Use of an α-lactalbumin enriched whey protein extract as a source of sphingomyelin in a synthetic nutritional composition for an infant or child wherein, the α-lactalbumin enriched WPE is obtained by a process comprising: a. acidifying a whey protein product to pH 4 or below b. forming a low calcium whey protein product by concentrating the proteins in the acidified whey protein until the calcium to protein ratio is less than about 0.001 and, c. Precipitating α-lactalbumin from the low-calcium whey protein product, wherein said precipitating step includes the sub-steps of: I. diluting the low-calcium whey protein product, II. adjusting the pH of the diluted low-calcium whey protein product to between 4 and 5 to form a precipitate and soluble proteins, and III. Separating the precipitate proteins from the soluble proteins.
