CA2101274C

CA2101274C - Microbial oil mixtures and uses thereof

Info

Publication number: CA2101274C
Application number: CA002101274A
Authority: CA
Inventors: David J. Kyle
Original assignee: Martek Corp
Current assignee: Martek Corp
Priority date: 1991-01-24
Filing date: 1992-01-22
Publication date: 1998-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 2012-01-22
Also published as: EP0568606A1; EP1832181A3; US5550156A; EP1787532A2; JPH06505153A; CA2101274A1; OA10348A; DE69231793T2; BR9205526A; ES2157898T3; MX9200320A; NZ241359A; EP1961312A2; DE568606T1; AU661297B2; EP1961312A3; SG49307A1; EP1092352A3; IL100733A0; DE69231793D1

Abstract

The present invention relates to compositions including blends of microbial oils, methods of using such compositions, particularly as supplements for infant formula, and methods of increasing the amount of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in infant formula.

Description

W~92/12711 PCT/US92/~522 21012~

MICROBIAL OIL MIXTURES AND USES THEREOF

This invention relates to blends or mixtures of polyunsaturated fatty acid-contA;ni~g microbial oils and to uses thereof. In a specific preferred embodiment, this invention concerns the use of such oils as an additive or supplement for human diets, for example, as an additive to infant formula.
It long has been known that long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential to the human diet, particularly during periods of rapid tissue growth. Sanders et al, Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 31:805-813 (1978). Certain of these long chain acids, such as arachidonic acid (ARA), cannot be synthesized de novo in humans. Only by metabolizing linoleic acid (LOA), which is converted to gamma linolenic acid (GLA), and then to ARA can the human body produce AR~.
LOA, in turn, is an essential acid which can only be obtained from dietary sources. Additionally, the presence of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in the diet inhibits the metabolic conversion of LOA to ARA.
Carlson, et al., INFORM, 1:306 (1990). ARA and docosahexaneoic acid (DHA) are critical elements of muscle, organ and vascular tissues.
Infancy is the most significant period of rapid growth in a human's life. An infant can increase its body weight by three times or more during its first year of life. Accordingly, it is critical that the infant receive adequate amounts of PUFAs to insure "~,.

proper structural and organ development. Human breast milk contains high levels of PUFAs in which the ratio of ARA to EPA is typically about 20:1. However, many women choose not to breast feed their infants for either part or all of the first year of the infant's life.
A~ recognized by Cl~n~ln;n et al., U.S. Patent 4,670,285, available infant formulas are deficient in long chain (C20 and C22) PUFAs. Cl~n~;n;n et al.
disclose an infant formula prepared from a blend of vegetable oil and egg yolk lipid and/or fish oil which can provide a total fat composition comparable to that of human breast milk. A preferable composition comprise~ from 75 to 95 parts by weight egg yolk and 5 to 25 part~ vegetable oil. This composition iB the entire lipid content of the infant formula and it is not economical to prepare. Additionally, the infant formula disclosed by Cl~n~; n; n et al. results in an EPA
level which i~ 16 times higher than the level of EPA in human breast milk and an ARA level which i8 only one quarter that of brea~t milk.
DE 3603000A1 (Milupa) discloses a computer profile of a highly polyunsaturated acid fat mixture and discusses the use of such a mixture to produce infant formulas. Sources of the fatty acids are listed as certain types of macroalgae (i.e. seaweed), fish oil, organ fats from beef and pork, and highly refined egg yolk oil. In addition to DHA from fish oil, a potential ~ource of DHA and ARA i9 said to be macroalgae, but only of the seaweed types. There is no suggestion to use microbe~ of any type, much less microbial oil.
Methods of producing microbial oils are disclosed in the following references WO/91/14427, published 2 7 ~
~_ 3 October 3, 1991 discloses the production of eicosapentaneoic acid-cont~;n;ng single cell oils (EPASCO). WO 91/11918, published August 22, 1991 discloses the production of docosahexaneoic acid-containing single cell oil (DHASCO). C~nA~;an PatentApplication No. 2,101,273 filed January 22, 1992 (WO
92/13086 published August 6, 1992) relates to the production of arachidonic acid-containing single cell oil (ARASCO). EP 322,227 also discloses a microbial oil production system. None of these references teach the use of blends containing unmodified microbial oils a~ a dietary supplement, or the use of a blend of microbial oils as an additive to exi~ting infant formula to provide that formula with a long chain PUFA
composition similar to breast milk.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a PUFA-enriched additive, the composition of which when added to commercial infant formula will provide desired long chain PUFAs in amounts comparable to the amounts of those PUFAs found in human breast milk.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an economical method of producing the above-described composition.
These, and other, objects are satisfied by the present invention as described herein.

Sllmm~ry of the Tnv~nt;on Thi~ invention relates to the use of microbial oils which contain long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Additionally, in various embodiments, fish oil and/or vegetable oils can be blended with such microbial oils to form desired compositions. The ~,~

7 ~ ~
_ 4 compositions can be used a~ dietary supplements, particularly as additives for infant formula, as well as for pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications.
The invention also relates to economically viable 5 processes for altering the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of infant formula and/or baby food. Preferably, the altered composition resembles that of human breast milk.

