Chemical composition and lipid profile of mare colostrum and milk of the quarter horse breed

Abstract

The objective of this study was to characterize the chemical composition and lipid profile of colostrum and milk of purebred Quarter Horse mares. Thirty-four (34) purebred mares were selected, which were then separated into groups according to age, birth order and lactation stage. Colostrum samples were collected in the first six hours after delivery and milk samples from the 7 th postpartum day, with intervals of 14 days until the end of lactation. The samples were refrigerated and sent to the Milk Laboratory of the University ( Laboleite — UFRN ), where they were analyzed for chemical composition. Colostrum was assessed by refractometry. The lipid profile was determined by gas chromatography through a separation of methyl esters. The data were tabulated and subjected to descriptive statistics and analysis of variance by the F-Test, and the groups were compared by the Tukey test using a significance level of 5%. There was high protein content and reduced lactose content for the colostrum of the Quarter Horse mares, differing from other breeds. The milk composition was not influenced by the mares’ age. However, variations in the lactation stage and in the birth order of the Quarter Horse mares altered the milk’s chemical composition. There is variation in the lipid composition of milk according to the lactation stage, without changing the characteristic profile of the mares’ milk or diminishing the nutritional quality of the lipid fraction.

Days in milk alters the milk fatty acid profile of grazing donkeys: A preliminary study

“…TA B L E 1 Descriptive statistics of the concentration of fatty acids in milk of grazing Pega donkeys ratio lower than 1 (Table 2). Barreto et al (2020) have reported similar values of 18:0 (1.6%) and SFA/UFA ratio (0.95%) in mare milk. The fatty acid profile is similar between horses and donkeys, with high PUFA content for donkey milk (Salimei & Fantuz, 2002).…”

“…was related to the concentration of 16:0, which is the major SFA in donkey milk (Table 1). The concentration of 16:0 in mare milk is similar to donkey milk, and it has been reported to increase until 120 DIM (Barreto et al 2020). Previous studies have demonstrated a reduction in milk 16:0 as a function of lactation stage (Gastaldi et al, 2010;Martemucci & D'Alessandro, 2012;Valle et al, 2018).…”

“…This can be attributed to the low content of stearic acid in the animal diets and to the SCD activity, which catalyses the conversion of 18:0 to 18:1 n−9. The lower milk concentration of 18:0 has also been reported to mare milk (Barreto et al 2020).…”

“…Equine milk is an alternative to cow's milk for people with cow's milk protein allergy (Salimei & Fantuz, 2012). In addition, donkey milk has antioxidant capacity (Li et al, 2018), antimicrobial, hypoglycaemic and antiparasitic properties (Martini et al, 2018); similar properties have been reported in mare milk as well (Barreto et al 2019(Barreto et al , 2020Salimei & Fantuz, 2012). Cow's milk has low levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), but donkey milk contains lower concentrations of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and higher concentrations of essential fatty acids (linoleic and α-linolenic acids) (Martemucci & D'Alessandro, 2012).…”

HPLC Identification of Mare’s Milk and Its Mix with Cow’s Milk

“…Кобылье молоко является ценным пищевым продуктом, т. к. химические вещества, входящие в его состав, близки к женскому молоку [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Отличительной особенностью кобыльего молока является его высокая биологическая ценность и усвояемость [8,9].…”