in accordance with the foregoing summary of the invention , the following example i is one embodiment of the beverage of the present invention and a method of its production . examples ii , iii and iv are comparative experiments outside the scope of this invention and illustrate a few of the critical elements of this invention . for making a large quantity of the nutritional supplement beverage in accordance with the present invention , the whey protein isolate is first dissolved in water at approximately 125 ° f . ( 52 ° c .). the resultant protein slurry is then adjusted into a ph range of from 2 . 8 to 3 . 3 through the use of an appropriate acid system ( i . e . hydrochloric , malic and citric acids ). the carbohydrate portion of the beverage is prepared by dissolving the desired carbohydrate in water at approximately 175 ° f . ( 79 ° c .). the resulting carbohydrate slurry is then added to the ph - adjusted protein slurry . this mixture is then subjected to a high temperature - short time ( htst ) process at about 165 ° f . ( 74 ° c .) for 16 seconds ; followed by homogenization at 2500 psig ( 17 , 237 kpa ). it is preferred that the major portion of the carbohydrate component be a complex carbohydrate , preferably a high maltodextrin content mixture of 75 % maltodextrin with a de of between 10 and 20 , preferably 20 , and 25 % sucrose . following the htst process , the mixture is then cooled to approximately 40 ° f . ( 4 ° c .). to this mixture is then added trace mineral , ultratrace mineral and vitamin premixes . such minerals may include potassium iodide and / or sodium selenite which are not considered as additional macro - nutrients . a premix of vitamins , folic acid and niacinamide may also be added . colorings and flavorings also may be added , as may vitamin c . the following example shows how the nutritional supplement beverage may be batch processed . 1 . 7026 kg water was placed in a blend tank . the water was heated to 125 ° f . ( 51 ° c .) and 1080 kg of whey protein isolate was added and mixed until clear . 2 . the protein slurry was acidified by adding the selected acid system : a ) 69 kg malic acid and 69 kg citric acid was dissolved in 300l water heated to 100 ° f . ( 38 ° c .). this solution was added to the protein slurry . b ) 75 kg of 37 % hydrochloric acid ( hcl ) was diluted in 150l of cold water and added to the protein slurry with good mixing . 3 . the protein / acid slurry was mixed until clear and then the ph ( specification range 2 . 8 - 3 . 3 ) was adjusted ( if required ). 4 . the carbohydrate mixture was prepared by placing 11280 kg of water in a blend tank and heating to 175 ° f . ( 80 ° c . ): a ) 1565 kg sucrose and 4903 kg maltodextrin with a de of 20 was added and mixed until clear . b ) 5 . 732 kg of minerals and ultra trace mineral premix was added to 950l water at 150 ° f . ( 66 ° c .). 1 . 7 g sodium selenite and 5 . 3 g potassium iodide was added and mixed until clear . this solution was added to the carbohydrate blend . 5 . the carbohydrate / mineral slurry was added to the protein / acid slurry and blended for 5 minutes . 6 . the combined slurries were processed as follows : htst at 165 ° f . ( 74 ° c .) with hold time of 16 seconds , cool to 40 ° f . ( 4 . 4 ° c .) and homogenize at 2500 psig ( 17 , 237 kpa ). a ) add 850 l water to a tank and heat to 100 ° f . ( 38 ° c .). add 985 g water soluble premix , 341 g niacinamide and 25 g folic acid and mix . add this water soluble premix to the finished product tank . b ) dilute 28 . 3 kg lemon - lime liquid color with 200l cold water and add to the finished product tank . c ) dilute 50 . 8 kg lemon - lime liquid flavor with 200l cold water and add to the finished product tank . 9 . test completed blend for required parameters prior to release to - fill testing . 10 . dissolve 4737 g ascorbic acid in cold water and add to finished product just prior to aseptic filling . 1 . transfer product from finished product storage tank to the balance tank . 3 . heat to 220 ° f . ( 104 ° c .) and hold for an average time of 20 seconds . 5 . transfer to aseptic surge tank and aseptically fill a suitable container with the beverage . the nutritional supplement beverage produced in accordance with the present invention results in a clear , thin beverage which gives a refreshing mouth feel and is useful as a protein / carbohydrate nutritional supplement . these beverages also have the advantage of having relatively high caloric density ( typically above 1 . 00 kcal / ml ) and relatively high protein content ( typically about 4 . 0 grams per liter ). table i presents a nutrient profile typical of those achieved in accordance with example i . table i______________________________________nutrient per 100 ml range______________________________________protein ( g ) 3 - 5carbohydrate ( g ) 20 . 0 - 30 . 0energy density ( kcal ) 92 - 140sodium ( mg ) 22 . 5 - 37 . 5potassium ( mg ) 16 . 5 - 27 . 5chloride ( mg ) 75 - 175calcium ( mg ) 24 - 40phosphorous ( mg ) 5 - 15magnesium ( mg ) 4 - 10iron ( mg ) 1 . 2 - 2 . 0zinc ( mg ) 1 . 5 - 2 . 5copper ( mg ) 0 . 14 - 0 . 23manganese ( mg ) . 30 -. 60iodine ( ug ) 18 - 30molybdenum ( ug ) 13 - 23chromium ( ug ) 9 - 15selenium ( ug ) 8 - 15vitamin a ( iu ) 1000 - 2000vitamin d ( iu ) 20 - 40vitamin e ( iu ) . 5 - 2 . 5vitamin k ( umg ) 7 . 5 - 12 . 5vitamin c ( mg ) 5 - 30vitamin b1 ( mg ) 0 . 15 - 0 . 25vitamin b2 ( mg ) 0 . 13 - 0 . 21vitamin b6 ( mg ) 0 . 14 - 0 . 24vitamin b12 ( ug ) 0 . 38 - 0 . 63niacin ( mg ) 2 . 1 - 3 . 5folic acid ( ug ) 30 - 50biotin ( ug ) 22 . 5 - 37 . 5pantothenic acid ( mg ) 0 . 3 - 0 . 5______________________________________ the experiment was conducted to demonstrate that the use of a whey protein isolate is critical for attaining the goals of this invention . 3396 g of water was heated to 80 ° f . ( 27 ° c .) and 223 g of whey protein concentrate from new zealand milk products , inc . was added and mixed to form a slurry . phosphoric acid was added to the slurry to reduce the ph to 3 . 