10Detailed Description of the Preferred ~mhotl;mF~nt of t h ~? TnV~nt;~n ~ roadly stated, the present invention concerns blends, or mixtures, cont~;n;ng unmodified microbial oils. As used herein, "unmodified" mean~ not 15 chemically or covalently altered. It will be understood that throughout this specification references to "microbial oil" or "oil" mean, unless otherwise specifically 3tated, unmodified oil.
"Microbial oils" or "single cell oils" are those oils 20 naturally produced by microorganisms during their lifespan. Such oils can be high in long chain PUFAs.
The applicant has discovered that certain of these oils, when blended with other microbial oils, fish oils, vegetable oils, or any combination thereof, can 25 produce a composition useful for dietary, pharmaceutical or cosmetic purposes.
Various microbial oils, for example, can be obtained by, for example, the processes disclosed in above-referenced W0 91/14427, W0 91/11918, EP 322,227 30 ~Yamada et al., Suntory) or C~n~l;an Patent Application No. 2,102,273 (W0 92/13086).

,~

It i8 to be under~tood that the present invention encompasses the use of a ~ingle-microbial oil containing at least two desirable PUFAs, such as ARA
and DHA. The oils specifically disclosed and utilized herein, however, each contain a single desirable PUFA.
Any non-toxic, PUFA-containing microbial oil can be used in the present invention. The most preferred microbial oils are those rich in an omega-3 or omega-6 PUFA, especially DHA, G~A or ARA. These PUFAs typically are missing from, or are inadequately provided in, dietary supplements such as infant formulas or baby food. "Infant formula" as used herein means an enteral nutritional product which can be substituted for human brea~t milk in feeding infants and typically is composed of a desired percentage of fat mixed with desired percentages of carbohydrates and proteins in an aqueous solution. Frequently micronutrients, such as trace metals and vit~m; nc or other desired additives are present. Examples of such micronutrients and other additives are disclosed by Cl~n~;n;n et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,670,285.
In the present invention, types of oils from different microbes can be mixed together to obtain a desired composition. Alternatively, or additionally, PUFA-containing microbial oil can be blended with fish oil, vegetable oil or a mixture of both to obtain a desired composition.
An objective in mixing the oils is to obtain an additive which will provide an infant formula with a desired omega-3 and omega-6 PUFA composition similar to that found in breast milk. While the proportion of the desired fatty acids in a microbial oil can vary, this ~, ., .
,~", C

proportion can easily be determined and the amount of oil adjusted to provide the desired amount of PUFA.
Similarly, the percentage of desired PUFA in fish oil or vegetable oils can easily be determined and the amount of the oil to be added can be adjusted as necessary to achieve the desired results.
"Fish oils" are those oils obtained from fish.
Such oils typically contain DHA in amounts ranging from 3% to about 20%. Typically, however, fish oils also contain EPA which depresses the production of ARA in the body. The addition of a microbial oil containing high levels of ARA to fish oil-containing compositions substantially overcomes that problem.
"Vegetable oil" includes all those oils from plants which contain PUFAs. Typically, vegetable oils do not contain long chain ~UF~s (PUFAs at least 20 carbons long), which is why animal organ oils are usually characterized as the source of PUFAs. Thus, vegetarians, especially vegetarian mothers, can have a diet containing inadequate amounts of PUFAs. Vegetable oils known to contain PUFAs may contain GLA. GLA is a Cl~:3 omega-6 PUFA. Such oils include black currant seed oil, borage oil and primrose oil. While GLA is the metabolic precursor to ARA, the process of conversion is very slow, re~uiring the participation of the enzyme ~6-desaturase. This enzyme is present in humans in very low levels. Burre, et al., Lipids, 25:354-356 (1990). Thus, it would be preferable to provide the body with ARA rather than its precursor, GLA.
Methods for isolating vegetable oils are known to those of skill in the art and do not comprise a part of the present invention. Additionally, certain ~ungi 2 7 ~

produce PUFA-containing oils. For example, Mucor species produce a GLA-cont~-n;ng oil.
DHASCO, defined herein as docosahexaneoic acid-containing single cell oill can be obtained, for example, from Crypthecodinium cohnii as disclosed in above-referenced WO 91/11918. DHA is a C22:6 omega-3 long chain PUFA.
EPASCO, defined herein as eicosapentaneoic acid-containing single cell oil, can be obtainedl for example, from Nitzschia alba as disclosed in above-referenced WO 91/144270 EPA i9 a C20:5 omega-3 long chain PUFA.
ARASCO, defined herein as arachidonic acid-containing single cell oil, can be obtained from species such as Pythium insidiosum, or Mortierella alpina, as described in Canadian Patent Application No.
2,101,273 (WO 92/13086). ARA is a C20:4 omega-6 long chain PUFA.
Another aspect of the invention discloses a process for supplementing or altering the composition of commercially available infant formula ~o as to provide them with a PUFA composition more nearly like that typically contained in human breast milk.
"Typical" as used herein refers to the average amounts of PUFAs measured. One of the advantages of the present invention is that, if desired, a nursing mother choosing to switch to formula can have her breast milk analyzed for PUFA content. Then, an additive for a commercially available formula which will supply comparable amounts of PUFAs can be specifically designed. Long chain PUFA-conta;n;ng microbial oils from at least two microorganisms can be obtained and blended together to provide the desired composition.
The blend then can be added to an infant formula.
Preferably, an amount of the blend effective to provide ~ .

