Nutritional Composition

Abstract

The present technology aims to provide a nutritional composition with excellent emulsion stability. [Solution] The present technology provides a nutritional composition comprising a protein component, a lipid, and an organic acid monoglyceride, the organic acid monoglyceride being two or more selected from acetic acid monoglyceride, citric acid monoglyceride, succinic acid monoglyceride, diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride, and lactic acid monoglyceride. At least one of the organic acid monoglycerides may be succinic acid monoglyceride. Also, at least one of the organic acid monoglycerides may be diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present technology relates to nutritional compositions, and in particular to nutritional compositions that include organic acid monoglycerides. [Background technology]

[0002] Patients in the acute phase after surgery, or patients with diarrhea, often have reduced digestive and absorptive abilities. Liquid diets (particularly enteral nutrients) are sometimes used to provide nutrition to patients with reduced digestive and absorptive abilities. Examples of liquid diets include digested liquid diets and semi-digested liquid diets, which differ in the nitrogen source they contain. Digested liquid diets are liquid diets whose nitrogen source is peptides (particularly low molecular weight peptides) and / or amino acids. On the other hand, semi-digested liquid diets contain proteins as the nitrogen source.

[0003] Liquid diets often contain lipids. Several proposals have been made regarding liquid diets containing lipids. For example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses "a nutritional composition for a ketogenic diet, which contains fats and oils containing fatty acids having 8 to 12 carbon atoms and a hydrolyzate of soybean protein." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-092691 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, nutritional compositions such as liquid foods may contain protein components and lipids. In nutritional compositions containing protein components and lipids, problems related to emulsion stability may occur. Such problems may occur, for example, due to heat sterilization of the nutritional composition. Also, such problems may appear after long-term storage of the nutritional composition.

[0006] In addition, digestive liquid foods can be absorbed without undergoing the digestive process, and are more easily absorbed than semi-digested liquid foods. However, the protein hydrolysates contained in digestive liquid foods as nitrogen sources have a weaker emulsifying effect than undigested proteins. Therefore, digestive liquid foods containing protein hydrolysates are particularly prone to problems with emulsion stability.

[0007] In light of the above, an object of the present technology is to provide a nutritional composition with excellent emulsion stability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present inventors have discovered that a particular nutritional composition has excellent emulsion stability.

[0009] That is, the present technology provides the following: [1] Contains protein components, lipids, and organic acid monoglycerides. The nutritional composition comprises, as the organic acid monoglyceride, two or more selected from acetic acid monoglyceride, citric acid monoglyceride, succinic acid monoglyceride, diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride, and lactic acid monoglyceride. [2] The nutritional composition described in [1], wherein at least one of the organic acid monoglycerides is succinic acid monoglyceride. [3] The nutritional composition described in [2], wherein the ratio of succinic acid monoglyceride to the total amount of the organic acid monoglycerides is 80 mass% or less. [4] The nutritional composition according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein at least one of the organic acid monoglycerides is diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride. [5] The nutritional composition described in [4], wherein the ratio of diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride to the total amount of the organic acid monoglycerides is 80 mass% or less. [6] The nutritional composition according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the total amount of the organic acid monoglyceride per 100 kcal of the composition is 0.005 g or more and 2.0 g or less. [7] The nutritional composition described in any one of [1] to [6], wherein the protein component includes milk protein, a milk protein hydrolysate, or both milk protein and a milk protein hydrolysate. [8] The nutritional composition described in any one of [1] to [6], wherein the protein component includes a casein hydrolysate and a whey protein hydrolysate. [9] The nutritional composition described in [8], wherein the ratio of the casein hydrolysate to the whey protein hydrolysate is 1:9 to 9:1.

[10] The nutritional composition described in any one of [1] to [9], wherein the content of the protein component is 1 g or more and 15 g or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The nutritional composition of the present technology has excellent emulsion stability. For example, the nutritional composition of the present technology is less likely to separate even when subjected to a heat sterilization process. In addition, the nutritional composition of the present technology is less likely to separate even after long-term storage. Note that the effects of the present technology are not limited to the effects described here, and may be any of the effects described in this specification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the present technology will be described below. However, the present technology is not limited to the following preferred embodiments and can be freely modified within the scope of the present technology.

[0012] The nutritional composition of the present technology includes a protein component, a lipid, and an organic acid monoglyceride. The nutritional composition includes two or more organic acid monoglycerides selected from acetate monoglyceride, citrate monoglyceride, succinate monoglyceride, diacetyltartarate monoglyceride, and lactate monoglyceride. The organic acid monoglyceride can improve the emulsion stability of the nutritional composition containing the protein component and lipid. For example, the organic acid monoglyceride can prevent separation when heat sterilized. Furthermore, separation after long-term storage can also be prevented.

[0013] The nutritional composition of the present technology may have fluidity, i.e., may be a fluid nutritional composition, which allows the nutritional composition of the present technology to be administered via a gastrointestinal tube and is easy to ingest and swallow when administered orally.

[0014] The compositions of the present technology are described in more detail below.

[0015] (1) Protein content The protein component included in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be a protein hydrolysate, a protein (i.e., unhydrolyzed protein), or a protein hydrolysate and a protein. For example, the protein component may include milk protein, a milk protein hydrolysate, or both milk protein and milk protein hydrolysate. The content of the protein component may be, for example, 1.0 g or more, preferably 2.0 g or more, more preferably 2.5 g or more, and even more preferably 3.0 g or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. For example, it may be 15.0 g or less, preferably 12.0 g or less, more preferably 10.0 g or less, and even more preferably 8.0 g or less per 0 kcal.

[0016] In one embodiment, the nutritional composition of the present technology comprises at least a protein hydrolysate, and may, for example, comprise only a protein hydrolysate. Protein hydrolysates have a weaker emulsifying effect than undigested proteins. Therefore, nutritional compositions containing protein hydrolysates (especially digestible liquid foods containing only protein hydrolysates) are prone to problems with emulsion stability. The emulsion stability improving effect of the present technology is more likely to be clearly demonstrated in such nutritional compositions.

[0017] In another embodiment, the nutritional composition of the present technology includes at least a protein, and may include, for example, only a protein. The present technology can also exhibit an emulsion stability improving effect in a nutritional composition including a protein.

[0018] The protein hydrolysate may be, for example, an animal protein hydrolysate or a vegetable protein hydrolysate. The animal protein hydrolysate may include milk protein hydrolysate, egg protein hydrolysate, fish protein hydrolysate, and meat protein hydrolysate. The vegetable protein hydrolysate may include soy protein hydrolysate, pea protein hydrolysate, and wheat protein hydrolysate. The protein hydrolysate contained in the nutritional composition of the present technology may include any one or a combination of two or more of the protein hydrolysates listed above.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the protein hydrolysate contained in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be a milk protein hydrolysate, a soy protein hydrolysate, or a combination thereof. When these protein hydrolysates are used, the effect of the present technology is more effectively exerted.

[0020] In a more preferred embodiment, the protein hydrolysate included in the nutritional composition of the present technology is a milk protein hydrolysate, which may include, for example, casein hydrolysate, whey protein hydrolysate, or a combination of these two hydrolysates.

[0021] The protein hydrolysate content of the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 1.0 g or more, preferably 2.0 g or more, more preferably 2.5 g or more, and even more preferably 3.0 g or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The protein hydrolysate content of the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 15.0 g or less, preferably 12.0 g or less, more preferably 10.0 g or less, and even more preferably 8.0 g or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. This allows the nitrogen source to be efficiently ingested. In addition, the present technology provides the effect of improving emulsion stability even when the protein hydrolysate content of the nutritional composition is so high.

[0022] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the protein hydrolysate contained in the nutritional composition of the present technology includes a combination of casein hydrolysate and whey protein hydrolysate, and may include only the combination. The mass ratio of casein hydrolysate and whey protein hydrolysate in the nutritional composition is, for example, 10:90 to 90:10, preferably 50:50 to 90:10, more preferably 60:40 to 90:10, even more preferably 60:40 to 80:20, and particularly preferably 65:35 to 75:25. Such a mass ratio has the effect of increasing the in vivo utilization efficiency (bioavailability) of these hydrolysates.

[0023] The content of the casein hydrolysate in the nutritional composition may be, for example, 0.2 g or more, preferably 1.0 g or more, and more preferably 1.5 g or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. It may be, for example, 12.0 g or less, preferably 9.0 g or less, more preferably 7.5 g or less per kcal. The content of the whey protein hydrolysate in the nutritional composition may be, for example, 0.1 g or more, preferably 0.5 g or more, more preferably 0.8 g or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of the whey protein hydrolysate in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 8.0 g or less, preferably 6.0 g or less, more preferably 5.0 g or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0024] The protein hydrolysate may be prepared by methods known in the art, for example, a hydrolysate prepared by hydrolyzing a protein using an enzyme or an acid, but is preferably a hydrolysate prepared by hydrolysis with a protease.

