The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Arla Foods Ingredients has introduced an innovative new ingredient that aims to support the management of phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare metabolic disorder.

The company's latest solution, Lacprodan CGMP-30, features significantly lower levels of phenylalanine compared to its previous offering, Lacprodan CGMP-20, making it a game-changer for the most phenylalanine-sensitive PKU patients.

PKU, which affects approximately one in 24,000 newborns globally, impairs the body's ability to metabolise phenylalanine, an amino acid found naturally in dietary proteins.

Without proper management, the condition can lead to severe intellectual disability, epilepsy and behavioural problems.

Traditionally, the standard treatment has been a lifelong low-protein diet combined with protein substitutes, which can be challenging for patients to adhere to due to issues around taste, palatability and gastrointestinal discomfort.

Arla's Lacprodan CGMP-30 ingredient offers a significant improvement over previous solutions. In addition to the benefits of its predecessor, Lacprodan CGMP-20 – which include statistically significant improvements in gastrointestinal symptoms and superior taste and palatability – the latest iteration contains around 50% less phenylalanine, making it particularly suitable for the most sensitive PKU patients.

"Our new Lacprodan CGMP-30 represents a major advance because it offers even lower phenylalanine content," said Mads Dyrvig, head of sales development, specialised 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 PKU patients. Its taste and palatability are also superior to solutions based on free amino acids, offering further benefits for quality of life."

Lacprodan CGMP-30 and its predecessor, Lacprodan CGMP-20, are both safe and suitable protein sources for PKU management, and can be included in protein substitutes used for patients from the age of four, according to European guidelines.

Additionally, the ingredients are rich in large neutral amino acids (LNAAs), which can help reduce the transport of phenylalanine into the brain, further alleviating the condition's effects.