NO180148B - Process for the preparation of foodstuffs which have a prophylactic and / or therapeutic effect upon repeated intake - Google Patents

Abstract

The novel foodstuff contains at least one combination of at least polyunsaturated omega-3-fatty acid and/or its esters and one or more vitamins and/or pro-vitamins. If taken continuously, the foodstuff has prophylactic and/or curative effects and is therefore suitable for the prevention and/or cure of civilisation-induced diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases and cancer. It is preferably provided in the form of a drink based on fruit and/or vegetable juice preferably containing eicosapentaenoic acid and/or docosahexaenoic acid or their esters as the omega-3-fatty acid. The vitamin component is preferably made up of beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E. The fatty and fat-soluble components are preferably used in the form of a dry powder in making the foodstuff. The foodstuff is distinguished by its agreeable flavour, pleasant odour, attractive appearance and good shelf life and its effects and the aforementioned qualities therefor remain unchanged even after several months' storage.

Description

The invention relates to the production of a foodstuff, which, when taken repeatedly, has a prophylactic and/or therapeutic effect, for the prevention and/or healing of specific diseases, mainly diseases of civilization, which are conditioned by an unhealthy diet, alcohol and nicotine abuse and an increasing environmental burden, such as .ex. cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack and arteriosclerosis or cancer.

No one doubts the importance and importance of prophylaxis in the prevention of diseases. Nevertheless, until now the public's attention, knowledge, acceptance and realization, including the state of research in this area, is unfortunately not equivalent. However, in some countries, i.a. in Switzerland, ongoing multi-year research projects in this area. With the public, above all in the industrialized countries, mentality, convenience and habits constitute significant obstacles. Usually the present is closer than the future for the people in these countries and the thought of the possibility or probability of a future serious illness is repressed. Eating habits lead to an excessive intake over time of harmful foodstuffs, such as e.g. saturated fatty acids, respectively glyceride-containing fats, and carbohydrates. In addition, much of what the apostles of so-called healthy nutrition recommend to the public is partly difficult to prepare, partly anything but attractive or tasty. It is known that polyunsaturated fatty acids, in particular polyunsaturated olefinic omega-3 fatty acids, which in the form of their glycerin esters are components of fish oil and fish oil, also known as cod liver oil, and depending on the species of fish and place of capture make up 20 - 33% of the total amount of fat in fish oil , protects against cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and arteriosclerosis, and which, on the basis of recent research, can be assumed and is expected to have a prophylactic effect against cancer. Surveys, e.g. of the eating habits of Greenland Eskimos, who consume large quantities of fish, confirms these effects. In Japan, where fish also forms an important part of the diet, similar findings could be established. A long-term study in Holland has shown that consumption of just 30 g of fish per day resulted in a 50% reduction in coronary mortality, compared to control subjects who did not eat fish. Furthermore, it could be unequivocally demonstrated in clinical trials that through regular intake of fish oil with a content of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid over a longer period of time produced the following effects: - lowering of triglyceride and cholesterol levels;

improvement of blood flow properties;

reduction of platelet aggregation (blood clotting);

lowering blood flow resistance.

Despite these well-known, beneficial effects of fish oil and its ingredients, the demand for these products is extremely small, which can no doubt be traced back to the unpleasant taste of fish oil, fish oil, such as cod liver oil. In this context, it should be remembered that in earlier times, young people, from infancy to adolescence, were forced to swallow 2-3 coffee spoons of cod liver oil daily. People who are still alive today remember with shudder this procedure that they had to go through. deficiency conditions in pregnancy due to its caloric richness, its easy absorbability and its high vitamin content. In contrast, at the time the cardiovascular effects received no attention. Due to recent knowledge, the cardiovascular effects and the reliably expected prophylactic effect against cancer have now come to the fore. Despite this, it is true that the unpleasant taste of fish oil, respectively fish oil, counteracts "voluntary", regular consumption, a taste that also causes unpleasant regurgitation in the consumer after consumption. In addition, it can be stated that the active omega-3 fatty acids in question in pure form, e.g. produced through extraction, is currently not available in sufficient quantity and at reasonable prices. In order to counteract withdrawal, due to the unpleasant taste, fish oil has recently been offered in capsules through pharmacies. This led, in addition to the high price, to an underdosage, as the content of a single capsule is far too small to elicit the desired prophylactic and/or therapeutic effects; however, the intake of a majority of such capsules is considered by many to be inadvisable, while unpleasant regurgitation is also not excluded.

Studies have also shown that polyunsaturated olefinic fatty acids also exhibit a prophylactic anti-cancer effect. Essentially known and confirmed through research, however, is the fact that the cancer risk can be reduced through certain vitamins, such as vitamin E, vitamin A, especially its precursor beta-carotene, and vitamin A± (retinol) as well as vitamin C. These vitamins consequently produce effective aids for cancer prophylaxis and cancer therapy. Admittedly, it must be maintained that the effect of the individual vitamins, depending on the healing, pathology and location of the appearance of different types of cancer, is different, and a single vitamin as a rule only shows the desired effect for a specific type of cancer.

