Comparative Analysis of Omega-3, Omega-6, and Endocannabinoid Content of Human, Cattle, Goat, and Formula Milk

Human milk is the primary source of infant nutrition, although breastfeeding rates are declining today, and human milk is often replaced by animal milk-based infant formula. Infant formula is intended to replicate the composition of human milk, albeit significant differences remain in the physiologi...

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Main Authors: Renáta Csatári-Kovács, Tamás Röszer, Éva Csősz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Foods
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/10/1786
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author Renáta Csatári-Kovács
Tamás Röszer
Éva Csősz
author_facet Renáta Csatári-Kovács
Tamás Röszer
Éva Csősz
author_sort Renáta Csatári-Kovács
collection DOAJ
description Human milk is the primary source of infant nutrition, although breastfeeding rates are declining today, and human milk is often replaced by animal milk-based infant formula. Infant formula is intended to replicate the composition of human milk, albeit significant differences remain in the physiological responses to breastfeeding and formula feeding in offspring. More research is needed on the composition of human milk and other milk types, especially regarding their lipid content. A comparative analysis of different milk samples was carried out in this study. The amount of omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, and endocannabinoids was measured in human, cattle, and goat milk as well as in goat milk- and cow milk-based infant formulas using chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Significant differences between the human and animal milks were observed in the case of omega-6 fatty acid and endocannabinoid content, with higher omega-6 fatty acid and lower endocannabinoid levels in human milk than in animal milk samples and infant formulas. Goat milk shares the highest similarity to human milk in terms of the analyzed lipid species. However, our results indicate that the levels of the examined bioactive lipid species in human milk failed to be replaced by goat milk- and cow milk-derived infant formulas.
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publishDate 2025-05-01
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spelling doaj-art-fffa535ba31c475d9d6932e936910cbb2025-08-20T03:47:58ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-05-011410178610.3390/foods14101786Comparative Analysis of Omega-3, Omega-6, and Endocannabinoid Content of Human, Cattle, Goat, and Formula MilkRenáta Csatári-Kovács0Tamás Röszer1Éva Csősz2Proteomics Core Facility, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, HungaryDepartment of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, HungaryProteomics Core Facility, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, HungaryHuman milk is the primary source of infant nutrition, although breastfeeding rates are declining today, and human milk is often replaced by animal milk-based infant formula. Infant formula is intended to replicate the composition of human milk, albeit significant differences remain in the physiological responses to breastfeeding and formula feeding in offspring. More research is needed on the composition of human milk and other milk types, especially regarding their lipid content. A comparative analysis of different milk samples was carried out in this study. The amount of omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, and endocannabinoids was measured in human, cattle, and goat milk as well as in goat milk- and cow milk-based infant formulas using chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Significant differences between the human and animal milks were observed in the case of omega-6 fatty acid and endocannabinoid content, with higher omega-6 fatty acid and lower endocannabinoid levels in human milk than in animal milk samples and infant formulas. Goat milk shares the highest similarity to human milk in terms of the analyzed lipid species. However, our results indicate that the levels of the examined bioactive lipid species in human milk failed to be replaced by goat milk- and cow milk-derived infant formulas.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/10/1786infant nutritionmilklipidsbreastfeeding
spellingShingle Renáta Csatári-Kovács
Tamás Röszer
Éva Csősz
Comparative Analysis of Omega-3, Omega-6, and Endocannabinoid Content of Human, Cattle, Goat, and Formula Milk
Foods
infant nutrition
milk
lipids
breastfeeding
title Comparative Analysis of Omega-3, Omega-6, and Endocannabinoid Content of Human, Cattle, Goat, and Formula Milk
title_full Comparative Analysis of Omega-3, Omega-6, and Endocannabinoid Content of Human, Cattle, Goat, and Formula Milk
title_fullStr Comparative Analysis of Omega-3, Omega-6, and Endocannabinoid Content of Human, Cattle, Goat, and Formula Milk
title_full_unstemmed Comparative Analysis of Omega-3, Omega-6, and Endocannabinoid Content of Human, Cattle, Goat, and Formula Milk
title_short Comparative Analysis of Omega-3, Omega-6, and Endocannabinoid Content of Human, Cattle, Goat, and Formula Milk
title_sort comparative analysis of omega 3 omega 6 and endocannabinoid content of human cattle goat and formula milk
topic infant nutrition
milk
lipids
breastfeeding
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/10/1786
work_keys_str_mv AT renatacsatarikovacs comparativeanalysisofomega3omega6andendocannabinoidcontentofhumancattlegoatandformulamilk
AT tamasroszer comparativeanalysisofomega3omega6andendocannabinoidcontentofhumancattlegoatandformulamilk
AT evacsosz comparativeanalysisofomega3omega6andendocannabinoidcontentofhumancattlegoatandformulamilk