Protein composition of yak milk
2010
Li, Haimei | Ying, Ma | Dong, Aijun | Wang, Jiaqi | Li, Qiming | He, Shenghua | Maubois, Jean-Louis
Abstract – The protein composition of 24 individual Maiwa yak milk samples that were collected in the Sichuan province of China was determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Yak milk differed from cow milk by its high concentration of total proteins (46.2– 58.4 g·L−1), total casein (40.2 g·L−1 on average) and the proportion of individual caseins. The high content of β-casein (more than 45%) and consequently the lower proportion of αs-casein (about 40%) together with a small increase in κ-casein (15%) appear to make this milk more favorable for infant nutrition as used by the Tibetan nomads. Also, the whey proteins, β-lactoglobulin and serum albumin, showed similarities in centesimal composition with the homologous cow whey proteins. However, this initial study on yak milk proteins has highlighted the lack of knowledge in the literature and underlines that much research is required to optimize the utilization of all components of this milk for people living in extreme climatic environments.
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