Explore the mysteries of breast milk and build the soft power of the infant powder industry with science and technology

Reporter Wang Wei

The first 1,000 days of life is not only a window of opportunity for human development, but also a critical period
for nutritional regulation that affects human health throughout life.
Improving maternal and infant health is an important part of building a "healthy China", and carrying out research on breast milk and early life nutrition is of special significance
to promoting maternal and infant health.
Recently, the 2022 China Dairy Science and Technology and High-quality Development Symposium - Early Life Nutrition and Health and the 4th Breast Milk Research Summit Forum, hosted by the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology and supported by Yili Institute of Maternal and Child Nutrition, was held
in Beijing in a combination of offline and online.
The conference focused on the latest scientific and technological achievements in human milk research, brought together academicians and experts in the field of food and breast milk research in China, deeply discussed the frontier progress in the field of human milk research, new trends in industrial development, and deeply promoted the research level and industrial innovation
of infant formula milk powder.

Increase research on breast milk and infant nutrition

Meng Suhe, honorary chairman of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology, said in his speech that China's food industry has shown resilience to climb up after experiencing low operation, its development model is undergoing profound changes, the internal quality is constantly improving, and nutrition and health have become the core competitiveness
to enhance product value.
The Breast Milk Research Summit Forum has been held for four consecutive years, and it has still persevered in the context of the epidemic, reflecting the persistent adherence and technology-oriented values
of the industry and science and technology circles in scientific and technological innovation and basic research fields.
She pointed out that China's dairy industry has entered a new historical development stage, and it is necessary to rely on science and technology to persistently build future-oriented soft power, meet the diversified needs of the market, and lead the high-quality development
of China's dairy industry.

"Nutrition is the cornerstone of health, and it is of great significance
to clarify the characteristics of the nutritional needs of infants and young children at different stages of growth and provide them with nutritious and healthy foods.
" Ren Fazheng, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and vice president of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology, suggested in his speech that more attention should be paid to the research of breast milk and infant nutrition, and the research on the components of breast milk should be further clarified, and health products
suitable for infants and young children should be developed.

Situ Wenyou, senior scientific research director of Yili Maternal and Child Nutrition Research Institute, said that China's dairy industry is entering the "fast lane" of development, and it is also necessary to promote collaborative innovation between industry, education and research, carry out independent research on Chinese breast milk, and develop formula milk powder
suitable for infant nutrition in China.
This is the only way for the high-quality development of the industry, and it is also an inevitable choice
for building an innovative country.
"Children are not a scaled-down version of adults, this group has special nutritional needs
.
" Tu Wenyou said that Yili is a dairy enterprise driven by scientific and technological innovation, and it is also one of
the earliest dairy enterprises in China to enter the field of early life nutrition research.
Over the past 20 years, Yili has gathered global resources, promoted collaborative innovation between industry, education and research, and achieved fruitful academic results
.
In the future, Yili will continue to scientifically plan infant and early life nutrition for children, and fully promote the construction of
"Healthy China".

Promote the in-depth development of human milk functional component research

Only by consolidating basic research can the industry be
firmly established.
In recent years, domestic experts and scholars have carried out in-depth research on functional components in human milk such as human milk oligosaccharides and breast milk lipids, and have made certain progress
.
At the meeting, a number of experts carried out in-depth exchanges
on the basic research of the functional components of human milk.

Professor Wang Shuo, deputy dean of the Institute of Public Health and Health of Nankai University, pointed out in the report entitled "Frontier Scientific and Technological Progress of Human Milk Oligosaccharides" that human milk oligosaccharides are the third largest solid component in human milk, second only to lactose and fat, and more than 200 kinds of human milk oligosaccharides
have been isolated from breast milk.
Breast milk oligosaccharides have various functions such as regulating the body's immunity and promoting cognition, and can establish contact
with the brain through the gut-brain axis by adjusting the structure of the flora or with the help of bacterial metabolites produced.
Human milk oligosaccharides have become a hot spot
in current human milk research.
From the current point of view, microbial fermentation is a more mature way to achieve large-scale production of human milk oligosaccharides, and further clinical research and analysis of its health effects
are needed in the future.

