METHOD FOR DETERMINING OPTIMIZED COMPOSITIONS OF FOOD PRODUCTS

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a method for determining the composition of a food product, a method for preparing a food product, a food product prepared by the method according to the present invention and the use thereof.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining the composition of a food product, comprising the steps: a) providing at least one database comprising nutrient profiles of raw materials, a target food product and a target nutrient profile of the target food product, wherein the target nutrient profile encompasses nutrient values of at least 6 nutrients, b) applying an algorithm for determining the type and quantity of different raw materials in the target food product on a group of nutrient profiles of raw materials in the at least one database, c) providing the determined type and quantity of raw materials of the target food product having a nutrient profile in which the nutrient values of at least 6 nutrients differ from the corresponding nutrient values in the target nutrient profile by at most 30%.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the food product comprises at least two raw materials.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the group of nutrient profiles of raw materials encompasses nutrient profiles of selected raw materials in the at least one database, preferably of raw materials selected from non-allergic raw materials, meat-free raw materials, raw materials free of animal products, kosher raw materials and/or halal raw materials.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the target nutrient profile of the food product is a nutrient profile for a specific group of individuals or for a specific application.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the target nutrient profile of the food product is a gender-specific nutrient profile.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the raw material is a material from a natural source.

7. A computer-implemented method for preparing a food product, comprising the steps: aa) determining the composition of a food product according to the method of claim 1, bb) preparing a food product having the composition determined in step aa).

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the food product is selected from noodles, bread, flour, pizza, muesli, granola, chips, cookies, ice-cream, cream, gel, sauce, beverage.

9. A food product prepared by the method according to claim 7.

10. The food product according to claim 9, wherein 5 to 80%, preferably 10 to 70%, preferably 30 to 65%, preferably 45 to 60%, of the total energy in the food product is provided by carbohydrates and/or wherein 5 to 50%, preferably 5 to 40%, preferably 5 to 30%, preferably 5 to 20% of the total energy in the food product is provided by proteins and/or wherein at most 30%, preferably at most 20%, preferably at most 10%, preferably at most 5%, of the total energy in the food product is provided by fat.

11. The food product according to claim 9, having a non-essential amino acids (NAA) to essential amino acids (EAA) ratio of from 10:1 to 1:2, preferably 5:1 to 1:1, preferably 4.5:1 to 3.5:1, preferably 3.5:1 to 2.5:1.

12. The food product according to claim 9, having a glutamine or asparagine concentration of lower than 20% of the total protein content, preferably between 20% and 15%, preferably between 15% and 10%, preferably between 10% and 5%, preferably between 5% and 0%.

13. The food product according to claim 9, having an alanine or glycine concentration lower than 15% of the total protein content, preferably between 15% and 10%, preferably between 10% and 5%, preferably between 5% and 2%, preferably between 2% and 0%.

14. The food product according to claim 9, wherein the food product is non-allergenic, in particular does not comprise gluten, lactose, nuts and/or eggs, vegetarian, vegan, kosher and/or halal.

15. A method for preventing or treating a blood glucose related disease, comprising administration of the food product of claim 9.

16. A method for gaining weight, for losing weight, for gaining muscle mass, for lowering total cholesterol serum level, for lowering the non-HDL cholesterol serum level, for lowering the total cholesterol/HDL ratio and/or for lowering the triglyceride serum level, comprising administration of the food product of claim 9.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the blood glucose related disease is selected from the group consisting of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's diseases and cancers.

Description

[0135] The present invention is further illustrated by way of the following examples and figures.

[0136] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary nutrient profile of lentils as a raw material obtained from the databank of the U.S. Department of Agriculture on 15 Mar. 2020.

[0137] FIG. 2 illustrates an example for a target nutrient profile based on the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (September 2019).

[0138] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of the method according to the present invention.

[0139] FIG. 4 shows different compositions of flour as a target food product determined using the method according to the present invention.

[0140] FIG. 5 illustrates the weight change of participants after 5 weeks consuming food products according to the invention.

[0141] FIG. 6 shows an investigation of the correlation between weight change after 5 weeks consuming food products according to the invention and age of the participants.

[0142] FIG. 7 illustrates an investigation of the correlation between weight change after 5 weeks consuming food products according to the invention and the starting weight of the participants.

[0143] FIG. 8 illustrates the change in blood cholesterol concentration of participants after 5 weeks consuming food products according to the invention.

[0144] FIG. 9 illustrates the change in the feeling of hunger of participants after 5 weeks consuming food products according to the invention.

