Lactoferrin is one of the star nutrients in infant formula, and formulas with lactoferrin added to it are certainly much more expensive. Why is that? What exactly is lactoferrin added to milk powder?
The identity of lactoferrin has been revealed
Lactoferrin lf is a natural protein in animal colostrum, is a multifunctional protein, it is one of the important members of the mother's non-specific immune system, is the core immune protein in breast milk.
Lactoferrin has a broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral infection effect and can regulate the balance of iron in the body; Regulates the production of bone marrow cells and promotes the growth of cells; Regulate the body's immune function and enhance the body's ability to resist diseases; Inhibit the action of human tumor cells; It can work synergistically with a variety of antibiotics and antifungal agents to treat diseases more effectively, and is known as the "first line of defense for health".
The role of lactoferrin added in formula
1. Promote iron absorption and prevent anemia in infants
Iron is an important component of hemoglobin and plays an important role in infant growth and development. Iron deficiency anemia is a common nutritional deficiency disease in infants and young children, and even mild anemia can affect children's intellectual development. To prevent iron deficiency anemia, national standards for formula milk powder require the added content of iron:
The iron content in a stage of formula milk powder is required to contain 0.10-0.36mg per 100kj (kJ);
The iron content in the second and third stages of infant formula is required to contain 0.25-0.50mg per 100kj (kJ);
However, most infant formulas add ferrous sulfate, ferrous lactate, etc., and only a few formulas add lactoferrin, which can better promote iron absorption.
Lactoferrin can improve the bioavailability of iron ions in the intestine, improve the absorption rate of iron, enhance hematopoietic function, and effectively prevent anemia in infants and young children.
2. Antibacterial and antiviral
It can bind iron, which can reduce the absorption of iron by bacteria, an essential element, and affect the growth of bacteria. Lactoferrin can also bind to the lipopolysaccharides of the bacterial wall, and its oxidized iron ions can oxidize the bacteria by forming peroxides, increasing the permeability of the bacterial cell membrane, resulting in bacterial lipopolysaccharides seeping out of the outer membrane and playing a bactericidal role.
Lactoferrin can exert antibacterial and antiviral activity in the intestine through direct action on pathogens, help infants and young children resist harmful microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, and prevent and reduce the incidence of common diseases in infants such as respiratory infections, diarrhea and enteritis caused by viruses;
3. Promote the growth of intestinal beneficial bacteria
Lactoferrin is added to milk powder, which is closer to breast milk, strengthens immune factors and increases its immune function. It can promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestine, help infants and young children resist E. coli, reduce diarrhea caused by microorganisms such as viruses, enteritis and other common diseases in infants, and build the first line of defense in life. Studies have shown that oral lactoferrin is safe and reliable without any side effects. Therefore, the strengthening of lactoferrin in infant formula is extremely important for the nutritional needs and growth and development of the born baby.
4. Regulate immune function
Lactoferrin can stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of intestinal mucosal cells, promote the development and maturation of the intestinal immune system; lactoferrin can also promote the maturity and activation of immune cells, promote antibody production, regulate and improve the body's immune response, and regulate and improve immunity.
Milk protein allergy can supplement lactoferrin! Although there are also two words for protein, from the above analysis we can know that lactoferrin is completely different from αs1-casein and β-lactoglobulin, which cause milk protein allergy, both in terms of efficacy and content. Therefore, if you want to get the benefits of lactoferrin, it is no problem to give children with milk protein allergies to supplement lactoferrin products.
The US FDA allowed lactoferrin as a food additive for sports foods and functional foods as a food additive, believing that lactoferrin can be used not only for the general population, but also for special people who are allergic to milk.
5. Other physiological functions
Lactoferrin can promote the growth of bone cells and facilitate bone growth; It also has a certain antioxidant effect, inhibiting lipid peroxidation; It can also stimulate lysozyme enzyme regeneration, etc.
Lactoferrin addition standards in infant formula foods in China
China issued a draft in 2011, approving that lactoferrin can be added to infant formula, and the addition criteria are: ≤ 1.0 g/kg, that is, the amount of addition per kilogram should be less than or equal to 1 gram.
The addition of lactoferrin to infant formula is extracted from cow's milk, and it takes about 14 kg to extract 1 gram of lactoferrin. Therefore, the price of milk powder with lactoferrin will be relatively expensive. However, the recombinant addition of lactoferrin can prevent neonatal infection, promote the improvement of baby's immunity, and escort the baby's health because of its special structure and good effect.
In fact, in addition to artificial or mixed feeding infants and young children, pregnant women, iron deficiency anemia, immunocompromised people, and the elderly with frailty and disease can also choose to add lactoferrin foods to help improve the ability to fight viruses and bacteria, and effectively prevent bacteria and viral infections; Promotes iron absorption, prevents anemia, enhances disease resistance, repairs and improves immunity.