(Press-News.org) Athens, Ga. – Human breast milk is the best source of food for infants. University of Georgia researchers have found what may be a new second best—formula made from hazelnut oil.
Casimir Akoh, a UGA distinguished research professor of food science and technology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, developed a new nutrient based on hazelnut oil that better mimics the structure of mother's milk, which makes it better suited to nourish infants. The results of his study were published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry on May 23.
"Human milk is the most valuable source of nutrients for infants," he said, "but it is not always possible to feed infants with human milk, and supplements and formula are needed."
Mothers naturally provide the healthful omega-3 fatty acid DHA, docosahexaenoic acid, and omega-6 fatty acid ARA, arachidonic acid, which are important—for the development of the brain and other organs—to infants during the last three months of pregnancy and through breast-feeding. Akoh's development of fats from hazelnut oil contains DHA and ARA at the same molecular positions found on fats in human milk.
"The fatty acid profile of human milk is the gold standard when designing the fat composition of infant formulas," he said. "The unique structure of human milk fat increases digestion and absorption of the fatty acids and improves calcium absorption."
Traditionally, infant formulas are made using vegetable oils combined with algae-derived DHA and ARA fatty acids. But infants may not digest algae-derived fatty acids efficiently as a physical mixture of two oils.
"If you add DHA oil with vegetable oil, then the fatty acid (palmitic) shows up at the ends of the molecule," he said, "and this is different (reversed) from how it is in the mother."
Even though breast milk and infant formulas both have saturated and unsaturated fats, the chemical makeup of a molecule of human milk is more digestible than a molecule found in formula. The molecular structure of breast milk fat has saturated fats surrounded by unsaturated fats. Formula has the opposite structure.
"Metabolism is different for physically blended vegetable oils in infant formula," he said. "When you digest these molecules, it is not the same. That is why we try to put these fatty acids together on the same molecule."
Akoh's design using hazelnuts includes all the components in one molecule. The new molecule also includes palmitic acid in the middle, which is found naturally in human milk fat and in the oleic acid in hazelnut oils.
"Other people use a blend of vegetable oil. With the palmitic acid at the top or bottom of the structure instead of the middle, they lose the energy they could get from the palmitic acid metabolism, and they also lose nutrients like calcium," he said.
When nutrients are digested, the molecules are broken down starting at the ends. "As saturated fatty acids, such as palmitic acid, are cut from the top and bottom, they combine with calcium to form calcium soap of the acid," Akoh said, "and you don't want soap in your body."
Adults and infants can benefit from the improved product.
"In general, American diets are very low in fish oils," he said. "We are not like the Eskimos who eat a lot of salmon or fatty fish and have DHA in their diets. So, even if we are breast-feeding, it might be advantageous for the mother to take a capsule as a supplement if they are not eating the fish so they can pass it on to the infant."
UGA is currently working to develop an infant formula using the modified molecule.
INFORMATION:
For the full article, see http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/jf3012272.
Writer: April Sorrow, 706/542-7991, aprilr@uga.edu
Contact: Casimir Akoh, 706/542-1067, cakoh@uga.edu
END
HOUSTON –HER2 and its epidermal growth factor receptor cousins mobilize a specialized protein to activate a major player in cancer development and sugar metabolism, scientists report in the May 25 issue of Cell.
This chain of events, the scientists found, promotes Herceptin resistance in breast cancer and activation of glucose metabolism (glycolysis), which cancer cells primarily rely on to fuel their growth and survive.
Their research focused on Skp2 E3 ligase, a protein that binds to and tags other proteins with molecules called ubiquitins, in this case to activate ...
The current economic climate has resulted in many a stressful home life. A trend in domestic cases is always an unfortunate byproduct of a tough economic situation. Consumers are seeking private investigators who are thrifty and who are using technology to help stretch a buck. EasyTracGPS now introduces the ComTrac "Covert Pro" GPS tracking device to investigators worldwide...to assist in maximizing client retainers and to improve surveillance results.
A wireless magnetic vehicle tracking device, the ComTrac "Covert Pro" offers live 10 second position ...
Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. – In a study published in the journal Cell on May 24, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists describe the three-dimensional atomic structure of a human protein bound to a piece of RNA that "guides" the protein's ability to silence genes. The protein, Argonaute-2, is a key player in RNA interference (RNAi), a powerful cellular phenomenon that has important roles in diverse biological processes, including an organism's development.
"Detailed knowledge of the structure of human Argonaute-2 and the way it interacts with its RNA guides will ...
"We are honored to have been selected to auction this home," said John Nicholls, president of the company. "This property would make a great primary residence or investment property."
"The property at auction consists of a 3 bedroom 2 bath ranch home on a 1.23 acre lot," said Mr. Kelly Strauss, Nicholls Auction Marketing Group Coordinator." Highlights include a detached garage/workshop, large fenced back yard and county water. Be at the auction and buy at the PRICE YOU BID!!" said Strauss.
"The property is centrally located ...
Having already presented itself to the European and South African markets, the Panic Room Company enjoyed its first foray into Latin America this month at the EXPOSEC International Security Fair in Sao Paolo, Brazil - the world's fifth largest security show.
Teaming up with Sao Paolo-based security solutions experts, Grasp, the Panic Room Company was demonstrated to a wide range of potential customers and distributors throughout the three day show and interest was once again considerable.
Grasp's owner, Denis Frate, had this to say, "The Panic Room Company ...
MADISON -- Eons ago, nature solved the problem of converting solar energy to fuels by inventing the process of photosynthesis.
Plants convert sunlight to chemical energy in the form of biomass, while releasing oxygen as an environmentally benign byproduct. Devising a similar process by which solar energy could be captured and stored for use in vehicles or at night is a major focus of modern solar energy research.
"It is widely recognized that solar energy is the most abundant source of energy on the planet," explains University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry professor ...
Featuring a comprehensive index of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, Federal Bankruptcy Rules 2012 is an excellent resource for both attorneys and non-attorneys dealing with federal bankruptcy. Included with this new edition by Summit Legal Publishing is free online access to official bankruptcy forms and procedural forms, instructions and committee notes. Local forms and procedural guides for the Bankruptcy Appellate Panels are available online as well. All of these forms are presented as downloadable, printable, full-sized versions.
Federal Bankruptcy Rules ...
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — UC Davis researchers have found that workers' compensation insurance is not used nearly as much as it should be to cover the nation's multi-billion dollar price tag for workplace illnesses and injuries. Instead, almost 80 percent of these costs are paid by employer-provided health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other disability funds, employees and other payers.
Authors of the study, published in the April issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, said this cost shifting leads to artificially low workers' ...
Employee attendance and vacation tracking should not be an administrative nightmare for HR managers and business owners. Halfpricesoft.com recently updated ezTimeSheet time tracking software with new vacation and leave plan options to give small businesses more versatility when tracking vacation time, sick time and paid time off for employees.
"Employee attendance tracking is important for any business and organization; however employee attendance and vacation time tracking can be very time-consuming," explains Dr. Ge, President and Founder of halfpricesoft.com. ...
COLUMBIA, Mo. — For 5,000 years, the Chinese have used a system of medicine based on the flow and balance of positive and negative energies in the body. In this system, the appearance of the tongue is one of the measures used to classify the overall physical status of the body, or zheng. Now, University of Missouri researchers have developed computer software that combines the ancient practices and modern medicine by providing an automated system for analyzing images of the tongue.
"Knowing your zheng classification can serve as a pre-screening tool and help with preventive ...