210127~
WO92/12711 PCT/US92/~522 an amount of the desired PUFAs substantially similar to that found in human breast milk will be provided.
Typically, human breast milk contains from about 0.5 to 0.6% of its fatty acid content as ARA, from about 0.15 to about 0.36% of its fatty acid content as DHA and from about 0.03 to about 0.13% of its fatty acid content as EPA. Thus, a preferred ratio of ARA:DHA:EPA is from about 5:l:l to about 20:l0:l respectively. Amounts of oils providing approximately these ratios of PUFAs can be determined without undue experimentation by those of skill in the art.
In a preferred embodiment, the microbial oils include ARASCO and DHASCO and EPASCO or any combination thereof. It is also preferred to use oil from microbes of the genera Mortierella, Pythium, Crypthecodini~m, and Nitzschia or any combination thereof. Particularly preferred species from these genera are M. alpina, P.
insidiosum, C. cohnii and N. alba. This preferred embodiment would provide an acceptable alternative for vegetarians, including breast-feeding or pregnant vegetarian women.
If desired, fish oil can be blended, or mixed, with any combination of, or individual, microbial oil to produce a composition which, when subsequently added to infant formula will alter the PUFA content thereof in a desirable manner. Such a composition would not be suitable for a strict vegetarian intake. A preferred fish oil is specially processed Menhaden Oil (produced by Zapata Hayne, Inc.) which typically contains about 9% DHA. Of course, other fish oils also can be used.
When DHASCO is to be blended with ARASCO, and no other PUFA-containing oils are to be utilized, it is desirable to blend sufficient amounts of the oils to provide from about l to about 5 parts DHA with from WO92/12711 2 1 0 1 2 7 4 PCT/US92/~522 ~....

about 2 to about 12 parts ARA. A most preferred ratio of DHA to ARA is l:3 respectively.
As another example, Menhaden fish oil, as noted above, typically contains about 9~ by weight DHA.
ARASCO typically contains about 20 - 40% by weight ARA.
DHASCO typically contains about 25 - 40% by weight DHA.
It has been found that a blend of l part ~e~Aden oil containing about 9% by weight DH~ with l0 parts ARASCO
containing about 33% by weight ARA and 3 parts DHASCO
containing about 35~ by weight DHA, when added to infant formula, causes the infant formula to closely approximate the ARA and DHA content of human breast milk. Other ratios can be readily calculated.
In another embodiment of the present invention is disclosed a process for making a supplement for infant formula or baby food which entails blending a DHA-containing oil with a GLA-containing oil. It is to be understood that, in general, any combination of GLA-, EPA-, ARA- or DHA-containing oils, with or without fish oil, can be used. The source of the GLA can be a vegetable oil, such as primrose, black currant or borage oil, or a microbial oil such as the oil from Mucor javonicus or Mortierella isabellina, for example.
Table l sets forth the GLA composition of such oils.
In a preferred aspect of this embodiment, about l part of Menhaden oil containing about 9% DHA, about 4 parts of GLA-containing oil containing about 18% GLA from black currant seed, and about l part of D~'ASCO
containing about 33% DHA are blended together. Other ratios can be selected as desired.

