Qualitative and Quantitative Changes of Oligosaccharides in Human and Animal Milk over Lactation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in human and animal milk oligosaccharides over lactation. In total, 89, 97, 115, and 71 oligosaccharides were identified in human, bovine, goat, and camel milk. The number of common oligosaccharides between camel and human milk was the highest (16 and 17 in transitional and mature milk). With respect to the absolute concentration of eight oligosaccharides (2′-FL, 3-FL, α3′-GL, LNT, LNnT, 3′-SL, 6′-SL, and DSL), 2′-FL, 3′-FL, LNT, and LNnT were much higher in human than three animal species. 3′-SL had a similar concentration in bovine colostrum (322.2 μg/mL) and human colostrum (321.0 μg/mL), followed by goat colostrum (105.1 μg/mL); however, it had the highest concentration in camel mature milk (304.5 μg/mL). The ratio of 6′-SL and 3′-SL (1.77) in goat colostrum was similar to that in human colostrum (1.68), followed by bovine colostrum (0.13). In terms of changes of eight oligosaccharides over lactation, they all decreased with the increase of lactation in bovine and goat milk; however, α3′-GL, 2′-FL, and 3-FL increased in camel species, and LNT increased first and then decreased over lactation in human milk. This study provides a better understanding of the variation of milk oligosaccharides related to lactation and species.

Evaluation of Prebiotic Glycan Composition in Human Milk and Infant Formula: Profile of Galacto-Oligosaccharides and Absolute Quantification of Major Milk Oligosaccharides by UPLC-Cyclic IM-MS and UPLC-MS/MS

“…When human milk is insufficient, infant formula (IF) is an ideal substitute to provide newborn infants with the required nutrients. The dominant milk sources for commercial IFs are cow and goat milk, both of which exhibit substantially lower levels of prebiotics compared to human milk . Prebiotics are known to have important health benefits for infants, including the establishment and maintenance of a healthy gut microflora, immune development, and protection against gastrointestinal infections .…”