Compositional Dynamics of the Milk Fat Globule and Its Role in Infant Development

Newman

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

2019

286

174

Many consumers are interested in decreasing their consumption of animal products, such as bovine milk, because of health, environmental, and ethical reasons. The food industry is therefore developing a range of plant‐based milk alternatives. These milk substitutes should be affordable, convenient, desirable, nutritional, and sustainable. This article reviews our current understanding of the development of plant‐based milks. Initially, an overview of the composition, structure, properties, and nutritional profile of conventional bovine milk is given, because the development of successful alternatives depends on understanding the characteristics of real milk. The two main production routes for fabricating plant‐based milks are then highlighted: (i) disruption of plant materials (such as nuts, seeds, or legumes) to form aqueous suspensions of oil bodies; (ii) formation of oil‐in‐water emulsions by homogenization of oil, water, and emulsifiers. The roles of the different functional ingredients in plant‐based milks are highlighted, including oils, emulsifiers, thickeners, antioxidants, minerals, and other additives. The physicochemical basis of the appearance, texture, and stability of plant‐based milks is covered. The importance of the sensory attributes and gastrointestinal fate of bovine milk and plant‐based alternatives is also highlighted. Finally, potential areas for future work are discussed.

Section: Gastrointestinal Fatementioning

confidence: 99%

Plant‐based Milks: A Review of the Science Underpinning Their Design, Fabrication, and Performance

Newman

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

2019

286

174

“…Several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have also shown that infants supplemented with DHA show better language and communication skills [30,31]. On the other hand, research efforts have focused on infant formula supplementation with MFGM, which is a biologically active component derived of milk proteins present in human milk [32], including a lipid fraction consisting of LC-PUFAs (also ARA and DHA) [33]. In this regard, addition of MFGM to an infant formula has been found to improve immune system and neurodevelopment during the first months of life [8,34].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of a Functional Nutrients-Enriched Infant Formula on Language Development in Healthy Children at Four Years Old

et al. 2020

Nutrition during early life is essential for brain development and establishes the basis for cognitive and language skills development. It is well established that breastfeeding, compared to formula feeding, has been traditionally associated with increased neurodevelopmental scores up to early adulthood. We analyzed the long-term effects of a new infant formula enriched with bioactive compounds on healthy children’s language development at four years old. In a randomized double-blind COGNIS study, 122 children attended the follow-up call at four years. From them, 89 children were fed a standard infant formula (SF, n = 46) or an experimental infant formula enriched with functional nutrients (EF, n = 43) during their first 18 months of life. As a reference group, 33 exclusively breastfed (BF) were included. Language development was assessed using the Oral Language Task of Navarra-Revised (PLON-R). ANCOVA, chi-square test, and logistic regression models were performed. EF children seemed to show higher scores in use of language and oral spontaneous expression than SF children, and both SF and EF groups did not differ from the BF group. Moreover, it seems that SF children were more frequently categorized into “need to improve and delayed” in the use of language than EF children, and might more frequently present “need to improve and delayed” in the PLON-R total score than BF children. Finally, the results suggest that SF children presented a higher risk of suffering language development than BF children. Secondary analysis also showed a slight trend between low socioeconomic status and poorer language skills. The functional compound-enriched infant formula seems to be associated with beneficial long-term effects in the development of child’s language at four years old in a similar way to breastfed infants.

“…As major components of the milk lipid droplet (LD) membrane for lipid secretion, butyrophilin 1a1 (BTN, encoded by the Btn1a1 gene) is important for milk lipid secretion and therefore neonatal survival 13,15,16 . Xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR, encoded by the Xdh gene) is also reported to modulate milk lipid secretion during lactation [17][18][19] . However, although some studies have found that XOR can be regulated by various factors at the transcriptional level [20][21][22] , little attention has been paid to post-transcriptional regulators.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

TDP-43 facilitates milk lipid secretion by post-transcriptional regulation of Btn1a1 and Xdh

Zhao

Hao

et al. 2020

Nat Commun

Milk lipid secretion is a critical process for the delivery of nutrition and energy from parent to offspring. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is less clear. Here we report that TDP-43, a RNA-binding protein, underwent positive selection in the mammalian lineage. Furthermore, TDP-43 gene (Tardbp) loss induces accumulation of large lipid droplets and severe lipid secretion deficiency in mammary epithelial cells to outside alveolar lumens, eventually resulting in lactation failure and pup starvation within three weeks postpartum. In human milk samples from lactating women, the expression levels of TDP-43 is positively correlated with higher milk output. Mechanistically, TDP-43 exerts post-transcriptional regulation of Btn1a1 and Xdh mRNA stability, which are required for the secretion of lipid droplets from epithelial cells to the lumen. Taken together, our results highlights the critical role of TDP-43 in milk lipid secretion, providing a potential strategy for the screening and intervention of clinical lactation insufficiency.