Profiling of triacylglycerol composition in the breast milk of Chinese mothers at different lactation stages.

Triacylglycerol (TAG) is the primary constituent of human milk fat and plays a vital role in the healthy development of infants. But few studies reported the sophisticated profile of TAG molecular species in human breast milk and its temporal changes during a prolonged lactation period. An efficient ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) method was adopted to examine TAGs. A total of 128 TAGs in 296 human breast milk samples collected during postnatal 0 to 400 days were identified. The changes in the human milk TAG profile mainly took place in the early stages of lactation (postnatal 0-45 days), and the TAG profile became stable in mature milk after 200 days of lactation. Odd chain fatty acids (OC-FAs) may be important markers for identifying human breast milk of different lactation stages. This study could provide evidence for developing safe and efficacious human-milk substitutes for children without access to human breast milk.

Citation

Qiu-Ye Lan, Si-Yu Huang, Chen-Yu Jiang, Meng-Tao Yang, Tong Wu, Xiao-Yan Chen, Zhao-Yan Liu, Wei Wei, Xing-Guo Wang, Hui-Lian Zhu. Profiling of triacylglycerol composition in the breast milk of Chinese mothers at different lactation stages. Food & function. 2022 Sep 22;13(18):9674-9686

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PMID: 36040052

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