The growing interest among consumers in recent years in food products that have a positive effect on the human body proves conscious concern for health and well-being. However, this imposes the introduction of changes in the food industry related to the implementation of innovative technologies in food production. One such industry is the dairy industry. Milk proteins, including lactoferrin, have gained particular importance in recent years. Nowadays, it is beginning to move towards profiling products and adjusting their properties and compositions to the requirements of specific consumer groups, also taking into account profiling for genetic predisposition.

LF is used in the food sector, pharmaceutical industry, and cosmetics industry. It is used in infant formulas, nutraceuticals, fermented milk products, processed meats, and dietary supplements [16,97]. In the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, it appears as an ingredient in preparations supporting the treatment of herpes or skin lesions, strengthening immunity, raising iron levels, supporting the intestinal microbiota, or limiting bacterial growth [73].

Table 1 presents selected pharmaceutical and cosmetic products manufactured using LF.

In the European Union, bLF has been approved for use as a food ingredient since 2012, following the registration of the protein as a novel food by Friesland Campina. In the application for infants aged 0–6 months, the bLF intake is set at 200 mg per kg bodyweight and 1.2 g per day. The recommendation for adults is at the level of 1.4–3.4 g per day. Friesland Campina presented a mouse study that showed no adverse effects at 2000 mg/kg of body weight. LF can be used in various categories of food. The amounts that have been approved for use are presented in Table 2. Foods to which LF has been added must have ‘lactoferrin from cows’ milk’ written on the label [14,98].

Products containing LF are already available in the food sector. The widest assortment is available for powdered milk for infants, but other products have appeared as well, such as chewing gum, jelly sweets, non-alcoholic beverages, and yoghurt (Table 3).

The use of LF in infant formulas has many beneficial health-promoting effects, increasing immunity and positively influencing the skeletal and digestive systems [97]. Such formulas are mainly found in Spain, Indonesia, and South Korea [16]. Li et al. [100] assessed the effect of modified milk enriched with bLF in the amount of 0.6 g/L and bovine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) on infant development. The results of the study show that children receiving this mixture had a higher neurodevelopmental profile at 365 days of age and higher language abilities at 545 days. Moreover, diarrhoea, vomiting, fungal infections, and respiratory problems were less common in these children.

The use of LF is also of technological importance. LF digested with pepsin–lactoferricin is a strong antimicrobial peptide that can be used in food preservation due to its high resistance to high temperatures [101]. LF in yoghurt production positively affects the physicochemical structure of the product. In this case, however, the form of lactoferrin is significant, as apo-LF has been shown to inhibit the growth of lactic acid bacteria, while holo-LF had the opposite effect. The use of LF had no negative effect on the shelf life of yoghurt [97]. It is especially beneficial to add this protein to yoghurt, and to a lesser extent to other dairy products as well. The use of bLF in yoghurt affects not only its physicochemical properties but also the health of its consumers. Tsukahara et al. [102] conducted a study in a group of 578 nursery school children, who were given yoghurt containing 100 mg LF for 15 weeks. The control group comprised 584 children who received fruit jelly instead of yoghurt. The children receiving yoghurt with LF ≥ 3 days a week were much less often absent from school due to vomiting (4.3%) than children from the control group (8.4%).

LF is used in the meat industry for its antibacterial properties. An LF suspension not exceeding 0.20 mL/kg can be sprayed onto the surface of meat. This technique can be used just before packaging the meat to increase its shelf life. This discovery has raised interest in LF as a component of food packaging [97]. Barbiroli et al. [103] assessed the effect of LF on meat storage by adding it to cellulose packaging, which was tested on thin cuts of meat. The paper was produced with LF in the amount of 10% of the total fibre content. The addition of LF to paper packaging inhibited the growth of harmful bacteria, which in the future could be exploited in absorbent pads or films for wrapping meat [80]. Another study evaluating the impact of LF on the length of storage of raw meat was conducted by Soyer et al. [104]. The results confirmed the antibacterial effect of active lactoferrin on L. monocytogenes and E. coli. Padrão et al. [105] used cellulose film to which LF was added. The film was considered edible packaging and exhibited antimicrobial properties. It could be used to store perishable food, such as fresh sausage. The films with LF inhibited E. coli and S. aureus bacteria. However, it can be difficult to add lactoferrin to edible packaging, because too much of it can negatively affect the structure of the material. The addition of LF to pullulan films at low concentrations, i.e., <0.03%, did not significantly affect their tensile strength or elongation at break, but higher concentrations negatively affected these parameters. It is important to preserve the durability of the material while also using a concentration sufficient to exploit its ability to inhibit microbial growth [106].