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_I N N' WO92/12711 2 1 0 12~ ~ PCT/US92/~522 A composition including a blend of any combination of the above-described microbial oils with or without either, or both, fish oil and vegetable oil is another aspect of the present invention. While the composition includes any ratios of the oils, the ratios previously described are preferred.
In another preferred embodiment, the composition serves as a nutritional supplement. Typically, such supplements are encapsulated, such as in gelatin capsules. Such capsules provide an easy form of administration to persons having a need for supplementation, such as pregnant or nursing women.
However, parenteral administration is a viable option and in one embodiment the composition comprises the fat component of a total parenteral nutritional formula.
Such formulas are known and commercially available.
As will be understood, the composition of the present invention is particularly useful as a dietary supplement for pregnant or nursing women. Vegetarian women, in particular, may require increased amounts of DHA and ARA, yet have been precluded from obtaining such in the past because the only available sources were animal.
The invention having been previously described in general, reference is now had to the following non-limiting examples for illustrative purposes only.
ExamPles ~xamPle 1. PreParation of P. insidiosum lipid In an 80 liter (gross volume) fermentor, 51 liters of tap water, 1.2 kg glucose, 240 grams of yeast extract and 15 ml of MAZU 210S~ antifoam were combined.
The fermentor was sterilized at 121~C fo- 45 minutes.
An additional 5 liters of condensate water were added ~1~1 2J~q during the sterilization process. The pH was adjusted to 6.2, and approximately 1 liter of inoculum (at a cell density of 5-lOg/l) of PYthium insidiosum tATCC
#28251) then was added. The agitation rate was adjusted to 125 RPM (250 cm/sec tip speed) and the aeration rate was set at 1 SCMF (standard cubic feet per minute). At hour 24 in the operation the aeration rate was increased to 3 SCFM. At hour 28 an additional 2 liters of 50% glucose syrup (1 kg glucose) were added. At hour 50 the fermentor was harvested, resulting in a yield of about 2.2 kg wet weight (approximately 15 g dry weight) per liter. Harvested biomass was squeezed to a high solids cake (50% solids) on a suction filter before freeze drying. The dried biomass was ground with a mortar and pestle and extracted with 1 liter of hexane per 200 grams of dry biomass at room temperature under continuous stirring for 2 hours. The mixture then was filtered and the filtrate evaporated to yield about 5-6 grams of crude oil per 100 grams of dry biomass. The biomass then was reextracted with 1 liter of ethanol per 20 grams of dry biomass for 1 hour at room temperature, filtered, and the solvent evaporated yielding an additional 22 grams of crude oil per 100 grams of dry biomass. The second fraction was predominantly phospholipids whereas the first fraction contained a mixture of phospholipids and triglycerides. The combined fractions produced an oil containing about 30-35% arachidonic acid and no detectable EPA.

Example 2. PreParation of M. alpina liPid Mortierella alpina (ATCC #42430) was grown in a 2 liter shake fl~sk containing 1 liter of tap water and WO92/12711 2 1 0 12 ~ 4 PCT/US92/00522 20 grams of potato dextrose medium. The flask was under constant orbital agitation and was maintained at 25~C for seven days. After harvesting by centrifugation, the biomass was freeze dried yielding about 8 grams of lipid-rich mycelia. The mycelia was extracted using hexane as in example #l and about 2.4g of crude oil resulted. This oil contains about 23%
arachidonic acid.

Example 3 Into a 30-liter working volume STF was loaded a medium of one quarter strength artificial seawater.
Six liters of IO were combined with 18 liters of tap water. The fermentor containing the medium was sterilized and cooled to 28~C. Four hundred ml of concentrated YE (455g/l), 900 ml of glucose syrup t400 g/l) and one liter of inoculum from a seed fermentor containing about 2 x 107 C. cohnii cells/ml or a biomass of 20 g/liter (yielding a final concentration of about 105 cells/ml or a biomass of about 700 mg/liter), were added to the medium. The C. cohnii cells, designated MK8840, were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection as ATCC 40750. Agitation was set at 120 cm/sec tip speed and aeration was set at 1 VVM (30 liters per minute). Additional glucose syrup (900 ml) was added after 30 hours and another 4.2 liters over the next 42 hours. Thus 6 liters of glucose syrup were added in total. Concentrated YE solution ;400 ml) was added at hour 6 and another l.2 liters were added over the next 48 hours until a total of 2.0 liters had been added. To maintain the D.O. at greater than 20~, at 24 hours the agitation tip speed was increased to l50 cm/sec and at 48 hours to 160 cm/sec. At 72 hours, the tip speed was increased to 200 cm/sec and the culture ~lUl~ ~

was permitted to grow for an additional time sufficient to convert the final charge of glucose into cellular oil. The culture was then harvested by centrifugation with the cell pellet retained. The harvested pellet of cells was frozen and dried (lyophilized) to about a 4%
moisture content. Hexane (2.8 liters) was added to the dried biomass and stirred in a glass kettle for l.5 hours at 50~C. A rotary evaporator was used to remove the hexane, producing about l75 g of crude DHA-contAining oil.

Example 4 Into a conventional 30 liter stirred tank fermentor (STF) is added the nutrient medium of Table A, exclusive of the vitAmins, glucose and silicate. The fermentor is equipped with a Rushton-type turbine agitator. The STF and the medium are sterilized. After cooling the medium to about 30~C, the vitamins are added, followed by the addition of sufficient amounts of 40% glucose syrup to provide a glucose concentration of about 80 g/l. Concentrated sodium metasilicate pentahydrate (l00 g/l) is then added to provide a total silicate concentration of about 200 mg/l. Next, the inoculating amount of culture of N. alba cells obtained from the American Type Culture Collection as ATCC 40775, is added in an amount approximately equal to 5% of the total volume of the fermentor, e.g. l.5 liters/30 liters. Agitation is commenced with the tip speed set to 85-90 cm/sec and air sparglng at 1 VVM started. Over about l6 hours an additional charge of concentrated metasilicate (0.53 liters) is added and the agitation speed increased to 126 cm/sec. Over about the next 24 hours, more concentrated silicate (0.83 liters) is added.

