Baby food products containing allergenic proteins and methods of delivering same

Abstract

Baby food products containing allergenic protein and methods of delivering the products are provided as a source of early introduction for prevention of food allergy in children. The product may be a solid or semi-solid product and includes an allergenic protein, one or more of a prebiotic or a probiotic, and a foodstuff. A method of feeding a baby food product to a child involves providing the child with a serving of the baby food product such that the child ingests a pre-defined amount of an allergenic protein. The serving may be provided on a periodic basis such that the child ingests a constant amount of the allergenic protein per week over an extended period.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A baby food product, comprising:
 an admixture of:
 an allergenic protein; 
 a predefined serving of a solid or semi-solid foodstuff; and 
 a probiotic, wherein the probiotic comprises one or more of:  lactobacilli, saccharomyces, bifidobacteria  strains,  bacillus  coagulans, or a combination, 
   wherein the product is pre-packaged in a sealed package, and   wherein the packaged product is sanitized.   
     
     
         2 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the allergenic protein is selected from one or more of:
 peanuts, a tree nut or eggs.   
     
     
         3 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the allergenic protein is a non-animal based protein. 
     
     
         4 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the allergenic protein is one or more of: defatted, heat treated, or non-heat treated. 
     
     
         5 . The product of  claim 4 , wherein the allergenic protein is heat treated and an allergenicity of the allergenic protein is altered by the heat treatment. 
     
     
         6 . The product of  claim 5 , wherein the allergenicity of the allergenic protein is increased. 
     
     
         7 . The product of  claim 5 , wherein the allergenicity of the allergenic protein is decreased. 
     
     
         8 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the foodstuff comprises one or more of a solid consumable food product or a semi-solid consumable food product. 
     
     
         9 . The product of  claim 8 , wherein the solid consumable food product or the semi-solid consumable food product comprises one or more of: a vegetable or fruit puree, a grain meal or mash or a cereal. 
     
     
         10 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the allergenic protein accounts for up to 3.5 wt % of the baby food product. 
     
     
         11 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the baby food product further comprises a prebiotic. 
     
     
         12 . The product of  claim 1 , having up to about 25 wt % fat content. 
     
     
         13 . The product of  claim 1 , wherein the packaged product contains a pre-defined amount of allergenic protein per serving. 
     
     
         14 . The product of  claim 13 , wherein the pre-defined amount of allergenic protein is about 0.5 grams to about 2 grams. 
     
     
         15 . The product of  claim 13 , wherein the serving is a three to four ounce serving. 
     
     
         16 . The product of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more of natural preservatives, viscosifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, emulsifiers, suspension agents, micronutrients, macronutrients, vitamins and minerals. 
     
     
         17 . A method of feeding a baby food product to a child, comprising:
 providing the child with a serving of the baby food product such that the child ingests a pre-defined amount of an allergenic protein, the serving provided on a periodic basis such that the child ingests about 6 grams of the allergenic protein per week over an extended period of weeks,   wherein the baby food product comprises the allergenic protein and a probiotic, wherein the probiotic comprises one or more of:  lactobacilli, saccharomyces, bifidobacteria  strains,  bacillus  coagulans, or a combination,   wherein the product is pre-packaged in a sealed package, and   wherein the packaged product is sanitized.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the periodic basis is one or more of daily, once every two days, once every three days or combinations. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the amount of allergenic protein ingested over the extended period remains constant. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the allergenic protein is selected from one or more of:
 peanuts, a tree nut or eggs.