The protein ingredient quality of infant formula influences colonic physiology and microbiota and the serum metabolomic profile in neonatal mini-piglets.

Despite the WHO recommendations in favor of breastfeeding, most infants receive infant formulas (IFs), which are complex matrices involving numerous ingredients and processing steps. Our aim was to understand the impact of the quality of the protein ingredient in IFs on gut microbiota and physiology, blood metabolites and brain gene expression. Three IFs were produced using whey proteins (WPs) from cheese whey (IF-A) or ideal whey (IFs-C and -D) and caseins, either in a micellar form (IFs-A and -C) or partly in a non-micellar form (IF-D).

Micellar casein and sodium caseinate supramolecular structure differently impacts subsequent food intake in pigs.

Dietary protein reduces energy intake in following meals by signaling directly or indirectly to the brain. We recently observed differences in plasma amino acid kinetics and intra-gastric behavior between micellar casein (MC) and sodium caseinate (SC) in pigs, two factors that impact food intake. Our objective was to clarify whether the supramolecular structure of casein, given as a preload to pigs, impacts on subsequent food intake.

Protein Ingredient Quality within Infant Formulas Impacts Plasma Amino Acid Concentrations in Neonatal Minipiglets.

Background: Infant formulas (IFs), the only adequate substitute to human milk, are complex matrices that require numerous ingredients and processing steps that may impact protein digestion and subsequent amino acid (AA) absorption.

Objectives: The objective was to understand the impact of the protein ingredient quality within IFs on postprandial plasma AA profiles.

Methods: Four isonitrogenous and isocaloric IFs were produced at a semi-industrial scale using whey proteins from different origins (cheese compared with ideal whey) and denaturation levels (IF-A, -B, -C), and caseins with different supramolecular organizations (IF-C, -D).

Ileal Digestibility of Nitrogen and Amino Acids in Human Milk and an Infant Formula as Determined in Neonatal Minipiglets.

Background: Infant formula (IF) has to provide at least the same amount of amino acids (AAs) as human milk (HM). AA digestibility in HM and IF was not studied extensively, with no data available for tryptophan digestibility.

Objectives: The present study aimed to measure the true ileal digestibility (TID) of total nitrogen and AAs in HM and IF to estimate AA bioavailability using Yucatan mini-piglets as an infant model.

The ghrelin system follows a precise post-natal development in mini-pigs that is not impacted by dietary medium chain fatty-acids.

The ghrelin-ghrelin receptor (GHSR1) system is one of the most important mechanisms regulating food intake and energy balance. To be fully active, ghrelin is acylated with medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) through the ghrelin-O-acetyl transferase (GOAT). Several studies reported an impact of dietary MCFA on ghrelin acylation in adults.

Infant nutrition affects the microbiota-gut-brain axis: Comparison of human milk vs. infant formula feeding in the piglet model.

Early nutrition plays a dominant role in infant development and health. It is now understood that the infant diet impacts the gut microbiota and its relationship with gut function and brain development. However, its impact on the microbiota-gut-brain axis has not been studied in an integrative way.

Addition of Dairy Lipids and Probiotic in Infant Formulas Modulates Proteolysis and Lipolysis With Moderate Consequences on Gut Physiology and Metabolism in Yucatan Piglets.

Breast milk is the gold standard in neonatal nutrition, but most infants are fed infant formulas in which lipids are usually of plant origin. The addition of dairy lipids and/or milk fat globule membrane extracts in formulas improves their composition with beneficial consequences on protein and lipid digestion. The probiotic (Lf) was reported to reduce transit time in rat pups, which may also improve digestion.

Diet-induced obesity in young mice: Consequences on the pancreatic intrinsic nervous system control of insulin secretion.

Introduction: Obesity has become a pandaemic even in children. We aimed to investigate the impact of obesity in youth on later pancreatic intrinsic nervous system (PINS) phenotype and control of insulin secretion.

Methods: Young mice (5-week-old, T0 group) were fed either a normal diet (ND group) or a Western diet (WD group) for 12 weeks.

Addition of dairy lipids and probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum in infant formula programs gut microbiota and entero-insular axis in adult minipigs.

Clinical and animal studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of early consumption of dairy lipids and a probiotic, Lactobacillus fermentum (Lf), on infant gut physiology. The objective of this study was to investigate their long-term effects on gut microbiota and host entero-insular axis and metabolism. Piglets were suckled with a milk formula containing only plant lipids (PL), a half-half mixture of plant lipids and dairy lipids (DL), or this mixture supplemented with Lf (DL + Lf).

Perinatal short-chain fructooligosaccharides program intestinal microbiota and improve enteroinsular axis function and inflammatory status in high-fat diet-fed adult pigs.

Perinatal nutrition programs physiologic and metabolic functions, with consequences on the susceptibility to develop metabolic diseases in adulthood. The microbiota represents a key factor of such programming. We investigated whether perinatal prebiotic [short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS)] supplementation improved adult metabolic health in association with microbiota changes in pigs used as human model.