Major constituents, leptin, and non-protein nitrogen compounds in mares' colostrum and milk.
Five Haflinger mares were hand-milked at 0 h (pre-suckle) and 6 h (postsuckle), 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after parturition. Total solids, protein, fat, lactose, calculated gross energy content, leptin and non-protein nitrogen components (urea, alpha-amino nitrogen, creatinine and allantoin) were determined. The levels of the major constituents differed significantly in pre-suckle colostrum from subsequent samples. Leptin levels were the highest in whole (9 ng x mL(-1) of immunoreactive human equivalent HE +/- 0.48 ng x mL(-1), SEM) and skimmed (7.8 ng HE x mL(-1) +/- 0.52 ng x mL(-1), SEM) pre-suckle colostrum, declined sharply at 6 hours postpartum, and more slowly subsequently. Mean urea concentration was constant at around 5.0 mM, while a-amino N increased over the observation period and creatinine and allantoin decreased. These findings provide a further indication that mares' milk can be regarded as a functional food.
Salimei
Elisabetta
E
Dip. S.A.V.A., Facoltà di Agraria, Università degli Studi del Molise, Campobasso, Italy. salimei@unimol.it
Varisco
Giorgio
G
Rosi
Fabia
F
D000818:Animals; D003126:Colostrum / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses / Q000502:physiology*; D007774:Lactation / Q000378:metabolism; D020738:Leptin / Q000032:analysis*; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D049590:Postpartum Period
D020738:Leptin; D009584:Nitrogen