A new sensitive method of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis for nine fasciolicides (closantel, rafoxanide, oxyclozanide, niclosamide, nitroxinil, ioxynil, 4-nitro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenol, salicylanilide, and triclabendazole) and three metabolite residues (ketotriclabnedazole, triclabendazole sulfone, and triclabendazole sulfoxide) in milk and infant formula was established. The samples were extracted and purified through solid-phase extraction and analyzed using LC-MS/MS. The proposed method demonstrated high accuracy (the average recoveries ranged from 70.5 % to 107.4 %) and high sensitivity (the limits of quantification ranged from 1.0 to 25.0 µg/kg). This method was successfully applied to determine nine fasciolicides and three metabolite residues in 45 milk and infant formula, providing technical support for the safety and quality evaluation of dairy products.

Ensuring food safety, particularly for vulnerable groups, like infants and young children, requires identifying and prioritizing potential hazards in food chains. We previously developed a web-based decision support system (DSS) to identify specific microbiological hazards (MHs) in infant and toddler foods through a structured five-step process. This study takes the framework further by introducing systematic risk ranking (RR) steps to rank MH risks with seven criteria: process survival, recontamination, growth opportunity, meal preparation, hazard-food association evidence, food consumption habits of infants and toddlers in the EU, and MH severity. Each criterion is given a semi-quantitative or quantitative score or risk value, contributing to the final MH risk calculation via three aggregation methods: semi-quantitative risk scoring, semi-quantitative risk value, and outranking multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). To validate the criteria and ranking approaches, we conducted a case study to rank MH risks in infant formula, compared the results of the three risk ranking methods, and additionally evaluated the ranking results against expert opinions to ensure their accuracy. The results showed strong agreement among the three methods, consistently ranking Salmonella non-Typhi and Cronobacter spp. and Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli as the top MH risks in infant formulae, with minor deviations. When MHs were ranked after an initial hazard identification step, all three methods produced nearly identical MH rankings, reinforcing the reliability of the ranking steps and the selected criteria. Notably, the risk value and MCDA methods provided more informative MH rankings compared to the risk scoring method. The risk value and risk scoring methods were implemented into an online tool, called the MIcrobiological hazards risk RAnking decision support system (Mira-DSS), available at https://foodmicrobiologywur.shinyapps.io/MIcrobial_hazards_RAnking/. In conclusion, our framework enables the ranking of MH risks, facilitating intervention comparisons and resource allocations to mitigate MH risks in infant foods, with potential applicability to broader food categories.

It is the purpose of this review to compare differences in postnatal epigenetic programming at the level of DNA and RNA methylation and later obesity risk between infants receiving artificial formula feeding (FF) in contrast to natural breastfeeding (BF). FF bears the risk of aberrant epigenetic programming at the level of DNA methylation and enhances the expression of the RNA demethylase fat mass- and obesity-associated gene (FTO), pointing to further deviations in the RNA methylome. Based on a literature search through Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed databases concerning the dietary and epigenetic factors influencing FTO gene and FTO protein expression and FTO activity, FTO\'s impact on postnatal adipogenic programming was investigated. Accumulated translational evidence underscores that total protein intake as well as tryptophan, kynurenine, branched-chain amino acids, milk exosomal miRNAs, NADP, and NADPH are crucial regulators modifying FTO gene expression and FTO activity. Increased FTO-mTORC1-S6K1 signaling may epigenetically suppress the WNT/β-catenin pathway, enhancing adipocyte precursor cell proliferation and adipogenesis. Formula-induced FTO-dependent alterations of the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylome may represent novel unfavorable molecular events in the postnatal development of adipogenesis and obesity, necessitating further investigations. BF provides physiological epigenetic DNA and RNA regulation, a compelling reason to rely on BF.

