A review of factors affecting the structure, compositions, and the techno-functionalities of bovine milk fat globule and membrane

Dairy powders enriched with milk fat globules (MFGs) and milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) materials are gaining interest in food industry due to their bioactive benefits, including the promotion of brain development and cognitive functions, as well as improvements in gut health and immunity. MFGs/MFGM ingredients have been incorporated into infant formula (IF) to bridge the nutritional gap between formula and breast milk. The structure and composition of MFGs/MFGM ingredients significantly influence their functionalities and physiological properties. This review provides an update on recent research concerning the factors influencing the structure, composition, and functionalities of MFGs/MFGM ingredients, including the species, lactation stage and feeding methods. Additionally, conventional separation methods are discussed versus novel membrane filtration techniques. The main part of this review covers the recent progress and trends arising from the influence of the industrial dairy produce units, including thermal treatment and low temperature storage, homogenization, non-thermal processes. Variability in reports on the structure and composition of MFGs/MFGM across studies poses challenges in discerning whether these differences arise from varied processing techniques or the analytical methods. Establishing standard analytical methods remains an ongoing research topic. By-products such as cheese whey or buttermilk continue to serve as primary raw materials for the preparation of MFGs/MFGM ingredients in the industry. Studies on the preparation of MFGs/MFGM materials while maintaining their natural state are relatively limited. Further research into the structural and compositional changes of MFGs/MFGM during food processes is essential, which has the potential to provide the key information on their physiological properties and tech-functionalities.