Lipid profile analysis of commercial infant formulas and different mammal milk species: Fatty acid profile, lipid quality, sterols content, thermal behavior, and FTIR analysis

Herein, lipids profile of five infant formulas and six milk species was analyzed. Fatty acid analysis revealed that commercial infant formulas had higher monounsaturated (37.25–68.20%) and polyunsaturated (19.41–22.62%) fatty acids than milk fat (MUFA: 29.15–37.57%; PUFA: 2.15–6.56%), while saturated fatty acids were lower (10.37–41.15% vs. 59.97–68.69%). Lipid quality indices showed nutritional benefits of formula oils, with lower atherogenicity (AI: 0.08–0.67) and thrombogenicity (TI: 0.18–0.92) than milk fat (AI: 1.40–2.66; TI: 1.70–3.88). Sterols analysis showed that formula oils had higher phytosterol (β-sitosterol: 129.44–280.67 mg/100 g) but low cholesterol (9.39–32.51 mg/100 g), while milk fat exhibited higher cholesterol (115.66–208.05 mg/100 g) and insignificant phytosterols. FTIR spectra emphasized triacylglycerols dominance among all samples, with differences in band intensities implying chain length and unsaturation differences. This study provides vision to improve formulas design to better mimic the nutritional profile of human milk.