[0025] The number average molecular weight of the milk protein hydrolysate may be, for example, 1200 or less, preferably 900 or less, and more preferably 600 or less. The number average molecular weight of the milk protein hydrolysate may be, for example, 100 or more, preferably 200 or more, and more preferably 300 or more.

[0026] The number average molecular weight of the casein hydrolysate may be, for example, 1000 or less, preferably 700 or less, and more preferably 400 or less. The number average molecular weight of the casein hydrolysate may be, for example, 100 or more, preferably 200 or more, and more preferably 300 or more.

[0027] The number average molecular weight of the whey protein hydrolysate may be, for example, 1200 or less, preferably 900 or less, and more preferably 600 or less. The number average molecular weight of the whey protein hydrolysate may be, for example, 100 or more, preferably 200 or more, and more preferably 300 or more.

[0028] In this specification, the number average molecular weight of a protein hydrolysate is determined based on the following concept of number average molecular weight. The number average molecular weight, as described in, for example, the literature ("Basics of Polymer Science," edited by the Society of Polymer Science, pp. 116-119, Tokyo Kagaku Dojin Co., Ltd., 1978), indicates the average value of the molecular weight of a polymer compound based on different indices as follows: That is, since polymeric compounds such as protein hydrolysates are heterogeneous substances and have a distribution in molecular weight, the molecular weight of a protein hydrolysate must be expressed as an average molecular weight in order to handle it physicochemically. The number average molecular weight (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as Mn) is the average for the number of molecules and is defined by the following formula, where Mi is the molecular weight of peptide chain i and Ni is the number of molecules.

[0029]

number

[0030] In this specification, the number average molecular weight of a protein digest is measured and calculated by the following method. That is, using high performance liquid chromatography, a polyhydroxyethyl aspartamide column (Poly LC, diameter 4.6 × 200 mm) was used to eluate the protein digest with 20 mM sodium chloride and 50 mM formic acid. The elution was performed at a flow rate of 0.4 mL / min (see "High Performance Liquid Chromatography of Proteins and Peptides" edited by Nobuo Ui et al., ("Topography," Chemical Special Issue No. 102, p. 241, Kagaku Dojin Co., Ltd., 1984). Detection is performed using a UV detector (Shimadzu Corporation), and the number average molecular weight is calculated by analyzing the data using a GPC analysis system (Shimadzu Corporation). As a standard for calculating the molecular weight, a protein and / or peptide with a known molecular weight may be appropriately used.

[0031] The nutritional composition of the present technology may further contain protein (i.e., undecomposed protein). From the viewpoint of improving digestibility and absorption, the nutritional composition of the present technology may preferably contain only protein hydrolysates without containing protein. This allows the nutritional composition of the present technology to be a digestible liquid food. The protein may be, for example, an animal protein or a vegetable protein. For example, the protein may include any one or a combination of two or more of the proteins that are the source of the protein hydrolysates listed in the above "(1) Protein hydrolysates" (for example, milk proteins, etc.).

[0032] The protein may be, for example, an animal protein or a vegetable protein. The animal protein may include milk protein, egg protein, fish protein, and meat protein. The vegetable protein may include soy protein, pea protein, and wheat protein. The protein contained in the nutritional composition of the present technology may include any one or a combination of two or more of these listed proteins.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment, the protein contained in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be milk protein, soy protein, or a combination thereof. When these proteins are used, the effect of the present technology is more effectively exerted.

[0034] In a more preferred embodiment, the protein included in the nutritional composition of the present technology comprises a milk protein, which may include, for example, casein, whey protein, or a combination of the two breakdown products.

[0035] (2) Lipids The nutritional composition of the present technology contains lipids. Problems of emulsion stability may occur in nutritional compositions containing lipids. One such problem is, for example, lipid separation, which may occur, for example, by heat sterilization or after long-term storage. The present technology can improve emulsion stability, for example, preventing lipid separation.

[0036] In one embodiment, the lipid contains at least stearic acid, more preferably stearic acid and palmitic acid. The lipid contains stearic acid, particularly stearic acid and palmitic acid, which contributes to improving the emulsion stability of the nutritional composition of the present technology, and contributes to preventing separation during, for example, heat sterilization.

[0037] The lipid content of the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 1.0g or more, preferably 1.5g or more, more preferably 2.0g or more per 100kcal of the nutritional composition. The lipid content of the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 8.0g or less, preferably 7.0g or less, more preferably 6.0g or less, even more preferably 5.0g or less, and particularly preferably 4.0g or less per 100kcal of the nutritional composition. When the nutritional composition of the present technology contains lipid in such an amount, it is easy to exhibit the effect of improving emulsion stability.

[0038] (Stearic acid) The ratio of the content of stearic acid (C18:0) in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 7.2% by mass or more, preferably 7.4% by mass or more, more preferably 7.6% by mass or more. The stearic acid content of the lipid is equal to or more than such a lower limit value, which contributes to improving the emulsion stability of the nutritional composition of the present technology and contributes to preventing separation during, for example, heat sterilization. The proportion of the stearic acid content in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 15.0 mass % or less, preferably 14.0 mass % or less, and more preferably 13.0 mass % or less.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of the stearic acid content to the total fatty acid content of the lipid is 12.0% by mass or less, more preferably 11.5% by mass or less, and even more preferably 11.0% by mass or less. By making the ratio of the stearic acid content equal to or less than such an upper limit, the emulsion stability of the nutritional composition of the present technology can be further improved, and for example, separation during heat sterilization can be more effectively prevented.

[0040] (Palmitic acid) The ratio of palmitic acid (C16:0) content to the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 11.7% by mass or more, preferably 11.8% by mass or more, and more preferably 11.9% by mass or more. The palmitic acid content being equal to or more than such a lower limit contributes to improving the emulsion stability of the nutritional composition of the present technology, and contributes to preventing separation during, for example, heat sterilization. The proportion of palmitic acid in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 18.0 mass % or less, preferably 17.0 mass % or less, and more preferably 16.0 mass % or less.

[0041] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the ratio of palmitic acid to the total fatty acid content of the lipid is 15.0% by mass or less, more preferably 14.0% by mass or less, and even more preferably 13.0% by mass or less. By making the ratio of palmitic acid content equal to or less than such an upper limit, the emulsion stability of the nutritional composition of the present technology can be further improved, and for example, separation during heat sterilization can be more effectively prevented.

[0042] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present technology, the ratio of the stearic acid content in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is 7.2% by mass or more, preferably 7.4% by mass or more, more preferably 7.6% by mass or more, and the ratio of the palmitic acid content in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is 11.7% by mass or more, preferably 11.8% by mass or more, more preferably 11.9% by mass or more. Such a ratio of the stearic acid and palmitic acid contents is particularly suitable for improving emulsion stability in a nutritional composition containing a protein hydrolysate.

[0043] (n-6 fatty acids) The lipid may further include an n-6 fatty acid. The n-6 fatty acid may include, for example, any one or two of linoleic acid (C18:2) and arachidonic acid (C20:4). Preferably, the n-6 fatty acid includes linoleic acid. For example, the inclusion of n-6 fatty acids in the ratios described below is believed to contribute to the improvement of emulsion stability in the nutritional composition of the present technology.

[0044] The ratio of the content of the n-6 fatty acids to the total fatty acid content of the lipid is preferably 11.6% by mass or less, more preferably 11.5% by mass or less, and even more preferably 11.4% by mass or less. Setting the content of the n-6 fatty acids in this manner also contributes to improving the emulsion stability of the nutritional composition of the present technology, and contributes to preventing separation during, for example, heat sterilization. The proportion of the n-6 fatty acid content in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 4.0 mass % or more, preferably 5.0 mass % or more, and more preferably 6.0 mass % or more.

[0045] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present technology, the ratio of n-6 fatty acid content to the total fatty acid content of the lipid is 6.5% by mass or more, preferably 7.0% by mass or more, more preferably 8.0% by mass or more. Such a ratio of n-6 fatty acid content is particularly suitable for improving emulsion stability in nutritional compositions containing protein hydrolysates.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the lipid contains linoleic acid, and the content ratio of the linoleic acid in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is preferably 11.3% by mass or less, more preferably 11.2% by mass or less, and even more preferably 11.1% by mass or less.In addition, the content ratio of the linoleic acid in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 4.0% by mass or more, preferably 5.0% by mass or more, and more preferably 6.0% by mass or more. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the ratio of the linoleic acid content to the total fatty acid content of the lipid is 6.5% by mass or more, preferably 7.0% by mass or more, more preferably 7.5% by mass or more. Such a ratio of the linoleic acid content is particularly suitable for improving emulsion stability in a nutritional composition containing a protein hydrolysate.

[0047] The lipid may contain arachidonic acid. The content of the arachidonic acid in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is preferably 0.6% by mass or less, more preferably 0.5% by mass or less, and even more preferably 0.4% by mass or less. The content of the arachidonic acid in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 0.01% by mass or more, preferably 0.05% by mass or more, and more preferably 0.1% by mass or more.

