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SUPPLEMENT MIXTURE FOR DIETETIC FOOD DESTINED FOR CELIACS The present invention relates to a supplement mixture for dietetic food destined for celiacs.

The present invention derives from the field of die- tetic food products destined for use on the part of celiacs .

In particular, the present invention relates to a supplement mixture of ingredients naturally rich in vitamins and oligo-elements for gluten-free, cereal-based dietetic food destined for celiacs.

Celiac disease is a permanent intolerance towards gluten which is revealed on a gastro-intestinal level and can be attributed to a permanent intolerance towards gluten, a complex of proteins which can be found in wheat, einkorn, kamut, barely, rye, spelt and triticum, and probably in oats .

Celiac disease is of an autoimmune origin. In celiac subjects, the intolerance to gluten is revealed with an immune response which implies the production of specific antibodies (IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase) . This immune response triggers an attack at the level of the intestinal mucosa which leads to the atrophy of the intestinal villi. As the function of the villi is to absorb the nutritive principles present in ingested food, the alteration of these structures causes an alteration in the intestinal absorption which can also be heavily re-

flected on the health of the organism. This fact is particularly important in children who need an appropriate and balanced diet and supply of nutritive substances for their growth and development. If not adequately treated, celiac disease can lead to malnutrition. As some nutritive substances are lost through the faeces rather than being absorbed, this can result in a vitamin deficiency in particular vitamins A, B12, D, E, K in addition to folic acid. The repeated mal- absorption of fat can also be reflected in the malabsorption of calcium with the development of complications such as a certain type of renal calculi (calcium oxalate calculi) and a bone disease called osteomalacia, in which the bones become soft. Malnutrition can also cause growth problems in children and delay their development.

It has also been observed that people suffering from celiac disease who do not follow a gluten-free diet have higher probabilities of developing one of the many forms of cancer, especially intestinal lymphoma. Other long- term complications include anemia, osteoporosis and peripheral neuropathies .

There are no typical symptoms of celiac disease. Most of the people affected are subject to problems which arise in the gastro-intestinal tract, such as intermit- tent diarrhea, abdominal pains. The symptoms of celiac disease can also simulate those of other diseases such as

an irritated colon, gastric ulcers, Crohn's disease, parasitic infections, anemia, skin disorders or nervous problems .

Celiac disease can also be manifested in less obvi- ous ways including behaviour changes such as irritability or depression, stomach disorders, joint pains, muscular cramps, skin eczemas, mouth wounds, dental or bone disorders and movement problems of the legs and feet (neuropathies) . Some of the symptoms of malabsorption can be: weight loss, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, general weakness, foul-smelling faeces and growth difficulties.

The cause of celiac disease is at present unknown. What is certain is that it is a hereditary fault. If a person is subject to this disease, it is normally also present in 10% of close relatives. It can arise at any age even if the symptoms do not normally appear until gluten is introduced into the diet .

For reasons which are not clear, this disease often manifests itself after certain forms of trauma: for example infections, maternity, considerable stress, physical damage or surgical interventions .

There is no cure for celiac disease but it can be kept effectively under control through a change in diet. Once the glutens have been removed from the diet, the inflammation of the small intestine is reduced within a pe-

riod of a few weeks .

Recovery and a significant re-growth of the villi occur after a few months in younger people and on an average within a period of 2 or 3 years in adults . The advantages of a gluten-free diet are evident and are particularly significant in children. By following a strict diet regime, not only do the symptoms associated with celiac disease improve but also the growth itself returns to its natural physiological course. The only way of treating and preventing the complications of this disease is through a strict gluten-free diet regime. This means avoid the assumption of food or ingredients deriving from corn, wheat, barley, rye and oats . It has been found however that the food restrictions imposed by this diet can create exposure to a certain risk of hyponutrition and a reduced supply of vitamins .

In the current state, attempts have been made to overcome this drawback by introducing into diet regimes for celiacs, the assumption of multivitamin and/or mul- timineral products which are normally of a synthetic origin.

The necessity of maintaining a diet regime for an undetermined period of time, however, exposes celiacs to the risk of having to consume multivitamin compounds of a non-natural origin for the whole of their lives. The pos-

sible effects of this conditions are still not entirely- known .

This situation is made worse by the fact that cereal-based dietetic products for celiacs, and conse- quently gluten-free, generally have a low content of vitamins and oligo-elements.

In the present state, the necessity is therefore felt of availing of gluten-free dietetic food products whose components are of a natural origin and can guaran- tee an adequate nutritional supply to those suffering from celiac disease.

