Multi-dimensional evaluation of the similarity between infant formulas and human milk based on macronutrients, fatty acid composition and positional distribution, and sn-2 palmitoyl triacylglycerols
Description
The development of infant formulas is focused on simulating the nutritional structure of human milk, aiming to narrow the gap with breastfeeding. To evaluate infant formulas’ similarity to human milk, the nutrient composition and energy supply, fatty acids, sn-2 fatty acids, and sn-2 palmitoyl triacylglycerols (OPO/OPL) in 12 commercial infant formulas samples and human milk samples from Hainan Island, China, were determined in this study. Similarity evaluations between infant formulas and human milk were conducted from multiple dimensions using the optimal distance method and multivariate statistical analysis. It is hoped that this can provide data references for future in-depth studies on the humanization of infant formulas, contributing to the development of high-quality products that are more similar to the nutritional structure of human milk. The data submitted here are the specific scores for each individual evaluation indicator of different brands of infant formula milk powder at various levels, calculated using the optimal value distance method.