Agitation speed again is increased to about 180-185 cm/sec. Over about the next 3 hours an additional 0.15 liters of concentrated metasilicate is added. Thus, the total amount of metasilicate added is about 156 grams or about 1.6 liters of concentrated solution. At about 48 hours additional glucose (about 5 liters) is added, for a total glucose addition of about 4.8 Kg or about 12 liters of 40~ glucose syrup. The culture is permitted to grow for an additional 16 hours, maintaining the agitation speed and aeration rate.
Then, the fermentor is harvested using a Sharples continuous flow centrifuge producing a biomass density of approximately 45-48 grams dry weight per liter. The resulting pellet, about 20-38% solids, is removed and frozen to about -20~C. A vacuum tray drier is used to le...ove water from the pellet. The single cell oil pellet then is extracted with hexane. The hexane subsequently is removed by distillation leaving the extracted single cell oil.

W092/12711 2 1 0 1 2 7 ~ PCT/US92/00522 Table A
GROWTH MEDIUM COMPOSITION
Ingredients needed for 2x30L Fermentors and 2x350L
Fermentors.
Total ReciPe 3OL-Batch 35OL-Batch l9g/L I.O. (Instant Ocean~)570g 6.65Kg 3g/L NaNO3 90g 1.05Kg 0.5g/L NaH2PO4-H20 15g 175g 0.2g/L Na2SiO3-5H20 6g 70g 6ml/L f/2 TM (trace metals)180ml 2.lL
60mg/L H3BO3 1.8g 21g 6mg/L Na2SeO3 180mg 2.lg lOmg/L NaF 300mg 3.5g 40mg/L SrCl2-6H20 1.2g 14g 150mg/L KBr 4.5g 52.5g 0.5g/L KCl 15g 175g 2ml/L B6 TM (trace metals)60ml 700ml After Sterilization O.lml/L of O.lmg/ml Bl2 3ml 35ml O.lml/L of O.lmg/ml Biotin3ml 35ml 2ml/L of lmg/ml Thiamine HCl60ml 700ml Glucose: (1) Start with 80g/L 6L 70L
(40% stock solution) (2) Add another 40g/1 31 35L
1 and 2 (additional 6 liters on day 2) Silicate: Add 60ml/liter of'.8L 21L
lOOg/liter stock solution add additional amounts of stock solution over 48 hours WO92/12711 2 1 0 1 2 7 ~ PCT/US92/00522 Example 5. PreParation of Oil Mix #l and addition to infant formula.
The first mixture represents a totally vegetarian source of an arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acid supplement. This supplement would be considered acceptable to persons restricted to a vegetarian diet.
Sanders et al. (Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 31:805; 1978) have reported that the DHA levels in the breast milk of vegetarian mothers are depressed. Enteral supplementation of a blend of DHA single cell oil and ARA single cell oil will elevate the serum and, hence, breast milk levels of DHA to that of omnivorous mothers. This blend is prepared by mi xi ng one part DHASCO containing about 35% DHA (obtained from Crypthecodinium cohnii as described in Example 3) with three parts ARASCO containing about 33% ARA (obtained from Pythium insidiosum as described in Example 1).
The resulting mixture, or blend, has the fatty acid composition shown in Table 2. The blend is mixed in a ratio of one part blend to forty parts of the oils regularly in infant formula, typically about 2.8 - 3.0 grams per 100 ml of formula. At a normal fat content of 30g fat per liter of Similac~ infant formula, this corresponds to the addition of 750 mg per liter of prepared formula. This supplement provides ARA and DHA
levels equivalent to human breast milk.

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21Q12~4 WO92/12711 PCT/US92/~522 ~xamPle 6. PreParation of Oil Nix #2 and addition to infant formula.
This mixture represents a totally vegetarian source of long chain PUFAs and would be considered acceptable to persons restricted to a vegetarian diet.
This blend is prepared by mixing three parts DHASCO
containing about 35% DHA (obtained from Crypthecodinium cohnii as described in Example 3) with ten parts ARASCO
containing about 33~ ARA (obtained from Pythium insidiosum as described in Example 1) and five parts EPASO containing about 5~ EPA (obtained from N. alba as described in Example 4). The resulting mixture, or blend, has the fatty acid composition shown in Table 3.
The blend is mixed in a ratio of one part blend to thirty parts of the oils regularly in infant formula.
At a normal fat content of 30g fat per liter of Similac~ infant formula, this would correspond to the addition of one gram per liter of prepared formula.
This supplement provides ARA, DHA and EPA levels equivalent to human breast milk.

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WO92/12711 2 1 Q i 2 7 4 PCT/US92/00522 2l Exam~le 7. PreParation of Oil Mix ~3 and addition to infant formula.
This mixture is a blend of ARASCO with fish oils.
Oil mixture #3 is prepared by adding one part specially processed Menhaden Oil (Zapata Hayne Inc.) containing about 9% DHA to one part of ARASCO, obtained from Pythium insidios~m as described previously containing about 33% ARA. The resultant fatty acid composition is shown in Table 4. This blend is mixed in a ratio of one part blend to thirty parts of the oils regularly in infant formula. At a normal fat content of 30 g fat per liter of infant formula, this corresponds to the addition of 1 gram per liter of prepared formula. This supplement provides ARA and DHA levels equivalent to human breast milk, but the EPA levels are about eight-fold higher than those in breast milk.