[0048] The content of the n-6 fatty acid in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 0.05 g or more, preferably 0.1 g or more, more preferably 0.15 g or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. Also, the content of the n-6 fatty acid in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 0.5 g or less, preferably 0.4 g or less, more preferably 0.3 g or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0049] (Medium Chain Fatty Acids) The lipid may, for example, include a medium chain fatty acid. The medium chain fatty acid may, for example, be any one, two, three, or all four of caproic acid (C6:0), caprylic acid (C8:0), capric acid (C10:0), and lauric acid (C12:0). Preferably, the medium chain fatty acid may be a combination of caprylic acid and capric acid. It is believed that the inclusion of medium chain fatty acids, for example, in the ratios described below, contributes to improved emulsion stability in the nutritional composition of the present technology.

[0050] The ratio of the medium-chain fatty acid content (particularly the total content of caprylic acid and capric acid) to the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 30% by mass or more, preferably 31% by mass or more, and more preferably 32% by mass or more. The ratio of the medium-chain fatty acid content (particularly the total content of caprylic acid and capric acid) to the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 40% by mass or less, preferably 39% by mass or less, and more preferably 38% by mass or less.

[0051] The content of the medium chain fatty acid in the nutritional composition of the present technology (particularly the total content of caprylic acid and capric acid) may be, for example, 0.4 g or more, preferably 0.5 g or more, more preferably 0.6 g or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of the medium chain fatty acid in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 1.4 g or less, preferably 1.2 g or less, more preferably 1.0 g or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0052] (n-3 fatty acids) The lipid may, for example, include n-3 fatty acids. The n-3 fatty acids may, for example, include any one, two, three, or all four of EPA (C20:5), DPA (C22:5), DHA (C22:6), and α-linolenic acid (C18:3). Preferably, the n-3 fatty acids may include any one, two, or all three of EPA, DHA, and α-linolenic acid. The n-3 fatty acids may be included in the nutritional composition, for example, as fish oil, particularly refined fish oil. For example, the inclusion of n-3 fatty acids in the ratios described below is believed to contribute to the improvement of emulsion stability in the nutritional composition of the present technology.

[0053] The proportion of the content of n-3 fatty acids in the total fatty acid content of the lipids is, for example, 5% by mass or more, preferably 7% by mass or more, and more preferably 9% by mass or more. The proportion of the content of n-3 fatty acids in the total fatty acid content of the lipids is, for example, 15% by mass or less, preferably 13% by mass or less, and more preferably 11% by mass or less.

[0054] Preferably, the lipid contains α-linolenic acid (C18:3), and the content of the α-linolenic acid in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is preferably 3.5% by mass or less, more preferably 3.25% by mass or less. Also, the content of the α-linolenic acid in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 1.0% by mass or more, preferably 1.5% by mass or more, more preferably 2.0% by mass or more, and even more preferably 2.5% by mass or more.

[0055] Preferably, the lipid contains EPA (C20:5), and the content ratio of the EPA in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is preferably 7.0% by mass or less, more preferably 6.0% by mass or less, even more preferably 5.0% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 4.8% by mass or less. In addition, the content ratio of the EPA in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 1.0% by mass or more, preferably 2.0% by mass or more, more preferably 3.0% by mass or more, and even more preferably 3.5% by mass or more.

[0056] Preferably, the lipid contains DHA (C22:6), and the content ratio of the DHA in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is preferably 5.0% by mass or less, more preferably 4.0% by mass or less, even more preferably 3.5% by mass or less, and particularly preferably 3.2% by mass or less.In addition, the content ratio of the DHA in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 1.0% by mass or more, preferably 1.5% by mass or more, more preferably 2.0% by mass or more, and even more preferably 2.5% by mass or more.

[0057] The content of the n-3 fatty acid in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 0.05 g or more, preferably 0.15 g or more, more preferably 0.2 g or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of the n-6 fatty acid in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 0.5 g or less, preferably 0.4 g or less, more preferably 0.3 g or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0058] (Other unsaturated fatty acids) The lipid may contain, for example, unsaturated fatty acids other than n-6 fatty acids and n-3 fatty acids (also referred to herein as "other unsaturated fatty acids"). Examples of the other unsaturated fatty acids include, but are not limited to, palmitoleic acid (C16:1), oleic acid (C18:1), and eicosenoic acid (C20:1).

[0059] In a preferred embodiment, the lipid contains oleic acid (C18:1). The percentage of the oleic acid content in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is preferably 17.8% by mass or more. The ratio of the oleic acid content to the total fatty acid content of the lipid is, for example, 10.0% by mass or more, preferably 11.0% by mass or more, more preferably 12.0% by mass or more, and even more preferably 13.0% by mass or more.

[0060] (saturated fatty acids) The lipids may contain saturated fatty acids, including stearic and palmitic acids, as discussed above.

[0061] The proportion of the saturated fatty acid content in the total fatty acid content of the lipids is preferably 56.0% by mass or more, more preferably 56.2% by mass or more, and even more preferably 56.4% by mass or more. The proportion of the saturated fatty acid content in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is preferably 70.0% by mass or less, more preferably 68.0% by mass or less, and even more preferably 65.0% by mass or less. It is believed that the inclusion of saturated fatty acids in such a ratio contributes to improved emulsion stability in the nutritional composition of the present technology. In this specification, the saturated fatty acid content is the total content of caprylic acid (C8:0), capric acid (C10:0), lauric acid (C12:0), myristic acid (C14:0), pentadecanoic acid (C15:0), palmitic acid (C16:0), heptadecanoic acid (C17:0), stearic acid (C18:0), and arachidic acid (C20:0). In one embodiment, the present technology provides a nutritional composition comprising a protein hydrolysate and a lipid, the lipid containing at least saturated fatty acids, and the ratio of the saturated fatty acid content of the lipid to the total fatty acid content is 56.0% by mass or more.

[0062] In a preferred embodiment, the proportion of saturated fatty acid content in the total fatty acid content of the lipid is preferably 62.0 mass % or less, more preferably 61.0 mass % or less, and even more preferably 60.0 mass % or less. By having the saturated fatty acid content be equal to or less than this upper limit, the emulsion stability of the nutritional composition of the present technology can be further improved, and separation during, for example, heat sterilization can be more effectively prevented.

[0063] (unsaturated fatty acids) The lipid may comprise unsaturated fatty acids, including the n-3 and n-6 ​​fatty acids mentioned above.

[0064] The proportion of the content of unsaturated fatty acids in the total fatty acid content of the lipids is preferably 25.0% by mass or more, more preferably 27.0% by mass or more, and even more preferably 30.0% by mass or more. The proportion of the content of unsaturated fatty acids in the total fatty acid content of the lipids is preferably 42.0% by mass or less, more preferably 41.8% by mass or less, and even more preferably 41.6% by mass or less. It is believed that the inclusion of unsaturated fatty acids in such a ratio contributes to improved emulsion stability in the nutritional composition of the present technology. In this specification, the content of unsaturated fatty acids is palmitoleic acid (C16:1), oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6), α-linolenic acid (C18 :3 n-3), eicosenoic acid (C20:1), arachidonic acid (C20:4 n-6), EPA (C20:5 n-3), DPA (C22:5 n-3), and DHA (C22:6 n-3). In one embodiment, the present technology comprises a protein hydrolysate and a lipid, The present invention provides a nutritional composition comprising at least unsaturated fatty acids in the lipid, the proportion of the unsaturated fatty acid content in the total fatty acid content of the lipid being 42.0 mass % or less.

[0065] In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of the content of unsaturated fatty acids to the total fatty acid content of the lipid is preferably 32.0% by mass or more, more preferably 34.0% by mass or more, and even more preferably 36.0% by mass or more. By having the unsaturated fatty acid content be equal to or greater than this lower limit, the emulsion stability of the nutritional composition of the present technology can be further improved, and separation during, for example, heat sterilization can be more effectively prevented.

[0066] (Method of measuring fatty acid composition) The proportions of the fatty acids described above are determined by the fatty acid composition analysis method described below. This analysis method involves extracting fatty acids according to the methyl esterification method and then analyzing them by capillary gas chromatography.

[0067] (Method of adjusting fatty acid composition) The composition of fatty acids contained in the nutritional composition of the present technology can be appropriately adjusted by adjusting the content of fatty acid-containing materials (e.g., extremely hardened oil, fish oil, etc.) blended in the nutritional composition. For example, the mass content of extremely hardened oil may be adjusted to adjust the content of palmitic acid and / or stearic acid.

[0068] For example, the ratio of the content of the extremely hardened oil to the content of the total lipids contained in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 2% by mass or more, preferably 3% by mass or more, and more preferably 4% by mass or more. Also, the ratio of the content of the extremely hardened oil to the content of the total lipids contained in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 15% by mass or less, preferably 13% by mass or less, more preferably 11% by mass or less, and even more preferably 10% by mass or less. For example, the content of the extremely hardened oil in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be preferably 0.04g or more, more preferably 0.06g or more, per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of the extremely hardened oil in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be preferably 0.25g or less, more preferably 0.20g or less, and even more preferably 0.18g or less, per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The extremely hardened oil may contain palmitic acid and / or stearic acid. It is believed that the inclusion of such a content ratio of the highly hydrogenated oil contributes to improving the emulsion stability of the nutritional composition.

