening powder comprises diluting the thickening powder in a liquid comprising at least one of water or milk, at a liquid:powder weight ratio of about 100:1 to about 15:1.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the carrier ingredient is selected from the group consisting of isomaltulose, sucrose, lactose and mixtures thereof.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the carrier ingredient is isomaltulose.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the thickening powder consists of the beta-glucan and the carrier ingredient.

18. The method of any of claim 13, wherein the thickening powder comprises the carrier ingredient and the beta-glucan in a weight ratio of about 10:1 to about 300:1.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the aqueous solution is present in the composition in an amount that provides to the composition a shear viscosity of about 1 mPas to about 200 mPas, all values measured at a shear rate of 50 s.sup.1 at 20 C., and a relaxation time determined by a Capillary Breakup Extensional Rheometry (CaBER) experiment of about 10 to about 2,000 milliseconds (ms), all values measured at a temperature of 20 C.

20-21. (canceled)

22. A method of treating a swallowing disorder in an individual having the swallowing disorder, the method comprising administering to the individual a composition comprising an aqueous solution comprising beta-glucan and a carrier ingredient that is a carbohydrate that is neutral toward or enhances extensional properties of the composition, the composition comprising an amount of the aqueous solution that provides to the composition a shear viscosity of about 1 mPas to about 200 mPas, all values measured at a shear rate of 50 s.sup.1 at 20 C., and a relaxation time determined by a Capillary Breakup Extensional Rheometry (CaBER) experiment of about 10 to about 2,000 milliseconds (ms), all values measured at a temperature of 20 C.

23-26. (canceled)

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0061] FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the processes used in the experimental example disclosed herein.

[0062] FIG. 2 is a table showing the results from the experimental example disclosed herein.

[0063] FIG. 3 is a graph showing the results from the experimental example disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0064] Definitions

[0065] Some definitions are provided hereafter. Nevertheless, definitions may be located in the Embodiments section below, and the above header Definitions does not mean that such disclosures in the Embodiments section are not definitions.

[0066] All percentages expressed herein are by weight of the total weight of the composition unless expressed otherwise. Weight by total solids as noted as % TS.

[0067] As used herein, about, approximately and substantially are understood to refer to numbers in a range of numerals, for example the range of 10% to +10% of the referenced number, preferably 5% to +5% of the referenced number, more preferably 1% to +1% of the referenced number, most preferably 0.1% to +0.1% of the referenced number. All numerical ranges herein should be understood to include all integers, whole or fractions, within the range. Moreover, these numerical ranges should be construed as providing support for a claim directed to any number or subset of numbers in that range. For example, a disclosure of from 1 to 10 should be construed as supporting a range of from 1 to 8, from 3 to 7, from 1 to 9, from 3.6 to 4.6, from 3.5 to 9.9, and so forth.

[0068] As used in this disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms a, an and the include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to an ingredient or the ingredient includes two or more ingredients.

[0069] The words comprise, comprises and comprising are to be interpreted inclusively rather than exclusively. Likewise, the terms include, including and or should all be construed to be inclusive, unless such a construction is clearly prohibited from the context. Nevertheless, the compositions disclosed herein may lack any element that is not specifically disclosed herein. Thus, a disclosure of an embodiment using the term comprising includes a disclosure of embodiments consisting essentially of and consisting of the components identified. A composition consisting essentially of contains at least 75 wt. % of the referenced components, preferably at least 85 wt. % of the referenced components, more preferably at least 90 wt. % of the referenced components, most preferably at least 95 wt. % of the referenced components.

[0070] The term and/or used in the context of X and/or Y should be interpreted as X, or Y, or X and Y. Where used herein, the terms example and such as, particularly when followed by a listing of terms, are merely exemplary and illustrative and should not be deemed to be exclusive or comprehensive.

[0071] The term nutritional product means a product or composition that is intended for ingestion by an individual such as a human and provides at least one nutrient to the individual.

