Methods, compositions, and devices for supplying dietary fatty acid needs
Nutritional formulas comprising long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) are provided, along with methods and devices for preparing and/or administering nutritional formulas. In some embodiments, a percentage of the LC-PUFAs in the nutritional formula are in the form of monogiycerides and/or free fatty acids. In some embodiments, the nutritional formulas do not comprise added lipase. Also provided are methods for providing nutrition to a subject, methods for improving fat absorption, methods for improving cognitive ability, methods for preventing chronic lung disease, and methods for reducing the length of time a patient requires total parenteral nutrition.
1. A method of preparing a hydrolyzed nutritional formula, the method comprising:
combining a liquid with a powdered nutritional composition to form a liquid nutritional composition;
exposing the liquid nutritional composition to immobilized lipase to hydrolyze at least one fatty acid in the liquid nutritional composition to form the hydrolyzed nutritional formula, wherein the liquid nutritional composition is exposed to the immobilized lipase for at least one of: (i) no more than thirty seconds, (ii) no more than one minute, or (iii) no more than five minutes; and
outputting the hydrolyzed nutritional formula to a feeding mechanism,
wherein the hydrolyzed nutritional formula comprises monoglycerides and free fatty acids.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the feeding mechanism is a baby bottle.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving the liquid prior to combining the liquid with the powdered nutritional composition.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrolyzed nutritional formula comprises more free fatty acids than monoglycerides.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid is heated.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid includes water.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the powdered nutritional composition is infant formula.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fatty acid includes one or more of docosahexaenoic acid or arachidonic acid.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lipase is immobilized to particles.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the particles are balls or beads.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the particles are located within a device, and wherein the particles are retained within the device when the hydrolyzed nutritional formula is output.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein outputting the hydrolyzed nutritional formula includes outputting no more than 0.1 milligram of lipase per milligram of fatty acid to which the liquid nutritional composition is exposed.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nutritional composition is contained within a container.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the container is a cylindrical container.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid nutritional composition is exposed to the lipase for at least one minute.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the liquid nutritional composition to immobilized lipase includes passing the liquid nutritional composition through a device containing the immobilized lipase.
17. A method of preparing a hydrolyzed nutritional formula, the method comprising:
mixing a liquid with a powdered nutritional composition to form a liquid nutritional composition;
passing the liquid nutritional composition through a device to expose the liquid nutritional composition to immobilized lipase to hydrolyze at least one fatty acid in the liquid nutritional composition to form the hydrolyzed nutritional formula; and
outputting the hydrolyzed nutritional formula from the device,
wherein the liquid nutritional composition is exposed to the immobilized lipase for at least one of: (i) no more than thirty seconds, (ii) no more than one minute, or (iii) no more than five minutes.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the device comprises:
a container defining an interior for receiving the liquid nutritional composition;
a structure contained within the container; and
a lipase immobilized to the structure,
wherein passing the liquid nutritional composition through the device includes passing the liquid by the structure.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the structure includes a plurality of particles.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the liquid nutritional composition is exposed to the lipase for at least one minute.
21. The method of claim 17 , further comprising receiving the liquid prior to adding the liquid to the powdered nutritional composition.
22. The method of claim 17 , wherein the hydrolyzed nutritional formula is output into a feeding mechanism.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the feeding mechanism is a bottle.
24. The method of claim 17 , wherein the liquid is heated.
25. The method of claim 17 , wherein the liquid includes water.
26. The method of claim 17 , wherein the powdered nutritional composition is infant formula.
27. The method of claim 17 , wherein the at least one fatty acid includes one or more of docosahexaenoic acid or arachidonic acid.
28. A method of preparing a hydrolyzed nutritional formula, the method comprising:
reconstituting a powdered nutritional composition to form a liquid nutritional composition;
passing the liquid nutritional composition through a device, wherein the device comprises:
a container defining an interior for receiving the liquid nutritional composition;
a structure contained within the container; and
a lipase immobilized to the structure;
exposing the liquid nutritional composition to the immobilized lipase by flowing the liquid nutritional composition past the structure, wherein the immobilized lipase hydrolyzes at least one fatty acid in the liquid nutritional composition to form monoglycerides and free fatty acids; and
outputting the hydrolyzed nutritional formula,
wherein the liquid nutritional composition is exposed to the immobilized lipase for at least one of: (i) no more than thirty seconds, (ii) no more than one minute, or (iii) no more than five minutes.
29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the hydrolyzed nutritional formula is output into a feeding mechanism.
30. The method of claim 29 , wherein the feeding mechanism is a baby bottle.
31. The method of claim 28 , wherein the reconstituting includes mixing the powdered nutritional formula with a heated liquid.
32. The method of claim 28 , wherein the powdered nutritional composition is infant formula.
33. The method of claim 28 , wherein the at least one fatty acid includes one or more of docosahexaenoic acid or arachidonic acid.
34. The method of claim 28 , wherein the structure includes a plurality of particles.
35. The method of claim 34 , wherein the particles are balls or beads.
36. The method of claim 34 , wherein the plurality of particles are retained within the device when the hydrolyzed nutritional formula is output.
37. The method of claim 28 , wherein the liquid nutritional composition is exposed to the lipase for at least one minute.