Properties of Yoghurt Fortified in Lactoferrin with Effect of Storage Time

The Multifaceted Roles of Bovine Lactoferrin: Molecular Structure, Isolation Methods, Analytical Characteristics, and Biological Properties

Bovine lactoferrin (bLF) is widely known as an iron-binding glycoprotein from the transferrin family. The bLF molecule exhibits a broad spectrum of biological activity, including iron delivery, antimicrobial, antiviral, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, antitumor, and prebiotic functions, thereby making it one of the most valuable representatives for biomedical applications. Remarkably, LF functionality might completely differ in dependence on the iron saturation state and glycosylation patterns. Recently, a violently growing demand for bLF production has been observed, mostly for infant formulas, dietary supplements, and functional food formulations. Unfortunately, one of the reasons that inhibit the development of the bLF market and widespread protein implementation is related to its negligible amount in both major sources─colostrum and mature milk. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the significance of bLF research by delineating the key structural characteristics of the protein and elucidating their impact on its physicochemical and biological properties. Progress in the development of optimal isolation techniques for bLF is critically assessed, alongside the challenges that arise during its production. Furthermore, this paper presents a curated list of the most relevant instrumental techniques for the characterization of bLF. Lastly, it discusses the prospective applications and future directions for bLF-based formulations, highlighting their potential in various fields.

Gene-Diet Interactions: Viability of Lactoferrin-Fortified Yoghurt as an Element of Diet Therapy in Patients Predisposed to Overweight and Obesity

Given the availability of molecular tools, population studies increasingly include the gen-diet interactions in their considerations. The use of these interactions allows for the obtaining of more uniform research groups. In practice, this translates into the possibility of reducing the size of the research group while maintaining the precision of the research. The research results obtained in this way can be used to select certain ingredients and foods in a dietary intervention with a higher degree of personalisation. In both prophylaxis and dietary therapy of overweight and obesity, the proper selection of bioactive ingredients best suited to the given group of consumers is of key importance. Hence, the aim of the presented study was to assess the effectiveness of a dietary intervention with the use of lactoferrin (LF)-fortified yoghurt, in terms of the ability to regulate body weight and carbohydrate metabolism in individuals whose genomes contained single nucleotide polymorphisms that predisposed them to increased accumulation of fatty tissue and consequently overweight or obesity. A group of 137 participants (98 women and 37 men) of Polish origin were screened for the presence of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs993960-FTO gene, rs7903146-TCF7L2 gene, rs10830963-MTNR1B gene, and rs1121980-FTO gene). Subsequently, a group of 19 participants diagnosed with the presence of risk factors within said SNPs underwent a 21-day dietary intervention (crossover study) with the use of yoghurt fortified with lactoferrin (200 mg/day). The results of the study revealed a genetic difference between the Polish population and the European average, in terms of the SNPs analysed. The dietary intervention showed a statistically significantly higher efficiency in terms of body mass reduction (p = 0.000) and lowering the glycated haemoglobin ratio (HbA1c) (p = 0.000) when consuming specially prepared yoghurt containing lactoferrin, as compared to results registered for unfortified yoghurt. Given the above, yoghurt fortified with LF should be considered as a viable element of diet therapy in overweight and obese patients diagnosed with risk factors within the analysed polymorphisms.