The Muscle Mag
According to Scott Franklin, chief science officer and co-founder at California-based Checkerspot, a significant breakthrough in infant nutrition has been made by mimicking key components of human milk fat, specifically the precise composition of triacylglycerols (TAG).
The produced analogue is known as Oleic-Palmitic-Oleic (OPO) or sn-2 palmitate, a structured triglyceride where palmitic acid (16:0) is bonded to the middle position (sn-2) of the glycerol backbone. This discovery has important implications for infant health and development, affecting processes like digestion, absorption, modulation of gut microbiota, immune function, and potential long-term health outcomes.
Producing complex human milk fats from microalgae at scale
Human milk with its complex lipid composition plays a crucial role in early human development. However, replicating this complexity has been a challenge for infant formula manufacturers using structured triglycerides from conventional oils. These traditional methods have struggled to replicate the structure and function of human milk fat, essential for enhanced digestibility and nutrient absorption in infants.
Checkerspot’s team used oleaginous microalgae to produce a new generation of OPO. The microalgae strain underwent modifications to produce key components present in human milk fat, critical for infant nutrition.
After stabilizing the strain, Checkerspot scaled up fermentation and extracted and refined the oil. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to monitor the TAG profile and the region specificity of 16:0 at the internal position (sn-2 palmitate) of TAG.
The team confirmed the strain’s scalability, producing oil with high yield per liter of fermentation broth in a short timeframe.
Looking ahead
Future steps involve safety assessments and clinical trials to evaluate efficacy and safety for regulatory approvals. These trials will compare microalgae-derived infant nutrition products to standard formulas and breastfeeding, assessing growth, development, nutrient absorption, gastrointestinal tolerance, and overall health outcomes in infants.
In addition to commercializing OPO, Checkerspot will focus on fats and oils due to their importance in human and animal health. Their microalgae fermentation process aims to mitigate environmental challenges associated with conventional production methods.
Source: Frontiers in Nutrition
doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1341527
“Development and large-scale production of human milk fat analog by fermentation of microalgae”
Authors: Xiaoying Zhou et al.
