EXPERIMENTAL MILK FORMULAS WITH REDUCED PROTEIN-CONTENT AND DESIALYLATED MILK-PROTEINS - INFLUENCE ON THE FECAL FLORA AND THE GROWTH OF TERM NEWBORN-INFANTS

We have assessed the growth, tolerance and the faecal flora compositio n in healthy infants on different feeding regimens. Four groups of inf ants were fed exclusively on mother's milli, a standard formula and tw o experimental formulae. The first experimental formula consisted of a milk with a reduced protein content (1.2 g/100 ml), the second in a f ormula with the same protein content and with milk proteins desialylat ed by mild acid hydrolysis. The aim of the study was to test whether l owering the protein content and/or modifying the proteins by desialyla tion would favour the development of a bifidus flora. A bifidus flora was detected in 60% of breastfed infants at 1 month of life. All formu lae employed during the study failed to induce a prevalence of coloniz ation with bifidobacteria at 1 month of age. The two experimental milk formulae were well tolerated, but the infant growth rate was slightly lower as compared to the breastfed infants and the infants fed the st andard formula. The presence in milk formulae of pre-digested and desi alylated proteins can offer some advantages in term of digestibility a nd mimic a physiological intestinal mechanism of the infant.