Casimir Akoh

What can you tell us about your career path? How did you get to your current position?

After earning a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Nigeria, I came to Washington State University to study for my Ph.D. in biochemistry but ended up with a master’s degree in biochemistry before switching to food science.

I earned a doctorate in food science with an emphasis in biochemistry and lipid chemistry. After postdoctoral training in nutritional biochemistry (lipids) at Mississippi State University and Texas A&M University, I accepted my first assistant professor position at Alabama A&M University in lipid biotechnology. I joined UGA in 1992 to continue my work in lipid biotechnology and lipid chemistry. In 2004, I was named a Distinguished Research Professor of Food Science and Technology.

You have been especially productive in studies related to infant formula. What would you most like the public to know about your work in this area?

Infant formula is expected to provide the growing child with nutrients needed for energy, immune function, cognitive development, growth and brain development. Fat is an essential component among these nutrients. The type of fatty acids in infant formula is important in terms of absorption in addition to the benefits mentioned above. When mothers cannot produce enough breastmilk, choose not to breastfeed, or nutrients from the mother are not adequate for the baby, commercial infant formula becomes an alternative.

In America, most mothers do not consume enough foods containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are necessary for proper infant development. To increase the content of these fatty acids in the mother’s breastmilk or in infant formula, our laboratory has designed lipids that contain these fatty acids and palmitic acid in the right proportion for the infant and for the expectant mother in the form of prenatal and postnatal supplements if they choose to breastfeed.

We do this using an enzyme to bind the fatty acids together in the glycerol backbone with 30-60% of palmitic acid at the sn-2 position of the glycerol. We call these designer fats “structured lipids.” Our research on infant formula fat is designed to provide the best nutrition for formula-fed infants.