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

 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 (Lo) 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 Lo domains, and hypotheses on the sphingomyelin and cholesterol interactions that lead to the establishment of Lo structures are critically reviewed. Whereas previous reviews delivered overviews on such topics, this review critically considers the interplay of structure, digestion, and composition.