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Human breast milk (HBM) is the gold standard for the early nutrition of the neonates. The best way to improve infant formulas (IFs) is to mimic both the composition and the structure of HBM components. Supplementation of IF with dairy lipids or bovine milk components such as milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), in partial replacement of plant oils that are currently mainly used, has health benefits for infants. In this article, results of clinical studies on the impact of IF supplementation with MFGM and dairy lipids on psychomotor development and infectious disease prevalence in infants are reviewed and supported by recent pre-clinical studies. Numerous human studies have reported beneficial effects of MFGM supplementation on neurocognitive development and protection against infectious agents without deleterious impact on growth. Based on rodent and porcine studies, benefits of adding bovine MFGM and dairy lipids in IFs on gut digestion, physiology and protection against pathogens and inflammatory challenges have also been highlighted. However, more randomized controlled trials testing IF supplementation with bovine milk fat, and specifically apolar lipids and associated glycoproteins, must be performed to increase scientific-based knowledge, address safety concerns, and study its potential programming role of adult health.

Human milk is generally recognized as the gold standard in neonatal nutrition. The structure and composition of human milk are better mimicked in infant formulas that include cow's milk lipids and milk fat membrane extracts, which could also improve physiological properties. Nevertheless, very few infant formulas use cow's milk lipids that are more expensive than vegetable lipids. The potential impact of milk lipid structure and composition on neonatal digestive hydrolysis, intestinal physiology, and gut microbiota was recently underlined by several scientific teams. In this context, the purpose of the present review was to summarize the specificity of composition and structure of human milk and to highlight the recent results on the modulation of infant formula interfacial composition and fat source on neonatal digestive hydrolysis, intestinal physiology, and gut microbiota. More specifically, the interfacial composition of model emulsions stabilized with milk polar lipids will be unraveled as well as the addition of apolar milk fat extracts in replacement to vegetable lipids in infant formulas. The impact of partially replacing vegetable lipids by milk lipids stabilized by milk fat membranes was investigated in the piglets. This replacement influenced the neonatal intestinal physiology through the release of immune-modulatory lipids, the modulation of proteolysis, and the modification of gut microbiota. Practical applications: The potential development of infant formulas including cow's milk lipid fractions with a structure closer to human milk is discussed. These more biomimetic formulas should result in enhanced nutritional benefits concerning neonatal digestive hydrolysis, physiology, and gut microbiota development. The structure and composition of human milk are better mimicked in infant formulas that include cow's milk lipids and milk fat membrane extracts, although very few infant formulas use cow's milk lipids as it is more expensive than vegetable lipids. The potential impacts of milk lipid structure and composition on neonatal digestive hydrolysis, intestinal physiology, and gut microbiota are recently underlined by several scientific teams and are summarized in this present review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]