Medically Reviewed by Ari Brown, MD - Author of Baby 411, Chief Medical Advisor for Kabrita North America
Baby formula has gotten a lot of press recently as guidelines for ingredients are being reevaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). With all the scrutiny that US infant formulas have received in the past few years, it made me wonder if a European-made infant formula sold in the US would hold itself to a higher standard? And what about the new emerging market of goat milk-based infant formulas -- are these simply for infants with digestive issues and cow’s milk intolerance, or does the emergence of goat-milk based formula represent a shift in infant formula? Are the touted benefits of goat milk-based formulas possibly advantageous to all formula consuming infants?
I must admit, since goat milk-based formulas are relatively new to the US infant formula market, I knew relatively little about them, so when I was invited to Kabrita’s Global Goat Milk Summit in the Netherlands this past spring, I went in with many questions.
The Summit was a four-day intensive program where pediatricians, allergists, dietitians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and researchers from around the globe were taken through each aspect of the formula making process, from farm-to-factory. We were able to see exactly how Kabrita’s goat milk-based formula is made, what ingredients go into it, and learned about the science and research behind the formulation of the product. We were educated on their strict quality measures, heavy metal standards and third-party testing, attended lectures from leading experts regarding the microbiome, pre- and post-biotics, colic, digestion and constipation. Yes, there was a lot of seeking out about fat, carbohydrate and protein compositions but there were also trips to farms and visiting with baby goats.
We started at a goat farm where each goat is fed a special diet tailor-made based on her individualized nutritional needs. Top-of-the-line technology was used at the manufacturing facilities as well. It is here that the liquid milk is turned into a powdered milk-base and then turned into infant formula. At the factory we met with the quality assurance team and learned more about Kabrita’s quality standards, including testing each batch with a third party testing agency. While the US does not have formal standards for heavy metals in infant formula, Kabrita holds itself to the European heavy metal requirements as well as their own more stringent heavy metal standards. In fact, Kabrita was the first infant formula company in the US to proactively make their heavy metal testing results publicly available by entering the lot code on your tin into their website. It is because of these processes that Kabrita is the first and only goat’s milk-based formula to achieve Clean Label Project’s three strict certifications: Purity Award, Pesticide-Free Certification, and First 1,000 Day Promise Certification. The Clean Label Project is an independent organization that certifies products meet specific purity standards which are higher than the FDA’s minimal requirements.
As we went into the research portion of the Summit my question remained, how does goat milk-based formula differ from cow milk-based formula? And, do those differences translate into better tolerability and digestibility for infants?
Two of the main components of breastmilk are proteins and carbohydrates. There are two milk proteins–- casein and whey. Breast milk has a unique ratio of whey to casein which differentiates it from other mammalian milk. Specifically, breast milk has more whey than casein; whereas standard cow and goat milk has more casein than whey. While this may seem inconsequential, this whey-to-casein ratio has major ramifications in how milk’s proteins react to stomach acid and ultimately how they are digested by the infant.
Kabrita’s goat milk-based infant formula has been adapted to a 60:40 whey-to-casein protein ratio. This 60:40 ratio mimics mature breastmilk and contributes to Kabrita’s increased digestibility. Additionally, the casein in goat’s milk naturally reacts differently with an infant’s stomach acid compared to that of cow’s milk. Kabrita’s goat milk formula has been shown to form smaller curds in the stomach which allows it to be digested more easily and more quickly. This difference in digestibility and reduced transit time in the stomach may be why in studies Kabrita leaves infants less gassy, bloated and with parents reporting reduced crying episodes.
In addition to proteins, breast milk also contains a large amount of carbohydrates that act as prebiotics, called oligosaccharides. Goat milk naturally has five times more oligosaccharides than cow’s milk – again making it more similar to breastmilk. In studies, goat milk-based formulas seemed to positively impact stool consistency. Many parents whose infants consume goat milk-based formulas report that the formula seems to be better tolerated and digestible and that their infant had less episodes of constipation.
With so many infant formulas to choose from, parents (and pediatricians) can feel quite overwhelmed. Traveling to Amsterdam to attend Kabrita’s Global Summit allowed me to see firsthand how a formula company is using scientific rigor to create a formula more aligned with breastmilk’s composition and using state of the art technology to ensure quality standards that surpass the FDA’s requirements. This, in conjunction with the possibility of better tolerability and digestion, not only makes goat milk-based formula a great go-to for children who can’t tolerate milk-based formulas, but it also makes goat-milk based formula a great choice for any infant.