Arla Foods Ingredients cuts phenylalanine further with new CGMP for PKU diets

Arla Foods Ingredients expanded its portfolio for medical nutrition in December with the launch of a new casein glycomacropeptide ingredient designed to further reduce dietary phenylalanine intake for people with phenylketonuria. The company said its latest product, Lacprodan CGMP-30, contained around 50% less phenylalanine than its predecessor, offering a new option for patients with the highest sensitivity to the amino acid.

Phenylketonuria, or PKU, is a rare inherited metabolic disorder that affects the body’s ability to metabolize phenylalanine, an amino acid found naturally in most protein-containing foods. The condition affects around one in 24,000 newborns globally. Without strict dietary management, phenylalanine can accumulate in the blood and brain, leading to severe neurological complications including intellectual disability, epilepsy, and behavioral problems.

For decades, standard treatment for PKU relied on a lifelong low-protein diet combined with protein substitutes based largely on free amino acids. While effective in controlling phenylalanine intake, such regimens have been associated with poor adherence, in part due to challenges around taste, palatability, and gastrointestinal discomfort.

Arla Foods Ingredients entered this space with the introduction of Lacprodan CGMP-20, a highly purified CGMP ingredient with very low phenylalanine content. CGMP is a naturally occurring milk-derived peptide that, unlike most dietary proteins, is intrinsically low in phenylalanine. Clinical research showed that partially replacing free amino acids with Lacprodan CGMP-20 in protein substitutes could deliver measurable benefits for people with PKU.

Studies demonstrated statistically significant improvements in gastrointestinal symptoms compared to protein substitutes based entirely on free amino acids, as well as superior taste and palatability. These factors were seen as important contributors to long-term dietary compliance, which remains a central challenge in PKU management.

With Lacprodan CGMP-30, Arla Foods Ingredients said it had taken the concept a step further. In addition to offering the same functional and sensory benefits as CGMP-20, the new ingredient reduced phenylalanine levels by approximately half again, making it particularly suitable for patients who require the strictest control.

Mads Dyrvig, Head of Sales Development for Specialized Nutrition at Arla Foods Ingredients, said the new launch built directly on years of experience with CGMP-based solutions for PKU.

“For many years, Lacprodan CGMP-20 has been helping patients with PKU, supporting compliance with their dietary regimens to help improve their quality of life,” Dyrvig said. “Our new Lacprodan CGMP-30 represents a major advance because it offers even lower phenylalanine content. As such, we anticipate that it will be a unique new solution for blood phenylalanine control, as well as improved gastrointestinal comfort, in the most phenylalanine-sensitive PKU patients.”

He added that sensory performance remained a key differentiator. “Its taste and palatability are also superior to solutions based on free amino acids, offering further benefits for quality of life,” he said.

According to Arla Foods Ingredients, both Lacprodan CGMP-30 and CGMP-20 are considered safe and suitable protein sources for PKU management and can be included in protein substitutes for patients from the age of four, in line with European clinical guidelines. The ingredients are also rich in large neutral amino acids such as threonine and isoleucine.

These large neutral amino acids play an additional role in PKU management by competing with phenylalanine at the blood-brain barrier. By limiting phenylalanine transport into the brain, they help reduce its accumulation in neural tissue, addressing one of the most serious risks associated with the disorder.

Beyond PKU, Arla Foods Ingredients said its CGMP portfolio could support other areas of medical nutrition. The ingredients’ naturally low tyrosine content makes them suitable protein sources for patients with other rare inherited amino acid disorders, including tyrosinemia and alkaptonuria.

From a formulation perspective, the company said Lacprodan CGMP ingredients were designed for use across a wide range of medical nutrition formats, including UHT beverages and powdered products. This flexibility was intended to support manufacturers developing more varied and patient-friendly nutrition options.

Arla Foods Ingredients positioned the launch as part of its broader focus on specialized and premium nutrition. The Denmark-headquartered company, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Arla Foods, supplies ingredients to customers across early life nutrition, medical nutrition, sports nutrition, health foods, and other food and beverage categories.

By further lowering phenylalanine levels while maintaining functional and sensory performance, Arla Foods Ingredients said Lacprodan CGMP-30 addressed a specific unmet need within PKU care. The company framed the ingredient not as a replacement for existing dietary strategies, but as an additional tool that could help clinicians and patients fine-tune protein intake and improve long-term adherence.

As treatment approaches for rare metabolic disorders continue to evolve, Arla Foods Ingredients said it expected demand to grow for protein solutions that balance strict nutritional requirements with quality-of-life considerations. The introduction of Lacprodan CGMP-30 marked its latest effort to support that shift through incremental, clinically grounded innovation.