Composition and oligosaccharides of a milk sample of the giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2003 Jul;135(3):439-48. doi: 10.1016/s1096-4959(03)00093-9.

Abstract

A milk sample from a captive giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), obtained at 13 days postpartum, contained 7.1% protein, 1.6% carbohydrate, 10.4% lipid and 0.9% ash. The ratio of casein to whey proteins was 5.0:2.1. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of the whey protein fraction showed the presence of at least two major proteins other than alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin. SDS-PAGE and urea-gel electrophoresis showed that alphas-casein is not a major component. The proportions of triacylglycerol, cholesterol, cholesterol esters and phospholipid were 90.5, 5.3, 0.96 and 3.1%, of the total lipid, respectively. The dominant saccharide in the panda milk was Gal(alpha1-3)Gal(beta1-4)Glc (isoglobotriose). The milk contained, in addition, lesser amounts of lactose, Gal(alpha1-3)Gal(beta1-4)[Fuc(alpha1-3)]Glc (fucosyl isoglobotriose), Neu5Ac(alpha2-3)Gal(beta1-4)Glc (3'-N-acetylneuraminyl-lactose), Neu5Ac(alpha2-6)Gal(beta1-4)Glc (6'-N-acetylneuraminyl-lactose) and Neu5Ac(alpha2-3)Gal(beta1-4)[Fuc(alpha1-3)]Glc.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Carbohydrate Sequence
  • Caseins / analysis
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
  • Fatty Acids / analysis
  • Fatty Acids / chemistry
  • Milk / chemistry*
  • Milk Proteins / analysis
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Oligosaccharides / analysis*
  • Oligosaccharides / chemistry
  • Ursidae*
  • Whey Proteins

Substances

  • Caseins
  • Fatty Acids
  • Milk Proteins
  • Oligosaccharides
  • Whey Proteins