Lactoferrin in breast milk-based powders.

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Lactoferrin (LF) is a key whey protein in mammalian milk, contributing to the antimicrobial properties of human milk.
• Infant formulas and human breast milk-based powders are alternatives when breastfeeding is not possible, supporting infant nutrition and health.
• Human breast milk-based powders offer biological functionalities for pre-term and critically ill infants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify lactoferrin (LF) content in commercial human breast milk-based powders.
• To compare LF levels between breast milk-based powders and cow's milk-based infant formulas.
• To assess the applicability of a validated RF-HPLC method for LF determination in complex milk matrices.

Main Methods:

• Validated reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RF-HPLC) method.
• Standard addition methodology was employed for accurate quantification due to matrix complexity.
• Analysis of commercial breast milk-based powders and cow's milk-based formulas (non-fortified and fortified).

Main Results:

• Lactoferrin (LF) was detectable in all tested breast milk-based powders.
• Quantification of LF was achieved using the standard addition method.
• Breast milk-based powders exhibited significantly higher LF content compared to both non-fortified and fortified cow's milk-based formulas.

Conclusions:

• Human breast milk-based powders retain higher levels of lactoferrin (LF) compared to conventional cow's milk-based formulas.
• The validated RF-HPLC method, with standard addition, is suitable for determining LF in complex milk-based products.
• These findings highlight potential differences in biological functionality between milk-based infant products.