Concentration of Bioactive and Mineral Compounds in Enteral Tube Feed Products Made of Plant-Based Ingredients

Nowadays available products for enteral nutrition are supplemented with synthetic ingredients. The effectiveness of these products is undeniable in the medical industry, but there is concern about bioavailability of synthetic vitamin and mineral compounds in comparison to naturally occurring ones. The aim of this study was to create plant-based formulations for enteral tube feed and to determine their bioactive compound and mineral compound concentration in comparison with the values recommended by the European regulations for special medical purpose food that is not meant to satisfy the nutritional requirements of infants. For this study, five enteral tube feed formulas were made from fruit, berry, and vegetable semi-finished products with added whey protein isolate, canola oil, cod liver oil, iodised salt, and ascorbic acid. The samples were thermally processed and concentration of vitamin C, total carotenes, total phenols and mineral compounds: P, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Se was determined. All samples showed < 20 mg·kg⁻¹ per sample of Se, and also concentration of Zn was under the (EU) 2016/128 requirements. However, concentration of Mg (345.2 to 420 mg·100 kcal⁻¹ of product) and K (29.2 to 39.2 mg·100 kcal⁻¹ of product) exceeded the maximum levels. Also, the concentration of vitamin C exceeded the maximum, by average two times per sample, as L-ascorbic acid was added in response to previous experiments showing unsatisfying levels.