[0069] (3) Organic acid monoglycerides The nutritional composition of the present technology includes an organic acid monoglyceride. The organic acid monoglyceride may be included in the nutritional composition as an emulsifier. The organic acid monoglyceride may include two or more selected from acetate monoglyceride, citric acid monoglyceride, succinic acid monoglyceride, diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride, and lactic acid monoglyceride. In other words, the nutritional composition may include two or more selected from acetate monoglyceride, citric acid monoglyceride, succinic acid monoglyceride, diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride, and lactic acid monoglyceride as organic acid monoglycerides. The combination of two or more of these organic acid monoglycerides can improve emulsion stability in a nutritional composition containing a protein component and a lipid. The nutritional composition comprises one or more emulsifiers, preferably two emulsifiers. In a preferred embodiment, the one or more emulsifiers are one or more of acetate monoglyceride, citrate monoglyceride, succinate monoglyceride, diacetyltartarate monoglyceride, and lactate monoglyceride. Preferably, the one or more emulsifiers are succinate monoglyceride and / or diacetyltartarate monoglyceride. In a preferred embodiment, the nutritional composition comprises two emulsifiers, the two emulsifiers being succinate monoglyceride and diacetyltartarate monoglyceride. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the two emulsifiers, succinate monoglyceride and diacetyltartarate monoglyceride, are the only emulsifiers contained in the composition, i.e., the composition does not comprise other emulsifiers. In one embodiment, the composition does not comprise lecithin. In another embodiment, the composition does not comprise pentaglyceryl monostearate. In another embodiment, the composition does not include enzymatically degraded lecithin. In another embodiment, the composition does not include lecithin, pentaglyceryl monostearate, and enzymatically degraded lecithin (hydrolyzed lecithin). In another embodiment, the composition includes (only) succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride, and does not include lecithin, pentaglyceryl monostearate, and enzymatically degraded lecithin (hydrolyzed lecithin).

[0070] Preferably, at least one of the organic acid monoglycerides contained in the nutritional composition of the present technology is succinic acid monoglyceride, which is particularly suitable for improving emulsion stability in a nutritional composition containing a protein component and a lipid.

[0071] The ratio of succinic acid monoglyceride to the total amount of the organic acid monoglycerides is, for example, 80% by mass or less, preferably 78% by mass or less, and more preferably 76% by mass or less. The ratio is, for example, 20% by mass or more, preferably 22% by mass or more, and more preferably 24% by mass or more. When the amount of succinic acid monoglyceride is within such a numerical range, the effect of improving emulsion stability by succinic acid monoglyceride can be more effectively exhibited.

[0072] Preferably, at least one of the organic acid monoglycerides contained in the nutritional composition of the present technology is diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride, which is particularly suitable for improving emulsion stability in nutritional compositions containing protein components and lipids.

[0073] The ratio of diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride to the total amount of the organic acid monoglycerides is, for example, 80% by mass or less, preferably 78% by mass or less, and more preferably 76% by mass or less. The ratio of diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride to the total amount of the organic acid monoglycerides is, for example, 20% by mass or more, preferably 22% by mass or more, and more preferably 24% by mass or more. When the amount of diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride is within such a numerical range, the effect of improving emulsion stability by diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride can be more effectively exhibited.

[0074] Particularly preferably, the organic acid monoglyceride contained in the nutritional composition of the present technology includes succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride. The organic acid monoglyceride may include only two kinds of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride, for example. The combination of these two kinds is particularly suitable for improving emulsion stability in nutritional compositions containing protein components and lipids.

[0075] The total amount of the organic acid monoglyceride per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition is, for example, 0.005 g or more, preferably 0.01 g or more, more preferably 0.03 g or more, even more preferably 0.1 g or more, 0.15 g or more, or 0.2 g or more, particularly preferably 0.25 g or more, or 0.3 g (e.g., 0.27 g) or more, or 0.4 g or more. The total amount of the organic acid monoglyceride per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition is, for example, 2.0 g or less, preferably 1.5 g or less, more preferably 1.2 g or less, even more preferably 1.1 g or less or 1.0 g or less, and particularly preferably 0.9 g or less or 0.8 g or less. The numerical range of the total amount may be defined by a value selected from the upper and lower limit values ​​recited above, and the total amount may be, for example, 0.005 g or more and 2.0 g or less, preferably 0.03 g or more and 1.2 g or less, or 0.1 g or more and 1.1 g or less. In a preferred embodiment, the total amount of organic acid monoglycerides per 100 kcal of nutritional composition is, for example, about 0.4 g or more and about 0.5 g (for example, about 0.55 g) or less. These ranges are particularly preferred when the emulsifiers (for example organic acid monoglycerides) are succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride (only), and the ratio of succinic acid monoglyceride to diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride is as follows: Here, the preferred ratios are as described below, for example, 2.5:1 to 1:1, particularly preferably 2.5:1 to 1.5:1, even more preferably 2.2:1 to 1.5:1, and most preferably 2:1. Preferably, in this context, protein hydrolysates (casein hydrolysates and whey protein hydrolysates) are used as protein components. In a further preferred embodiment, the total amount of organic acid monoglycerides per 100 kcal of nutritional composition is, for example, about 0.4 g (for example, 0.39 g) or more and about 1.1 g or less. These ranges are particularly preferred when the emulsifiers (for example, organic acid monoglycerides) are succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride (only), and the ratio of succinic acid monoglyceride to diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride is as follows: Here, the preferred ratios are as described below, for example, 2.5:1 to 1:1, particularly preferably 2.5:1 to 1.5:1, even more preferably 2.2:1 to 1.5:1, and most preferably 2:1. Preferably, in this context, proteins (casein, whey protein, and soy protein) are used as protein components. When the organic acid monoglyceride is contained in a nutritional composition containing a protein component and a lipid in the total amount above, the emulsion stability of the nutritional composition is particularly improved. The total amount of the organic acid monoglyceride per 100 ml of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 0.005 g or more, preferably 0.01 g or more, more preferably 0.05 g or more, 0.1 g or more, 0.2 g or more, 0.25 g or more, 0.3 g or more, 0.35 g or more, or 0.4 g or more. The total amount of the organic acid monoglyceride per 100 ml of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 2.0 g or less, preferably 1.9 g or less, more preferably 1.8 g or less, 1.7 g or less, 1.6 g or less, or 1.5 g or less. The numerical range of the total amount may be specified by a value selected from the upper and lower limit values ​​listed above, and the total amount may be, for example, 0.005 g or more and 2.0 g or less, preferably 0.4 g or more and 1.5 g or less. In a further preferred embodiment, the total amount of organic acid monoglycerides per 100 ml of nutritional composition is, for example, about 0.4 g or more and about 1.2 g or less. These ranges are particularly preferred when the emulsifiers (e.g. organic acid monoglycerides) are succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride (only), and the ratio of succinic acid monoglyceride to diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride is as follows: Here, the preferred ratios are as described below, for example, 2.5:1 to 1:1, particularly preferably 2.5:1 to 1.5:1, even more preferably 2.2:1 to 1.5:1, and most preferably 2:1. Preferably, in this context, proteins (casein, whey protein, and soy protein) are used as protein components. When the organic acid monoglyceride is contained in a nutritional composition containing a protein component and a lipid in the total amount above, the emulsion stability of the nutritional composition is particularly improved.

[0076] In one embodiment, the organic acid monoglyceride is a combination of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride, and the total amount of the organic acid monoglyceride is The upper and lower limits listed above are applied to the total amount of the combination per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. That is, the numerical range of the total amount of the combination per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition may be defined by any of the upper limits or any of the lower limits listed above, or may be defined by any of the upper limits and any of the lower limits listed above. In this embodiment, the emulsion stability in the nutritional composition containing a protein component and a lipid is particularly improved.

[0077] When the nutritional composition of the present technology contains succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride, the mass ratio of these two components (succinic acid monoglyceride mass: diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride mass) is, for example, 5:1 to 1:5, preferably 4:1 to 1:4, more preferably 3:1 to 1:3, and specific ratios are 1:3, 1:1, and 3:1. By using such a mass ratio, the emulsion stability improving effect of the combination of these two components is more significantly exhibited. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the mass ratio of these two components (mass of succinic acid monoglyceride:mass of diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride) is 2.5:1 to 1:1, particularly preferably 2.5:1 to 1.5:1, and even more preferably 2.2:1 to 1.5:1. By containing the two components in such a ratio, a particularly excellent effect of improving emulsion stability is exhibited.

