Macronutrient composition of olive baboon (Papio anubis) milk: A comparison to rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) milk

Abstract

This study was designed to (1) characterize the macronutrient composition of olive baboon (Papio anubis) milk, (2) compare baboon milk composition to that of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), and (3) evaluate the association between the proportion of milk energy derived from protein and relative growth rate within anthropoid primates. A single milk sample was collected from each of eight lactating olive baboons ranging between 47‐ and 129‐days postparturition and six rhesus macaques from 15‐ to 92‐days living at the same institution under identical management conditions. Macronutrient composition (water, fat, protein sugar, and ash) was determined using standard techniques developed at the Nutrition Laboratory at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Baboon milk on average contained 86.0% ± 0.6% water, 4.7% ± 0.5% fat, 1.6% ± 0.04% protein, 7.3% ± 0.07% sugar, and 0.165% ± 0.007% ash. Baboon milk gross energy (GE) averaged 0.81 ± 0.04 kcal/g with 51.9% ± 2.6% from fat, 11.8% ± 0.7% from protein, and 36.2% ± 2.0% from sugar. Baboon milk demonstrated strong similarity to milk composition of the closely phylogenetically related rhesus macaque (86.1% ± 0.3% water, 4.1% ± 0.4% fat, 1.69% ± 0.05% protein, 7.71% ± 0.08% sugar, 0.19% ± 0.01% ash, and 0.78 kcal/g). There was no statistical difference between baboon and macaque milk in the proportions of energy from fat, sugar, and protein. Baboon milk can be described as a high sugar, moderate fat, and low protein milk with moderate energy density, which is consistent with their lactation strategy characterized by frequent, on‐demand nursing and relatively slow life history compared to nonprimate mammal taxa. The milk energy from protein of both baboon and macaque (12.8% ± 0.3%) milk was intermediate between the protein milk energy of platyrrhine (19.3%–23.2%) and hominoid (8.9%–12.6%) primates, consistent with their relative growth rates also being intermediate. Compared to these cercopithecid monkeys, platyrrhine primates have both higher relative growth rates and higher milk energy from protein, while apes tend to be lower in both.

Macronutrient composition of milk from captive southern pig‐tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina)

“…The mean macronutrient values for the milks of all three species are presented in Table 5. Compared to rhesus macaque and olive baboon milk (Glick et al, 2021), protein, sugar, calcium, and phosphorus content did not differ. However, pig‐tailed macaque milk was significantly higher in fat content ( p = 0.001; df = 2; F = 9.683) and therefore, dry matter ( p = 0.006; df = 2; F = 6.499) and GE ( p = 0.001; df = 2; F = 10.083).…”

“…Values for fat, CP, and sugar were also expressed as a & of milk Experimental GE was compared to calculated values of GE by paired sample t-test, as was milk composition at 10 weeks postparturition and 14 weeks postparturition. Finally, pig-tailed macaque milk composition was compared to that of milk from rhesus macaques and olive baboons assayed at the NZCBI Nutrition Laboratory by identical methods (Glick et al, 2021) using ANOVA with Bonferroni correction and by ANCOVA with milk GE as the covariate. For all analyses, a significance parameter of p < 0.05 was used.…”

“…All nutrient assays (water [dry matter], fat, total sugar, crude protein [CP], total mineral content [ash], calcium, and phosphorus) were conducted at the SNZP Nutrition Laboratory using standard methods developed on location (Hood et al, 2009) and described in Glick et al (2021). Potassium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, and iron concentrations were also determined similarly to calcium (Glick et al, 2021) using atomic absorption spectroscopy (Model 800 Perkin Elmer Analyst Flame‐Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer; Perkin Elmer) and measured using an acetylene flame at 766.5, 589, 285.2, 213.9, and 248.3 nm, respectively (Association of Official Analytical Chemists [AOAC], 1990).…”

“…All nutrient assays (water [dry matter], fat, total sugar, crude protein [CP], total mineral content [ash], calcium, and phosphorus) were conducted at the SNZP Nutrition Laboratory using standard methods developed on location (Hood et al, 2009) and described in Glick et al (2021). Potassium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, and iron concentrations were also determined similarly to The milk gross energy (GE) was measured in a bomb calorimeter (6200 Isoperibolic Bomb Calorimeter and 6510…”

“…We predict the milk composition of southern pig-tailed macaques to be similar to other Cercopithecidae species with comparable wild diets, specifically other macaques such as the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), which has been extensively evaluated (Hinde, 2007;Hinde et al, 2009Hinde et al, , 2013. The goals of this study are to (1) characterize the nutritional composition of pig-tailed macaque milk, (2) compare the milk composition at two lactation time points 1 month apart (10 and 14 weeks), and (3) assess the similarity between pig-tailed macaque milk with rhesus macaque and olive baboon (Papio anubis) milk assayed using identical methods (Glick et al, 2021). Milk samples were obtained from each dam at a routine examination at 10 weeks (70−72 days) and at 14 weeks postparturition (98−100 days) scheduled in summer 2020.…”