Food products containing betaine
AssigneeNutricia USA, Inc.
InventorsAndree Armand, Denise W. Lam, Steve Rittmanic, Samina Vanwinkle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to food or nutritional products containing betaine. Also disclosed are methods for lowering the activity of water (Aω) and retarding microbial spoilage in an intermediate food or nutritional product, comprising including betaine and a humectant in said food or nutritional product.
Claims69
A food or nutritional product comprising, by weight, from about 2 to about 15% water, from about 1 to about 15% betaine, from about 5 to about 25% by weight of a pharmaceutically acceptable humectant, and from about 5 to about 90% protein other than betaine, based upon the total weight of the food or nutritional product, wherein the Aω of said food or nutritional product is no greater than about 0.90.
A reduced carbohydrate food or nutritional product having an Aω no greater than about 0.90 comprising, by weight:
- from about 1 to about 15% betaine;
- from about 2 to about 15% water;
- from about 5 to about 25% of a pharmaceutically acceptable humectant;
- from about 5 to about 90% protein other than betaine;
- and
- up to about 5% total sugars,
- based upon the total weight of the food or nutritional product, wherein no more than about 30% of the calories in said reduced carbohydrate food or nutritional product are attributable to carbohydrates.
A method of lowering the Aω of an intermediate-moisture food or nutritional product, said method comprising including in said food or nutritional product from about 1 to about 15% by weight betaine and from about 5 to about 25% by weight of a pharmaceutically acceptable humectant selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, sugar alcohols, and mixtures thereof.
A method for retarding microbial spoilage of a food or nutritional product containing from 2 to about 15% by weight water, said method comprising including in said food or nutritional product from about 1 to about 15% by weight betaine and from about 5 to about 25% by weight of a pharmaceutically acceptable humectant selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, sugar alcohols, and mixtures thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.