Making headway in milk formulation

IN JANUARY, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it had approved the addition of canola oil as a fat ingredient in term infant formula marketed in the United States. The agency is allowing the use of the GRAS ingredient only up to 31% of the total fat blend.

“This is significant as canola oil has not previously been used in infant formula in the U.S. due to the absence of a GRAS (generally recognised as safe) submission to do so,”Shaunda Durance-Tod, M.S., R.D., manager of the CanolaInfo program at the Canola Council of Canada, said in a press report. “Canola oil is still a relative newcomer to the marketplace.”

In the U.S., it is a standard for infant formulas to meet the federal nutrient requirements. Formulas are expected to contain the essential fatty acids linoleic acid (LA), an omega-6 fatty acid, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid, which aid in infant growth and development. Canola oil has amongst the highest ALA content of all edible oils – 11% compared to 8% in soybean oil.

Moreover, the FDA demands that manufacturers use only GRAS ingredients in infant formulas. It also requires formula manufacturers to make a submission to the FDA in advance of the marketing of a new infant formula.

“When used in combination with other oils that contain LA, canola oil can be used by infant formula manufacturers to target appropriate levels of LA (8-35% of total fatty acids) and ALA (1.75-4% of total fatty acids) and ensure the fat blend is within the recommended ratio of LA:ALA between 6:1 and 16:1,” the FDA said in a response to the GRAS notice which it received regarding the inclusion of canola oil as a source of fat in term infant formula.The GRAS notification included a review by an expert panel of published scientific studies with infants fed formula containing canola oil.

“Canola oil has a lower LA:ALA ratio than other commonly used oils,” added Ms Durance-Tod. “In addition, canola oil is widely available at an affordable price. It is now number two by volume in the U.S.”

Milk with omega-3s Meanwhile, enriching milk with omega-3 without changing its taste and smell is another promising breakthrough. Developed by food science researchers at Virginia Tech, the technology allows the addition of fish oil into dairy-based beverages without limiting its lifespan or adversely affecting its aroma. To test the difference, 25 volunteers were given one-ounce cups of standard 2% milk and samples of skim milk that has 78 parts butter oil to 22 parts fish oil under approved conditions. The study tested four different ratios of butter oil to fish oil in the production of pasteurised, fatty acid-fortified beverages.

Susan E. Duncan who is a professor of food science and technology in the College of Agriculture and Life Science, said she could not find any aroma differences between the standard milk and skimmed milk with fish oil. “We were concerned the fish oil would undergo a chemical process called oxidation, which would shorten the milk’s shelf life, or the milk would acquire a cardboard or paint flavour by reacting with the fish oil. It appears we have a product that is stable, with no chemical taste or smell issues,” she said.

The new milk formulation provides 432 milligrams of heart-healthy fatty acids per cup, versus the daily target of 500mg as recommended by various health studies, and much higher than the daily consumption target recommended by the US Department of Agriculture which is 250mg in healthy adults.

Omega-3 fatty acids are helpful for preventing coronaNike Zoom Kobe Shoes