Study of the Properties of Human Milk Fat Substitutes Using DSC and GC Methods

Abstract

The development of infant milk fat similar in its structure and composition to that present in human milk receives a considerable amount of attention and has become a challenge for the world’s food industry. The aim of this work was an attempt to obtain structured lipids resembling human milk fat (HMF) by modifying mixtures of lard (L) and rapeseed oil (RO) catalyzed by Lipozyme RM IM. The enzymatic reactions were carried out at 70 °C for 4, 8, and 24 h. The second objective was to study the properties of obtained substitutes of human milk fat (HMFS) using gas chromatography, thin layer chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods. Chromatographic methods were used to determine the composition of fatty acids (FAs) and the regiospecific structure of triacylglycerols (TAG) of obtained HMFS. DSC methods were used to establish the oxidative stability of HMFS and to calculate their kinetic parameters of oxidation. Structured lipids obtained from a mixture of L and RO after 4 h interesterification in 70 °C were characterized by the closest FA content and their distribution in TAG to HMF. Interesterification influenced the decrease of the induction time of obtained structured lipids.