Protein

In animal (meat, dairy products, eggs) and plant (legumes, soya products, cereals) sources.

Proteins are the third pillar of macronutrients, along with carbohydrates and fats. The building blocks of proteins are amino acids; short chains of amino acids are called peptides.  Amino acids form long chains with many branches and thus form the complex structures of proteins.

Amino acids are divided into essential and non-essential amino acids. The former must be taken in with food (essential) and the others (non-essential) can be produced by the body itself. During infancy, especially during periods of rapid growth or illness, some of the non-essential amino acids become temporarily essential because the body cannot product them in sufficient quantities. To meet the needs of infants, a balanced amino acid profile is essential in our infant and follow-on formula.

Milk protein is made up of casein and whey. Casein is composed of several proteins (αS1-, αS2-, β-, κ-casein); it stores and transports proteins, phosphate and calcium. Casein, along with the whey proteins β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin, is one of the most common triggers of cow's milk allergy (CMA). Whey protein is considered a complete protein because it contains all nine essential amino acids. The ratio of whey to casein in cow's milk is 20:80 compared to the ratio in breast milk of 60:40. Accordingly, our infant and follow-on formula products are adapted to this ratio.

During hydrolysis, the protein chains are broken down into the smallest fragments (peptides and amino acids). This makes the whey protein hydrolysate easier for the body to absorb. The degree of hydrolysis, i.e. how small the proteins are broken down, can vary. The higher the degree of hydrolysis, the higher the quality and price of the product. 

Proteins have a key function in almost all biological processes.