[0078] (Range of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride content) In one embodiment, the nutritional composition of the present technology comprises a protein component, a lipid, and an organic acid monoglyceride, wherein the organic acid monoglyceride is succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride. In this embodiment, the content of succinic acid monoglyceride per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 0.0001 g or more, 0.001 g or more, or 0.01 g or more, preferably 0.02 g or more, more preferably 0.06 g or more, even more preferably 0.1 g or more or 0.14 g or more, particularly preferably 0.17 g or more or 0.2 g or more. The content of succinic acid monoglyceride per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 1.5 g or less or 1.3 g or less, preferably 1.1 g or less, more preferably 1.0 g or less, even more preferably 0.9 g or less or 0.8 g or less, particularly preferably 0.7 g or less or 0.6 g or less. In this embodiment, the content of diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 0.0001 g or more or 0.001 g or more, preferably 0.01 g or more, more preferably 0.03 g or more, even more preferably 0.05 g or more. The content of diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 1.0 g or less or 0.8 g or less, preferably 0.6 g or less, more preferably 0.5 g or less, even more preferably 0.4 g or less, and particularly preferably 0.3 g or less. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the organic acid monoglycerides are succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride (in other words, the nutrient composition contains a combination of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride as organic acid monoglycerides), and the content of succinic acid monoglyceride per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition is 0.1 g to 0.6 g, and the content of diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition is 0.05 g to 0.3 g. Also, in this embodiment, the content of succinic acid monoglyceride per 100 ml of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 0.0001 g or more, 0.001 g or more, or 0.01 g or more, preferably 0.05 g or more, more preferably 0.1 g or more, even more preferably 0.15 g or more, 0.2 g or more, or 0.25 g or more. The content of succinic acid monoglyceride per 100 ml of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 1.5 g or less, preferably 1.4 g or less, more preferably 1.3 g or less, even more preferably 1.2 g or less, 1.1 g or less, or 1.0 g or less. In this embodiment, the content of diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride per 100 ml of the nutritional composition is, for example, 0.0001 g or more, 0.001 g or more, or 0.01 g or more. and may be preferably 0.05 g or more, more preferably 0.07 g or more, even more preferably 0.08 g or more, 0.09 g or more, or 0.1 g or more. The content of diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride per 100 ml of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 1.0 g or less, preferably 0.9 g or less, more preferably 0.8 g or less, even more preferably 0.7 g or less, 0.6 g or less, or 0.5 g or less. In the above embodiment, emulsion stability is particularly improved in nutritional compositions containing a protein component and lipids.

[0079] (Total content of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride and their ratio) In one embodiment, the nutritional composition of the present technology comprises a protein component, a lipid, and an organic acid monoglyceride, wherein the organic acid monoglyceride is succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride. In this embodiment, the total content of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition is, for example, 0.005 g or more, preferably 0.01 g or more, more preferably 0.03 g or more, even more preferably 0.1 g or more, 0.15 g or more, or 0.2 g or more, particularly preferably 0.25 g or more. The total amount of the organic acid monoglyceride per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 2.0 g or less, preferably 1.5 g or less, more preferably 1.2 g or less, even more preferably 1.1 g or less or 1.0 g or less, particularly preferably 0.9 g or less, or 0.8 g or less. The total amount of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride per 100 ml of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 0.005 g or more, preferably 0.01 g or more, more preferably 0.05 g or more, 0.1 g or more, 0.2 g or more, 0.25 g or more, 0.3 g or more, 0.35 g or more, or 0.4 g or more. The total amount of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride per 100 ml of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 2.0 g or less, preferably 1.9 g or less, more preferably 1.8 g or less, 1.7 g or less, 1.6 g or less, or 1.5 g or less. The numerical range of the total amount may be specified by a value selected from the upper and lower limits listed above, and the total amount may be, for example, 0.005 g or more and 2.0 g or less, preferably 0.4 g or more and 1.5 g or less. In this embodiment, the ratio of the contents of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition (succinic acid monoglyceride content:diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride content) is preferably 3:1 to 1:3, more preferably 3:1 to 1:2. In the above embodiment, emulsion stability is particularly improved in nutritional compositions containing a protein component and lipids.

[0080] (4) Other ingredients The nutritional composition of the present technology may further include other ingredients. Examples of such other ingredients include salts, sugars, amino acids, vitamins, and other nutritional ingredients. The nutritional composition of the present technology may include one or more of these other ingredients. The other components may also include one or more additives selected from an emulsifier, a thickener, and a gelling agent. These other ingredients may be appropriately selected depending on, for example, the subject to which the nutritional composition is to be administered or the purpose of its administration.

[0081] The salts may include one or more of a calcium salt, a magnesium salt, a sodium salt, and a potassium salt.

[0082] The calcium salt may be any one or a combination of two or more of calcium chloride, calcium hydroxide, tricalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, calcium sulfate, and calcium oxide. In other words, the nutritional composition of the present technology may contain any one or a combination of two or more selected from calcium salts consisting of calcium chloride, calcium hydroxide, tricalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, calcium sulfate, and calcium oxide. The total content of the calcium salts may be preferably 0.05 g or more, more preferably 0.10 g or more, and even more preferably 0.12 g or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The total content of the calcium salts may be preferably 0.7 g or less, more preferably 0.5 g or less, and even more preferably 0.4 g or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0083] The nutritional composition of the present technology may contain one or more combinations of magnesium salts selected from calcium salts consisting of trimagnesium phosphate, magnesium carbonate, and magnesium chloride. In other words, the nutritional composition of the present technology may contain one or more combinations selected from calcium salts consisting of trimagnesium phosphate, magnesium carbonate, and magnesium chloride. The total content of the magnesium salts may be preferably 0.06g or more, more preferably 0.10g or more, and even more preferably 0.13g or more per 100kcal of the nutritional composition. The total content of the magnesium salts may be preferably 0.6g or less, more preferably 0.4g or less, and even more preferably 0.3g or less per 100kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0084] For example, the nutritional composition may include one, two, or all three of sodium pyrophosphate, trisodium citrate, and sodium ferrous citrate as the sodium salt. The total content of the sodium salts may be, for example, 0.06 g or more, preferably 0.13 g or more, per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The total content of the sodium salts may be, for example, 0.4 g or less, preferably 0.3 g or less, per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0085] For example, the nutritional composition may contain any one, two, or three of potassium chloride, potassium carbonate, and dipotassium hydrogen phosphate as the potassium salt. The total content of the potassium salts may be, for example, 0.06 g or more, preferably 0.13 g or more, per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The total content of the potassium salts may be, for example, 0.4 g or less, preferably 0.3 g or less, per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0086] The nutritional composition may further include a copper salt and / or a zinc salt. The copper salt may be copper gluconate. The zinc salt may be zinc gluconate. The content of each of these salts may be, for example, 0.04 g or less, particularly 0.02 g or less, per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0087] The saccharide may include carbohydrates used in foods, such as monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. Among them, polysaccharides are preferable. The polysaccharide is, for example, dextrin. That is, the nutritional composition may include, for example, dextrin.

[0088] The content of the sugars (particularly dextrin) may be, for example, 3 g or more, preferably 5 g or more, more preferably 7 g or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition, and the content of the sugars (particularly dextrin) may be, for example, 22 g or less, preferably 20 g or less, more preferably 18 g or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0089] The amino acids may include, for example, branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), i.e., any one, two, or all three of valine, leucine, and isoleucine. Preferably, the nutritional composition includes leucine. The content of the amino acids (particularly the total content of branched chain amino acids) may be, for example, 0.2 g or more, preferably 0.4 g or more, more preferably 0.6 g or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The amount of the nutrient may be, for example, 6.0 g or less, preferably 4.0 g or less, and more preferably 3.0 g or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The leucine content may be, for example, 0.1 g or more, preferably 0.2 g or more, more preferably 0.3 g or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition, and the leucine content may be, for example, 3.0 g or less, preferably 2.0 g or less, more preferably 1.5 g or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0090] The vitamins include, for example, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K, which are classified as fat-soluble vitamins, and vitamin B group (vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B 12 , niacin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, biotin), and vitamin C. The content of vitamin A per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 20 μg RAE or more, preferably 40 μg RAE or more, more preferably 60 μg RAE or more. Also, the content of vitamin A per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 400 μg RAE or less, preferably 300 μg RAE or less, more preferably 200 μg RAE or less. The vitamin D content may be, for example, 0.2 μg or more, preferably 0.5 μg or more, more preferably 0.7 μg or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition, and may be, for example, 5.0 μg or less, preferably 4.0 μg or less, more preferably 3.0 μg or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of vitamin E may be, for example, 0.2 mg or more, preferably 0.5 mg or more, more preferably 0.7 mg or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of vitamin E may be, for example, 5.0 mg or less, preferably 4.0 mg or less, more preferably 3.0 mg or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of vitamin K per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 2.0 μg or more, preferably 4.0 μg or more, more preferably 5.0 μg or more. Also, the content of vitamin K per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 25 μg or less, preferably 20 μg or less, more preferably 15 μg or less. The content of vitamin B1 may be, for example, 0.05 mg or more, preferably 0.15 mg or more, more preferably 0.2 mg or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition, and the content of vitamin B1 may be, for example, 1.6 mg or less, preferably 1.2 mg or less, more preferably 0.8 mg or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of vitamin B2 may be, for example, 0.05 mg or more, preferably 0.15 mg or more, more preferably 0.2 mg or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. Also, the content of vitamin B2 may be, for example, 1.8 mg or less, preferably 1.4 mg or less, more preferably 1.0 mg or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of vitamin B6 per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 0.1 mg or more, preferably 0.2 mg or more, more preferably 0.3 mg or more. Also, the content of vitamin B6 per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition may be, for example, 1.8 mg or less, preferably 1.4 mg or less, more preferably 1.2 mg or less. Vitamin B12 The content of vitamin B may be, for example, 0.2 μg or more, preferably 0.3 μg or more, and more preferably 0.4 μg or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. 12 The content may be, for example, 3.0 μg or less, preferably 2.5 μg or less, and more preferably 2.0 μg or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The niacin equivalent may be, for example, 2 mg NE or more, preferably 3 mg NE or more, more preferably 3.5 mg NE or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition, and may be, for example, 15 mg NE or less, preferably 12 mg NE or less, more preferably 10 mg NE or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of pantothenic acid may be, for example, 0.2 mg or more, preferably 0.6 mg or more, and more preferably 1.0 mg or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of anthraquinone may be, for example, 6.0 mg or less, preferably 5.0 mg or less, and more preferably 4.0 mg or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of folic acid may be, for example, 10 μg or more, preferably 20 μg or more, more preferably 30 μg or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition, and the content of folic acid may be, for example, 250 μg or less, preferably 200 μg or less, more preferably 150 μg or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The biotin content may be, for example, 2.0 μg or more, preferably 3.0 μg or more, more preferably 4.0 μg or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition, and may be, for example, 25 μg or less, preferably 20 μg or less, more preferably 15 μg or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The content of vitamin C may be, for example, 5 mg or more, preferably 10 mg or more, more preferably 15 mg or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition, and the content of vitamin C may be, for example, 100 mg or less, preferably 80 mg or less, more preferably 60 mg or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0091] The other nutritional components may include, for example, trace minerals and carnitine. The trace minerals may be, for example, mineral yeast. Examples of minerals contained in the trace minerals include iron, zinc, copper, manganese, iodine, selenium, chromium, and molybdenum.

