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LC/MS-based metabolomics to evaluate the milk composition of human, horse, goat and cow from China

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Abstract

Milk metabolites are associated with species of dairy animals and also affect the nutritional value of infant formulas. The objective of this study was to characterize the profile of milk metabolites between human milk and cow, horse, and goat milk, and identify any differences using non-targeted LC/MS metabolomic approaches, and analyze possible metabolic pathways. The results showed that 37 significantly different metabolites (P < 0.05 and VIP value > 1) were identified in the four milk samples. The metabolic pathways analysis revealed seven main metabolic pathways (P < 0.05 and pathway impact value > 0.1), including synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies, linoleic acid metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, inositol phosphate metabolism, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism. These metabolic pathways could provide the data for the metabolism of dairy products in vivo. A better understanding of milk metabolites from different dairy animals could provide a rich reference to evaluate milk properties, and improve the quality of formulas and develop formulas closer to human milk.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Jiuling Wei of Bei**g Institute of Nutritional Resources, and Jun Guo of Inner Mongolia Agricultural University for their contributions to the sample collection process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bei**g Institute of Nutritional Resources, 4#, Dongbinhe Road, You’anmenwai, Fengtai District, Bei**g, 100069, People’s Republic of China

    Rui Wu, **n Wang & **angnan Ren

  2. Department of Nutrition, Food Safety and Toxicology, West China School of Public Health, Healthy Food Evaluation Research Center, Food Safety Monitoring and Risk Assessment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610000, Sichuan province, People’s Republic of China

    Rui Wu, **yao Chen & Lishi Zhang

  3. Bonnysci International Science and Technology Co., Ltd, Bei**g, 100069, People’s Republic of China

    **n Wang

  4. National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Bei**g, 100050, People’s Republic of China

    Yuexin Yang

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  1. Rui Wu
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Correspondence to **angnan Ren.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Wu, R., Chen, J., Zhang, L. et al. LC/MS-based metabolomics to evaluate the milk composition of human, horse, goat and cow from China. Eur Food Res Technol 247, 663–675 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-020-03654-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-020-03654-1

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