[0072] Prevention includes reduction of risk and/or severity of a condition or disorder. The terms treatment, treat, attenuate and alleviate include both prophylactic or preventive treatment (that prevent and/or slow the development of a targeted pathologic condition or disorder) and curative, therapeutic or disease-modifying treatment, including therapeutic measures that cure, slow down, lessen symptoms of, and/or halt progression of a diagnosed pathologic condition or disorder, and include treatment of patients at risk of contracting a disease or suspected to have contracted a disease, as well as patients who are ill or have been diagnosed as suffering from a disease or medical condition. The term does not necessarily imply that a subject is treated until total recovery. These terms also refer to the maintenance and/or promotion of health in an individual not suffering from a disease but who may be susceptible to the development of an unhealthy condition. These terms are also intended to include the potentiation or otherwise enhancement of one or more primary prophylactic or therapeutic measure. The terms treatment, treat, attenuate and alleviate are further intended to include the dietary management of a disease or condition or the dietary management for prophylaxis or prevention a disease or condition. A treatment can be patient- or doctor-related.

[0073] The term individual means any animal, including humans, that could suffer from cognitive aging and thus benefit from one or more of the methods disclosed herein. Generally, the individual is a human or an avian, bovine, canine, equine, feline, hicrine, lupine, murine, ovine or porcine animal. A companion animal is any domesticated animal, and includes, without limitation, cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, hamsters, mice, gerbils, horses, cows, goats, sheep, donkeys, pigs, and the like. Preferably, the individual is a human or a companion animal such as a dog or cat.

[0074] As used herein, an effective amount is an amount that prevents a deficiency, treats a disease or medical condition in an individual or, more generally, reduces symptoms, manages progression of the diseases or provides a nutritional, physiological, or medical benefit to the individual. The relative terms promote, improve, increase, enhance and the like refer to the effects of a nutritional product comprising the thickening powder disclosed herein relative to a nutritional product lacking the thickening powder, but otherwise identical.

[0075] Beta-glucan and -glucan refer to homopolysaccharides of D-glucopyranose monomers linked by (1.fwdarw.3), (1.fwdarw.4) glycosidic bonds. Beta-glucan is derivable from plant or microbial origin, e.g. from cereal (e.g., oats, barley), certain types of mushrooms (e.g., reishi, shiitake, maitake), yeasts, seaweed, and algae, by methods known to the skilled person, for example as described by Lazaridou et al. in A comparative study on structure-function relations of mixed-linkage (1.fwdarw.3), (1.fwdarw.4) linear -D-glucans in Food Hydrocolloids, 18 (2004), 837-855.

[0076] Isomaltulose is 6-O--D-Glucopyranosyl-D-fructose and is also known as Palatinose.

[0077] Embodiments

[0078] In an aspect of the present disclosure, a thickening powder can be diluted in a liquid comprising at least one of milk or water to form at least a portion of a composition (e.g., a nutritional product or water-based beverage). The powder comprises beta-glucan and a carrier ingredient that is a carbohydrate that is neutral toward or enhances the extensional properties of the composition. Non-limiting examples of a suitable carrier ingredient include isomaltulose and a low molecular weight carbohydrate (e.g., sucrose and/or lactose). Preferably the composition resulting from dilution of the powder is a beverage having a nectar consistency. More preferably, the composition resulting from dilution of the powder is a beverage having a water-like consistency.

[0079] In an embodiment, the thickening powder comprises the carrier ingredient and the beta-glucan in a weight ratio of about 10:1 to about 300:1, preferably about 20:1 to about 200:1, more preferably about 20:1 to about 150:1 (e.g., about 150:1), most preferably about 20:1 to about 100:1.

[0080] In an embodiment, the thickening powder comprises the carrier ingredient and an oat extract containing beta-glucan in a weight ratio of about 1:1 to about 30:1, preferably about 2:1 to about 20:1, more preferably about 2:1 to about 15:1 (e.g., about 15:1), most preferably about 2:1 to about 10:1, for example for an oat extract containing 14% beta-glucan. Preferably, the oat extract contains 10% to 18%, 12% to 16%, or more preferably 14% beta-glucan.

[0081] To form the powder, a composition comprising the beta-glucan can be spray-dried, freeze-dried or subjected to any other procedure of drying known in the art. Additionally or alternatively, the powder can be made by dry mixing.

