Preparation and evaluation of a novel therapeutic dairy-based drink for phenylketonuria

BACKGROUND: People with phenylketonuria need to eat a special diet which contains a low level of phenylalanine. Most of these special diets have high protein levels which contain phenylalanine. Control of phenylalanine levels in the early years of life is crucial and remains important throughout childhood, especially for cognitive function and behavior. AIMS: The current study evaluated the biological and sensory properties of a novel dairy-based drink for patients with phenylketonuria (PKU). METHODS AND MATERIALS: The novel dairy-based drink was prepared by emulsifying corn germ oil with casein glycomacropeptide (GMP) solution in milk permeates. The chemical composition and sensory properties of the dairy-based drink were determined. In addition, the dairy-based drink was nutritionally evaluated using patient volunteers. These patients followed a strict diet limiting phenylalanine in their food. Phenylalanine levels were measured before and after three days of consuming the dairy-based drink. RESULTS: The results of the sensory evaluation showed that the product was ranked that there were decreases in “good” and was acceptable by all test panels and volunteers. Serum phenylalanine levels in all volunteers decreased between 30% - 80%. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained from the sensory evaluation and the decreases in serum phenylalanine levels encourage us to utilize this formulated dairy-based drink for therapeutic feeding of PKU patients.