The bovine milk fat globule membrane – Liquid ordered domain formation and anticholesteremic effects during digestion

ABSTRACT

The milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) has undergone a renaissance in nutritional sciences. Recent understanding of how heterogenous, lateral milk polar lipids assemblies, enriched with sphingomyelin and cholesterol, form a liquid-ordered (L_o) phase, call assumptions about milk fat digestion into question. Clinical studies on the anticholesteremic effect of milk polar lipids, fundamental research on the structure and properties of L_o domains, and hypotheses on the sphingomyelin and cholesterol interactions that lead to the establishment of L_o structures are critically reviewed. Whereas previous reviews delivered overviews on such topics, this review critically considers the interplay of structure, digestion, and composition.

KEYWORDS:

• Digestion
• sphingomyelin
• cholesterol
• lipid

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