[0082] The powder can be provided to the consumer in a container (e.g., a sealed container) for reconstitution in the container and/or for allowing the user to pour the powder from the container into a drinking receptacle in which the powder is reconstituted. Non-limiting examples of suitable containers include bags, boxes, cartons, bottles, or combinations thereof. Preferred containers include a sachet/stick pack, i.e., a small disposable pouch, typically of flexible film such as cellophane or paper, preferably capable of being torn open at one or both ends, and containing one serving of the composition.

[0083] In an embodiment, the powder does not contain any protein. In an embodiment, the powder does not contain any fat or oil. In an embodiment, the powder does not contain any carbohydrate additional to the carrier ingredient that is a carbohydrate that is neutral toward or enhances the extensional properties of the composition (e.g., the powder does not contain any carbohydrate additional to any isomaltulose or low molecular weight carbohydrate). For example, the powder can consist essentially of or consist of the beta-glucan and the carrier ingredient (e.g., isomaltulose and/or low molecular weight carbohydrate).

[0084] In another aspect, a method of treating a swallowing disorder in an individual having the swallowing disorder comprises administering to the individual a composition comprising a diluted powder comprising beta-glucan and a carrier ingredient that is a carbohydrate that is neutral toward or enhances the extensional properties of the composition (e.g., isomaltulose and/or low molecular weight carbohydrate such as sucrose and/or lactose). In a further aspect, a method of mitigating the risk of aspiration during swallowing of a composition in an individual having dysphagia comprises administering to the individual the composition, and the composition comprises a diluted powder comprising beta-glucan and a carrier ingredient that is a carbohydrate that is neutral toward or enhances the extensional properties of the composition (e.g., isomaltulose and/or low molecular weight carbohydrate such as sucrose and/or lactose).

[0085] Beta-glucan and hence also oat show particularly preferable properties in the powder because small amounts of beta-glucan can provide advantageous shear viscosities and relaxation times. Preferably, the shear viscosities are low and the relaxation times are long. The shear viscosity of a product is determined by any method that can accurately control the shear rate applied to the product and simultaneously determine the shear stress or vice versa. Standard methods include the use of concentric cylinders, cone-and-plate and plate-plate geometries. Relaxation times can be determined in this context by a Capillary Breakup Extensional Rheometry (CaBER) as known in the art. The shear viscosity of a product is measured at the same temperature as the relaxation time.

[0086] Shear viscosity is a measurable rheological property. Shear viscosity is often referenced as viscosity and describes the reaction of a material to applied shear stress. In other words, shear stress is the ratio between stress (force per unit area) exerted on the surface of a fluid, in the lateral or horizontal direction, to the change in velocity of the fluid as you move down in the fluid (a velocity gradient). The shear viscosity confers the thickened sensation to a product.

[0087] Another rheological property of a material is its extensional viscosity. Extensional viscosity is the ratio of the stress required to extend a liquid in its flow direction to the extension rate. Extensional viscosity coefficients are widely used for characterizing polymers, where they cannot be simply calculated or estimated from the shear viscosity. Rheological studies are generally performed using rheometers, which generally impose a specific stress field or deformation to the fluid and monitor the resultant deformation or stress. These instruments may operate in steady flow or oscillatory flow, as well as both shear and extension. The extensional viscosity may provide a product with an increased cohesiveness without the provision of a thickened sensation.

[0088] The composition is preferably orally administrable, for example as one or more of a pharmaceutical formulation, a nutritional product, a dietary supplement, a functional food or a beverage product.

[0089] In a further aspect, a method for improving the cohesiveness of a composition comprises adding a diluted powder comprising beta-glucan and a carrier ingredient that is a carbohydrate that is neutral toward or enhances the extensional properties of the composition (e.g., isomaltulose and/or a low molecular weight carbohydrate such as sucrose and/or lactose) to one or more ingredients of the composition. The composition can be a nutritional product, and the one or more ingredients of the nutritional product can be selected from the group consisting of a protein, an amino acid, a fat, a carbohydrate, a prebiotic, a probiotic, a fatty acid, a phytonutrient, an antioxidant, and/or combinations thereof.

