Lactose, Fat, and Protein in Milk of Various Animals

Comparative biochemistry and physiology

“…The lactose content of 40.2 g kg − 1 milk (Table 1) falls within the ranges of 37-42 g kg − 1 reported for the domestic cat (Folin et al, 1919;Adkins et al, 1997;Jacobsen et al, 2004), while it is slightly higher than the 26.5-34 for the African lion (P. leo) (Ben Shaul, 1962;Green, 1991;De Waal et al, 2004).…”

“…The NPN of 1.0 g kg − 1 made up 6.0% of the total nitrogen (Table 1). The total protein content of 99.6 falls within the range of 87-106 g kg − 1 reported for the domestic cat (Folin et al, 1919;Adkins et al, 1997;Jacobsen et al, 2004) and 48-125 g kg − 1 of the African lion (Ben Shaul, 1962;Green, 1991;De Waal et al, 2004).The protein fraction is made up of 65.3 g kg − 1 whey proteins and 32.24 g kg − 1 caseins. The whey-to-casein ratio is therefore approximately 2:1, which is higher than the ratio of 1:1 reported for the domestic cat (Adkins et al, 1997).…”

“…The fat content of 64.8 g kg − 1 of the cheetah's milk (Table 1) is much lower, compared to the 108-127 g kg − 1 reported for the domestic cat (Folin et al, 1919;Adkins et al, 1997;Jacobsen et al, 2004) and the 113-189 g kg − 1 of the African lion (Ben Shaul, 1962; Green, 1991;De Waal et al, 2004). According to the fat content, the milk can be classified as a medium-fat milk, and seems to be the major source of energy for the cubs (Oftedal, 1984).…”