Analytical advances in the determinations of dietary sphingolipids in milk, dairy products, and infant formula and impacts on human health

Abstract Sphingolipids (SL) are bioactive compounds in milk, dairy products, and infant formula. SL has been found to have different health benefits, such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, and cholesterol-lowering characteristics. SL requires careful extraction, separation, and identification due to their unique characteristics. This review discusses the importance of extracting, purifying, and analysing SL from milk and dairy products. OE (Organic extraction), SPE (solid-phase extraction), and SFE (supercritical CO2) techniques, as well as dispersive OE and SPE, are the most common methods. In addition, this review discussed various analytical techniques that can be used to determine and quantify SL classes, including TLC (thin-layer chromatography), HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. These techniques are crucial for understanding the amounts of SL dairy products and infant formula. The paper also focuses on the different types of SL present in milk, dairy products, and infant formula and their concentrations. SL has the potential to be applied to the development of functional foods, and further research in this area is needed. This article sheds light on the extract, purification, and analysis of SL dairy products and infant formula, as well as their potential health benefits.