[0090] The protein in the nutritional product can be one or more of a dairy-based protein, a plant-based protein or an animal-based protein. Non-limiting examples of suitable dairy-based protein include casein, caseinates (e.g., all forms including sodium, calcium, potassium caseinates), casein hydrolysates, whey (e.g., all forms including concentrate, isolate, demineralized), whey hydrolysates, milk protein concentrate, and milk protein isolate. Non-limiting examples of suitable plant-based protein include, for example, soy protein (e.g., all forms including concentrate and isolate), pea protein (e.g., all forms including concentrate and isolate), canola protein (e.g., all forms including concentrate and isolate), other plant proteins such as wheat and fractionated wheat proteins, corn and it fractions including zein, rice, oat, potato, peanut, green pea powder, green bean powder, and any proteins derived from beans, lentils, and pulses. Non-limiting examples of suitable animal-based protein include beef, poultry, fish, lamb, seafood and combinations thereof

[0091] Non-limiting examples of suitable fat for the nutritional product include vegetable fat (such as olive oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, hazelnut oil, soy oil, palm oil, coconut oil, canola oil, lecithins, and the like), animal fat (such as milk fat) or any combinations thereof.

[0092] Non-limiting examples of suitable carbohydrates for the nutritional product (additional to the carrier ingredient) include glucose, fructose, corn syrup solids, maltodextrin, modified starch, amylose starch, tapioca starch, corn starch or any combinations thereof. In an embodiment, the nutritional product can comprise soluble fiber and/or insoluble fiber. Non-limiting examples of suitable soluble fiber includes fructooligosaccharides, acacia gum, inulin, and mixtures thereof. A non-limiting example of suitable insoluble fiber includes pea outer fiber.

EXAMPLE

[0093] The following non-limiting example is an experimental example supporting one or more embodiments of the thickening powder provided by the present disclosure. The processes used in the experiments are set forth in FIG. 1.

[0094] The aim of the experimental trial was to attempt to add up to 30% TS of isomaltulose or up to 30% TS of soluble corn fiber (PROMITOR) to a 1.64% TS of oat bran (OATWELL) containing 14% beta-glucan at different pHs. The resultant concentrations were about 0.23% beta-glucan and about 28.36% carrier ingredient.

[0095] In a first test, the carrier raw material was added to the beta-glucan after the extraction of the beta-glucan from oat bran. Specifically, the beta-glucan was extracted from the oat bran (OATWELL) for thirty minutes at 60 C.; then the beta-glucan extract was cooled to 15 C.; one portion (reference) was directly centrifuged at 15 C. and 2939g for 20 min, the insoluble material decanted and the supernatant separated and collected for analysis. A second portion and a third portion of the extract were mixed with the soluble corn fiber or the isomaltulose in order to reach 30% TS; both samples were centrifuged at 15 C. and 2939g for 20 min, the insoluble material decanted and the supernatant separated and collected for analysis. Three final samples were obtained, i.e., one beta-glucan extract, another beta-glucan extract with soluble corn fiber, and another beta-glucan extract with isomaltulose. The pH of each variant was measured and one portion of each sample was adjusted with citric acid 5% to pH 6.0. Viscosity and cohesiveness of all samples were measured.

[0096] The pHs of the samples without adjustment were 7.12 for the reference sample, 6.92 for the Promitor sample and 6.99 for the isomaltulose sample.

[0097] In a second test, each carrier raw material was added to the oat bran before the beta-glucan extraction. Specifically, the isomaltulose or the soluble corn fiber was separately dissolved to reach 28.36% TS and mixed for fifteen minutes at 60 C.; then 1.64% of the oat bran was added to each carrier dispersion in order to reach a final concentration of 30% TS. The oat bran and the carrier were stirred for thirty minutes at 60 C. and then cooled to 15 C. The pH of each variant was measured and one portion of each sample was adjusted with citric acid 5% to pH 6.0. Viscosity and cohesiveness of all samples were measured.

[0098] The results are shown in the table in FIG. 2 and the graph in FIG. 3.

[0099] It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.