Fonterra’s research and development team has received an innovation award for their work in milk lipids and their role in supporting the nutritional value of maternal and pediatric nutritional products.
The team received the Innovation in Food and Beverage award at the recent The New Zealand Innovation Awards, which recognize top innovators in New Zealand business.
“Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for infants,” says director group research and development Dr Mark Malone.
“However for mothers who cannot or choose not to breastfeed, the nutritional quality of milk formula is of utmost importance.”
“Our work on complex milk lipids, which are packed with many of the minor components found in breast milk, has been all about providing an alternative making it more similar to the composition of breast milk,” he says.
“We have applied these findings to maternal and pediatric nutrition products to deliver more nutritional benefits that may help to support growth and cognitive development.”
It is the fourth year in a row the co-operative has picked up an innovation award, including recognition for its milk fingerprinting technology in the excellence in research category last year.
The milk lipids research has been supported by Transforming the Dairy Value Chain – a Primary Growth Partnership program between the Ministry of Primary Industries, Fonterra and DairyNZ
It aims to create new products, increase on-farm productivity, reduce environmental impacts and improve agricultural education.
