Hypoallergenic and Low-Protein Ready-to-Feed (RTF) Infant Formula by High Pressure Pasteurization: A Novel Product

Effects of physical processing on food protein allergenicity: A focus on differences between animal and alternative proteins

In recent years, physical technologies have been widely employed to reduce food protein allergenicity due to their simplicity and stability. This paper summarizes recent research advances in these technologies, focusing on differences in their effects on allergenicity between animal and alternative proteins. The mechanisms of allergenicity reduction and the advantages and disadvantages of these technologies were compared. It was found that heating, although affording better allergenicity reduction than non-thermal treatment technologies, affects other properties of the food. Because of their higher molecular weights and more complex structures, animal proteins are less affected by physical technologies than alternative proteins. It is worth noting that there is a scarcity of existing technology to reduce the allergenicity of food proteins, and more technologies should be explored for this purpose. In addition, better allergenicity-reducing processing technologies should be designed from the perspectives of processing conditions, technological innovations, and combined processing technologies in the future.

Separation of α-Lactalbumin-Enriched Fractions from Caprine and Ovine Native Whey Concentrate by Combining Membrane and High-Pressure Processing

Whey from goat and sheep have been gaining attention in the last few years for their nutritional properties. Unfortunately, β-Lg, not found in human milk, may trigger infant allergies if used in infant food formulations, so there is a growing interest in developing ingredients derived from whey with higher α-La/β-Lg ratios. The objective of this work was to study the effect of high-pressure processing (HPP) on caprine and ovine native whey concentrates (NWC) in order to obtain α-Lactalbumin (α-La)-enriched fractions. NWCs were treated at 600 MPa (23 °C) for 2, 4, and 15 min and two pH conditions were studied (physiological pH and pH 4.60). The concentration of β-Lg in supernatant fraction after HPP significantly decreased after 2 min of treatment, while the concentration of α-La was unchanged in both goat and sheep samples. Longer HPP processing times (up to 15 min) progressively increased α-La purification degree but also decreased the α-La yield. Caprine and ovine NWCs treated at physiological pH provided better α-La yield, α-La purification degree, and higher β-Lg precipitation degrees than the corresponding acidified samples, while the corresponding NWC supernatant (NWC_sup) showed lower values for both surface hydrophobicity and total free thiol indices, suggesting a higher extent of protein aggregation. Effects of sample acidification and the HPP treatment were opposite to those previously reported on bovine NWC, so further characterization of caprine and ovine β-Lg should be carried out to understand their different behavior.

A comprehensive review on infant formula: nutritional and functional constituents, recent trends in processing and its impact on infants' gut microbiota

Human milk is considered the most valuable form of nutrition for infants for their growth, development and function. So far, there are still some cases where feeding human milk is not feasible. As a result, the market for infant formula is widely increasing, and formula feeding become an alternative or substitute for breastfeeding. The nutritional value of the formula can be improved by adding functional bioactive compounds like probiotics, prebiotics, human milk oligosaccharides, vitamins, minerals, taurine, inositol, osteopontin, lactoferrin, gangliosides, carnitine etc. For processing of infant formula, diverse thermal and non-thermal technologies have been employed. Infant formula can be either in powdered form, which requires reconstitution with water or in ready-to-feed liquid form, among which powder form is readily available, shelf-stable and vastly marketed. Infants' gut microbiota is a complex ecosystem and the nutrient composition of infant formula is recognized to have a lasting effect on it. Likewise, the gut microbiota establishment closely parallels with host immune development and growth. Therefore, it must be contemplated as an important factor for consideration while developing formulas. In this review, we have focused on the formulation and manufacturing of safe and nutritious infant formula equivalent to human milk or aligning with the infant's needs and its ultimate impact on infants' gut microbiota.

Alteration of the allergenicity of cow's milk proteins using different food processing modifications

Milk is an essential source of protein for infants and young children. At the same time, cow's milk is also one of the most common allergenic foods causing food allergies in children. Recently, cow's milk allergy (CMA) has become a common public health issue worldwide. Modern food processing technologies have been developed to reduce the allergenicity of milk proteins and improve the quality of life of patients with CMA. In this review, we summarize the main allergens in cow's milk, and introduce the recent findings on CMA responses. Moreover, the reduced effects and underlying mechanisms of different food processing techniques (such as heating, high pressure, γ-ray irradiation, ultrasound irradiation, hydrolysis, glycosylation, etc.) on the allergenicity of cow's milk proteins, and the application of processed cow's milk in clinical studies, are discussed. In addition, we describe the changes of nutritional value in cow's milk treated by different food processing technologies. This review provides an in-depth understanding of the allergenicity reduction of cow's milk proteins by various food processing techniques.

Comparison of the Effects of High Hydrostatic Pressure and Pasteurization on Quality of Milk during Storage

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP, 600 MPa/15 min), pasteurization (72 °C/15 s) and pasteurization-HHP (72 °C/15 s + 600 MPa/15 min) processing of milk were comparatively evaluated by examining their effects on microorganisms and quality during 30 days of storage at 4 °C. The counts of total aerobic bacteria in HHP-treated milk were less than 2.22 lgCFU/mL during storage, while they exceeded 5.00 lgCFU/mL in other treated milk. Although HHP changed the color, it had more advantages in maintaining the nutrient (fat, calcium and β-lactoglobulin) properties of milk during storage. Moreover, the viscosity and particle size of HHP-treated milk were more similar to the untreated milk during storage. However, consumer habits towards heat-treated milk have led to poor acceptance of HHP-treated milk, resulting in a low sensory score. In sum, compared with pasteurization- and pasteurization-HHP-treated milk, HHP-treated milk showed longer shelf life and better nutritional quality, but lower sensory acceptance.

Novel Processing Technology of Dairy Products

Milk has been processed into dairy products using traditional methods for hundreds of years [...].

A Review on the Effect of High Pressure Processing (HPP) on Gelatinization and Infusion of Nutrients

High pressure processing (HPP) is a novel technology that involves subjecting foods to high hydrostatic pressures of the order of 100-600 MPa. This technology has been proven successful for inactivation of numerous microorganisms, spores and enzymes in foods, leading to increased shelf life. HPP is not limited to cold pasteurization, but has many other applications. The focus of this paper is to explore other applications of HPP, such as gelatinization, forced water absorption and infusion of nutrients. The use of high pressure in producing cold gelatinizing effects, imparting unique properties to food and improving food quality will be also discussed, highlighting the latest published studies and the innovative methods adopted.