The present study examined the fatty acid content of human milk from Polish women living in the Warmia and Mazury region with regard to different lactation periods and compared it with the fatty acid content of selected infant formulas. The analysis included samples of breast milk-colostrum (n = 21), transitional milk (n = 26), and mature milk (n = 22). Fat was extracted using the Rose-Gottlieb method, and the fatty acid profile was determined by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (FID). The proportion of SFAs (saturated fatty acids) > MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) > PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) was determined in each fraction of breast milk and infant formula. Palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids predominated in breast milk and infant formulas. Colostrum contained lower contents of selected SFAs (caprylic, capric, lauric) and higher contents of selected MUFAs (ercucic) and PUFAs (arachidonic and docosahexaenoic) (p < 0.05) relative to transitional and mature milk. Infant formulas were distinguished from human milk in terms of their SFA (caproic, caprylic, lauric, arachidic), MUFA (oleic), and PUFA (linoleic, α-linoleic) content. It should be noted that infant formulas contained significantly lower trans fatty acid (TFA) content-more than thirty-six and more than nineteen times lower than in human milk. Furthermore, human milk contained branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) at 0.23-0.28%, while infant formulas contained only trace amounts of these acids. The average ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids for human milk was 6.59:1 and was close to the worldwide ratio of 6.53 ± 1.72:1. Both principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) indicated significant differences in the fatty acid profile relative to lactation and a different profile of infant formulas relative to breast milk.

In many parts of the world, goat milk has been part of the human diet for millennia. Allergy to goat\'s milk, not associated with allergy to cow\'s milk, is a rare disorder, although some cases have been described. Goat milk proteins have substantial homology with cow\'s milk proteins and even show cross-reactivity; therefore, they are not advised as an alternative to cow\'s milk for infants with IgE-mediated cow\'s milk allergies. However, there are indications that, due to the composition of the goat milk proteins, goat milk proteins show lower allergenicity than cow\'s milk due to a lower αS1-casein content. For this reason, goat milk might be a better choice over cow\'s milk as a first source of protein when breastfeeding is not possible or after the breastfeeding period. Additionally, some studies show that goat milk could play a role in specific types of non-IgE-mediated cow milk allergy or even in the prevention of sensitization to cow\'s milk proteins. This review discusses a possible role of goat milk in non-IgE mediated allergy and the prevention or oral tolerance induction of milk allergy.

