DENMARK – Arla Foods Ingredients has launched an optimized comfort concept for easy-digest whey protein infant formula.
The new concept aims to solve the problem of ‘too much’ protein in infant formulas compared to human milk, something that is associated with gastrointestinal discomfort issues in infants, such as colic and constipation, resulting in excessive crying.
“Gut comfort is generally considered to be important for infant well-being and sleep, and discomfort can be emotionally and physically draining for both infants and parents.
Furthermore, infant discomfort problems are the most common reason for parents to switch between formulas to find a solution to their infant’s gastrointestinal issues.
The number of global launches of infant formula products with on-pack messages relating to comfort has risen by a CAGR of 11.6% over the past five years,” said the company.
The new optimized comfort concept for infant formula contains alpha-lactalbumin, which is the most abundant protein in human milk, carefully chosen due to its excellent amino acid composition.
The concept product contains 9.7g of protein per 100g serving and has a protein to energy ratio of 1.9g/100kcal.
It includes a low-protein formula with protein levels closer to human milk and whey protein hydrolysates, which are high-quality proteins that have been broken down by enzymes thus easing digestion.
The new optimized comfort, low protein formula concept incorporates Lacprodan ALPHA-10, a whey protein concentrate with a minimum level of 41% alpha-lactalbumin as a proportion of total protein content; and Lacprodan IF-3070, a partially hydrolysed whey protein (DH 9-15) with a mixture of small and larger peptides.
The products are an addition to Arla Food’s infant nutrition ingredients manufactured in Denmark to the strictest safety and quality standards using milk that is non-GMO/GMO-free, Kosher and Halal-certified, and free of annatto.
Arla Foods is the world’s first commercial producer of alpha-lactalbumin and one of the largest producers of alpha-lactalbumin and whey protein hydrolysates.
The company launched a new generation of whey hydrolysates for the sports nutrition market in 2017, saying the ‘pre-digested’ proteins works faster and could help muscles recover quicker.
