Breast milk is the model for infant feeding. Human milk is composed of a thousand substances, some of which have the function of nutrients, with others (the most numerous) having bioactive properties. Breast milk composition differs between mothers due to maternal background, immunity, nutrition, lifestyle, and other confounding factors. In addition, the same mother’s milk composition varies over time; colostrum contains the highest level of active proteins compared to transitional and mature breast milk to provide maximal immunity to the newborn. Indeed, the levels of bioactive proteins and macronutrients are higher in preterm milk than in full-term milk to promote their development and compensate for their immaturity. Breast milk composition is also affected by the mother’s diet. Although milk proteins and carbohydrates are only slightly influenced, there is a strong correlation between dietary lipids and breast milk, as well as minerals, vitamins, and trace elements. Besides these factors, other situations, globally considered as the “exposome”, can have also an influence on human milk composition. But it is an endless challenge when a new component is discovered in the mother’s milk, to determine its exact role.

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)

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Frontiers in Nutrition

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