About this Research Topic

Background

Bovine milk is the most consumed milk worldwide. It has been traditionally used for the manufacture of a wide range of nutritional products from infant formula to everyday dairy products to formulations targeted at older adult populations. Changes in consumer behaviors are driving the demand for dairy alternatives to bovine milk, either for their sensory or nutritional properties or perceived better welfare and environmental impact. Goat milk is the second most consumed animal milk but, in some parts of the world, there is a rise in products made from sheep, camel, and deer milk amongst others. Mainly driven by lifestyle choices and the rise in cow milk protein allergy or lactose intolerance, plant-based milk alternatives beyond soy or almond milk/drink have grown rapidly in popularity. Advances in technologies have also led to the development of cell-based milk and dairy ingredients.

For multiple reasons, alternatives to bovine milk are increasingly consumed. Goat milk has been used for a few decades to manufacture a clinically proven, safe, and suitable infant formula. However, there is a great need for preclinical and clinical research on infant formulas made from other non-bovine milk to demonstrate their safety but also any potential nutritional outcomes to support the healthy growth, development, and metabolism of non-breastfed infants. The compositional and digestive differences between human milk, bovine milk, and non-bovine milk need further consideration when developing breastmilk substitutes for a vulnerable infant population. In infancy and childhood, the rising prevalence of allergies has led to the development of new plant-based infant formulas, in addition to soy protein-based formulas. Their safety and impact on short- and long-term growth and development outcomes in infants remains to be well demonstrated. Moreover, in later life, the complex composition and structure of milk and dairy products play a key role in the maintenance of physical and physiological health, beyond supplying proteins and calcium for muscles and bones. Using other milk than bovine milk may benefit older populations with appetite, swallowing, digestive difficulties, or during diseases, for example. In parts of the world, drinks made from soybeans have been traditionally consumed for nutritional outcomes and there are opportunities to diversify the offering to support adult nutrition. A greater understanding of milk from different species and the opportunities that cell-based milk and plant-based alternatives present can enable the formulation of new products with targeted nutritional properties to support growth and healthy living with healthy digestion and gut health in early and later life.

Due to the increased consumer demand for non-bovine milk alternatives and the limited but growing research on their compositional, functional, and nutritional properties for infant and (older) adult nutrition, in this Research Topic we aim to gather a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge on non-bovine milk alternatives and derived dairy products, including subtopics such as:
• their compositional and structural characteristics,
• how they can support healthy development, digestion, and gut health in early life,
• how they can support the maintenance of a healthy status in later life.

We welcome the submission of Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Hypothesis and Theory, Perspectives, Clinical Trials and Original Research articles to address gaps and opportunities for research in this field.

Topic editor S.G. is employed by Dairy Goat Co-operative (N.Z.) Ltd. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.

Keywords: Infant, elderly, adult, nutrition, milk, non-bovine, dairy, digestion, gut health, plant-based

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