Infant formula development: past, present and future.

Abstract

Currently available infant formulas can be separated into those intended for normal term infants and those designed for infants with special needs, i.e. infants with low-birth-weight, with allergies to milk proteins, or with metabolic disorders. New formulas are developed when groups of infants with special nutritional needs are identified. A recent example is the introduction of a soy fiber-containing formula for refeeding infants after diarrhea. Existing formulas continually change with new nutritional knowledge; an example is the addition of taurine when its role is visual function became known. The composition of human milk serves as a valuable reference for improving infant formula. However, human milk contains living cells, hormones, active enzymes, immunoglobulins and components with unique molecular structures that can not be replicated in infant formula. Additionally, unlike human milk, infant formula must remain stable on the shelf for up to 36 months. These fundamental differences between human milk and infant formula often mandate differences in composition to achieve similar clinical outcomes. New formulas or changes in formulas should confer a demonstrable advantage to the infant and not be based on compositional changes alone. Before changes are made in formulations or new formulas developed, a thorough assessment of available research needs to be made and any gaps of knowledge identified. Then a research program specific for the question at hand is developed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)