Significance of milk fat in infant formulae

Abstract

Lipids play a diverse role in human nutrition and development. They constitute a major energy source, provide an almost unlimited form of energy storage, and they act as vehicles for absorption and transport of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). Essential unsaturated fatty acids with a chain length of 18 carbon atoms with between two and six methylene-interrupted double bonds are critical for normal growth and development of the central nervous system, retina and vascular tissues throughout the body. Both the chemical structure of these fatty acids and their positions in the TGs present in milk (i.e., sn-1, sn-2 or sn-3), a Vect their rheological properties, melting point, crystallization behavior, and absorption. The phospholipids have an impact on the absorption of minerals from the gut and also act as antimi - crobial agents. Even the cholesterol in milk has a vital role in the formation of rapidly growing tissues and organs. Milk fat is just one component in milk and is part of an interrelated system in which compartmentalization is one of the factors controlling the fkow of nutrients and metabolites to the infant. Human milk is a multinutritional medium; a fluid tissue that provides the proper nutrients to the growing baby. The changing composition of breast milk during lactation might be geared to the changing nutritional needs of the full-term infant. Development of infant formulae must focus on trying to match the composition of human milk more closely. In this, it is important to note the significant role of milk fat as a natural component in the nutritional design of commercial infant formulae. © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.