Arla Foods Ingredients advances low-phenylalanine medical nutrition with Lacprodan CGMP-30

Arla Foods Ingredients has launched Lacprodan CGMP-30, a new casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP) with significantly reduced levels of phenylalanine, by around 50%, compared to its predecessor, Lacprodan CGMP-20. The supplier highlights that the ingredient is particularly suitable for patients sensitive to the amino acid phenylalanine, which is naturally abundant in dietary proteins. 

The alternative offers the same benefits as Lacprodan CGMP-20, which already contains very low levels of phenylalanine to address dietary challenges associated with phenylketonuria.

Phenylketonuria is a metabolic disorder affecting around one in 24,000 newborns globally, highlights Arla Foods Ingredients. It impairs the body’s ability to metabolize phenylalanine.

“For many years, Lacprodan CGMP-20 has been helping patients with phenylketonuria, supporting compliance with their dietary regimens to help improve their quality of life. Our new Lacprodan CGMP-30 represents a major advance because it offers even lower phenylalanine content,” says Mads Dyrvig, head of Sales Development, Specialized Nutrition at Arla Foods Ingredients.

“As such, we anticipate that it will be a unique new solution for blood phenylalanine control, as well as improved gastrointestinal comfort, in the most phenylalanine-sensitive phenylketonuria patients. Its taste and palatability are also superior to solutions based on free amino acids, offering further benefits for quality of life.”

Addressing lifelong phenylketonuria challenges

Without proper management, phenylketonuria causes phenylalanine to accumulate in the blood and brain, which can lead to severe intellectual disability, epilepsy, and behavioral issues.

Typically, the standard treatment for phenylketonuria has been a lifelong low-protein diet combined with life-necessary protein substitutes. Dietary regimens have proven to be challenging for consumers, and issues affecting taste, palatability, and gastrointestinal discomfort are common, highlights Arla Foods Ingredients. 

Clinical research revealed that partially replacing free amino acids with Lacprodan CGMP-20 in a protein substitute can offer important benefits compared to one based entirely on free amino acids. 

Without proper management, phenylketonuria causes phenylalanine to accumulate in the blood and brain, which can lead to severe intellectual disability, epilepsy, and behavioral issues.

These include statistically “significant improvements” in gastrointestinal symptoms, taste, and palatability, Arla Foods Ingredients details.

Formulation applications 

Lacprodan CGMP-30 and Lacprodan CGMP-20 are marketed as safe and suitable protein sources for phenylketonuria and can be included in protein substitutes used for patients from the age of four, according to European guidelines.

Both are also rich in large neutral amino acids such as threonine and isoleucine. These compete with phenylalanine at the blood-brain barrier, which helps reduce its transport into the brain and thereby alleviates phenylalanine accumulation in the brain. 

The company touts Lacprodan CGMP ingredients as ideal for use in a wide range of medical nutrition formulations, including ultra-high temperature drinks and powders.

Next to phenylketonuria, their naturally low tyrosine content makes them suitable protein sources for patients with other rare genetic amino acid disorders, such as tyrosinemia and alkaptonuria.