Lorentz Center workshop Life Sciences with Industry 2015: Proposal Nutricia Research
About Nutricia Research
Nutricia Research is the R&D organisation behind Nutricia Early Life Nutrition and Nutricia Advanced
Medical Nutrition, and we are part of Danone. We bring health through food to as many people as
possible, particularly those who need special care. Nutricia Research is globally represented by 600
scientists, product technologists and many other specialists. With 35 nationalities, and research and
development locations in Europe, North America, Asia and Latin America, our scope is both global
and regional. Our research and innovation activities always begin with insights into nutrients and
their role in optimal health, and we build on that knowledge to tailor solutions for nutritional needs
throughout the lifespan of our target populations.
Isolation of phospholipids from cow’s milk
Milk and milk-derived products are a major source of nutrition world-wide and across all life stages.
The substances in milk provide both energy and the building materials necessary for growth.
The fat globules in milk have a core of neutral lipids (mainly triglycerides) and are enveloped by the
Milk Fat Globule Membrane (MFGM). The MFGM structure can be described as an inner monolayer
and a true bilayer. The MFGM components are mainly polar lipids (sphingolipids and phospholipids,
PL), cholesterol and membrane proteins. The polar lipids in milk are mainly situated in the MFGM.
Milk contains about 4% fat, of which approximately 98% are in the form of triglycerides and
approximately 1% in the form of phospholipids (40mg/L). Milk phospholipids are composed of
sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamin, phosphatidylserine and
phosphatidylinositol. The MFGM or its single components have great potential for new product
applications due to nutritional and technological benefits.
During dairy processing, the MFGM is disrupted and shed into aqueous/serum phases such as
buttermilk, butterserum, and whey buttermilk. Consequently, these byproducts of the butter,
anhydrous milk fat (AMF) and cheese/whey process are potential sources for isolation of
phospholipids. These processes are well described in literature.
The current industry focuses on valorization of byproducts obtained during conventional dairy
processing. Although potential sources for isolation of PL are identified, these sources contain a
fraction of the original PL content present in milk. This is a result of PL being distributed over the
different products streams during processing.
The challenge is to maximize the isolation of the original PL content from cow’s milk. This project
aims to identify a process with the focus on isolation of PL from cow’s milk, thereby not limiting
oneself by the conventional dairy processes (such as the production of butter, AMF and
cheese/whey).
Aims
1. Identify processing steps to isolate phospholipids from cow’s milk, or to isolate a stream
containing a high concentration of phospholipids, aiming to maximize the isolation of the
original phospholipids content in cow’s milk.
2. Identify the waste and/or byproduct streams
References
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Rombaut et al. 2006: Phospho- and sphingolipid distribution during processing of milk, butter
and whey, International Journal of Food Science and Technology 41, p435–443
Rombaut and Dewettinck 2006: Properties, analysis and purification of milk polar lipids,
International Dairy Journal 16, p1362–1373
Dewettinck et al. 2008: Review Nutritional and technological aspects of milk fat globule
membrane material, International Dairy Journal 18, p436–457
Vanderghem et al. 2010: Milk fat globule membrane and buttermilks: from composition to
valorization, Biotechnol. Agron. Soc. Environ. 14(3), p485-500
Moghis Ahmad and Xuebing Xu (Eds.) 2015: Polar Lipids: biology, chemistry, and technology.
Chapter 5, Milk and dairy polar lipids: Occurrence, purification, and nutritional and
technological properties. Urbana: AOCS Press, p91-143
Utrecht, September 10, 2015