Mare’s milk composition in two breeds during different stages of lactation
The composition of mare’s milk resembles more human milk than cow’s milk. The milk composition varies due to many factors, e.g. the breed of the horse, stage of lactation, age of the mare and nutrition. The aim of this study was to determine how breed, stage of lactation, number of previous lactations and mare’s age influence the basic composition of mare’s milk as well as its fatty acid, Ca, P, Mg, Zn and Fe contents. Milk samples were collected from 22 and 12 Finnhorse (FH) mares in two consecutive years, respectively, and from 8 Standardbred trotters (STB). The age of the mares ranged from 5 to 21 yrs. The milk samples (100 ml) were hand-milked and frozen (-20ºC) before analyses. The breed, the stage of lactation and the parity had an impact on the mare’s milk composition. The dry matter content was highest at foaling, especially due to its high protein content - then the content decreased, and increased again towards the end of the lactation. Also the ash (mineral) content was highest at foaling, and after that it lowered evenly until the end of the lactation. For the STB, their milk had lower fat content during the first lactation week compared to the FH. The protein content of the STB mare’s milk was higher during the first 12 hours compared to the FH milk. The total solids, fat and protein contents decreased as the number of lactations increased, but the lactose and the ash contents did not vary, or they decreased only slightly. The effect of the lactation period on the milk composition was similar for both breeds. The milk of the STB mares contained more unsaturated fatty acids (C18:1; C18:2; C18:3) compared to the FH milk. The percentages of palmitic- and the oleicacids and the total unsaturated fatty acids were directly related to mares’ parity in both breeds. The fatty acid composition in mare’s milk is comparable with human milk. Due to its composition, mare’s milk is suitable for infant nutrition when produced and handled in excellent hygiene conditions.
)
The composition of mare’s milk resembles more human milk than cow’s milk. The milk composition varies due to many factors, e.g. the breed of the horse, stage of lactation, age of the mare and nutrition. The aim of this study was to determine how breed, stage of lactation, number of previous lactations and mare’s age influence the basic composition of mare’s milk as well as its fatty acid, Ca, P, Mg, Zn and Fe contents. Milk samples were collected from 22 and 12 Finnhorse (FH) mares in two consecutive years, respectively, and from 8 Standardbred trotters (STB). The age of the mares ranged from 5 to 21 yrs. The milk samples (100 ml) were hand-milked and frozen (-20ºC) before analyses. The breed, the stage of lactation and the parity had an impact on the mare’s milk composition. The dry matter content was highest at foaling, especially due to its high protein content - then the content decreased, and increased again towards the end of the lactation. Also the ash (mineral) content was highest at foaling, and after that it lowered evenly until the end of the lactation. For the STB, their milk had lower fat content during the first lactation week compared to the FH. The protein content of the STB mare’s milk was higher during the first 12 hours compared to the FH milk. The total solids, fat and protein contents decreased as the number of lactations increased, but the lactose and the ash contents did not vary, or they decreased only slightly. The effect of the lactation period on the milk composition was similar for both breeds. The milk of the STB mares contained more unsaturated fatty acids (C18:1; C18:2; C18:3) compared to the FH milk. The percentages of palmitic- and the oleicacids and the total unsaturated fatty acids were directly related to mares’ parity in both breeds. The fatty acid composition in mare’s milk is comparable with human milk. Due to its composition, mare’s milk is suitable for infant nutrition when produced and handled in excellent hygiene conditions.
)
)