Peptide Characterization and Functional Stability of a Partially Hydrolyzed Whey-Based Formula over Time

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 13; no. 9; p. 3011
• Main Authors: Bourdeau, Tristan, Affolter, Michael, Dupuis, Lénaïck, Panchaud, Alexandre, Lahrichi, Sabine, Merminod, Loraine, Martin-Paschoud, Christine, Adams, Rachel, Nutten, Sophie, Blanchard, Carine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.08.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Allergenicity; Allergens - immunology; allergy prevention; Amino acids; Animals; Asthma; atopic dermatitis risk reduction; Babies; Baby foods; Binding; Chemical composition; Chromatography; Clinical trials; Cytometry; Degranulation; Dermatitis; Dermatitis, Atopic; Eczema; Food allergies; Food Industry; Food, Formulated; Histocompatibility antigen HLA; Humans; Hydrolysis; hypoallergenic; Immunoglobulin E; Immunoglobulins; In vivo methods and tests; Infant; Infant Formula - analysis; Infants; Lactoglobulin; Lactoglobulins - analysis; Lactoglobulins - immunology; Manufacturing industry; Mass spectrometry; Milk; Milk Hypersensitivity - prevention & control; Milk Proteins; Molecular Weight; oral tolerance induction; partially hydrolyzed whey-based infant formula; peptide; Peptides; Peptides - analysis; Peptides - immunology; Prevention; Protein Hydrolysates - analysis; Protein Hydrolysates - immunology; Proteins; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rhinitis; Scientific imaging; Size distribution; Size exclusion chromatography; Stability; Whey; Whey Proteins - analysis; Whey Proteins - immunology; Yeasts; β-Lactoglobulin; United States > US; Switzerland; hypoallergenic; allergy prevention; peptide; oral tolerance induction; atopic dermatitis risk reduction; partially hydrolyzed whey-based infant formula
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu13093011

Human clinical trials have shown that a specific partially hydrolyzed 100% whey-based infant formula (pHF-W) reduces AD risk in the first yeast of life. Meta-analyses with a specific pHF-W (pHF-W1) confirm a protective effect while other meta-analyses pooling different pHF-W show conflicting results. Here we investigated the molecular composition and functional properties of the specific pHF-W1 as well as the stability of its manufacturing process over time. This specific pHF-W1 was compared with other pHF-Ws. We used size exclusion chromatography to characterize the peptide molecular weight (MW), a rat basophil degranulation assay to assess the relative level of beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) allergenicity and a preclinical model of oral tolerance induction to test prevention of allergic sensitization. To analyze the exact peptide sequences before and after an HLA binding assay, a mass cytometry approach was used. Peptide size allergenicity and oral tolerance induction were conserved across pHF-W1 batches of production and time. The median MW of the 37 samples of pHF-W1 tested was 800 ± 400 Da. Further oral tolerance induction was observed using 10 different batches of the pHF-W1 with a mean reduction of BLG-specific IgE levels of 0.76 log (95% CI = -0.95; -0.57). When comparing pHF-W1 with three other formulas (pHF-W2 3 and 4), peptide size was not necessarily associated with allergenicity reduction in vitro nor oral tolerance induction in vivo as measured by specific IgE level ( < 0.05 for pHF-W1 and 2 and = 0.271 and = 0.189 for pHF-W3 and 4 respectively). Peptide composition showed a limited overlap between the formulas tested ranging from 11.7% to 24.2%. Furthermore nine regions in the BLG sequence were identified as binding HLA-DR. In conclusion, not all pHF-Ws tested have the same peptide size distribution decreased allergenicity and ability to induce oral tolerance. Specific peptides are released during the different processes used by different infant formula producers.