Milk lactoferrin concentration of primiparous and multiparous sows during lactation

Abstract

Lactoferrin (LF), a sialylated iron-binding glycoprotein, has numerous vital physiological functions including immunomodulation and protection against a large group of microorganisms, improving neurodevelopment, health, growth performance, and milk production. Lactoferrin occurs in human milk at a higher concentration compared with bovine milk, but little information is available on LF concentrations in porcine milk and the effects of sow parity on milk LF concentration. The objective of this study was to quantify the LF concentration in porcine milk and to compare that concentration between gilts and sows during lactation. We also investigated the effect of genetic background and litter size of the female pig on the LF concentration of porcine milk. The milk from 30 gilts and 35 sows was collected at 3 stages of lactation, namely colostrum, transition, and mature milk. Standard and experimental samples were analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography using a diode array UV detector. The following findings were reported: (1) porcine milk contained significant levels of LF with the highest concentration in colostrum, which decreased by ~62% and ~67% in transitional and mature milk, respectively; (2) mature gilt milk contained a 22% higher concentration of LF compared with sow milk, which was statistically significant; (3) breed line had an overall significant effect on the LF content of porcine milk; however, when the breed was considered, no significant difference was observed; and (4) LF concentration of porcine milk was not significantly influenced by the litter size. The presence of LF in a higher concentration in porcine milk suggests that LF is an important constituent of pig milk that might contribute to the optimum growth and development of piglets.

Functional Correlates and Impact of Dietary Lactoferrin Intervention and its Concentration‐dependence on Neurodevelopment and Cognition in Neonatal Piglets

“…These levels of Lf were chosen because they represented the Lf level in mature human milk (high‐concentration, 1.1 g L −1 ), and 6‐month human milk [ 22 ] (low‐concentration, 0.6 g L −1 ) and 19 days (high‐concentration, 1.1 g L −1 ) of pig milk, respectively. [ 23 ] The high‐concentration level of Lf was ca. 15% of the highest, safe dose (2000 mg kg −1 day −1 ) reported by the European Food Safety Agency (https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2811).…”

A Gently Processed Skim Milk‐Derived Whey Protein Concentrate for Infant Formula: Effects on Gut Development and Immunity in Preterm Pigs

“…In accordance with previous in vitro studies, [ 61,62 ] heat treatment of SPC resulted in a decreased abundance of native LF, verifying its heat labile nature. Overall, the native LF amounts, reaching ≈135 µg mL −1 in the SPC formula diet, are considerably below the levels measured in bovine colostrum (1–2 mg mL −1[ 7 ] ) and sow milk (≈3 mg mL −1[ 63 ] ), illustrating one of the issues associated with feeding processed infant formula as opposed to a raw milk diet.…”

Preventative and therapeutic potential of animal milk components against COVID‐19: A comprehensive review

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