Arla Foods Ingredients launches ready-to-stir BLG protein for medical nutrition powder applications
Arla Foods Ingredients has introduced Lacprodan® BLG-100 Acidic, a beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) whey protein ingredient designed for ready-to-stir powder formats in medical nutrition, targeting the persistent challenge of patient compliance with oral protein supplementation.
Addressing a gap in medical nutrition formats
Malnutrition affects up to 50% of hospital patients and is associated with extended hospital stays, reduced quality of life, increased mortality, and elevated healthcare costs. Despite the availability of oral nutrition supplements, global surveys indicate that approximately half of patients fail to adhere to their prescribed medical nutrition plans, with taste and texture cited as primary barriers to compliance.
The medical nutrition market has traditionally been dominated by standardised, milky ready-to-drink (RTD) products and powders formulated with neutral pH ingredients. Juice-style formats have largely been confined to RTDs, leaving a notable gap for powder-based, acidic-pH options that patients and healthcare professionals can mix flexibly with everyday foods and drinks.
Functional properties of Lacprodan BLG-100 Acidic
Lacprodan BLG-100 Acidic delivers 10g of high-quality protein per 100ml serving. Its superior solubility enables dissolution within 30 seconds in both warm and cold liquids, without clumping, gelling, or excessive viscosity. The ingredient is suitable for mixing by spoon or shaking, and can be incorporated into juice-style or milky applications – both nutritionally complete and incomplete.
The flexible powder format allows for straightforward dosage adjustment, with the final volume modifiable by varying the quantity of water added. This offers a practical advantage for prescribing clinicians seeking to tailor protein delivery to individual patient requirements.
Amino acid profile and muscle protein synthesis
From a nutritional science perspective, BLG is notable for its high purity and favourable amino acid composition. Lacprodan BLG-100 Acidic is rich in all nine essential amino acids and has a particularly high leucine content. Scientific literature indicates that leucine plays a key role in stimulating mTOR signalling pathways associated with muscle protein synthesis – a relevant consideration for patients at risk of sarcopenia or muscle wasting.
Mads Dyrvig, Head of Sales Development, Specialised Nutrition at Arla Foods Ingredients, commented: “Lacprodan BLG-100 Acidic creates new opportunities for appealing foods and beverages for special medical purposes, enabling nourishing, varied and convenient options for reduced appetites. Delivering pleasant taste and mouthfeel, it offers exceptional functionality and versatility, enabling higher-quality protein and more variety for patients.”
Application concepts
To demonstrate the ingredient’s potential, Arla Foods Ingredients has developed two application concepts: a ready-to-stir juice-style medical drink for nutritionally incomplete products – described as a unique market offering with no directly comparable solutions currently available – and a complete milky RTD beverage. Both concepts can also be blended into foods such as porridge, soup, and milk to support protein intake across different meal occasions.
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