[0092] The nutritional composition of the present technology may contain components such as water, sweeteners, fruit juice, vegetable juice, flavors, colorants, and acidulants. The types and content ratios of these components may be appropriately selected by those skilled in the art depending on the desired physical properties, shape, taste, or appearance.

[0093] (5) Physical properties of nutritional composition The nutritional composition of the present technology may be flowable, for example in the form of a liquid or paste, or may be in the form of a flowable gel.

[0094] The nutritional composition of the present technology may be in an emulsified state, preferably an oil-in-water emulsion (O / W type).

[0095] The water content in the nutritional composition of the present technology may be, for example, 20 g or more, preferably 30 g or more, more preferably 40 g or more per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition. The water content may be, for example, 200 g or less, preferably 180 g or less, more preferably 160 g or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.

[0096] The nutritional composition of the present technology is fluid, which makes it easy for elderly people to ingest, and can be administered to a subject via a tube. The various physical properties of the nutritional composition of the present technology may be set, for example, as follows.

[0097] The pH of the nutritional composition of the present technology at 20° C. may be, for example, 6.0 to 8.0, preferably 6.3 to 7.7, and more preferably 6.5 to 7.5.

[0098] The specific gravity of the nutritional composition of the present technology at 20° C. may be, for example, 1.0 to 1.5, preferably 1.01 to 1.4, and more preferably 1.02 to 1.2.

[0099] The viscosity of the nutritional composition of the present technology at 20°C may be, for example, 1 mPa·s to 30,000 mPa·s, preferably 5 mPa·s to 1,800 mPa·s, and more preferably 10 mPa·s to 100 mPa·s. In one embodiment of the present technology, the viscosity of the nutritional composition of the present technology at 20°C is, for example, 200 mPa·s or less, preferably 100 mPa·s or less. The viscosity of the nutritional composition may be 50 mPa·s or less, more preferably 50 mPa·s or less. Such a viscosity makes the nutritional composition easy to use as an enteral nutrient.

[0100] In one embodiment of the present technology, the energy content per 1 ml of the nutritional composition of the present technology can be, for example, 0.5 kcal or more, 0.6 kcal or more, 0.7 kcal or more, 0.8 kcal or more, or 0.9 kcal or more.In this way, the high energy content per 1 ml of the composition allows efficient energy intake.In this embodiment, the energy content per 1 ml of the nutritional composition of the present technology can be, for example, 3 kcal or less, 2 kcal or less, or 1.8 kcal or less.For example, the nutritional composition of the present technology can have an energy content of 1.5 kcal per ml.

[0101] (6) Food and drink composition The nutritional composition of the present technology may be used as a food or drink composition. The food or drink composition of the present technology may have, for example, a liquid or paste form.

[0102] The food and drink composition of the present technology may be used as an enteral nutrient, for example, as an artificial concentrated liquid diet. The food and drink composition of the present technology may be, for example, as a digested liquid diet, a semi-digested liquid diet, or an elemental nutrient, but is preferably a digested liquid diet. The digested liquid diet does not contain undigested protein.

[0103] The food and beverage composition of the present technology can be provided or sold as a food and beverage labeled with its intended use, such as for providing nutrition to patients in the acute phase or for providing nutrition to patients immediately after the onset of illness. The food and beverage composition of the present technology can also be provided and / or sold with a label indicating, for example, "people in the acute phase" or "people with diarrhea" as the intended ingestor. The act of "labeling" includes all acts for informing consumers of the intended use of the composition of the present technology, and any expression that can recall and / or infer the intended use falls under the act of "labeling" of the present technology, regardless of the purpose of the labeling, the content of the labeling, the object and / or medium on which it is displayed.

[0104] Furthermore, it is preferable that the "labeling" be done in an expression that allows consumers to directly recognize the above-mentioned uses.Specific examples include the act of transferring, delivering, displaying for the purpose of transferring or delivering, or importing food and beverage products or product packaging on which the above-mentioned uses are written, displaying or distributing advertisements, price lists, or transaction documents related to the products and writing the above-mentioned uses in information containing the above-mentioned uses and providing them by electromagnetic means (such as the Internet), etc.

[0105] On the other hand, the content of the labeling is preferably a labeling approved by the government etc. (for example, a labeling approved based on various systems established by the government and made in a manner based on such approval, etc.) In addition, it is preferable that such a labeling content is affixed to the packaging, containers, catalogs, pamphlets, POP and other sales site promotional materials, other documents, etc.

[0106] Additionally, "labeling" also includes labeling as health food, functional food, enteral nutritional food, special purpose food, health functional food, food for specified health uses, nutrient functional food, functional food, quasi-drug, etc.

[0107] (7) Pharmaceutical composition The nutritional composition of the present technology may be used as a pharmaceutical composition. The pharmaceutical composition of the present technology may have, for example, a liquid or paste form.

[0108] The pharmaceutical composition of the present technology may be used as an enteral nutritional agent, for example, as an artificial concentrated liquid food. The pharmaceutical composition of the present technology may be used as, for example, a digested liquid food, a semi-digested liquid food, or The composition may be an elemental diet, but is preferably a digestible liquid diet, which does not contain undigested protein.

[0109] When the composition according to the present technology is used as a pharmaceutical composition, the pharmaceutical composition may be administered orally or parenterally, and may be formulated into a desired dosage form depending on the administration method. For example, in the case of oral administration, the composition may be formulated into a desired dosage form (liquid or paste). In addition, in the case of parenteral administration, the composition according to the present technology may be administered, for example, via a gastrostomy tube, and may be administered enterally.

[0110] In addition, when formulated, the pharmaceutical composition according to the present technology may contain additives (e.g., pH adjusters, colorants, flavoring agents, etc.) that are usually used in formulations. In addition, as long as the effect of the present technology is not impaired, the pharmaceutical composition according to the present technology may contain known or future components for improving the condition of acute patients. In addition, formulation can be carried out by a known method as appropriate depending on the dosage form. When preparing the formulation, a pharmaceutical carrier may be appropriately added to the formulation.

[0111] (8) A method for producing a nutritional composition The method for producing the nutritional composition of the present technology includes a mixing step of mixing a protein component, a lipid, and an organic acid monoglyceride. The mixing may be performed in a liquid medium, particularly in water. A mixture is obtained by the mixing. The mixing may be performed so that the mixture has an emulsified state, for example, so that an oil-in-water emulsion is formed. For example, a protein component (e.g., casein hydrolysate and / or whey protein hydrolysate), carbohydrates, and minerals are dissolved in dissolution water at 55°C to 65°C. After the dissolution, oils and fats and an emulsifier are added and mixed by stirring, and then homogenized at a pressure of 50 MPa. In this manner, the nutritional composition of the present technology may be produced.

[0112] The protein component, the lipid, and the organic acid monoglyceride are as described above in (1), (2), and (3), respectively. The blending amounts of these may be set according to the content of each component in the nutritional composition to be produced. In the mixing step, other components described above in (4) may also be mixed.

