Comparative Analysis\nof Skim Milk and Milk Fat Globule\nMembrane Proteomes between Human and Farm Animal Milk for Infant Formula\nProduction

Human and animal milk contain a rich variety of milk\nproteins that\nmeet the needs of their newborns. In total, 1263 skim milk proteins\nand 1754 MFGM proteins were identified in human milk and six types\nof animal milk, respectively. Both similarities and differences were\nobserved among the species. Human milk contained more immunoglobulins\ninvolved in the adaptive immune response, playing a crucial role in\nmucosal defense in newborn babies. In contrast, ruminant milk contained\nhigher amounts of antimicrobial proteins, which protect newborns from\nbacterial infections. The most dominant difference in MFGM proteins\nbetween human and animal milk was related to protein processing in\nthe endoplasmic reticulum. Goat milk and camel milk were more similar\nto human milk in terms of skim milk and MFGM proteins compared to\nthe other five types of animal milk. Moreover, immunoglobulins and\ncomplement and coagulation cascade proteins in goat milk were most\nsimilar to those in human milk. A higher content of immunoglobulin\nA was observed in donkey milk, which could be considered as a source\nof IgA in infant formula. These results provide more comprehensive\nand novel insights into protein variation among animal milk, which\nmay support improving dairy products such as infant formula.