The isolation of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) material from buttermilk on a commercial scale has provided a new ingredient rich in phospholipids and sphingolipids. An MFGM-derived phospholipid fraction was used to produce liposomes via a high-pressure homogenizer (Microfluidizer). This technique does not require the use of solvents or detergents, and is suitable for use in the food industry. The liposome dispersion had an average hydrodynamic diameter of 95 nm, with a broad particle-size distribution. Increasing the number of passes through the Microfluidizer, increasing the pressure, or reducing the phospholipid concentration all resulted in a smaller average liposome diameter. Changing these variables did not have a significant effect on the polydispersity of the dispersion. Electron microscopy showed that the dispersions formed had a range of structures, including unilamellar, multilamellar, and multivesicular liposomes. The composition of the MFGM phospholipid material is different from that of the phospholipids usually used for liposome production in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The MFGM-derived fraction comprises approximately 25% sphingomyelin, and the fatty acids are primarily saturated and monounsaturated. These differences are likely to affect the properties of the liposomes produced from the phospholipid material, and it may be possible to exploit the unique composition of the MFGM phospholipid fraction in the delivery of bioactive ingredients in functional foods.

The composition of NEFAs can acutely affect FMD. The beneficial effect of LC n-3 PUFAs on postprandial vascular function warrants further investigation but may be mediated by nitric oxide-independent mechanisms. This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01351324.

-Liposomes prepared from a milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) phospholipid fraction have been shown to have significantly different physical and chemical characteristics and appeared to be more stable in a variety of conditions than liposomes prepared from soya phospholipid material. These liposome systems were used to try to encapsulate model hydrophobic (β-carotene) and hydrophilic (potassium chromate) compounds. Liposomes produced from the MFGM-derived phospholipids showed significantly higher entrapment efficiencies for both β-carotene and potassium chromate. The differences were particularly apparent when using the hydrophobic molecules at low ratios of β-carotene to phospholipid. It is likely that the improved incorporation efficiency for β-carotene is due to the partitioning of the molecule between the aqueous phase and the phospholipid membrane, a property which will be dependent on the specific composition of the phospholipid material used. The higher encapsulation efficiency for the potassium chromate appeared to reflect the slightly larger diameter of the liposomes produced from the MFGM material. These results suggest that there may be inherent advantages in the use of liposomes prepared from MFGM-derived phospholipids via microfluidization for the encapsulation of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds.

Liposomes were prepared from a milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) phospholipid fraction and from soy phospholipid material using a high-pressure homogenizer (Microfluidizer). The liposomes were characterized in terms of general structure, phase transition temperature, lamellarity, bilayer thickness, and membrane permeability. The liposomes prepared from the MFGM fraction had a significantly higher phase transition temperature, thicker membrane, and lower membrane permeability. These differences were attributed to different phospholipid compositions of the MFGM and soy phospholipid fractions.

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The present review comes from the authors of the recent Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) review Update on Trans Fatty Acids and Health, and focuses on assessing the strength of the evidence for a link between trans-fatty acid (trans-FA) intake and cancer. It evaluates a range of human ecological, case -control and prospective studies with trans-FA exposure assessed using either dietary assessment methods or trans-FA levels in tissues. Relevant animal studies are also presented in order to elucidate potential mechanisms. It concludes that there is weak and inconsistent evidence for a relationship between trans-FA and breast or colorectal cancer. Evidence for an association between trans-FA and prostate cancer is limited, but a recent large case -control study has shown a strong interaction between risk and trans-FA intake for the RNASEL QQ/RQ genotype that is present in about 35 % of the population. This potential association requires further investigation. The single study on non-Hodgkin's lymphoma reported a strong positive association, but only used a single assessment of dietary trans-FA made at the start of the study in 1980, and the significant changes in trans-FA intakes between then and the end of follow-up in 1994 limit the reliability of this observation. There is insufficient evidence to allow any differentiation between the effects of trans-FA from animal or vegetable origin on cancer risk.Trans-fatty acids: Cancer: Breast cancer: Colorectal cancer

Previous research has shown that liposomes prepared from a milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) phospholipid fraction had a significantly higher phase transition temperature, thicker membrane, and lower membrane permeability than liposomes prepared from soya phospholipid material. Subsequent investigations into the relative stability of the two liposome dispersions have found that the MFGM phospholipid liposomes are more stable than their soya counterparts in a range of pH conditions, at a variety of storage and processing temperatures, and in the presence of mono- and divalent cations. These results illustrate some potential advantages in the use of MFGM phospholipids for the manufacture of liposomes for use in food systems.

The isolation of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) material from buttermilk on a commercial scale has provided a new ingredient rich in phospholipids and sphingolipids. In the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, highly purified phospholipids extracted from soya oil or egg yolk are used to produce liposomes. Liposomes are spherical structures consisting of one or more phospholipid bilayers enclosing an aqueous core. They may be used for the entrapment and controlled release of drugs or nutraceuticals, as model membranes or cells, and even for specialist techniques such as gene delivery. There are many potential applications for liposomes in the food industry, ranging from the protection of sensitive ingredients to increasing the efficacy of food additives. Our previous work compared the structure and properties of liposomes prepared from a milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) fraction and soya phospholipid material using a high-pressure homogenizer (Microfluidizer). These results identified some potential advantages in the use of MFGM phospholipids for the manufacture of liposomes for use in food systems. This paper compared the general structure and properties of liposomes prepared from the same MFGM phospholipid material using three different techniques-microfluidization, the traditional thin-film hydration and the heating method. The thin-film hydration technique required the use of organic solvents, while the other two methods do not involve any non food-safe chemicals. The liposomes prepared by both microfluidization and the heating method had high entrapment efficiencies. Liposomes produced via microfluidization tended to be significantly smaller than those produced by the other methods, with a narrower size distribution, and a higher proportion of unilamellar vesicles. There did not seem to be any advantages in the use of the thin-film hydration method, opening the door to the use of food-safe methods for liposome production. liposome / milk fat globule membrane / phospholipid / microfluidization