[0113] The production method may include a sterilization step of sterilizing the nutritional composition obtained by the mixing step in the mixing step. The sterilization may be performed by any method known in the art, such as retort sterilization, indirect heat sterilization (plate, tubular, or scraping type), or direct heat sterilization (steam injection or steam infusion type).

[0114] The manufacturing method may further include a filling step of filling a container with the composition obtained in the mixing step before or after the sterilization step. When the filling step is performed after the sterilization step, the filling step may be performed aseptically. The container may be, for example, a paper pack, a plastic bag, a plastic bottle, a plastic cup, an aluminum pouch, a metal can, or a glass container. The filling step causes the nutritional composition to be filled in the container. The nutritional composition of the present technology may be sold in a state filled in the container. In another aspect, the present technology also provides a method for producing a nutritional composition comprising a protein component, a lipid, and an organic acid monoglyceride. Specifically, in some preferred embodiments, the method is as follows. (1) A method for producing a nutritional composition, comprising a mixing step of obtaining a mixture by mixing a protein component, a lipid, and an organic acid monoglyceride, wherein the organic acid monoglyceride comprises two or more selected from acetic acid monoglyceride, citric acid monoglyceride, succinic acid monoglyceride, diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride, and lactic acid monoglyceride; preferably, the organic acid monoglyceride comprises at least one of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride; more preferably, the organic acid monoglyceride comprises succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride. (2) In the manufacturing method described in (1) above, the manufacturing method further includes a sterilization step of sterilizing the mixture obtained by mixing in the mixing step, and the sterilization is carried out by heat sterilization such as retort sterilization, indirect contact sterilization, or direct contact sterilization. (3) In the production method described in (2) above, the sterilization is carried out by retort sterilization at 120°C to 150°C for 0.5 to 15 minutes, preferably at 130°C for 10 minutes, or by direct or indirect sterilization at 130°C to 160°C for 1 to 90 seconds. (4) The manufacturing method according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising a filling step of filling a container with the composition obtained in the mixing step before or after the sterilization step, and optionally further comprising a storage step of storing the composition for a long period of time. Furthermore, the nutritional composition obtained by the above method is another embodiment of the present technology, that is, a nutritional composition produced by a method according to any one of (1) to (3) above, and the nutritional composition is preferably a sterilized composition.

[0115] (9) Method of using the nutritional composition The subject to which the nutritional composition of the present technology is administered may be an animal, particularly a mammal, more particularly a primate, even more particularly a human or non-human primate, and particularly preferably a human. When the subject to which the composition of the present technology is administered is a human, the age of the human may be, for example, 0 to 120 years old. Particularly preferably, the nutritional composition of the present technology is administered to patients in an acute phase, such as after surgery, or to patients with diarrhea. The digestive solution does not need to be digested for absorption, and is therefore suitable for providing nutrition to such patients.

[0116] The nutritional composition of the present technology may be taken, for example, orally or by tube feeding. In the latter case, the nutritional composition of the present technology is administered to a human, for example, via a gastrostomy tube. The composition of the present technology is preferably flowable, making the nutritional composition suitable for tube feeding to tube-fed patients.

[0117] In one embodiment of the present technology, the nutritional composition of the present technology may be administered so that the nutritional composition of the present technology provides an amount of energy of, for example, 500 kcal to 2000 kcal, preferably 600 kcal to 1500 kcal, preferably 800 kcal to 1200 kcal per day to the subject. For example, the composition of the present technology may provide an amount of energy of 200 kcal to 500 kcal per administration to the subject, and the administration may be performed 1 to 10 times, 2 to 8 times, or 2 to 5 times per day. The nutritional composition of the present technology may be administered periodically, for example, daily, or at intervals such as every other day or every two days. The composition of the present technology may be administered, for example, for one week or more, two weeks or more, or three weeks or more. There is no upper limit to the administration period of the nutritional composition of the present technology, but it may be, for example, three years or less, two years or less, or one year or less, or the administration period may be indefinite.

[0118] The present technology will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present technology is not limited to these examples. EXAMPLES

[0119] <Experiment 1> The nutritional composition was prepared with the following raw material composition per 100 m of nutritional composition. That is, 4.5 g of casein hydrolyzate (manufactured by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., casein hydrolyzate content 88%, number average molecular weight 330), 2.3 g of whey protein hydrolyzate (manufactured by Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., whey protein hydrolyzate content 75%, number average molecular weight 450), 35 g of dextrin (manufactured by Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., standard 67°Bx), trisodium citrate, potassium carbonate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, calcium chloride, and trimagnesium phosphate were added to dissolution water at 60°C and mixed and dissolved. 3.3 g of mixed oils and fats (vegetable oils and fats, medium chain fatty acids, and refined fish oil) and emulsifiers (two or three of lecithin, succinic acid monoglyceride, diacetyl tartaric acid monoglyceride, pentaglycerin monostearate, and enzymatically decomposed lecithin) were further added and mixed by stirring. The emulsifier had the component composition shown in Table 1. Four patterns of emulsifier composition, Example 1 to Example 4 shown in the table, were prepared.

[0120] [Table 1]

[0121] After the stirring and mixing, the mixture was homogenized at a pressure of 50 MPa using a high-pressure homogenizer (manufactured by APV). After homogenization, the obtained emulsion (also called milk preparation) was filled into retort pouches (manufactured by Toyo Seikan Co., Ltd.) in 100 ml portions, sealed, and retort sterilized at 130°C for 3 minutes using a retort sterilizer (manufactured by Hisaka Works, Ltd.) to produce liquid nutritional compositions. Hereinafter, the liquid nutritional compositions produced using the emulsifiers of Examples 1 to 4 are also referred to as "nutritional composition of Example 1" to "nutritional composition of Example 4," respectively.

[0122] The energy of these nutritional compositions produced was 150 kcal (per 100 ml of nutritional composition), the protein content was 3.8 g (per 100 kcal of nutritional composition), the lipid content was 2.7 g (per 100 kcal of nutritional composition), the sugar content was 15.2 g (per 100 kcal of nutritional composition), and the water content was 52 g (per 100 kcal of nutritional composition).

[0123] The nutritional compositions of Examples 1 to 4 were evaluated for emulsion stability. The evaluation was performed by visually evaluating the state of the emulsion after the homogenization treatment and before the retort sterilization, and the state of the nutritional composition one day after the retort sterilization. The evaluation criteria were as follows. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1 above. AAA: Very well emulsified and had a more homogenous appearance than AA. AA: No separation of lipid components was observed, and the nutritional composition was well emulsified. A: The lipid components separated slightly and floated to the top of the nutritional composition, but were generally emulsified. B: A large amount of lipid components were separated.

[0124] As shown in Table 1 above, the nutritional composition of Example 1 was well emulsified in the state of a formula liquid before retort sterilization. The nutritional composition of Example 1 was also well emulsified after retort sterilization. In addition, for the nutritional compositions of Examples 2 to 4, slight separation of fat components was confirmed in the milk preparation state before retort sterilization, but the composition was generally emulsified. However, after retort sterilization, the nutritional composition of Example 2 continued to be generally emulsified, but the nutritional compositions of Examples 3 and 4 were confirmed to have a large amount of lipid components separated. A comparison of Example 2 with Examples 3 and 4 shows that the combination of two types of organic acid monoglycerides can improve emulsion stability in a nutritional composition containing a protein component and lipids. In addition, a comparison between Example 1 and Example 2 shows that a more excellent emulsion stability can be obtained when lecithin is not included as an emulsifier than when lecithin is included as an emulsifier. It is also considered that the inclusion of only an organic acid monoglyceride as an emulsifier is desirable for emulsion stability in a nutritional composition containing a protein component and lipids.

[0125] <Experiment 2> An emulsion was obtained by the same manufacturing method as in Experiment 1, except that the composition of the emulsifier shown in Table 2 below was used. The emulsion was sterilized at 151°C for 4 seconds using an injection sterilizer (Micro Thermics), and then 200 ml of the emulsion was filled into sterilized PET bottles (Toyo Seikan Co., Ltd.) in a sterile environment to produce liquid nutritional compositions. The liquid nutritional compositions produced using the emulsifiers of Examples 5 to 6 are also referred to as "nutritional composition of Example 5" and "nutritional composition of Example 6", respectively. In addition, the total amount of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride (per 100 ml of the nutritional composition and per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition) and the ratio (mass%) of each of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride to the total amount are also shown in Table 2 below. The same applies to Tables 3 to 6 described below.

[0126] [Table 2]

[0127] The nutritional compositions of Examples 5 and 6 were evaluated for emulsion stability. The evaluation was performed by visually evaluating the state of the nutritional compositions after the injection sterilization treatment and storage in a constant temperature incubator at 37° C. for one month. The evaluation criteria were the same as those described in Experiment 1.

[0128] As shown in Table 2 above, both the nutritional compositions of Examples 5 and 6 were well emulsified even after one month of storage after injection sterilization. These results show that good emulsion stability can be obtained when the blending mass ratio of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride is 3:1 to 1:3.

