526 Chapter 20
passively immunize the young until they
develop their own competent immune
systems. Use of these types of ingredients is
in the early stages. They currently are limited
by their high cost and relative lack of resis-
tance to heat treatments.
Colostrum, an early - lactation - stage mate-
rial produced the fi rst week or two of lacta-
tion after the calf is born, is another highly
active milk - related ingredient. It is rich in
immunoglobulins, growth factors, lactofer-
rin, and protein content, and very much lower
in fat and carbohydrate content than mature
milk. It is currently used as a specialty nutri-
tion ingredient in health foods and sometimes
in sports nutritional products. It is more
expensive than mature milk due to its limited
availability and seasonality in most places.
Some of the major proteins in cow ’ s milk
contain sequences of amino acids, which are
at least theoretically released during the
digestion process and confer their own bio-
logical activities. The presence of these
sequences has been known for some time and
they are appearing in products that are avail-
able as dietary supplements or even foods for
special use. Chief among these is the use
of protein hydrolysates rich in angiotensin
converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. ACE
controls one of the key mechanisms for regu-
lating blood pressure. A number of commer-
cial products available in the United States,
parts of the European Union, Japan, Australia,
and some other countries make blood pres-
sure claims.
Because the structural requirements for
ACE inhibitors are relatively small, it is not
surprising that most proteins, if heavily
hydrolyzed, have been found to be rather
potent ACE inhibitors, at least in vitro and
many in vivo (in both animal models and in
humans), as well.
There are other sequences with demon-
strated morphine agonist (casomorphins) or
antagonist (casoxins) activity that may func-
tion in the control of gut peristalsis, though
this is not clearly demonstrated. Such manip-
ulation might be useful in maladies in which
slowing the rate of food transiting the gut
might be benefi cial, such as short bowel syn-
drome. There is also at least one sequence
with fairly well - demonstrated anxiety -
reducing effects ( α casozepine). A thorough
review of the many potentially bioactive
peptide sequences that are possibly available
through the digestion of bovine milk proteins
is beyond the scope of this chapter. Several
good reviews have been published (see the
references at the end of the chapter).
Overall, it is clear that there are many
physiological impacts designed around the
use of these constituents (either direct or
through intensive digestion) that may be
exploited, though only a few have been com-
mercialized to date. This remains an area of
potentially high commercial and health
impact.
A variety of adult nutritional products
enriched with specifi c amino acids, specialty
oils, antioxidant and anti - infl ammatory
ingredients, high levels of specifi c vitamins,
and so forth are available and widely used in
specialty situations. Additional products
range from those designed as general nutri-
tion enhancements, to nutritional supple-
ments for specifi c chronic disease situations,
to the very specialized products designed for
people with critical needs.
Table 20.5 gives some of these indications
along with citations demonstrating clinical
effi cacy. The table is not intended to be com-
plete in either identifi cation of all of the many
target populations addressed by such prod-
ucts, nor in the citations demonstrating effi -
cacy. In most cases it cites a single example.
The intention is to illustrate the breadth of
applications currently available and suggest
the huge potential for future improvements in
coverage and the formulation to address spe-
cifi c patient group issues.
It is clear that there are a wide variety of
reasonably accessible, sophisticated nutri-
tional products designed for people with spe-
cialized needs. This product set is growing