The purpose of the invention is therefore to provide a method for the production of a foodstuff of the type mentioned at the beginning, which is free from the previously mentioned disadvantages, and both in terms of taste and also in terms of price is pleasant and attractive, does not exhibit an unpleasant smell, is health-promoting and easy and convenient to take, and guarantees a sufficiently high dosage.

The stated task is solved through the method for producing the food product according to the invention, which contains at least one combination of the following ingredients: A) at least one prophylactically and/or therapeutically effective polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid, and/or its ester; and B) one or more vitamins and/or provitamins, with the same or additional prophylactic or therapeutic effect.

The food produced according to the invention is preferably in the form of a fruit and/or vegetable juice or a drink prepared with these, and is characterized by a pleasant taste and smell; it can thus be consumed easily and without reluctance. The characteristic taste of the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids that make up component A is hidden by the other ingredients in the foodstuff, or is suppressed through interaction between components A and B, in particular the mutual stabilization, which will be dealt with in more detail in the following, so that it does not appear at all.

Components A and B are suitably present in disease prophylactic and/or disease therapeutic amounts. These can be varied and, if desired, can be determined according to the food supply in the region where the food is offered for consumption. Thus, e.g. in a region where a lot of fish is consumed, the proportion of component A is reduced and, conversely, increased in a region where little fish is consumed. In addition, the vitamin supply can vary and be adapted to living conditions so that the appearance of site-specific deficiency phenomena can be effectively prevented.

The food produced according to the invention is usually offered in packaged form, e.g. in small bottles where each pack advantageously contains a daily dosage of components A and B. These can be consumed in portions, e.g. in two to four portions, whereby the occasional consumption of larger quantities does not produce harmful effects.

The food produced according to the invention contains, as component A-forming polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, preferably eicosapentaenoic acid and/or docosahexaenoic acid or their esters, e.g. as a component of fish oil. The content of the aforementioned acids amounts, depending on the species of fish and the area in which the fish has lived, to 20 - 33%, calculated from the total amount of fat in the fish oil. However, the mentioned acids can also be present in pure form, as long as the pure acids are available in sufficient quantities and at a reasonable price.

As component B, the nutritional product prepared according to the invention preferably contains vitamin A or its precursor, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and/or retinoid. The aforementioned vitamins and provitamins can be completely or partially, especially in the case of fruit or vegetable juices, contained in the juice or juice mixture that forms the basis and possibly only be supplemented. Preferably, however, they are added to the juice or juice mixture base, in order to achieve a sufficiently high dosage. Since, in the case of vitamin A, unwanted and potentially harmful side effects can occur in the event of an overdose, the food, instead of vitamin A, preferably contains the precursor beta-carotene, which is transferred by the body to the required amount of vitamin A, while the rest is excreted. The retinoids are close relatives of vitamin A with essentially the same effect. The production of retinoid is underway, where the goal is to obtain a retinoid that possibly shows few side effects.

Component B effectively complements component A in the prophylaxis of cardiovascular diseases, and is also particularly important in cancer prophylaxis. This is all the more important since the amount of component A, which is contained in the foodstuff of the above type, is not sufficient for an effective cancer prophylaxis, but cannot easily be increased as desired.

In addition to components A and B, the foodstuff preferably contains sugar, sweet and/or flavoring or aroma substances in addition. The latter serve to cover up the unpleasant aftertaste or smell of omega-3 fatty acids, which are usually added in the form of fish oil, they give the food a pleasant taste, also for sensitive palates and noses. A content of flavoring and/or aroma substances is particularly recommended when the flavor intensity of the other ingredients, which are combined with fish oil, is too weak to cover the fish oil taste. The selection of suitable flavoring or aroma substances is known to a person skilled in the field and can be made with the help of specialist literature and tables, whereby natural products are usually preferred.

In addition to this, the nutritional product may contain even further prophylactically or therapeutically effective additions, e.g. vitamin D, to remedy deficiencies that occur in the area where the food is to be consumed.

If the food is in the form of a fruit and/or vegetable juice, it contains appropriate viscosity-increasing additives to improve storage stability, in particular to prevent an unwanted separation of juices or juice mixtures that are present as an emulsion, and which lead to a deteriorated appearance, as well as to increase in oxidation stability. As a viscosity-increasing additive comes e.g. fruit juice concentrates and pectin into consideration.

To improve the storage stability, especially the stability against oxidizing influence, and above all when the food is to be offered in sterilized form, a content of antioxidants is recommended.