[0129] <Experiment 3> An emulsion was obtained by the same manufacturing method as in Experiment 1, except that the composition of the emulsifier shown in Table 3 below was used. As in Experiment 1, the emulsion was filled into retort pouches in 100 ml portions, sealed, and retort sterilized at 130°C for 3 minutes using a retort sterilizer to produce a liquid nutritional composition. Hereinafter, the liquid nutritional compositions produced using the emulsifiers of Examples 7 to 11 are also referred to as "nutritional composition of Example 7" to "nutritional composition of Example 11", respectively.

[0130] [Table 3]

[0131] The nutritional compositions of Examples 7 to 11 were evaluated for emulsion stability. The evaluation was performed by visually evaluating the state of the nutritional compositions after storage for one month in a constant temperature incubator at 37°C after the retort sterilization. The evaluation criteria were as described in Experiment 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 3 above.

[0132] As shown in Table 3 above, all of the nutritional compositions of Examples 7 to 11 were well emulsified even when stored for one month after retort sterilization. These results show that good emulsion stability can be obtained when the blending mass ratio of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride is 3:1 to 1:2. In addition, in the above-mentioned experiment 2, the total amount of organic acid monoglycerides was 0.27g / 100kcal (nutritional composition), whereas in the experiment 3, the total amount of organic acid monoglycerides was 0.40g / 100kcal (nutritional composition). Therefore, it is found that good emulsion stability can be obtained even when the total amount of these two types of organic acid monoglycerides is changed. That is, for example, the total amount may be 0.27g / 100kcal to 0.40g / 100kcal.

[0133] <Test 4> An emulsion was obtained by the same manufacturing method as in Experiment 1, except that the composition of the emulsifier shown in Table 4 below was used. The emulsion was filled into retort pouches in amounts of 100 ml each, sealed, and retort sterilized at 130°C for 3 minutes using a retort sterilizer, to produce a liquid nutritional composition. Hereinafter, the liquid nutritional compositions produced using the emulsifiers of Examples 12 and 13 are also referred to as "nutritional composition of Example 12" and "nutritional composition of Example 13", respectively.

[0134] [Table 4]

[0135] The nutritional compositions of Examples 12 and 13 were evaluated for emulsion stability. The evaluation was performed by visually evaluating the state of the nutritional compositions after storage in a constant temperature incubator at 37°C for one month after the retort sterilization. The evaluation criteria were as described in Experiment 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 4 above.

[0136] As shown in Table 4 above, both the nutritional compositions of Example 12 and Example 13 were well emulsified even after one month of storage after retort sterilization. These results show that when the blending mass ratio of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride is 3:1, good emulsion stability can be obtained even if the total amount of these is changed. For example, it was also confirmed that the total amount may be 0.27g / 100kcal to 0.40g / 100kcal.

[0137] <Test 5> An emulsion was obtained by the same manufacturing method as in Experiment 1, except that the composition of the emulsifier shown in Table 5 below was used. The emulsion was filled into retort pouches in the same manner as in Experiment 1, 100 ml each, sealed, and retort sterilized at 130°C for 3 minutes using a retort sterilizer to produce a liquid nutritional composition. Hereinafter, the liquid nutritional compositions produced using the emulsifiers of Examples 14 to 19 are also referred to as "nutritional composition of Example 14" to "nutritional composition of Example 19", respectively.

[0138] [Table 5]

[0139] The nutritional compositions of Examples 14 to 19 were evaluated for emulsion stability. The evaluation was performed by visually evaluating the state of the nutritional compositions after storage in a constant temperature incubator at 37°C for one month after the retort sterilization. The evaluation criteria were as described in Experiment 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 5 above.

[0140] As shown in Table 5 above, all of the nutritional compositions of Examples 14 to 19 were well emulsified even when stored for one month after retort sterilization. Furthermore, the nutritional compositions of Examples 15 to 17 were even better emulsified than the nutritional compositions of Examples 14, 18, and 19. These results show that when the blending mass ratio of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride is 2:1, good emulsion stability can be obtained even if the total amount of these is changed. For example, it was confirmed that the total amount may be 0.32g / 100kcal to 0.76g / 100kcal. Furthermore, these results also show that particularly good emulsion stability can be obtained when the total amount of succinic acid monoglyceride and diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride is 0.40 g / 100 kcal to 0.55 g / 100 kcal.

[0141] <Experiment 6> In the above experiment 1, protein hydrolysates (casein hydrolysate and whey protein hydrolysate) were used as the protein components. In this experiment 6, the emulsion stability was examined when proteins (casein, whey protein, soy protein) were used as the protein components. A nutritional composition was prepared with the following raw material composition per 100 m of nutritional composition. That is, 2.5 g of concentrated micellar casein (Mirai Co., Ltd., casein content 71%, whey protein content 8%), 2.0 g of sodium caseinate (Tatsua Co., Ltd., casein content 91%), 0.23 g of powdered soy protein (Fuji Oil Co., Ltd., soy protein content 86%), 21 g of dextrin (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., standard 67°Bx), citric acid, trisodium citrate, sodium chloride, potassium carbonate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, and magnesium carbonate were added to dissolution water at 60°C and mixed and dissolved. 2.9 g of vegetable oil and fat, and an emulsifier in the composition shown in Table 1 were further added and stirred and mixed. Then, the mixture was mixed at a pressure of 50 MPa using a high-pressure homogenizer (APV Co., Ltd.). After homogenization, the obtained emulsion (also called milk preparation) was filled into retort pouches (manufactured by Toyo Seikan Co., Ltd.) in 100 ml portions, sealed, and retort sterilized at 130°C for 3 minutes using a retort sterilizer (manufactured by Hisaka Works, Ltd.) to produce liquid nutritional compositions. Hereinafter, the liquid nutritional compositions produced using the emulsifiers of Examples 20 to 30 are also referred to as "nutritional composition of Example 20" to "nutritional composition of Example 30", respectively. The energy (per 100 ml) of the nutritional compositions produced is as shown in Table 6, the protein content was 4.0 g (per 100 kcal of nutritional composition), the lipid content was 3.3 g to 4.5 g (per 100 kcal of nutritional composition), the sugar content was 13.7 g (per 100 kcal of nutritional composition), and the water content was 85 to 86 g (per 100 kcal of nutritional composition).

[0142] [Table 6]

[0143] The emulsion stability was evaluated for the nutritional compositions of Examples 20 to 30. The evaluation was performed by visually evaluating the state of the nutritional compositions after storage for one month in a constant temperature incubator at 37°C after the retort sterilization. The evaluation criteria were as described in Experiment 1. The evaluation results are shown in Table 6 above.

[0144] As shown in Table 5 above, the nutritional compositions of Examples 22 to 30 were well emulsified even when stored for one month after retort sterilization. Furthermore, the nutritional compositions of Examples 26 to 30 were even better emulsified than the nutritional compositions of the other examples. These results demonstrate that the emulsion stability improving effect of the present technology can be achieved even when protein is used instead of protein hydrolysates. It is also found that an excellent emulsion stability improving effect can be achieved by setting the total amount of organic acid monoglycerides to 0.040 g to 1.1 g / 100 cal, and an especially excellent emulsion stability improving effect can be achieved by setting the total amount of organic acid monoglycerides to 0.39 to 1.1 g / 100 cal.

Claims

1. It contains protein components, lipids, and organic acid monoglycerides. the organic acid monoglyceride includes two or more selected from acetic acid monoglyceride, citric acid monoglyceride, succinic acid monoglyceride, diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride, and lactic acid monoglyceride; A nutritional composition (excluding food foaming agent compositions) having a pH of 6.0 to 8.0 at 20°C.

2. 2. The nutritional composition of claim 1, wherein at least one of said organic acid monoglycerides is diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride.

3. 3. The nutritional composition according to claim 2, wherein the proportion of diacetyltartaric acid monoglyceride relative to the total amount of the organic acid monoglycerides is 80% by mass or less.

4. 4. The nutritional composition according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said organic acid monoglycerides is succinic acid monoglyceride.

5. 5. The nutritional composition according to claim 4, wherein the proportion of succinic acid monoglyceride relative to the total amount of the organic acid monoglycerides is 80% by mass or less.

6. 4. The nutritional composition according to claim 1, wherein the total amount of said organic acid monoglycerides per 100 kcal of said composition is 0.005 g or more and 2.0 g or less.

7. The nutritional composition according to claims 1 to 3, wherein the protein component comprises a milk protein, a milk protein hydrolysate, or both a milk protein and a milk protein hydrolysate.

8. The nutritional composition according to claims 1 to 3, wherein the protein component comprises a casein hydrolysate and a whey protein hydrolysate.

9. 9. The nutritional composition according to claim 8, wherein the mass ratio of the casein hydrolysate to the whey protein hydrolysate is 1:9 to 9:

1.

10. 4. The nutritional composition according to claim 1, wherein the content of the protein component is 1 g or more and 15 g or less per 100 kcal of the nutritional composition.