Natural Variability in
Bovine Milk Oligosaccharides
from Danish Jersey and Holstein-Friesian Breeds
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Abstract
Free oligosaccharides are key components of human milk
and play
multiple roles in the health of the neonate, by stimulating growth
of selected beneficial bacteria in the gut, participating in development
of the brain, and exerting antipathogenic activity. However, the concentration
of oligosaccharides is low in mature bovine milk, normally used for
infant formula, compared with both human colostrum and mature human
milk. Characterization of bovine milk oligosaccharides in different
breeds is crucial for the identification of viable sources for oligosaccharide
purification. An improved source of oligosaccharides can lead to infant
formula with improved oligosaccharide functionality. In the present
study we have analyzed milk oligosaccharides by high-performance liquid
chromatography chip quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and
performed a detailed data analysis using both univariate and multivariate
methods. Both statistical tools revealed several differences in oligosaccharide
profiles between milk samples from the two Danish breeds, Jersey and
Holstein-Friesians. Jersey milk contained higher relative amounts
of both sialylated and the more complex neutral fucosylated oligosaccharides,
while the Holstein-Friesian milk had higher abundance of smaller and
simpler neutral oligosaccharides. The statistical analyses revealed
that Jersey milk contains levels of fucosylated oligosaccharides significantly
higher than that of Holstein-Friesian milk. Jersey milk also possesses
oligosaccharides with a higher degree of complexity and functional
residues (fucose and sialic acid), suggesting it may therefore offer
advantages in term of a wider array of bioactivities