Whey to Provide New Oligosaccharides

DAVIS, Calif.―Although human milk contains a large variety of oligosaccharides (HMOs) that might modulate gut flora, aid gastrointestinal health and influence inflammatory processes, the amount of similar oligosaccharides in milk of most animal species is low. Using cutting edge mass spectrometry techniques, researchers at the University of California, Davis and Universita' degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale A. Avogadro, Novara, Italy, have identified previously undescribed oligosaccharides in bovine cheese whey permeate. The researchers found sialyllactose, the most abundant oligosaccharide in bovine colostrum, plus 14 other oligosaccharides, half of which have the same composition of human milk oligosaccharides. These might have future potential for use in infant formula and pharmaceutical products, according to the researchers, especially given the wide availability of whey permeate, a byproduct of producing whey protein concentrate.