In the melamine scandals of the early 2000s, different companies of the dairy industry cheated their products by applying chemical substances to feign a higher content of nitrogen. However, this had a severe toxic impact on the kidney health of consumers. As a result, tremendous effort was put into the prevention of further harm to the public. In the present study, a fast-screening method for the determination of melamine and cyanuric acid in infant formula was developed. While a 1D-LC approach is faster and easier to set up, a 2D-LC approach allows for a more accurate result with better selectivity and sensitivity. For both instrumental approaches, the signal ratio of the isotopologues was crucial and had a dominant effect on the results and the measurement uncertainty. For this reason, the different contributions to the measurement uncertainty were determined experimentally using Matched Standard Addition-IDMS and compared to the Exact Matching Double IDMS.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of formula milk powder in the treatment of lactose intolerance in children, and to provide an evidence-based medicine basis for the rational use of drugs in children with lactose intolerance caused by various reasons by meta-analysis.
METHODS: Use computers to search major databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and other databases, the retrieval time is from the establishment of the database to April 2023. The collected literatures were screened, data extracted and processed, and then meta-analysis was performed by Review-Manager 5.4 statistical software.
RESULTS: A total of 10 randomized controlled trials were included, with 1112 patients, including 562 patients in the treatment group and 550 patients in the control group. The control group was treated with conventional therapy, and the treatment group was treated with lactose-free/low-lactose milk powder on the basis of conventional therapy. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the clinical efficacy of the treatment group was significantly better than that of the control group [odds ratio=6.01, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.94-9.18, P<0.00001], the course of disease in the treatment group was shorter than that in the control group (mean difference=-1.45, 95% CI: -1.76 to -1.13, P<0.0001). The antidiarrhea time of the treatment group was shorter than that of the control group, and the difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (mean difference=-1.41, 95% CI: -1.67 to -1.15, P<0.0001).
CONCLUSIONS: Low/lactose-free milk powder can improve clinical efficacy and shorten the course of treatment in infants with lactose intolerance, which can be demonstrated by further large-scale clinical studies.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of feeding patterns during the first 6 months on weight development of infants ages 0-12 months. Using monitoring data from the Maternal and Child Health Project conducted by the National Center for Women and Children\'s Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention from September 2015 to June 2019, we categorized feeding patterns during the first 6 months as exclusive breastfeeding, formula feeding, or mixed feeding. We calculated weight-for-age Z scores (WAZ) according to the World Health Organization\'s (WHO) 2006 Child Growth Standard using WHO Anthro version 3.2.2. A multilevel model was used to analyze the effect of feeding patterns during the first 6 months on the WAZ of infants ages 0-12 months in monitoring regions. Length of follow-up (age of infants) was assigned to level 1, and infants was assigned to level 2. Characteristics of infants, mothers, and families and region of the country were adjusted for in the model. The average weight of infants ages 0-12 months in our study (except the birth weights of boys who were formula fed or mixed fed) was greater than the WHO growth standard. After we adjusted for confounding factors, the multilevel model showed that the WAZ of exclusively breastfed and mixed-fed infants were statistically significantly higher than those of formula-fed infants (coefficients = 0.329 and 0.159, respectively; P < 0.05), and there was a negative interaction between feeding patterns and age (both coefficients = - 0.020; P < 0.05). Infants who were exclusively breastfed were heavier than formula-fed infants from birth until 12 months of age. Mixed-fed infants were heavier than formula-fed infants before 8 months, after which the latter overtook the former. Infants\' weight development may be influenced by feeding patterns during the first 6 months. Exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months may be beneficial for weight development of infants in infancy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the 2022 infant formula shortage on self-reported anxiety and depression.
BACKGROUND: The US national infant formula shortage of 2022 originated from supply chain disruptions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the shortage was further compounded by a recall of tainted formula products.
METHODS: We used survey-weighted data from the Household Pulse Survey (HPS) to measure self-reported anxiety and depression among individuals with formula-fed infants less than 1 year of age. We evaluated the association between 2 formula disruption variables (being impacted by the infant formula shortage or having difficulty obtaining formula in the last 7 days) with 2 mental health outcomes (anxiety and depression) using multivariable logistic regressions.
RESULTS: We found increased odds of self-reported anxiety (aOR: 3.13; P < .001) and depression (aOR: 3.05; P = .005) for respondents affected by the infant formula shortage. There were no adjusted associations between having difficulty obtaining formula in the last 7 days and anxiety and depression.
CONCLUSIONS: Individuals affected by the infant formula shortage had increased odds of both anxiety and depression. Continued efforts to improve food security for low-income infants is critical for ensuring equitable nutritional and health outcomes across infant populations.
CONCLUSIONS: Continued efforts to reduce food insecurity for low-income infants are critically needed, as infant nutrition impacts caregiver mental health and infant health. Efforts to improve lactation support and breastfeeding initiation are needed in addition to improvements in access to formula.

Given the limited evidence, there is no conclusive proof of the neurocognitive benefits of bovine milk fat globule membrane supplementation in infant formula. This study evaluates the neurocognitive benefits of bovine milk fat globule membrane supplementation in formula, comparing it to standard formula and assessing its noninferiority to breast milk. Data were sourced from studies published between January 2000 and March 2024 from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase. Eight randomized controlled trials involving 1352 healthy term neonates, infants, and children up to 2 years old were included. Bovine milk fat globule membrane supplementation was significantly associated with improved cognitive development (mean difference: 3.29, 95% CI: 1.65 to 4.93, p < 0.001) and demonstrated minimal heterogeneity (I2 = 0%, p = 0.564). It showed significant improvement in executive function but not in language, motor, or social-emotional development. In non-inferiority analysis, there was no significant difference compared to breast milk regarding cognitive development. These findings support bovine milk fat globule membrane as a valuable addition to infant formula for cognitive benefits.