6 and the mixture was heated to 175 ° f . ( 80 ° c .). 213 g of sucrose and 674 g of maltodextrin with a de of 20 was then added and the mixture was stirred . the product was further processed in a usual manner . the resulting finished product was cloudy and yellow in color . the experiment demonstrates that use of a whey protein concentrate which contains fat and lactose is not suitable for the production of a clear beverage . this experiment was conducted to demonstrate that a ph of 2 . 8 to 3 . 3 is critical for obtaining the goals of this invention . 3117 g of water was heated to 125 ° f . ( 52 ° c .) and 184 g of whey protein isolate ( proyon ) was added and mixed until clear . the ph of the protein solution was adjusted by ( 1 ) adding 50 % phosphoric acid to reduce the ph to 4 . 5 and then ( 2 ) 50 % malic / citric acid was added to reduce the ph to 4 . 0 . the mixture was heated to 165 ° f . ( 74 ° c .) and 178 g of sucrose and 878 g of maltodextrin was added and stirred . vitamins , trace minerals and ultra - trace minerals were then added and the mixture was then processed in a usual manner . the resulting product was milky white in appearance and possessed a very thick texture or mouth feel . this experiment demonstrates that a ph of less than 4 . 0 is required to achieve the goals of this invention . this experiment was conducted to demonstrate that acidification of the protein slurry prior to mixing with the carbohydrate slurry is critical to obtaining the goals of this invention . more specifically , this experiment shows that acidification of a protein / carbohydrate slurry results in an unacceptable product . 1397 g of water was heated to 125 ° f . ( 52 ° c .) and 184 g of whey protein isolate ( provon ) was added and stirred until clear . in a separate vessel 857 g of water was heated to 175 ° f . ( 80 ° c .) and 275 g of sucrose and 868 g of maltodextrin and trace minerals and ultra - trace minerals were added and stirred until clear . the protein and carbohydrate slurries were then combined and stirred for 5 minutes . 121 g of malic acid and 12 g of citric acid were added to 50 g of water . the acid solution was then added to the protein / carbohydrate slurry . 13 g of 37 % hydrochloric acid was then added to the protein / carbohydrate slurry . the mixture was then processed in a usual manner . the resulting product was cloudy and possessed a slightly thick texture . this experiment demonstrates that acidification of the protein slurry prior to combination with the carbohydrate slurry is required to achieve a clear beverage that possesses a thin texture . although the products may be fortified with additional major minerals or macro - nutrients ( ca , mg , cl , p , k , na ), it has been found that the addition of these minerals has an adverse effect on the product &# 39 ; s textural and appearance properties . accordingly , the products in the preferred embodiment of the present invention contain only those amounts of major minerals inherent to the raw materials used , ( such as through the protein , carbohydrate and ingredient water ). the products of the present invention may be fortified with trace and / or ultratrace minerals and / or vitamins without detrimental impact to the textural and appearance properties of the product . the nutritional supplement beverage of the present invention can be made in ready to consume form , in the form of a concentrate , a frozen sorbet or powder form and may be flavored with natural and / or artificial flavors and / or fruit juice concentrates . the beverage of this invention may also be carbonated . the nutritional beverage of the present invention , due to its thinness and clarity , was found to produce a refreshing , tart juice - like mouth feel at a significantly high caloric density ( greater than 1 . 00 kcal / ml at 3 - 5 % protein by wt .). the nutritional supplement beverage of the present invention may be packaged in accordance with materials and methods used in the packaging art . some patients in need of nutritional supplementation simply do not like or cannot tolerate milky supplements . these patients may also suffer from taste fatigue which can hinder compliance . the product of this invention will offer malnourished patients a new variety of supplement that will improve intake and thereby improve nutritional status . the product of this invention provides a high level of energy and protein in a clear , juice - type supplement which will be found useful in the medical community . the product of this invention is intended to be used as a necessary nutritional supplement for patients with the following conditions : disease related malnutrition , short bowel syndrome ; proven inflammatory bowel disease ; bowel fistulae ; pre - operative preparation of patients who are malnourished ; treatment following total gastrectomy ; dysphagia ; and intractable malabsorption . in accordance with the foregoing disclosure , it will be within the ability of one skilled in the relevant arts to make modifications to the present invention , such as through the substitution of equivalent materials and / or their amounts , without departing from the spirit of the invention as reflected in the appended claims .
a protein containing nutritional supplement that contains from 1 to 10 % by weight of whey protein isolate , at least one source of carbohydrate , vitamins , trace minerals and ultra trace minerals and ultra trace minerals . the ph of the liquid nutritional supplement is from about 2 . 8 to about 3 . 3 and is essentially devoid of added macro - nutrients and fat . a supplement which is clear and low in viscosity , is produced by preparing an acidified aqueous solution of whey protein isolate having a ph of about 2 . 8 to about 3 . 3 and an aqueous solution of carbohydrate ; and thereafter combining the two solutions .