Human milk fat substitute from seed oil

Researchers engineered the metabolism of the oilseed plant Arabidopsis thaliana to produce triacylglycerols in which more than 70% of the saturated fatty acid palmitate attached to the middle position on the glycerol backbone, thereby mimicking the stereochemistry of human milk fat, which may facilitate nutrient absorption in the infant gut; oilseed crops similarly modified might provide a cheap and sustainable source of human milk fat substitute for infant formula, according to the authors.

Article #19-07915: “Engineering the stereoisomeric structure of seed oil to mimic human milk fat,” by Harrie van Erp et al.

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; David Stevens, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UNITED KINGDOM; tel: +44-7973553025; e-mail:

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