Majority of existing prescription diets are partially hydrolyzed at ___- ___ kD

• A. 1-3 kD
• B. 15-20 kD
• C. 0.5-1 kD
• D. 7-10

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is how hydrolyzed proteins in prescription diets are sized to reduce immune reactivity while keeping nutrition intact. In these diets, proteins are broken into peptide chains; the smaller the peptides, the less likely they are to trigger an allergic or inflammatory response. But if peptides are too small, it can affect digestibility and palatability. The common compromise used by many products is partially hydrolyzed protein with peptides averaging around 7–10 kilodaltons. This range reduces the chance of immune recognition enough to help sensitive animals, while still providing adequate amino acids and good palatability. Larger peptides, like 15–20 kD, would be less broken down and more likely to provoke responses, whereas very small sizes (0.5–1 or 1–3 kD) imply a more fully hydrolyzed product that can compromise taste or nutritional balance. That makes 7–10 kD the typical target.