Kabrita is a mild and tasty formula
The sense of taste begins to emerge early, in comparison to other senses such as sight and hearing. During the last trimester of prenatal development, taste buds are already capable of detecting and transmitting information to the central nervous system.1 Prenatal and early postnatal exposure to a taste enhances the infants’ enjoyment of that taste in solid foods during weaning.2 These early-life sensory experiences establish food preferences and dietary patterns that set the stage for lifelong dietary habits.
Taste of goat milk-based products
Goat milk-based products such as cheese are generally known for their ‘goaty’ smell and taste, which may be perceived as less pleasant.3 These sensory properties are caused by fatty acids and can be influenced by goat breed, feeding model and industrial processes.4
Kabrita formula does not contain goat milk fat but a special vegetable-fat blend mix that is rich in β-palmitic acid, which more closely resembles the fatty acid profile of human milk. The β-palmitic acid in Kabrita formula has been proven to offer comfort to infants, with benefits such as reduced crying time, prevention of hard stools and a well-balanced gut microbiota.5-7 In addition, Kabrita is produced with high quality standards, and there are short lead times between milking the goats and the production of the formula. This has beneficial effects on the taste of the formula.
Independent sensory panel
To give us a reliable opinion of Kabrita formula, an independent sensory NIZO panel tested the quality of the taste and smell of Kabrita formula and compared it to a cow’s milk formula. 8 The panel consisted of professionally trained sensory graders that were selected via the ISO 8586 procedure and are among the 10% most highly skilled individuals in smelling and tasting of the normal (Dutch) population. The Kabrita and cow’s milk formula samples were freshly prepared and presented in a randomised and blind manner to the panel members.
The results show that Kabrita formula scores significantly better on overall sensory characteristics compared to cow’s milk formula (p<0.001). Although Kabrita formula had a more goaty taste than cow’s milk formula, the goat formula scores twice as high on overall sensory quality, has a significantly milkier taste and has significantly fewer off-flavours than cow’s milk formula. This makes Kabrita formula a mild and tasty formula.
Conclusion
Taste can have an impact on lifelong dietary habits. An indepedent sensory panel concluded that Kabrita formula is a mild and tasty formula.
References
- 1. Forestell C.A. Flavor Perception and Preference Development in Human Infants. Ann Nutr Metab. 2017;70 Suppl 3:17-25.
- 2. Mennella J.A., et al. Prenatal and postnatal flavor learning by human infants. Pediatrics. 2001 Jun;107(6):E88
- 3. Costa, et al. Consumer perception, health information, and instrumental parameters of cupuassu (Theobroma grandiflorum) goat milk yogurts. Journal of dairy science 2017; 100: 157-68
- 4. Yang, et al. Discrimination and characterization of different intensities of goaty flavor in goat milk by means of an electronic nose. Journal of dairy science 2015; 98: 55-67;
- 5. Litmanovitz, I., et al., Reduced crying in term infants fed high beta-palmitate formula: a double-blind randomized clinical trial. BMC Pediatr, 2014. 14: p. 152.
- 6. Bar-Yoseph, F., et al., SN2-Palmitate Improves Crying and Sleep in Infants Fed Formula with Prebiotics: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial. Clinics Mother Child Health, 2017. 14:2.
- 7. Miles, E.A. and P.C. Calder, The influence of the position of palmitate in infant formula triacylglycerols on health outcomes. Nutr Res, 2017. 44: p. 1-8.
- 8. NIZO REPORT: Sensory study of Infant Formula products based on goat milk, 2021