About this Research Topic
The composition of human milk is so complex that it is a real challenge, especially since the evolution of different metabolomic techniques, to provide a very complete and up-to-date nutrient-by-nutrient record of breast milk. The aim of this collection of up-to-date original research or review papers is to compile a compendium of the properties of breast milk from each component on the nutrition, immunity, and development of the child, and also the implications of the incorporation of each of its constituents for the design of breast milk substitutes.
We propose a non-exhaustive list of articles for each component of breast milk, considering
their origin and structure, methods of measurement, the levels defining the nutritional needs of the child, their physiological role in the development of the child, and the consequences for adapting the optimal composition of these components in breast milk substitutes.
This Research Topic welcomes original research and review submissions covering themes relating to breast milk such as the following:
• Proteins (e.g., bioactive proteins, hormones, caseins, lactalbumin,)
• Maternal cells, immune cells, and immunoglobulins
• mIRNA
• Microbiome
• Nucleotides
• Lipids (e.g., polyunsaturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, conjugated fatty acids, gangliosides, fat globule membranes)
• Carbohydrates (e.g., lactose, human milk oligosaccharides)
• Minerals
• Trace elements
• Vitamins
• Medications
• Pollutants
• Breast milk modification: Diet of mother, age of lactation, treatment (pasteurization, high pressure , UV , HTST), conservation (freezing, storage temperature, transport)
Keywords: human milk, lactation, breast milk, human milk feeding, breastfeeding, maternal and child nutrition, infant feeding
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.