Evaluation of goat milk oligosaccharides composition at different stages of the lactation period

Resumen del póster presentado al congreso EUROFOODCHEM XVIII: Upcoming Challenges in Food Science, celebrado en Madrid del 28 al 30 de octubre de 2015It is known that goat milk is composed by several oligosaccharides, some of them are also present in human milk such as those containing fucosyl- or sialyl- groups. Beneficial properties, such as prebiotic and anti-inflammatory effects or modulation of the immune system have been attributed to these oligosaccharides. However, studies regarding composition and characterization of goat milk oligosaccharides (GMO) are still scarce and more information is required. In human and bovine milk oligosaccharides, qualitative and quantitative changes during the different stages of lactation have been reported. Colostrum presents the highest oligosaccharides concentration whereas in the latest stages of lactation their content decreases. It has been suggested that these changes could be relevant in the defense facing pathogens during lactation. Nevertheless, in goat milk there is no overall data available about oligosaccharide changes in the different stages of lactation profile. In this work, a recent developed method based on hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS) has been applied to the characterization of GMO. Their analysis was performed on a HPLC system coupled to an ESI quadrupole mass detector using an ethylene bridge hybrid with trifunctionally-bonded amide phase column and a binary mixture of acetonitrile: water with 0.1% ammonium hydroxide as mobile phase. Relationships between oligosaccharide composition and the different stages of lactation (1, 2, 10, 20, 30 and 40 days) have been established. Acid and neutral oligosaccharides were detected in goat milk samples. Overall, GMO concentrations decreased during the lactation period; the highest concentrations were found in colostrum samples. Differences in chromatographic profiles and relative abundances of the detected GMO were also observed.Peer reviewe