[0145] FIG. 10 illustrates the change in sleeping quality of participants after 5 weeks consuming food products according to the invention.

EXAMPLE 1: PIZZA RECIPE

[0146] Pizza is often considered unhealthy due to a high content of carbohydrates and saturated fats, a low fiber and protein content and a low concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The method according to the present invention has been used to determine an alternative recipe of a pizza having an improved nutrient profile. Table 1 illustrates the ingredients of a traditional pizza.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Ingredients of a traditional pizza. Wheat, white [g] 150 Tomatoes, raw [g] 50 Cheese, cheddar, sharp, sliced [g] 50 Oil, olive, salad or cooking [g] 5 Salt, table [g] 5

[0147] Based on the ingredients of traditional pizza the nutrient profile is determined. Subsequently, the method according to the present invention is used to determine an alternative composition of pizza having an improved nutrient profile in comparison to traditional pizza. The composition of a pizza determined by the method according to the present invention in comparison to the composition of traditional pizza is given in table 2.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Comparison of ingredients of a traditional pizza and pizza according to the present invention. Pizza according Pizza according Tradi- to the present to the present tional invention invention pizza Recipe 1: Recipe 2: Wheat, white [g] 150 Wheat, whole [g] 75 28 Oat [g] 75 45 Chickpeas [g] 45 Tomatoes, raw [g] 50 50 20 Tomatoes, sundried [g] 30 Cheese, cheddar, sharp, 50 sliced [g] Cheese, low fat, 50 45 cheddar or Colby [g] Oil, olive, salad or 5 1 cooking [g] Oil, flaxseed, cold 4 pressed [g] Salt, table [g] 5 5 5 Seeds, hemp seeds [g] 3 Mushrooms, white [g] 45 Broccoli [g] 24 Leek [g] 10 Spinach [g] 30 Wheat, germ oil [g] 1 Yeast [g|] 8

[0148] The nutrient profile of the pizza obtained by the method according to the present invention is improved in comparison to the traditional pizza by about 29% (Recipe 1). Recipe 2 provides an alternative pizza determined by the method according to the present invention having an even more improved nutrient profile in comparison to traditional pizza (62% improvement). Table 3 illustrates exemplary nutritional parameters of three recipes.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Nutritional parameters of traditional pizza and pizza according to the present invention Pizza Pizza according to according to Tradi- the present the present tional invention invention Parameter pizza Recipe 1: Recipe 2: Fibre [g] 5 17 21 Carbohydrate [% of total energy] 58 62 62 Protein [% of total energy] 14 21 25 Fat [% of total energy] 26 21 25 Saturated fat [% of total energy] 12 5 5 PUFA [% of total energy] 2 7 7 Energy density [calory/100 g 382 326 202 product]

[0149] The recipes for pizza obtained by the method according to the present invention have lower saturated fats, higher fiber content, higher protein content, higher PUFA content and lower calories. In particular the pizza obtained by recipe 2 has a significantly improved nutritional profile in comparison to traditional pizza and is, advantageously, furthermore a low caloric product.

EXAMPLE 2: IMPROVEMENT OF THE NUTRIENT PROFILE OF A TARGET FOOD PRODUCT

[0150] In order to demonstrate how the method according to the present invention can improve the nutrient profile of well-known traditional food products, different combinations of raw materials for flour as a target food product were determined using the method according to the present invention (see FIG. 4). The improvement of the nutrient profile in comparison to white wheat flour as a control is given in Table 4.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Improvement of the nutrient profile of flour in comparison to white wheat flour as a control Control Exp. 2 Exp. 3 Exp. 4 Exp. 5 Exp. 6 Exp. 7 Exp. 8 Exp. 9 Exp. 10 — +43.5% +21.7% +69.5% +60.8% +65.2% +86.9% +43.4% +43.4% +65.2% Exp. 11 Exp. 12 Exp. 13 Exp. 14 Exp. 15 Exp. 16 Exp. 17 Exp. 18 Exp. 19 Exp. 20 +52.1% +60.8% +34.7% +65.2% +69.5% +69.5% +78.2% +26.0% +69.5% +69.5% Exp. 21 Exp. 22 Exp. 23 Exp. 24 Exp. 25 Exp. 26 Exp. 27 Exp. 28 Exp. 29 Exp. 30 +65.2% +86.9% +8.6% +4.3% +13.0% +30.4% +13.0% +43.4% +69.5% +73.9% Exp. 31 Exp. 32 Exp. 33 +86.9% +86.9% +91.3%

