Study the in vitro digestibility of camel- or goat-milk whey fermented by Lactobacillus helveticus for using as a base in the preparation of a follow-on formula for infants feeding

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although breastfeeding offers many benefits for infants over formula, many parents still choose formula as an alternative to infant formula, which often makes breastfeeding impossible. Therefore, infant Formulas and follow-on Formulas should be recommended when breastfeeding is not possible. It is well known that the protein in cow's milk differs significantly in composition from breast milk and is not tolerated by infants. Unfortunately, most baby and follow-on Formulas available worldwide do not based on milk whey. Therefore, many researchers have suggested using goat or camel milk fractions as a base for the production of infant Formulas. showed that the use of camel or goat whey hassignificant advantages in enhancing the nutritional, biological value and digestibility of milk proteins. Fermented milk is recommended. Historically, fermented milk was used to promote digestibility and tolerability and is considered safe for use in infants. It is widely used to alleviate or prevent obesity and improve digestibility and immunity in infants. Therefore, using lactic acid bacteria to produce fermented infant Formulas has been recommended by many researchers to promote the digestibility and tolerability of infant Formulas. Thus, this study aimed to prepare and evaluate subsequent formulations based on the use of camel and/or goat whey fermented by one of the probiotics and proteolytic lactic acid bacteria. In order to achieve the study's objectives, Lactobacillus helveticus was selected. This proteolytic strain was used in the fermentation of sweet whey produced from cow, camel, and goat milk and its proteolytic activity in hydrolyzing whey proteins as well as producing antioxidant substances were monitored. Also, three different milk fat blends were recombined using edible vegetable oils (coconut oil, rice bran oil, and canola oil) then they were used to formulate follow-on formulas closed in their composition to human milk. Finally, the prepared formulas were tested for their in vitro digestibility and antioxidant activity before and after digestion. The Lactobacillus helveticus strain had high proteolytic activity on whey proteins from all types of milk used in the study. The fermentation time of 6 hours produced a higher proteolytic degree and antioxidant activity than 2 and 4 hours of fermentation. No significant differences were observed for proteolytic degree and antioxidant activity between 6 and 12 hours of fermentation for cow, camel and goat whey samples. Regarding the fat blends, animal milk fat, Rice bran oil, and Canola oil in a fat combination were important to provide the required amount of unsaturated fatty acids in the follow-on formulas, especially the Linoleic acid: α-Linolenic acid (LA: ALA) ratio. Adding Coconut oil in small amounts in the follow-on formulas provided the required amounts of saturated fatty acids especially the summation of Lauric and Meristic. The follow-on formula based on cows or goat's milk whey fermented with Lactobacillus helveticus had more ability for releasing free amino acids (mM Tyrosine equivalent/ml) with high antioxidants compared to unfermented ones. The release of free amino acids (mM Tyrosine equivalent/ml) in the follow-on formula based on camel milk whey was not affected by fermentation. Our results recommended using Lactobacillus helveticus in the fermentation of infant’s formulas based on camel and goat whey instead of formulas based on cow milk proteins.