Current trends in the composition of infant milk formulas

Abstract 

Human milk is regarded as the best nutrition for infants. However, when breastfeeding is not possible, desirable or sufficient, infant milk formulas serve as an adequate substitute for human milk. They have been designed to provide infants with the required nutrients for optimal growth and development. In addition, infant milk formulas are now increasingly resembling human milk, for example in the area of bifidogenic effects. This review describes current trends in the design of infant formulas. Topics that will be discussed are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, triacylglycerol palmitate, optimal protein concentration, the use of hydrolysed and soy protein, nucleotides and pre- and probiotics.

Keywords:  Infant, Formula, Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid, Synthetic triacylglycerol, Hydrolysed protein, Soy protein, Nucleotide, Prebiotic, Probiotic