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Prebiotics in infant formulas: biochemical characterisation by thin layer chromatography and high performance anion
Insights
New infant formulas contain prebiotic oligosaccharides, including transgalactosylated oligosaccharides and inulin. These ingredients mimic human milk
Area of Science:
- Nutrition science
- Microbiology
- Food chemistry
Background:
- Human milk oligosaccharides promote beneficial gut bacteria in infants.
- Infant formulas now include prebiotic oligosaccharides to mimic human milk.
- Understanding the composition of these added oligosaccharides is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the specific mixture of oligosaccharides used in commercially available infant formulas.
- To identify the types and molecular weights of prebiotic oligosaccharides added to formulas.
Main Methods:
- Thin layer chromatography (TLC) was employed for oligosaccharide analysis.
- High-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) was utilized for detailed characterization.
Main Results:
- The analyzed formulas contained a blend of low-molecular-weight transgalactosylated oligosaccharides (TOS).
- High-molecular-weight inulin (a polysaccharide) was also identified as a component.
- The study successfully identified both TOS and inulin in the formula mixtures.
Conclusions:
- The applied chromatographic methods effectively characterized the prebiotic oligosaccharide mixtures in infant formulas.
- This characterization confirms the presence of specific prebiotics designed to support infant gut health.
- The findings provide transparency regarding the composition of prebiotic ingredients in infant nutrition products.
Background:
Breast-fed infants, unlike bottle-fed babies, have a microbic intestinal flora characterised by a marked predominance of bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria. This is essentially due to the prebiotic effect of oligosaccharides in human milk. Recently, oligosaccharides with a prebiotic effect have been added to formulas. Aim. To characterise the mixture of oligosaccharides contained in these new formulas.
Materials And Methods:
The characterisation of oligosaccharides was performed using thin layer chromatography as well as high performance anion exchange chromatography.
Results:
The mixture of oligosaccharides used in the formulas analysed was made up of oligosaccharides with low molecular weight (transgalactosylated oligosaccharides) and polysaccharides with high molecular weight (inulin).
Conclusion:
With the methods employed, it was possible to characterise the mixture of oligosaccharides used as prebiotics in the formulas now available on the market.