Appeal No. 94-3206
Application 07/823,827
enzymatic activity in the mucosal cells of the small intestine which comprises the steps
of:
(1) determining the need for improvement in digestibility of carbohydrates in said
animal as evidenced by the monitoring of the carbohydrate digestion coefficient of said
animal;
(2) providing a composition containing an effective amount of iron and at least
one other mineral selected from the group consisting of zinc, copper, manganese and
cobalt and mixtures thereof said iron and each of said other minerals being present in
the form of an amino acid chelate having a ligand to iron or other mineral mole ratio of
at least 1:1, a molecular weight of no more than 1500 daltons and a stability constant of
6 16
between about 10 and 10 as needed, based upon said carbohydrate digestion
coefficient determination, to maintain and enhance said enzymatic activity in said
animal, and
(3) orally administering an effective amount of said composition to said warm-
blooded animal for a period of time sufficient to stimulate the production of natural
disaccharidase enzymes and enhance the enzymatic activity thereof in said animal.
The references relied upon by the examiner are:
Ashmead et al. (Ashmead) 4,863,898 Sep. 5, 1989
Buts et al. (Buts), “Alteration of intracellular synthesis of surface membrane
glycoproteins in small intestine of iron-deficient rats,” American Journal of Physiology,
Vol. 251, pp. G736-43 (1986)
Claims 1 through 4, 7 through 13, 15 through 18, and 20 stand rejected 35
U.S.C. § 103 as unpatentable over Ashmead in view of Buts. We reverse.
The claims on appeal are directed to a method which includes administering a
composition which contains iron and at least one other specified mineral in the form of
an amino acid chelate to an animal. However, this composition is not administered to
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