TITLE:
Determination of the Fatty Acid Profile of Breast Milk from Nursing Mothers in Bungoma County, Kenya
AUTHORS:
Virate J. Kiprop, Amy W. Girard, Lilian A. Gogo, Mary N. Omwamba, Symon M. Mahungu
KEYWORDS:
Fatty acid Profile, Breast Milk, Nursing Mothers, Fatty Acid Methyl Esters, Lactation
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.7 No.8,
June
30,
2016
ABSTRACT: The fatty acid profile in breast milk of nursing mothers who participated in a Cohort for Vitamin A (COVA) study at the fourth and ninth month of lactation was investigated. Breast milk samples were collected by manual expression and stored at -20°C until analysis. The fat was extracted from the milk and methylated using the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) Official Methods with modifications. The separation, identification and quantification of the fatty acid methyl esters was performed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Fat contents of human milk increased significantly between the fourth and ninth month of lactation 0.38 and 1.21 mg·mL-1 respectively; P 0.05) than the average percent of the total unsaturated FAs (48.93%). Similarly, at the 9th month the percentage average of the total saturated fatty acids (15.18%) was significantly lower (P