Adapter assembly for enteral feeding and method of making

An adapter assembly comprising:

• a tapered connector including a central passage and a tapered outer surface for sealing openings of different sizes in at least one of a tube and a bottle;
• a male fitting coupled with the tapered connector and in fluid communication with the central passage for attaching a device having a complementary fitting to the tapered connector, the male fitting including an annular portion having a threaded inner surface and a tubular portion disposed at least partially within the annular portion;
• and
• a mating member formed on a distal end of the male fitting such that the mating member and male fitting are formed as one piece of material, the mating member including a shoulder formed on the mating member and projecting outwardly from a remainder of the mating member in a transverse direction a distance less than a distance the annular portion projects in the transverse direction, the mating member further comprising a tapered section, and an outer surface annular channel located between the shoulder and the tapered section of the mating member, the outer surface annular channel being recessed from at least a portion of the tapered section and being free of threads therein;
• wherein the tapered outer surface of the tapered connector comprises a multi-stepped configuration including at least three steps.