Oligosaccharides in goats’ milk-based infant formula and their prebiotic and anti-infection properties

Abstract

Human milk contains an abundant supply and diverse array of oligosaccharides that are known to impart significant health benefits to the nursing infant including establishment and maintenance of a healthy gut microflora, immune development and protection against gastrointestinal infections. When breastfeeding is not possible or insufficient, infant formulas are commonly used as an alternative. However, limited information is available about the presence of naturally occurring oligosaccharides in these infant formulas and their likely health benefits. The present study examined the presence of naturally occurring oligosaccharides in commercial goats’ milk-based stage 1 and stage 2 infant formulas and their prebiotic and anti-infection properties. LC/MS was used to detect and quantify oligosaccharides and their prebiotic potential was assessed by their ability, at concentrations present in reconstituted ready-to-use infant formula, to promote the growth of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB12, B. longum BB536, Lactobacillus acidophilus 4461 and L. casei 2607 in vitro. For anti-infection properties, the ability of goat milk oligosaccharides to prevent the adhesion of Escherichia coli NCTC 10418 and a Salmonella typhimurium isolate to Caco-2 cells was investigated. The results showed the presence of fourteen quantifiable oligosaccharides in stage 1 and stage 2 goats’ milk-based infant formula. This was similar to the number of oligosaccharides detected in the fresh goats’ milk. Of these, five were structurally similar to those found in human milk. These oligosaccharides were shown to significantly enhance the growth of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli and reduce the adhesion of E. coli NCTC 10418 and S. typhimurium to Caco-2 cells. Together, these results suggest that oligosaccharides naturally present in goats’ milk-based infant formula exhibit strong prebiotic and anti-pathogen adhesion properties and may confer gut health benefits to infants.

Comparison of the antipathogenic effect toward Staphylococcus aureus of N‐linked and free oligosaccharides derived from human, bovine, and goat milk

“…The previous studies regarding the antimicrobial activity of free MOs have been mainly focused on the antiadhesive property (Coppa et al., 2006; Jantscher‐Krenn et al., 2012; Leong et al., 2019; Martin‐Sosa et al., 2002; Ryan et al., 2018). No bactericidal/bacteriostatic activity of milk free oligosaccharide against S. aureus has yet been reported.…”

“…Moreover, the structures are different between species, especially in the levels of fucosylation and sialylation moieties (Dong, Zhou, & Mechref, 2016; Tao, DePeters, German, Grimm, & Lebrilla, 2009; Totten et al., 2012; Wu, Tao, German, Grimm, & Lebrilla, 2010). MOs have been reported to maintain the balance of intestinal microorganisms by resisting the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms and reducing the adhesion of host cells against pathogens, and therefore, decreasing incidences of neonatal diarrhea, meningitis, and other diseases (Coppa et al., 2006; Hakkarainen et al., 2005; Jantscher‐Krenn et al., 2012; Kulinich & Liu, 2016; Leong et al., 2019; Ryan, Slattery, Hickey, & Marotta, 2018). The special biological functions of MOs have been associated with their structural specificity, namely of fucosylation and sialylation (Cervantes, Newburg, & Ruiz‐Palacios, 1996; Martin‐Sosa, Martin, & Hueso, 2002).…”

Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis ATCC 15697 and Goat Milk Oligosaccharides Show Synergism In Vitro as Anti-Infectives against Campylobacter jejuni

“…Oligosaccharide-enriched fractions prepared from both stage one and stage two goats milk-based infant formula were also recently shown to significantly enhance the growth of bifidobacteria in vitro and reduce the adhesion of E. coli NCTC 10418 and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium to Caco-2 cells [13], possibly by acting as analogues of epithelial receptors on the gut cells [14]. In vivo studies have also indicated that ingestion of GMO by mice during gestation and lactation increased the relative abundance of bifidobacteria in the colon of their pups at weaning [15].…”

The Impact of Dietary Fucosylated Oligosaccharides and Glycoproteins of Human Milk on Infant Well-Being

“…Due to the advanced technologies adopted for sugar analysis such as mass spectra, a huge number of structures have been identified and characterized. Moreover, significant differences in chemical structure of free milk oligosaccharides between species, both qualitative and quantitative, were described in detail [153,[172][173][174][175]. Such extraordinary diversity is suggested to have a direct impact on eliciting a wide range of biological functions.…”

“…<1% [153] ok. 20% [176] 0.89-8.95% [174,178] Concentration of 2 -FL 2.7 (1.88-4.9) g/L [3] Absent [179] or present in low amounts [180] 1.12 mg/L [175] present [173] Free oligosaccharides present in domestic mammals' milk are different from the human milk oligosaccharide profile, and their concentrations are approximately 10-100 times lower than in human milk [15][16][17]174,[176][177][178] regardless of the lactation stage. In addition to the total concentration of oligosaccharides, the most spectacular differences relate to the presence of fucosylated structures, characteristic for human milk ( Table 2).…”