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U~ o ~ o ~- 23 ExamPle 8. PreParation of Oil Mix ~4 and addition to infant formula Oil mixture #4 was developed to utilize GLA in place of arachidonic acid. This blend was prepared by mixing one part specially prepared Menhaden oil containing about 9% DHA (Zapata Hayne Inc.) with four parts black currant seed oil containing about 18% GLA
and one part DHASCO containing about 35~ DHA. The resultant fatty acid composition is shown in Table 5.
This blend is mixed in a ratio of one part blend to forty parts of the oils regularly in infant formula.
At a normal fat content of 30g fat per liter, this would correspond to the addition of 750 mg per liter of prepared formula. This supplement provides EPA and DHA
levels equivalent to human breast milk. The ARA levels are about one tenth the level in human breast milk.
However, the GLA levels are twenty to fifty times higher than the GLA levels in breast milk which typically are minute.

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WO92/12711 21012 ~ 4 PCT/US92/00522 ExamPle 9. PreParation of Oil Mix #5 and addition to infant for,mula Oil mixture #5 was developed to best approximate the composition of DHA, ARA and EPA of human breast milk. This oil blend was prepared by mixing one part specially prepared Menhaden oil containing about 9% DHA
(zapata Hayne Inc.) with ten parts of ARASCO containing about 33% ARA and three parts DHASCO contAining about 35% DHA. The resultant fatty acid composition is shown in Table 6. This blend is mixed in a ratio of one part blend to forty parts of the oils regularly in infant formula. At a normal fat content of 30g fat per liter of infant formula, this corresponds to the addition of 750 mg per liter of prepared formula. This supplement provides EPA, DHA and ARA levels substantially equivalent to those levels in human breast milk.

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O ~- -- -- -- -- -- -- .- .- -. --0 ~ 0 ~ CO 00 0 0 0 0 0 ~ c ~ o ~92/12711 2 1 0 12 ~ 4 PCT/US92/00522 ExamPle lO. PreParation of Oil MIx #6 and addition to infant formula ~, This mixture represents a totally vegetarian source of arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acid. This supplement would be considered acceptable to persons restricted to a vegetarian diet. Sanders et al.
(American J. Clin. Nutr. 31:805; 1978) have reported that the DHA levels in the breast milk of vegetarian mothers are depressed. Enteral supplementation of the blend will elevate the serum and hence breast milk levels of DHA to that of omnivorous mothers. This blend is prepared by mixing one part DHA oil (obtained from Crypthecodinium cohnii as described in Example 3) with five parts ARA oil (obtained from Mortierella alpina as described in Example 2). The resulting mixture has the fatty acid composition shown in Table 7. This blend is mixed in a ratio of one part to thirty-five parts of the oils regularly in infant formula. At a normal fat content of 35 g fat per liter, this would correspond to the addition of l g per liter of prepared formula. This supplement provides ARA and DHA levels equivalent to human breast milk.

~10127~
WO92/12711 PCT/US92/00~22 Table 7. Composition of a blend of DHA oil and ARA oil in proportions of 1:5 by weight.
Infant Formula + Breast Fatt~ Acid Oil Mix #6 Formula Mix #6 Milk 8:0 + 10:00.0 41.8 40.6 1.74 12:0 + 14:04.0 20.7 20.214.95 16:0 16.8 6.8 7.119.82 16:1 0.5 0.2 0.2 3.2 18:0 11.0 2.3 2.5 5.91 18:1 17.8 10.0 10.034.82 18:2 n6 11.1 17.4 17.216.00 18:3 n3 5.2 0.9 0.9 0.62 18:3 n6 4.5 --- 0.1 0.00 20:1 --- 0.1 0.1 1.10 20:2 n6 --- --- 0.0 0.61 20:3 n6 6.0 --- 0.17 0.42 20:4 n6 20.1 --- 0.57 0.59 20:5 n3 0.1 --- 0.01 0.03 22:1 --- --- 0.00 0.10 22:4 n6 2.0 --- 0.06 0.21 22:5 n6 --- --- 0.00 0.22 22:6 n3 6.1 --- 0.18 0.19

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A process for supplementing infant formula with DHA and ARA which comprises:
a) preparing an oil blend consisting essentially of a microbial oil enriched in DHA and a microbial oil enriched in ARA, wherein the DHA and ARA are in the form of triglycerides and the oils are blended to provide a ratio of about 2 to 12 parts ARA and about 1 to 5 parts DHA and the oil blend further provides an EPA:ARA ratio of about 1 part EPA to from about 5 to about 20 parts ARA; and b) adding said oil blend to said infant formula in sufficient amounts that the amounts of DHA, ARA and EPA in said formula are comparable to the amounts of DHA, ARA and EPA
in human breast milk.

2. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the ARA-containing oil comprises at least 20% ARA.

3. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the DHA-containing oil comprises at least about 25%
DHA.

4. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the DHA-containing oil and the ARA-containing oil are added to the infant formula to provide a ratio of ARA:DHA ranging from about 3:1 to about 2:1.

5. A process in accordance with claim 4, wherein the DHA-containing oil and the ARA-containing oil are added to the infant formula to provide a ratio of ARA:DHA of about 2:1.

6. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein said ARA-containing oil is obtained by a process comprising cultivating Pythium insidiosum or Mortierella alpina under conditions which will induce the production of an oil enriched in ARA.

7. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein said DHA-containing oil is obtained by cultivating a DHA-producing species of Crypthecodinium.

8. A process for supplementing infant formula with DHA and ARA which consists essentially of blending a triglyceride oil enriched in DHA and a triglyceride oil enriched in ARA, wherein the oils are blended to provide an ARA:DHA:EPA ratio of from about 5 parts ARA
and 1 part DHA to about 20 parts ARA and 10 parts DHA
to about 1 part EPA, and adding said blend to infant formula in amounts sufficient to provide the infant formula with DHA, ARA and EPA in amounts comparable to the amounts of DHA, ARA and EPA in human breast milk.

9. A process for supplementing infant formula with DHA and ARA which consists essentially of:
a) obtaining a microbial oil enriched in DHA and blending it with a microbial oil enriched in ARA, wherein the DHA and ARA are in the form of triglycerides and the oils are blended to provide a ratio of about 2 to 12 parts ARA
and about 1 to 5 parts DHA and the oil blend is free of EPA; and b) adding said oil blend to said infant formula in sufficient amounts that the amounts of DHA
and ARA in said formula are comparable to the amounts of DHA and ARA in human breast milk.

10. A composition consisting essentially of a blend of a microbial oil enriched in DHA and a microbial oil enriched in ARA, wherein said DHA and ARA
are in the form of triglycerides and the oils are blended to provide an ARA:DHA:EPA ratio of from about 5 parts ARA and 1 part DHA to about 20 parts ARA and 10 parts DHA to about 1 part EPA.

11. A composition in accordance with claim 10, wherein the microbial oil enriched in DHA comprises at least about 25% DHA.

12. A composition in accordance with claim 10, wherein the microbial oil enriched in ARA comprises at least about 20% ARA.

13. A composition consisting essentially of a blend of a microbial oil enriched in DHA and a microbial oil enriched in ARA, wherein the oils are blended to provide a ratio of about 2 to 12 parts ARA
and about 1 to 5 parts DHA.

14. A composition in accordance with claim 13, wherein the oils are blended to provide a ratio of ARA:DHA of about 2:1.

15. A composition in accordance with claim 13, wherein the amount of EPA is about one twentieth of less the amount of ARA.

16. A composition in accordance with claim 13, wherein the oil enriched in ARA was produced by cultivating Pythium insidiosum or Mortierella alpina under conditions which will induce the production of an oil enriched in ARA.

17. A composition in accordance with claim 13, wherein the oil enriched in DHA was produced by cultivating a DHA-producing species of Crypthecodinium under DHA-producing conditions.

18. A composition comprising a blend of triglyceride oils, wherein said blend consists essentially of ARA, DHA and EPA in a ratio of about 20:10:1 to about 5.101.

19. A composition comprising a blend of a microbial triglyceride oil enriched in ARA and a microbial triglyceride oil enriched in DHA, wherein the microbial triglyceride oils are provided in amounts to provide a ratio of about 2 to 12 parts ARA and about 1 to 5 parts DHA and said oils further are free of EPA.

20. Infant formula comprising a blend of a microbial oil enriched in DHA and a microbial oil enriched in ARA, wherein the DHA and ARA are in the form of triglycerides and the oils are blended to provide a ratio of about 2 to 12 parts ARA and about 1 to 5 parts DHA, the amount of DHA-containing oil and the amount of ARA-containing oil are sufficient to provide amounts of ARA and DHA comparable to the amounts of DHA and ARA in human breast milk and the formula further comprises EPA in a maximum amount of about one twentieth the amount of ARA.

21. Infant formula consisting essentially of a blend of a microbial oil enriched in DHA and an oil enriched in GLA, wherein the amount of the DHA-containing oil is sufficient to provide an amount of DHA comparable to the amount in human breast milk and the amount of the GLA-containing oil is sufficient to provide GLA in an amount that, upon administration of the formula to an infant, can be converted in the infant's body to an amount of ARA comparable to the amount of ARA obtainable from human breast milk.

22. Infant formula comprising DHA and ARA, wherein the DHA and ARA are in the form of triglycerides, the triglycerides are blended to provide a ratio of about 2 to 12 parts ARA and about 1 to 5 parts DHA, and the amount of DHA-containing triglyceride and the amount of ARA-containing triglyceride are sufficient to provide amounts comparable to the amounts of DHA and ARA in human breast milk, wherein said formula is free of EPA.