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Exemplary compositions of flour and improvement of the nutrient profile in comparison to white wheat flour as a control Raw material Control Exp. 2 Exp. 4 Exp. 19 Exp. 29 Exp. 30 Exp. 31 Wheat, white 100% 50% 50% Wheat, whole .sup. 100% 25% 50% Lentils 25% 25% Flaxseeds 25% 25% 25% Oats .sup. 100% 75% Chickpeas 25% Improvement to — +43.5% +69.5% +69.5% .sup.   +69.5% .sup.   +73.9% .sup.   +86.9% .sup.   nutrient profile of control

[0151] As apparent from FIG. 4 and Table 5, the algorithm of the method according to the present invention can determine the composition of nutritionally improved flour as a target food product based on a target nutrient profile and a group of nutrient profiles of raw materials in the at least one database.

[0152] In cases in which more than one composition equally differs from the target nutrient profile all possibilities will be provided to the user (see Exp. 4, Exp. 19 and Exp. 29).

EXAMPLE 3: CLINICAL TRIALS

[0153] A clinical study has been performed with a food product obtained by the method according to the present invention. In this study, the glucose to insulin ratio (G:I ratio) was used to measure the effect of the food product on human metabolism. Since the food product obtained by the method according to the present invention reduces the serum insulin level, measurement of the G:I ratio may be used as a simple test for evaluating the therapeutic effectiveness of the food product.

EXAMPLE 4: EFFECT OF FOOD PRODUCTS ON BODY WEIGHT

[0154] The aim of the experiment was to investigate the influence of food products according to the present invention on body weight. The participants we advised to integrate multiple food products according to the present invention into their everyday diet. The participants consumed the food products for an investigation period of 5 weeks. Multiple products according to the present invention were offered to the participants so as to provide a decent variety in the everyday diets and to avoid that the participants refrain from consuming the products according to the invention after a certain while.

[0155] Following food products were designed and produced according to the invention:

[0156] Bread: Wheat germ, flax seeds, rice bran, oats, hemp seeds, salt, beans.

[0157] Granola: Lentil, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, wheat bran, spinach, yeast, apple, beetroots, carrots, oat bran, curcuma, cinnamon.

[0158] Noodle: Lentil, bamboo fiber, rice bran, oat bran, yeast, curcuma, pepper.

[0159] Ravioli: rice bran, sunflower seeds, lentils, spinach, mushroom, onion, oat bran, tomato, broccoli, carrot, yeast, garlic, salt, curcuma, pepper, matcha.

[0160] Pizza: chicory roots, flax seeds, yeast, rice bran, onion, tomato, red pepper, beans, celery, oat bran, oregano, salt, garlic, oil, carrot.

[0161] All food products in the study were developed using the method according to the invention. In each food product the concentrations and the ratios of about 60 single nutrients were optimised. Thus, food products were nutritionally balanced with respect of about 60 nutrients. For that, the nutrient profile of each raw material has been considered. The special algorithm was used to determine the types of raw material used and in which quantities the raw materials are to be used in order to obtain optimally balanced food product compositions. In this way, nutritionally perfectly balanced food products were obtained.

[0162] 66 males and females in the age of 19 to 72 were randomly selected as participants of the study. Some of the participants had normal Body Mass Index (BMI), some participants had overweight, some participants had health complaints (illnesses), while others did not have any health complaints. In total, the group of study participants represented a random reflection of the population.

[0163] The study participants were divided in two groups:

[0164] Group A consisted of 33 participants which were advised to integrate the above food products into their daily diet. No other obligations were made, e.g. no calorie restriction, no obligation for doing more sports whatsoever. The participants of group A were told, that if they like to eat bread, they shall eat bread determined and prepared according to the present invention instead of buying usual bread in supermarket. If they like to eat ravioli, they shall eat ravioli determined and prepared according to the present invention instead of buying usual ravioli in supermarket, etc. There was also no restriction to eat anything else than what they normally eat.

[0165] Group B consisted of 33 participants as well. The participants of group B were advised to integrate food products determined and prepared according to the present invention into their diet in the same way as described for group A. In addition, the participants of group B were told to practice following 5 routines: 1) to drink water before each meal, 2) to eat food slowly, minimum in 20 minutes, 3) not to eat any food after 19 p.m. in the evening, 4) to eat maximum 3 times a day and not in between, and 5) to eat salad in addition to the food products according to the present invention. The participants had no other obligations, like no calorie restriction, no obligation for doing sports, etc.

