Chemical Composition and Nutrient Profile of the Low Molecular Weight Fraction of Bovine Colostrum

摘要

Bovine colostrum collected within 12h of parturition was de-fatted, de-caseinated, and ultrafiltered (UF) using a 5 kDa cut-off membrane; the resulting UF permeate was freeze dried to create a powder with possible use as a functional food ingredient. Samples representative of five lots of this powdered “colostrum low molecular weight fraction” (CLMWF) were analyzed for chemical composition and nutrient profile. The average contents of fat, moisture, and ash were 0.6%, 1.7%, and 8.3% w/w, respectively. Carbohydrate analysis showed an average of 58.2% w/w lactose monohydrate with no monosaccharides, other disaccharides, trioses, or tetroses detected. The total nitrogen content averaged 1.13% w/w, with 74% of this in the non-protein nitrogen fraction, producing a true protein content of 1.9% w/w. A significant mass fraction of the material (~29% w/w) remains to be characterized. The CLMWF powders were found to contain significant quantities of the minerals calcium (average 870 mg/100g), magnesium, (311 mg/100g), phosphorus (1473 mg/100g), potassium (1705 mg/100g) and sodium (690 mg/100g), the nutrients taurine (average 26.5 mg/100g), L-carnitine (40.5 mg/100g), thiamine (648 mcg/100g) and riboflavin (6991 mcg/100g), and the nucleos(t)ides uridine (55.2 mg/100g) and 5’UMP (18.8 mg/100g), cytidine (3.33 mg/100g) and 5’CMP (4.83 mg/100g) and guanosine (3.45 mg/100g) and 5’GMP (3.57 mg/100g).