One of the objectives of the present invention consist in providing a mixture based on products naturally rich in vitamins and' oligo-elements which can be added to dietetic products for celiacs to complete or balance the nutritional value.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a mixture based on products of a natural origin rich in components with an antioxidant activity which, once it has been added to the dietetic food products for celiacs, increases their preservation duration.

In the light of these and other objectives which will appear more evident from the following description, in accordance with a first aspect of the present inven- tion, a supplement mixture is provided for dietetic food destined for celiacs characterized in that it comprises

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at least two ingredients of a natural origin which are naturally rich in vitamins and oligo-elements selected from the group comprising sunflower-seed Flour, integral rice Flour, linseed Flour, dried Yeast, Teff Flour, Sor- ghum Flour, Quinoa Flour, Cassava Flour, Buckwheat, Amaranth and mixtures thereof .

According to an embodiment, the supplement mixture of the invention comprises at least linseed flour and dried yeast. According to another embodiment, said mix- ture comprises at least three ingredients selected from the group described above, preferably linseed flour, sunflower-seed flour and dried yeast.

The present invention derives from the affirmation that the supplementing of cereal-based dietetic products for celiacs with a selected mixture of ingredients of a natural origin, allows an effective natural supplement to be obtained of the vitamin and mineral content of the dietetic product avoiding the necessity of resorting to the addition of multivitamin products of a synthetic na- ture.

According to another aspect of the invention, the uses of said mixture are envisaged in accordance with what is specified in the enclosed claims 5-9.

Furthermore, as the mixture of the invention has a high content of natural antioxidant substances, its use as a supplement of food products reduces degradative oxi-

dation phenomena, limits rancidity phenomena in food and improves the preservation of the food product with time. According to another aspect of the invention the uses of said mixture are envisaged in accordance with the en- closed claims 10-13.

In particular, it has been observed that the supplement mixture of the invention is naturally rich in the following components of a natural origin: iron, zinc, selenium, magnesium, iodine, vitamins of group B, compris- ing B12, vitamin E, folic acid.

The presence in the additive mixture of the invention of various micro-elements with an antioxidant activity helps to prolong the shelf-life of oven products and integral products for celiac disease in which the pres- ence of germs easily leads to the formation of oxidized compounds with a consequent development of foreign odours and flavours .

According to an embodiment, the additive mixture of the invention is added in a quantity ranging from 2-5% by weight with respect to the dietetic product so as not to interfere in the productive process and alter its taste.

The additive mixture of the invention can be typically added to any gluten-free dietetic food product, destined for celiacs, such as, for example, bread, bis- cuits, toasted bread, "grissini" , pizzas, pasta, snacks, cakes and flour kits for dough for preparing oven prod-

ucts in general.

The mixture of the invention is suitable as an additive and/or supplement for doughs for the preparation of dietetic products, in particular cereal-based, for ce- liacs. The mixture of the invention is conveniently added to the dough and amalgamated to have a substantially uniform distribution of the active principles .

According to an embodiment, the mixture of the invention can be mixed directly with the flours before the addition of water to form the dough which is sent for baking in an oven.

The mixtures of the invention are conveniently in the form of flour have a suitable particle-size and compatible with the processing techniques of the cereal- based products to which they are added to integrate the vitamin and oligomineral content.

The following examples are provided for purely illustrative purposes of the present invention and should not be considered as limiting the protection scope as specified in the enclosed claims. Example 1

Additive mixture based on products naturally rich in vitamins and oligo-elements, for dietetic food for celiacs, of the invention having the following composition: Defatted sunflower flour 10-40%

Linseed flour 10-40%

Dried yeast 30-60% Example 2

Additive mixture with the following composition:

Teff flour 20-30% Sorghum flour 20-30%

Buckwheat 5-10%

Dried yeast 30-60% Example 3

Preparation of a mixture based on products naturally rich in vitamins and oligo-elements with the following composition:

Quinoa flour 20-30%

Cassava flour 20-30%

Buckwheat 5-10% Dried yeast 30-60%

Example 4

Dough for gluten-free bread

Example 5

Dough for gluten-free bread

Example 6

Dough for gluten-free bread

Example 7

Dough for gluten-free bread

Example 8

Dough for gluten-free crackers

Example 9

Dough for gluten-free toasted biscuits

Example 10

Dough for gluten-free biscuits

Example 11

Gluten-free bread

Example 12

Gluten-free crackers

Example 13

Gluten-free toasted biscuits

Example 14

Gluten-free biscuits