Summary: Whole Goat Milk as a Source of Fat and Milk Fat Globule Membrane in Infant Formula

Summary: Whole Goat Milk as a Source of Fat and Milk Fat Globule Membrane in Infant Formula

This summary has been adapted from “Gallier, S. et al. (2020). Whole Goat Milk as a Source of Fat and Milk Fat Globule in Infant Formula. Nutrients, 12, 3486.”
What this means for Kendamil: MFGM found in full cream milk has been shown to be beneficial in infants diets. For this reason, Kendamil has decided to offer both cows and goats based formulations based on whole milk.
During the first 6 months of life, optimum nutrition is critical for healthy development (1). Breastmilk offers the ideal food source for infants, but breastfeeding is not always possible. Lipids in human milk are found as milk fat globules with a structure of triglyceride droplets stabilised by a trilayered membrane, known as the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM). MFGMs are structurally composed to optimise milk digestion, the metabolism of MFGM components, as well as providing an energy source (3). In order to match the high level of palmitic acid found in human milk, fat vegetable oils, predominantly palm oil, are added to infant formula. This addition of vegetable oils to infant formulas insights criticism because of the presence of 3-MCPD’s and Glycerol esters (4, 5). Cow milk has been the popular source of proteins and fat in infant formulas for decades, but there has been a recent demand for alternatives due to anti-nutritional factors.
Credit: Arla Food Ingredients Goat milk fat has a higher amount (15-18%) of MCFAs C6:0, C8:0, and C10:0 compared to cow milk (5-9%), suggesting a greater digestibility of goat milk fat as MCFAs are more readily absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) (6). It is not possible to obtain the necessary levels of docosahexaenoic (DHA), arachidonic acid (ARA), linoleic and -linolecic acids found in human milk from just cow or goat milk. A combination of vegetable oil and milk fat from whole goat milk can reach unsaturated fatty acid levels similar to that of human milk. Several elements of mammals fat (human/cow/goat) are more similar than when compared to vegetable oils. The presence of plasma ketones in an infant’s diet is necessary for the support of brain development. Goat milk fat contains 280mg - keto acids/kg. Absorption and modification of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) by the body lead releases plasma ketones (7). Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and palmitic acid levels are similar in human milk fat and goat milk fat (8-10). Palmitic acid in human milk is found in the sn-2 position of triglyceride molecules (~70%), but it is found in the sn-1,3 position in palm oil. About 31% of palmitic acid in whole goat milk is found in the sn-2 position, making it structurally more similar to human milk. This is relevant because the location of the palmitic acid impacts how well the triglyceride is digested. Cow and goat milk fats have similar levels of cholesterol to human milk, while infant formulas using only vegetable oils as the lipid source have very low levels of cholesterol (2). Cholesterol is a building block of cellular membranes and is a precursor for steroid hormones, oxysterols, vitamin D, and bile acids (16, 17). Milk Sphingomylins (SM), found in the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) have been shown to reduce cholesterol absorption. MFGM structure and SM digestion in the intestines may limit cholesterol absorption in the small intestine and deliver cholesterol to the large intestine, where it is used for microbial metabolism. The use of goat milk and MFGM in infant formulas may help regulate cholesterol absorption (18). Whole goat milk is a good source of MFGM polar lipids, containing 30-40mg of phospholipids/100g milk. The main goat milk phospholipids are phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylserine (PS) and PI, similar to cow and human milk. Using whole goat milk in infant formulas makes it possible to supply phospholipids and SM at levels similar to those found in human milk. Whole goat milk is a rich source of membrane specific proteins. Caprine and bovine MFGM proteomes differ but have eight dominant MFGM proteins: MUC1, BTN, xanthine oxidase, lactadherin, fatty acid binding protein, perilipin-2, CD36, and mucin 15. Lactadherin is an antiviral protein and is more highly expressed in goat milk compared to cow milk. Using goat milk in infant formulas will potentially improve the protein composition by increasing MFGM proteins, which have a role in protecting against pathogens.
Gallier, S. et al. (2020) Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and MCFAs at sn-1,3 positions are absorbed as free fatty acids (FFAs) in the intestine and degraded in the liver by mitochondrial -oxidation. The consumption of SCFAs and MCFAs in early life has been associated with the reduced impact of a high-fat diet and related metabolic functions in adulthood. Whole goat milk has a more diverse fatty acids and triglyceride range than vegetable oils, which do not contain SCFAs or MCFAs. It is thought that higher concentrations of dairy lipid SCFAs and MCFAs may lead to decreased oxidation of PUFA precursors, increased endogenous conversion of LC-PUFAs, as well as possibly supporting the accumulation of DHA, neuroplasticity, and neurogenesis in the brain (19). Studies have shown that MCFAs can possibly act as substrates for ketones, promoting ketogenesis which plays a role in brain development. Infants fed MFGM-enriched formula have a greater concentration of fatty acid oxidation products, similar to breastfed infants. The similarity in the composition of MFGM and neuronal membranes suggests that MFGM lipids have the ability to act as building blocks for early brain development. Studies have shown that MFGM supplementation between 2-6 months of age resulted in higher concentrations of SM, PC, and ceramide species at 6 months as well as correlating to improved cognitive functions during the first 6-12 months of life (11,12,13, 14, 20). MFGM proteins make up only 4% of total milk proteins, but they have many biologically important functions, including membrane and protein trafficking, cell signaling and immune functions (14, 15). Studies have shown that children given MFGM-supplemented formulas have lower incidences of respiratory events and diarrhoea. A combination of milk fat from goat milk and MFGM has numerous advantages similar to those of human breastmilk, and infants fed such a combination have a similar microbiome to those of breastfed infants. New research has indicated that SCFAs in diet may lower incidences of allergic and atopic diseases (21) Using goat milk in infant formulas provides milk fat and MFGM components that are similar to the composition and structure of human milk fat. Supplying both milk fat and MFGM have been shown to be beneficial to the optimal gut-brain axis and gut-skin axis. References
  1. WHO (World Health Organisation). Report of the Expert Consultation on the Optimal Duration of Exclusive Breastfeeding; WHO: Geneva, Switzerland, 2001.
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