Dairy Manufacturing Webinar, MFGM: A new frontier in human health, cognitive development and gut-brain axis, November 5, 2026

MFGM: A new frontier in human health, cognitive development and gut-brain axis

Presenter

Rafael Jimenez-Flores

Webinar Description

The last two decades have witnessed an exponential growth in the research towards understanding the structure and biological activity of the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM). This webinar encompasses the scientific perspective of MFGM research and its intersection with human health and wellness. Major advances in infant cognitive development tied to improvement by MFGM in infant formula has been a solid and documented proof of the effectiveness of this milk component and cognitive/brain development in children. With this evidence, there is a general interest in deducing the mechanism of action of MFGM in human health. The webinar will give a historical perspective of these developments, and the current areas of research guided to understand the mechanism of action of MFGM in the improvement of cognitive development and possibly benefits to the gut -brain axis.

Presenter Biography

Rafael Jimnez-Flores, originally from Mexico City, received his undergraduate degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Food Science from La Salle University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry from Cornell and U.C. Davis, respectively. His dairy technology research focused on milk fat, the milk fat globule membrane, and cholesterol removal from butter oil. He was an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois, he joined the California Polytechnic State Universitys Dairy Products Technology Center, where he researched novel dairy processing methods, milk fat globule membrane characterization, surface interactions, lactic acid bacteria, spore incidence, and biological activity. He became the Director of the Cal Poly Center for Applications in Biotechnology and joined Ohio States Department of Food Science and Technology in 2016 as the JT Stubby Parker Endowed Chair in Dairy Foods. Dr. Jimenez-Flores holds twelve patents, numerous book chapters, and over 150 peer-reviewed articles on dairy science and technology.