Launching Betapol® Select: Premium infant lipid solution that closely mimics the natural balance in Chinese mother’s milk fat

Wormerveer, Netherlands, 3 December 20 January 2021 Today, Bunge Loders Croklaan, a global leader in specialty oils and fats solutions for the food industry, announced the launch of Betapol Select, a premium lipid ingredient for infant milk formula that is inspired by natural variations in the composition of human breast milk. Betapol Select is Bunge Loders Croklaans first product line that mimics the fat composition of Chinese mothers milk.

With the launch of Betapol Select today and award winning Betapol Plus last year, we are expanding our infant nutritional lipids portfolio in all geographies and getting closer than ever before to the gold standard of mothers milk , said Dr. Emiliano Rial Verde, Vice President Nutrition at Bunge Loders Croklaan. Research in infant nutrition made us understand that macronutrients in human breast milk vary not only with lactation stages, diurnally, and within feeds, but also regionally. These regional differences are influenced by the mothers origin and diet. Our new solution combines the benefits of Betapol with the OPL and OPO balance naturally present in Chinese mothers milk fat.

Benefits
OPO and OPL are uniquely structured lipids naturally present in mothers milk. The presence of palmitic acid in the center position (SN-2 palmitate) has been clinically proven, in the past decades, to improve energy intake, increase bone mineral density, reduce constipation, increase healthy gut bacteria, reduce crying, and improve sleep.
Research into mothers milk fat
Recent research into mothers milk has shown regional differences. In Western mothers milk fat, OPO is the most prevalent triglyceride, followed by OPL (Oleic-Palmitic- Linoleic). In Chinese mothers milk, it is the other way around: the fat composition contains a higher level of OPL, followed by OPO. To mimic this balance, Betapol Select provides a high level of SN-2 palmitate with the right combination of OPL and OPO triglycerides.

Data from Chinese mothers milk gave us confidence in introducing Betapol Select to the Chinese market and respond to the needs of personalization that parents are looking for in premium infant nutrition, says Dr. Wiola Mi, Global Human Nutrition Science Lead of the new generation Betapol. Breastfeeding provides babies with the best start in life, but when breastfeeding is not an option choosing the right infant formula is key for babies healthy growth and development. While mothers milk fat contains only 3-4% fat, it provides 50% of a babys energy intake in the first six months. Especially designed for the needs of Chinese babies, Betapol Select provides the right OPL-OPO balance to mimic Chinese mothers milk fat and, at the same time, comply with the current and upcoming Chinese GB standards for infant and toddler formula".

###

Betapol nutritional lipids portfolio
As the inventor of the OPO category and with over 30 years of experience in Infant Nutrition lipids, Bunge Loders Croklaans fats and oils are essential for formula manufacturers to reach the highest standard in terms of nutrition, safety, and quality.

Betapol: The original OPO (SN-2 palmitate) products with up to 55% of palmitic acid in the SN-2 position.
Betapol Plus: The highest OPO (SN-2 palmitate) products on the market with up to 75% of palmitic acid in the SN-2 position, mimicking the levels naturally occurring in mothers milk; FiE Innovation Award winner 2019.
Betapol Select: High SN-2 palmitate levels with the right balance of OPO and OPL (linoleic acid in positions 1 or 3) to mimic the fat composition of Chinese mothers milk.