Arla Foods Ingredients has developed a new whey protein-based concept for infant formula which promises “optimised comfort”.
Unlike human milk, infant formula contains significantly more protein which is more difficult to digest. This can lead to gastrointestinal discomfort issues in infants, such as colic and constipation.
However, by altering the amount and types of proteins in formula, it is possible to reduce these problems.
The new comfort concept for infant formula contains alpha-lactalbumin, which is the most abundant protein in human milk.
Due to its excellent amino acid composition, alpha-lactalbumin is a high-quality protein that is a key ingredient in low-protein formulas with protein levels closer to human milk.
The new concept also includes whey protein hydrolysates, which are high-quality proteins that have been broken down by enzymes, effectively meaning they have been pre-digested.
The formula concept incorporates Lacprodan ALPHA-10, a whey protein concentrate with a minimum level of 41% alpha-lactalbumin as a proportion of total protein content; and Lacprodan IF-3070, a partially hydrolysed whey protein (DH 9-15) with a mixture of small and larger peptides.
The concept product has been created to showcase potential optimised comfort applications. It contains 9.7g of protein per 100g serving and has a protein to energy ratio of 1.9g/100kcal.