As already mentioned, the package size, when the foodstuff is available in packaged form, should be adjusted so that each individual package, e.g. a bottle in the case of a drink based on fruit and/or vegetable juice, contains a daily dose of components A and B, whereby the daily portion e.g. amounts to 1/3 1. juice, juice mixture or drinks made from these.

In a preferred fruit juice drink, a daily portion of 1/3 1 exhibits the following composition:

A further preferred drink based on fruit and/or vegetable juice contains in 525 g of finished drink:

The manufacturing process for the food product according to the invention is described below; for example when making a drink based on a fruit and/or vegetable juice. Implementation of the procedure thus takes place by: a) the fatty acids and/or their esters, or fish oil containing these, are made available in the form of a

dry powder;

b) vitamin E and a partial amount or the entire amount of beta-carotene in the form of a dry powder is added and this

mixture is mixed with vitamin C, which is available in dried form

shape;

c) the dry mixture obtained in step b) is stirred into fruit and/or vegetable juice that has been heated to at least

40°C, or first stirred into water, heated to at least 40°C, and put there together with the heated and prepared fruit and/or vegetable juice at the same temperature, whereby the amount of fruit and/or vegetable juice

make up more than 60% of the final product; and

d) the obtained mixture is filled to 100% with water and poured into containers for transport and/or sale.

With this method, it is essential that the fat-soluble components, in step a) the fatty acids and/or their esters, or fish oil containing these, and in step b), vitamin E and beta-carotene, are added in the form of a dry powder. Fish oil in the form of a dry powder is commercially available and consists of fish oil, gelatin, cane sugar, ascorbate, tocopherol and tricalcium phosphate. 25% of the product is pure fish oil, which in turn is composed of 18% eicosapentaenoic acid and 12% docosahexaenoic acid. In this way, disadvantages arising from the different solution conditions for the individual components can be avoided. It is known that some of the components that make up the drink are water-soluble, e.g. vitamin C, others are only miscible with water and some are fat-soluble. This circumstance means that the components in the drink are not readily distributed equally and the fat-soluble components float, in the event of a delay, on top of the drink in the form of puddles of oil. Thereby, the drink's appearance is greatly deteriorated, and this can lead to rejection by consumers. The use of solvents and/or dispersants or emulsifiers usually only leads to short-term results and is not harmless in connection with foodstuffs. The addition of fat-soluble components in dry form, on the other hand, gives the possibility of producing a drink in which the aforementioned disadvantages do not occur, and which preserves its homogeneity and its appealing appearance during longer storage, e.g. 9-12 months. Furthermore, it can be achieved in this way that the characteristic smell and taste of the fish oil, or the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid, in the finished drink is not, or only to a small extent, noticeable, in addition to avoiding later unpleasant regurgitation. When producing the drink, fruit or vegetable juice is preferably used in an amount that appropriately corresponds to more than 60% of the total amount of end product. A viscosity-increasing agent can be added to the fruit or vegetable juice, e.g. before stirring in the powdered material in step b). The choice of the viscosity-increasing agent used is, in each case, within the knowledge of the person skilled in the art. At this stage, sugar, sweeteners, flavors or aromas can also be mixed in, as far as this is desired. The addition of sugar can give a further slight increase in viscosity, through which the risk of an incipient oxidation of the constituent parts in the drink can be prevented before the dissolution equilibrium is set. This happens because rising viscosity lowers the mobility of the molecules in the juice or juice mixture and thereby inhibits the oxidation reaction, both in the production stage and during later storage of the drink. As losses through oxidation in the order of 10% cannot be avoided during the manufacturing and filling phase, it is advisable to take these losses into account when measuring the quantities of the individual components.

A higher proportion of juice in the finished drink, e.g. more than 60%, also has another positive aspect: it ensures permanent turbidity stability even with relatively high proportions of fish oil, e.g. 750 mg in 1/3 1, corresponding to the previously indicated recipe. Investigations have shown that drinks with a smaller proportion of juice, but with an equally high proportion of fish oil, do not show satisfactory turbidity stability over time. It is assumed that by suitable adjustment of the proportions in components A and B, an equilibrium setting is achieved, through which the stability of opacity is ensured over time. The turbidity stability finally contributes to an appealing appearance of the drink and thus to its acceptance by consumers.

The same goal is served by the addition of small amounts of anti-oxidants. Addition of anti-oxidant to juice or juice mixture can be done at the same time as the addition of other components, or immediately after. The finished mixture can be sterilized immediately afterwards, or before filling. Furthermore, it is advisable to homogenize the drink before filling, as the turbidity stability and thus its appearance is thus favorably affected. If possible, if the drink is protected from the effects of light until use, this will also contribute to increasing the storage stability.

