Infant Formula Protein Platform Aims to Mimic Breast Milk Changes

Arla Foods Ingredients (Viby J, Denmark) has developed new blends of milk protein fractions to help companies achieve infant formulas that better mimic the protein levels in breast milk.

Interestingly, the company says that most newborn infant formulas provide more protein-50–80% more-compared to breast milk fed to infants during the same stage of life; as such, these formula-fed babies may grow more rapidly than breastfed babies, which in turn could lead to obesity and other health concerns in the future. By better aligning the protein content of infant formulas with breast milk, the company says its ingredients can help infant formula manufacturers reduce protein content that is too high in some formulas.

The company also explains that the protein content of human breast milk is continually changing-but infant formulas blends often remain static and unchanging; their formulations are not adjusted to reflect changes in breast milk content over time. Arla says that its Lacprodan milk protein ingredients can be blended in varying proportions to mimic the nutrition profile of human breast milk more closely.

“Our new…approach means infant formulas can provide the right nutrients in the right quantities at the right time, to suit precisely a baby’s natural growth and development patterns during the first months of life,” says Pernille Hostrup, business development manager. “Human milk will always be the gold standard for infant nutrition, but [this development] means formula-fed infants can now enjoy more of the long-term health benefits experienced by their breast-fed counterparts.”