Oligosaccharides as Biomarkers for Characterization of Differences in Dairy Milk

Oligosaccharides are carbohydrates that constitute the third most abundant solid component in mammalian milk. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) exhibit several useful biological functions such as their effectiveness as prebiotics, anti-effectives, and immunoregulators, hence they are recently recognized as novel, potent bioactives. However, due to the current limitation in the supply of HMOs, current studies are now directed to bovine milk oligosaccharides (BMOs) as potential sources of these beneficial oligosaccharides. Recent structural analysis of BMOs has identified that two major sialylated oligosaccharides (SOS), 3ꞌsialylactose (3ꞌSL), and 6ꞌsialylactose (6ꞌSL), are identical to HMOs. BMOs are generally present in concentrations of 1 g/L immediately post-partum and rapidly decrease to trace amounts in mature bovine milk; hence the development of precise analytical techniques to accurately characterize and quantify BMOs is pertinent. The proposed research project would provide a sensitive and rapid capillary electrophoresis (CE) method for detecting and quantifying sialylated oligosaccharides (SOS) in dairy milk. This study would attempt to improve the sensitivity of CE for two dominant oligosaccharides in both human and bovine milk, 3ꞌSL and 6ꞌSL. The CE signal enhancement strategy of large volume sample stacking (LVSS) will be explored to enhance the CE analysis and improve the sensitivity and detection limit of the analysis. Having a sensitive method of analysis for BMOs would facilitate in various food processes such as accurate determination of oligosaccharide concentration in several food supplements, and rapid detection of adulteration in commercial milk products