Arla Foods Ingredients has developed blends of specialized milk protein fractions that will help manufacturers create formulas that mimic the changing nutritional profile of breast milk more closely the first six months of baby’s development.
According to the Arla, the new blends are based on its new Staging concept, which is designed to reflect the fact that the composition of breast milk alters significantly during lactation.
The concept is built around the company's Lacprodan portfolio of protein ingredients.
The Lacprodan milk protein fractions can be blended in varying proportions which help manufacturers to create staged infant formulas that imitate the nutritional profile of breast milk more closely, the company said.
Lacprodan ingredients provide an amino acid profile to cater to the needs of developing infants, which means formula manufacturers can reduce the overall protein quantity in their products to levels closer to those found in breast milk, while providing all the nutrients formula-fed infants require to develop healthily and grow at a similar rate to breast-fed infants.
Arla Foods Ingredients business development manager Pernille Hostrup said that the new Staging approach means infant formulas can provide the right nutrients in the right quantities at the right time, to suit a baby's natural growth and development patterns during its first months of life.
"Human milk will always be the gold-standard for infant nutrition, but staging means formula-fed infants can now enjoy more of the long-term health benefits experienced by their breast-fed counterparts."
Arla Foods Ingredients is launching the new concept at the annual meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) in London today.
Arla Foods Ingredients, a subsidiary of Swedo-Danish cooperative Arla Foods, is a leading developer and supplier of nutritional and functional milk-based ingredients to the global food industry.
Image: Arla stated that the new Staging' concept allows manufacturers to create staged infant formulas that imitate the nutritional profile of breast milk more closely. Photo courtesy of Arla Foods Ingredients.