Digestive Profiles of Human Milk, Recombinant Human and Bovine Lactoferrin: Comparing the Retained Intact Protein and Peptide Release

2024  Journal Article

Digestive Profiles of Human Milk, Recombinant Human and Bovine Lactoferrin: Comparing the Retained Intact Protein and Peptide Release

Pub TLDR

This study shows that scientists might be able to create a version of lactoferrin in the lab that works very similarly to the natural protein in breast milk. This could potentially lead to better baby formula or other products that are more like human milk.

DOI: 10.3390/nu16142360    PubMed ID: 39064803
 

College of Health researcher(s)

OSU Profile

Abstract

Lactoferrin (LF) is a major component of human milk. LF supplementation (currently bovine) supports the immune system and helps maintain iron homeostasis in adults. No recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF) is available for commercial food use. To determine the extent to which rhLF (Efferaâ„¢) produced by Komagataella phaffii digests similarly to hmLF, a validated in vitro digestion protocol was carried out. Bovine LF (bLF) was used as an additional control, as it is approved for use in various food categories. This study compared the extent of intact protein retention and the profile of peptides released in hmLF, bLF and rhLF (each with low and high iron saturation) across simulated adult gastric and intestinal digestion using gel electrophoresis, ELISA and LC-MS. Intact LF retention across digestion was similar across LF types, but the highest iron-saturated hmLF had greater retention in the simulated gastric fluid than all other sample types. Peptides identified in digested hmLF samples strongly correlated with digested rhLF samples (0.86 < r < 0.92 in the gastric phase and 0.63 < r < 0.70 in the intestinal phase), whereas digested bLF samples were significantly different. These findings support the potential for rhLF as a food ingredient for human consumption.

Kim, B.J., Kuhfeld, R.F., Haas, J.L., Anaya, Y., Martinez, R.R., Sah, B.N., Breen, B., Newsham, K., Malinczak, C., Dallas, D.C. (2024) Digestive Profiles of Human Milk, Recombinant Human and Bovine Lactoferrin: Comparing the Retained Intact Protein and Peptide ReleaseNutrients16(14)