[0166] Participants consuming the food products according to the present invention reported that the food products are giving high satiating effect without getting hungry again quickly (see FIG. 9). The food products supplied the body of the participants with necessary single nutrients. The participants could thus lose weight without feeling hungry and without lacking essential nutrients for their body.

[0167] The results demonstrate that 63 of 66 people lost weight within the investigation period of 5 weeks (FIG. 5). Two people gained weight, both below 0.5 kg during the 5 weeks period. One woman had her menstruation during the measurement, so that her body accumulated water at the time point of measurement, therefore it appears as if she gained 3.6 kg. Two days later her weight was 2 kg less again. That particular person was excluded from the assessment of the food product induced change of body weight.

[0168] Participants in group B lost more weight (in average −2.9 kg) than in group A (in average −2.6 kg). This also demonstrates that simple behavioural changes contributed to and intensified the positive effect of the food products according to the present invention. However, the food products according to the invention alone are sufficient to generate positive effect in the body (group A).

[0169] The results of the study were further analysed whether the effect of the food products depends on the age of participants.

[0170] Data analysis demonstrates that nearly all participants lost weight (FIG. 5). In addition, participants in the age of 19 to 40 seem to lose less weight (in average about −2 kg) than the participants in the age of 40 to 60 (in average about −4 kg). An explanation for this difference could be that the participants did not have any particular obligation to follow. They were free to eat whatever they like to eat. Younger participants might tend to eat more junk food, more industrially over-processed food. This difference in eating habits between younger and older participants is considered the main reason for the observed difference in weight loss (FIG. 6). Nevertheless, it can be concluded that the food products according to the invention caused similar effects in younger and older participants.

[0171] In a next step, it was also assessed whether the observed weight loss depends on the starting body weight of the participants; in other words, whether weight loss depends on the Body Mass Index (BMI) of the participants. Data analysis shows that weight loss does not correlate with starting body weight. Skinny and overweight participants both lost weight equally well by consuming food products according to the invention (FIG. 7).

EXAMPLE 5: EFFECT OF FOOD PRODUCTS ON BLOOD CHOLESTEROL LEVEL

[0172] The changes in blood cholesterol level of the participants were followed as well. Blood samples were taken from the participants before they have started consuming food products according to the invention. The frame of the study was the same as described in Example 4. Another blood sample was taken from the participants after 5 weeks consuming food products according to the present invention. Although changes in blood parameters usually take longer, still a tendence for a decrease in cholesterol levels could be observed. Surprisingly, the decrease could be seen already in such a short time frame (FIG. 8).

EXAMPLE 6: EFFECT OF FOOD PRODUCTS ON LIFE QUALITY

[0173] The study further included monitoring of additional parameters which could be influence by the consumption of food products according to the present invention. In this regard, the participants were asked a number of questions on a weekly basis and the changes in their subjective feelings were recorded. Particularly, the participants were asked whether they feel more or less hungry than usual during the day by consuming food products according to the invention.

[0174] Most of the participants reported that the food products according to the invention have a high satiating effect. They were not feeling in such a way hungry like before. Most importantly, they were not getting hunger crisis as partially observed before the study. After consuming the food products, the peaks of hunger crisis were reduced or gone (FIG. 9). Hunger crisis or the feeling of hunger is a result of many parameters like what else the participants otherwise eat, such as sweets, simple carbohydrates etc. It has to be considered that during the test, there were no other dietary obligations for the participants. They could eat sweets as they wished. The feeling of hunger is mainly influence depending on the frequency and quantity of sweets or simple carbohydrates consumed by the participants. Still, there is a trend towards feeling less hungry upon consumption of food products according to the invention. This might result from the balanced nutritional profile of the food products. In the food products provided in the study, there was no single nutrient limiting. Thus, with each meal the test persons were consuming a complete set of balanced nutrients. Consequently, the body is supplied with all necessary nutrients and there is no intuitive desire anymore to compensate a missing nutrient. That might be the reason why the feeling of hunger was reduced or gone.

[0175] A further question asked to the participants was whether they have recognised a change in their sleeping quality. The majority of the participants indicated that there was no recognizable difference in sleeping quality. Sleeping is another complex process. Many factors influence the sleeping quality. Still, a trend could be observed towards an improvement of the sleeping quality of participants (FIG. 10). This positive outcome might be due to the consumption of balanced food and thus not overeating and sleeping better.