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Correlating Digestion-Driven Self-Assembly in Milk and Infant Formulas with Changes in Lipid Composition
Anna C Pham1, Kang-Yu Peng1, Malinda Salim1
1Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia.
ACS Applied Bio Materials
|May 27, 2020
Summary
Mammalian milk lipids self-assemble into liquid crystalline structures during digestion. Lipid composition dictates the specific structures formed, offering insights for designing infant nutrition and bioactive delivery systems.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Materials Science
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Lipids in mammalian milks self-assemble into liquid crystalline structures during digestion.
- Understanding this self-assembly is crucial for nutritional science and biomaterial design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between lipid composition and liquid crystalline structures formed during digestion.
- To link material properties to composition in various milk types and infant formulas.
Main Methods:
- In vitro digestion coupled with in situ small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS).
- Ex situ liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for lipid composition analysis.
Main Results:
- All tested milks, except one infant formula, self-assembled into ordered liquid crystalline structures (nonlamellar phases).
- Milks releasing predominantly unsaturated long-chain fatty acids formed micellar cubic phases.
- Other milks produced diverse structures like hexagonal and bicontinuous cubic phases based on fatty acid profiles.
Conclusions:
- Lipid self-assembly during digestion acts as a discriminator between nutritional products.
- Findings provide a roadmap for designing human milk-like systems for nutrient transport and bioactive delivery.
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