alpha-Lactalbumin as an ingredient of infant formula

作者：Peso Echarri P; Gonzalez Bermudez C A; Vasallo Morillas M I; Santaella Pascual M; Ros Berruezo G; Frontela Saseta C; Martinez Gracia C

来源：Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutricion, 2012, 62(1): 6-14.

• alpha-lactalbumin
• infant formula
• beneficial effects

alpha-lactalbumin is the main whey protein in human milk rising 2,44 g/L in mature milk. It has a key function in the synthesis of lactose from glucose and galactose in the mammary gland although this compound has also other beneficial effects on the infant health due to the high proportion of essential aminoacids (tryptophan and cysteine). It seems also to increase iron absorption in the digestive track, and in in vitro experiments, linked to oleic acid (HAMLET complex), has shown anticarcinogenic effects against cellular tumor such as human papilloma. In addition, this complex has been reported to exhibit antimicrobial properties against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, enteropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli and Salmonella thypimurium. However, the in vivo synthesis of HAMLET complex during milk digestion has not been proved yet. Infant formula have been improved considerably during the last decades not only adapting nutrient concentrations to infants requirements but also by the addition of new bioactive ingredients such as alpha-lactalbumin, to have the same functional effect as in breast fed babies.

• 出版日期2012-3