Due to the known properties of components A and B, it was certainly not to be expected that their combination and mutual adjustment would lead to a food product whose properties, in terms of stability against oxidizing influence, turbidity stability over time, storage stability, vitamin content, appearance, taste and air is improved over these properties of the individual components, to an extent that far exceeds the sum of the properties of the given mass of the individual components, and can only be explained through a synergistic interaction. Documentation of such a synergistic effect on long-term stability was later provided by Etsuo Niki; "Interaction among vitamin C, vitamin E and B-carotene", Am.J.Clin.Nutr. 1995: 62 (Suppl), pages 1322S-1326S. The beneficial improvement can not least be traced back to the fact that a mutual protective effect occurs through the combination of the individual components. Thus, it is e.g. striking that the vitamin content of the combination, apart from a small loss at the beginning of the manufacturing phase, also remains unchanged during longer storage, e.g. from 9-12 months. This could not be expected at all, as it is known, in fruit and vegetables, that the vitamin content due to breakdown reactions usually rapidly decreases shortly after harvesting, and already after a relatively short time goes towards zero. It can be assumed that the individual components are mutually stabilised, whereby beta-carotene and vitamin C obviously have a special significance.

Far more significant and particularly emphasized is the fact that the physiological effects of components A and B complement each other in a synergistic way, so that a prophylactic and/or therapeutic effect is achieved, which is significantly greater, through the nutritional product according to the invention than the effect that can be expected due to the individual components' own effects. This synergistic effect is supported by V. Ernst and K. Schmidt<M>0mega-3-Fettsauren plus Antioxidantzien bei Psoriasis vulgaris" Vitaminspur 9, 130-135

(1994). Furthermore, the combination effect causes an extraordinary spread of the spectrum of action and application, particularly in connection with application for the prophylaxis and therapy of cardiovascular diseases, as well as for cancer prophylaxis and cancer therapy. However, a broad spectrum of effects and applications is a decisive prerequisite for a prophylaxis and/or therapy with good results due to the complexity of the aforementioned diseases, which include a majority of local and pathologically different diseases. Precisely in the case of cancer, it should not be overlooked that the different types of cancer are not only distinguished by their location, but also through recovery and pathology. Effective cancer prophylaxis can therefore only be achieved through the interaction of several components, which complement and mutually potentiate each other. This is the case with the food product according to the invention because the observed and undoubtedly existing synergism. When taking a single vitamin, or an unsaturated omega-3 fatty acid, usually only a very limited effect is achieved. The individual active substance components exert their effect alone or only in a very limited area, e.g. only in the case of a specified disease picture, while in another similar disease picture they are hardly, or not at all, effective. This is particularly unfortunate in the case of cancer prophylaxis and cancer therapy because precisely in these diseases there is a significant difference in terms of characteristics, the place where they occur, recovery and pathology. It was therefore extremely surprising, and not at all predictable, that a prophylactic and/or therapeutically active food product with such a broad spectrum of application and effect could be obtained, by combining components A and B, as well as through selection and combination of ingredients, which are formed by these components, and which form an essential characteristic of the present invention.

In this way, the possibility of supplying the body with sufficient amounts of the active substances, which are necessary for an effective prophylaxis, namely unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids on the one hand and vitamins on the other hand, in a comfortable way without fear to produce unwanted side effects.

Claims (5)

1. Process for the production of food which, upon repeated consumption, has a prophylactic and therapeutic effect for the prevention and/or healing of certain diseases, mainly diseases of civilization, and contains at least one combination of the following ingredients: A) at least one prophylactic and/or healing active polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid and/or its ester; and B) one or more vitamins and/or provitamins with the same or extended prophylactic or healing effect, characterized in that a) fish oil in the form of a dry powder is made available as component A; b) as component B, vitamin E and a partial amount or the entire amount of beta-carotenes, in the form of a dry powder, are added and this mixture is mixed with vitamin C which is present in dry form; c) the dry mixture obtained in step (b) is stirred into fruit and/or vegetable juice that has been heated to at least 40°C, or first stirred into water heated to at least 40°C, and then mixed together with fruit and /or vegetable juice prepared at the same temperature, whereby the amount of fruit and/or vegetable juice makes up more than 60% of the end products; and d) the obtained mixture is filled to 100% with water and filled into containers for transport and/or sale, where a viscosity-increasing agent is mixed in step (c) or (d), such as e.g. pectin, where the nutrient is sterilized before filling, possibly with the addition of an anti-oxidizing agent. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that sugar, sweet, flavoring or flavoring substances are added in manufacturing step (b) or (c). 3. Process according to claims 1-2, characterized in that the obtained mixture is homogenized. 4. Method according to one of claims 1-3, characterized by the production of a food product with the following composition: 5. The method according to claims 1-2, characterized by the production of a drink based on fruit and/or vegetable juice, which contains 525 g of finished drink;