Milk in human nutrition: Comparison of fatty acid profiles

Abstract

Milk and milk products are very important in human nutrition. Fatty acids (FA), which are the major component of milk lipids, have different effects on human health. The aim of this study was to determine and compare fatty acid composition of human milk, infant formula and cow's milk most often consumed in Serbian population. Samples were analyzed by gas chromatography. Our results showed that saturated FA were predominant in all types of milk, particularly in cow's milk with more than 70%. Monounsaturated oleic acid was significantly higher in human milk (36%) than in infants formula (30%) and cow's milk (26%). Although polyunsaturated FA content of cow's milk was very low (3.6%) compared with infant formula (15%) and human milk (19%), cow's milk had the most desirable n6/n3 ratio, and content of n-3 precursor α-linolenic acid. Low content of n-3 FA may be due to a relatively low consumption of marine foods in Serbian population. Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are important in infant development and maintenance of overall human health, were detected only in human milk. These results suggest that human milk is the most desirable food in infants' nutrition, but low content of n-3 FA indicates that supplementation of lactating women with n-3 FA is highly recommendable.

Mleko i mlečni proizvodi su od velikog značaja za ljudsku ishranu. Masne kiseline (MK), koje su glavna komponenta lipida mleka, imaju različite efekte na zdravlje. Iz tog razloga, cilj ove studije je bio da se odredi i uporedi sastav masnih kiselina u humanom mleku, formuli za ishranu novorođenčadi i kravljem mleku, koji se uobičajeno konzumiraju u Srbiji. Uzorci su analizirani gasnom hromatografijom. Naši rezultati su ukazali da su zasićene MK najzastupljenije u svim tipovima mleka, posebno u kravljem, gde čine više od 70% ukupnih MK. Mononezasićena oleinska kiselina bila je značajno zastupljenija u humanom mleku (36%) nego u formuli (30%) i kravljem mleku (26%). Mada su polinezasićene MK u kravljem mleku zastupljene u vrlo niskom procentu (3.6%) u poređenju sa formulom (15%) i humanim mlekom (19%), kravlje mleko je imalo najpoželjniji odnos n6/n3 MK, i sadržaj n-3 prekursora α-linoleinske kiseline. Nizak sadržaj n-3 MK u humanom mleku je posledica slabe zastupljenosti morskih plodova u ishrani u Srbiji. Dugolančane polinezasićene MK, koje su od izuzetnog značaja za razvoj novorođenčadi i očuvanje zdravlja uopšte, detektovane su samo u humanom mleku. Ovi rezultati ukazuju da je humano mleko najpoželjnija hrana za novorođenčad, ali nizak sadržaj n-3 MK ukazuje da je suplementacija dojilja preparatima n-3 MK veoma preporučljiva.