23. A process for making a supplement for infant formula consisting essentially of blending a docosahexaneoic acid DHA-containing microbial oil and a gamma linolenic acid GLA-containing oil, and adding an amount of the blended oils to infant formula, such that the amount of DHA provided by the blend is sufficient to provide an amount of DHA comparable to the amount in human breast milk and the amount of GLA provided by the blend is sufficient to provide GLA in an amount that, upon administration of the formula to an infant, can be converted in the infant's body to an amount of arachidonic acid (ARA) comparable to the amount of ARA
obtainable from human breast milk.

24. The process of claim 23, wherein said linolenic acid-containing oil comprises primrose, borage, or black currant seed oil.

25. The process of claim 23, wherein said linolenic acid-containing oil comprises a microbial oil.

26. The process of claim 25, further comprising obtaining said linolenic acid-containing oil from Mucor javonicus or Mortierella isabellina.

27. The process of claim 23, further comprising blending an EPA-containing oil with said DHA-containing microbial oil and said linolenic acid-containing oil.

28. The process of claim 27, wherein said EPA-containing oil comprises fish oil.

29. The process of claim 28, wherein said fish oil comprises about one part, said linolenic acid-containing oil comprises about 4 parts and said DHA-containing oil comprises about 1 part by weight of said blend.

30. The process of claim 28, wherein said fish oil comprises about one part, said linolenic acid-containing oil comprises about 4 parts and said DHA-containing oil comprises about 1 part by weight of said blend.

31. A composition consisting essentially of a blend of a DHA-containing microbial oil and a gamma linolenic acid-containing oil, in a ratio such that adding to infant formula an amount of the blended oil composition sufficient to provide an amount of the DHA
comparable to the amount in human breast milk will provide an amount of GLA in the formula that, upon administration of the formula to an infant, can be converted in the infant's body to an amount of ARA
comparable to the amount of ARA obtainable from human breast milk.

32. The composition of claim 31, wherein said linolenic acid-containing oil comprises primrose, borage, or black currant seed oil.

33. The composition of claim 31, wherein said linolenic acid containing-oil is an oil obtained from a microbe.

34. The composition of claim 33, wherein said microbe comprises Mucor javonicus or Mortierella isabellina.

35. The composition of claim 31, also comprising an EPA-containing oil, wherein the amount of EPA
provided by the blend is less than or equal to one-fifth of the amount of ARA obtained from conversion of GLA in the infant's body.

36. The composition of claim 35, wherein said EPA-containing oil comprises fish oil.

37. The composition of claim 36, wherein said fish oil comprises about one part, said linolenic acid-containing oil comprises about 4 parts and said DHA-containing oil comprises about 1 part by weight of said blend.

38. A composition comprising a blend of an oil containing DHA and an oil containing ARA, wherein DHA
and ARA are in the form of triglycerides and further wherein at least one of the oil containing DHA and the oil containing ARA is a microbial oil and ARA:EPA ratio of the blend is at least 5:1.

39. A composition according to claim 38, wherein the oils are blended to provide a ratio of about 2 to 12 parts ARA to about 1 to 5 parts DHA.

40. A composition in accordance with claim 39, wherein the microbial oil containing DHA comprises about 25-40% DHA.

41. A composition in accordance with claim 39, wherein the microbial oil containing DHA comprises at least about 35% DHA.

42. A composition in accordance with claim 39, wherein the microbial oil containing ARA comprises about 20-40% ARA.

43. A composition in accordance with claim 39, wherein the oils are blended to provide a ratio of ARA:DHA of about 2:10

44. The composition according to any one of claims 31 or 39, comprising fish oil blended with at least one microbial oil.

45. The composition of claim 44, wherein the ratio of fish oil to microbial oil is from 1:1 to 1:15.

46. A composition according to claim 38, wherein the oils are blended to provide an ARA:DHA:EPA ratio of from about 5 parts ARA and 1 part DHA to about 20 parts ARA and 10 parts DHA to about 1 part EPA.

47. A composition according to claim 38, comprising a blend of a microbial triglyceride oil containing ARA, and a microbial triglyceride oil containing DHA, wherein the microbial triglyceride oils are blended in amounts to provide a ratio of about 2 to 12 parts ARA to about 1 to 5 parts DHA and said oils further are essentially free of EPA.

48. A nutritional supplement containing the composition of any one of claims 31, 38 or 39.

49. A nutritional supplement according to claim 48, comprising a blend of a microbial oil containing DHA and a microbial oil containing ARA, wherein the oils are blended to provide a ratio of about 2 to 12 parts ARA and about 1 to 5 parts DHA, said oils having ARA and DHA in the form of triglycerides.

50. The nutritional supplement according to claim 48, wherein the supplement is a human nutritional supplement.

51. The nutritional supplement according to claim 48, wherein the human is a baby.

52. The nutritional supplement according to claim 48, wherein the human is a pregnant or nursing woman.

53. A total parenteral nutrition formula containing the composition according to any of claims 31, 38 or 39.