There is strong evidence for human health benefits derived from the consumption of milk fat globules and its associated surface membrane, including cognitive and immune function, gut health and maturation, metabolism (including cholesterol and insulin metabolism), motility improvement later in life, and skin health. Nutritional science has historically been reductive in nature, examining individual components of food in isolation for specific health benefits. This reductionist approach is not appropriate to examine a complex MFGM heterogeneous mixture. An important research question can then easily become: which components of the MFGM are driving specific nutritional and functional outcomes? Overall, the strength of MFGM functionality is in its complexity, as individual components act synergistically for the nutritional and health benefit of the infant.

This Research Topic aims to feature case studies that provide crucial evidence for health benefits derived from the consumption of the milk fat globule and its membrane, including in vivo clinical studies, in vitro digestive studies, and biochemical mechanisms to explain clinical results. Original research, critical reviews, and new perspectives will be sought to cover nutrition, health, or bioactivity aspects, and should focus on any of the following themes:

-Impact of milk fat globule composition and molecular structural interactions on digestive processes, and nutritional and health outcomes;
-Ingredients extracted from the milk fat globule for food supplementation with delivery of specific nutrition and health outcomes;
-Development of delivery systems for food supplementation (e.g., vesicles, microcapsules, emulsions, etc.) and the impact of processing on nutritional efficacy;
-Impact of in vivo and in vitro digestive conditions on the microstructure and nutritional efficacy of formulations based on milk fat globule ingredients;
-Milk fat globule surface interactions with microbial cells and the effect on human gut health;
-Novel and advanced methods of analysis to examine molecular structure, biochemical mechanisms, and specific molecular interactions that impact upon nutrition and health;
-The role of milk fat globule components on human infant cognitive development.

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Frontiers in Nutrition

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