Acceptability of an Alimentary Supplement of Whey-Protein Concentrate and TGF-β in Patients with Crohn’s Disease

The objective of this study was to evaluate the acceptability of an alimentary supplement of bovine whey-protein concentrate (WPC) and TGF-β, unavailable commercially, by patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and determine the chemical composition, solubility, and total amino acids content. The supplement was diluted in water, and an acceptance test was done to evaluate the aroma, flavour, and viscosity of the product using facial hedonic scale (nine-point scale), applied on 54 CD patients. The supplement composition indicated 73.3% protein, 10.5% fat, 2.2% ash, 6.3% water, and 7.7% carbohydrate. The supplement is presented as a good protein source and high content of essential amino acids. The average acceptance for all the attributes was between 5.0 and 6.0, and the flavour was mainly associated with soybean/grain, sour milk, and sweet/vanilla flavour. The results indicated that the supplement provided important nutritional properties for CD patients; however, for a large number of individuals to be encouraged to perform supplementation, it is essential to improve the sensory quality of the product. In order to do so, additional research is necessary to prevent the formation of volatiles which cause off-flavours or to mask undesirable aromas/flavours found in it. 1. Introduction The interest in whey-protein supplement (WPS) increased with consumer’s sensibility concerning health benefits, since the immunomodulatory role of WPS has already been amply demonstrated [1, 2]. The whey protein (WP) constitutes 20% of the total protein content of bovine milk and includes alpha-lactalbumin (α-LA), beta-lactoglobulin (β-LG), bovine serum albumin (BSA), lactoferrin (LTF), immunoglobulins (Ig), and growth factors to tissues. They are associated with the prebiotic effect, promoting tissue restoration, maintenance of intestinal integrity, destruction of pathogens, and elimination of toxins [3]. Highly digestible and quickly absorbed by the body, the WPs are widely used in situations of metabolic stress [4]. Whey-protein concentrates (WPCs) and whey-protein isolates (WPIs) usually contain a cysteine concentration at least four times higher than other high-quality proteins, and it produces an improvement in immune response [5]. Crohn’s disease (CD) is a complex chronic inflammatory disease, with periods of exacerbation [6], which affects the gastrointestinal tract, and may also involve the musculoskeletal system, skin, and eyes [7]. It is important to consider that although the CD may affect any portion of the digestive tract, in most cases it occurs more frequently in