title: Changes in milk composition during lactation in the common brushtail possum, Trichosurus vulpecula (Marsupialia: Phalangeridae).
abstract: The milk constituents of Trichosurus vulpecula, a folivorous marsupial, showed marked quantitative and qualitative changes during the course of lactation. The milk produced in the early stages of lactation was dilute, with about 9-13% (w/w) solids during the first 3 weeks, comprising mostly carbohydrate and protein (35-40%). At 20 weeks, about three-quarters of the way through lactation, the milk was much more concentrated, about 28% solids, with lipid the predominant fraction (30-35%), after a marked decline in carbohydrate content (20-25%). Concentrations of the electrolytes sodium and potassium also underwent marked changes. The changes in milk composition of T. vulpecula during the first three-quarters of lactation were similar to those described for a range of herbivorous, insectivorous and carnivorous marsupials. In the last quarter of lactation, however, brushtail possum milk maintained a relatively stable composition, with higher levels of carbohydrate and lower levels of lipid than for other marsupials. There appears to be a uniform pattern of changes in milk composition throughout the Marsupialia over most of lactation, with family differences evident only in the latter stages.
authors.affiliation: Ecology Division, DSIR, Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Cowan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006601:Hexoses / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007774:Lactation / Q000378:metabolism*; D008055:Lipids / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008892:Milk / Q000032:analysis*; D008894:Milk Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009893:Opossums / Q000254:growth & development*; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D006601:Hexoses; D008055:Lipids; D008894:Milk Proteins