Characteristic chromatographic fingerprint study of short-chain fatty acids in human milk, infant formula, pure milk and fermented milk by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Abstract

Human milk, infant formula, pure milk and fermented milk as food products or dietary supplements provide a range of nutrients required to both infants and adults. Recently, a growing body of evidence has revealed the beneficial roles of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), a subset of fatty acids produced from the fermentation of dietary fibers by gut microbiota. The objective of this study was to establish a chromatographic fingerprint technique to investigate SCFAs in human milk and dairy products by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The multivariate method for principal component analysis assessed differences between milk types. Human milk, infant formula, pure milk and fermented milk were grouped independently, mainly because of differences in formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid and hexanoic acid levels. This method will be important for the assessment of SCFAs in human milk and various dairy products.

Fermentation of Foods and Beverages as a Tool for Increasing Availability of Bioactive Compounds. Focus on Short-Chain Fatty Acids

“…According to the authors, the addition of mixed starter cultures may result in a partial inhibition of lipoprotein lipase activity [33], suggesting that the use of a specific bacterial strain, rather than another, may be a useful tool to increase the nutritional value of fermented products. Another research group analyzed different samples of human milk, commercial pure cow milk, infant formula and fermented cow milk, finding highest amount of SCFAs in fermented cow milk [34]. In line with this evidence, a further study demonstrated that the fermentation of skimmed milk with Lactobacilli or Bifidobacteria increased SCFA production with variable trends, based on the type of added prebiotics, including β-glucan, inulin and hi-maize.…”

“…Nevertheless, authors generally agree that fermentation significantly increases the levels of this class of bioactive compounds ( Table 1 ). Different raw materials have been studied, including milk [ 32 , 33 , 34 ], beer wort [ 35 ], fruit [ 36 ] and vegetables [ 2 ], and several bacteria strains have been used for fermentation.…”

Short chain fatty acids produced by colonizing intestinal commensal bacterial interaction with expressed breast milk are anti-inflammatory in human immature enterocytes

“…Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are produced by intestinal commensal bacteria interacting with a diet rich in complex carbohydrates which cannot be metabolized by enzymes in the small intestine [9]. In the immature human intestine, SCFAs are produced when expressed breastmilk fed to prematures interacts with colonizing bacteria [10,11] for example, Bifidobacteria infantis can produce increased levels of SCFAs (acetate, propionate and butyrate) [12]. A number of studies in mature intestine have shown that SCFAs have anti-inflammatory effects under conditions of intestinal inflammation such as dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) colitis and are in short supply in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis [13][14][15].…”

Butyrate as a bioactive human milk protective component against food allergy

“…HM samples (2 mL) were collected at the beginning of lactation by either manual or electric breast pump into sterile tubes, as previously described. 18 Samples were immediately frozen and then stored at −80°C until analysis. For each enrolled subject, anamnestic, demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were recorded in a data collection sheet.…”