Professor Wang Zhiyi from the School of Public Health of Nanjing Medical University shared a report
entitled "Frontier Progress in Breast Milk Research in China".
Wang Zhiyi introduced that at present, China has established an independent human milk research system, and its research strength and research level have reached the international level
.
Studies have found that some human milk components are affected by population genetics or diet and lifestyle, and there are certain differences
between regions.
At the same time, the relevant research found that the current research on whey protein is relatively sufficient, but the casein has not been paid attention to
.
China's Yili and other enterprises have carried out relevant research, and used the research results to apply and transform products, forming an infant formula milk powder program
with α-whey protein and β-casein combined with each other.

Professor Deng Zeyuan, Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology of Nanchang University, analyzed the research on human milk lipids and their industrial application
from the perspective of infant formula research and development.
Deng Zeyuan pointed out that OPO structural lipids in breast milk lipids are the easiest to digest and absorb in the gastrointestinal tract, and at the same time, there are differences between OPO structural lipids in Chinese breast milk and foreign countries, compared with OPO structural lipids with higher content in foreign breast milk, OPL structural lipids with higher content in Chinese breast milk are easier to be absorbed and transported
in Caco-2 monolayer cells.
Studies have found that the position isomerization and unsaturation of fatty acids in triglycerides have important effects
on the digestive system of structural lipids.
Deng Zeyuan pointed out that in the future research and development of infant formula, the emulsification of structured fat of human milk should also pay attention to lipid components
such as phospholipids and cholesterol.

In 2022, the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology released the "Six Trends in Human Milk and Early Life Nutrition Research"
.
As the main author of this achievement, Professor Guo Huiyuan from the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering of China Agricultural University brought a report
entitled "Six Hot Directions of Human Milk Science and Infant Food Manufacturing Technology".
The six hot directions of human milk science and infant food manufacturing technology research are: analysis of nutritional requirements in early life, in-depth exploration of human milk components, observation of the health effects of breast milk, innovative creation of functional binders, development of new binder detection technology and evaluation methods, and efficient retention
of bioactive ingredients.
Guo Huiyuan pointed out that the research on human milk and infant food manufacturing technology has special significance to promote maternal and infant health, and is an important measure to realize the "Healthy China" strategy, and the in-depth analysis of the scientific frontier in the field of breast milk and infant food manufacturing will promote the in-depth development of early life nutrition research and help improve the nutritional health level
of mothers and infants in China.

Pay attention to cutting-edge research and increase industrial application

In addition to the "window of opportunity" of the first 1,000 days of life, childhood and adolescence are also sensitive stages
of growth and development.
At this stage, a balanced intake of nutrients is critical, and habitual, social and cognitive skills are easier to develop
than in adulthood.
Early childhood nutrition interventions improve survival and development and promote healthy growth
.
To this end, the participating experts discussed in depth the problems faced in child nutrition research and the ways to solve them
.

Yang Zhenyu, a researcher at the Institute of Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that studies have found that protein, calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K are important nutrients
that affect bone health in childhood.
The right ratio of these nutrients can work synergistically to promote bone development
in children.
Dairy products are not only an important source of protein, calcium and magnesium, but also serve as a carrier for vitamin D fortification, and reasonable intake can help children's bone development
.

Professor Chen Tongxin, Chief Physician of Shanghai Children's Medical Center affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, introduced children's immune development from the perspective of immunology
.
Chen Tongxin pointed out that there are many kinds of bioactive components of breast milk, which can participate in the construction of immune system from the aspects of direct participation in immune response, promotion of intestinal development, improvement of intestinal mucosal barrier and construction of
intestinal microecology.

Professor Zhang Yumei of the School of Public Health of Peking University evaluated the screen time of infants aged 0-3 years old according to the survey of "Nutrition and Health Survey of Infants aged 0-36 months in 10 Regions of China", and found that compared with WHO guidelines, more than half of children aged 1-2 years reported excessive daily self-exposure to screens.
The incidence of overlength in children aged 2-3 years is as high as about 69%; About 10%
of infants aged 0-1 years.
At the same time, sleep problems still need attention, and the incidence of self-reported sleep deprivation in children aged 1 to 3 years is about 12% to 20%, and the incidence of insufficient sleep in infants aged 0 to 3 months is about 35%.

Professor Liu Xuebo, Assistant President of Northwest A&F University, introduced the nutritional
intervention of food functional factors on lipid metabolism and neurodevelopment in early life.
He believes that maternal health affects offspring, and dietary interventions during a critical window early in life may alter offspring health
.
Studies based on animal models have shown that maternal high-fiber dietary patterns improve the metabolic health of offspring and affect cognitive and social function development
in infants and young children.

China Food News(December 06, 2022, Version 04)

(Responsible editor: Yang Xiaojing).