Modern adapted infant formulas: problem status and prospects for solving

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization report, in 2019 47 million children under 5 were wasted, of which 14.3 million were severely wasted. In most cases, the main reason for nutritional deficiencies in the world is a child’s diet low in calories, dietary protein deficiency and inferiority, as well as inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals. The article presents a modern literature review devoted to the main problems in creating adapted formulas for infants who are deprived of the opportunity of getting breastfeeding. Among the most pressing problems are: difficulties in bringing the total protein concentration in the formula to the breast milk level while keeping an adequate amino acid profile, the high risk of animal milk protein allergies in infants, unfulfilled hopes for the preventive effect of partially hydrolysed formulas in relation to the development of allergic diseases, as well as the high prevalence of functional gastrointestinal diseases in children who are formula-fed. At the same time, it was emphasized that the use of goat’s milk as a protein base for basic infant formulas may in the future help solve some of the above problems. The protein component of goat’s milk compares favourably with cow’s milk, and the amino acid composition helps reduce protein concentration in the finished formula enriched with whey fraction to the recommended level. The article stresses that there is a need to continue studies on the effectiveness and safety of adapted goat’s milk formulas in infants to give definite answers to the questions posed.