A metabolomics comparison in milk from two Dezhou donkey strains

• Published in: European food research & technology Vol. 248; no. 5; pp. 1267 - 1275
• Main Authors: Li, Yan, Ma, Qing-shan, Zhou, Miao-miao, Zhang, Zhen-wei, Zhan, Yan-dong, Liu, Gui-qin, Zhu, Ming-xia, Wang, Chang-fa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.05.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Alanine; Analytical Chemistry; Biosynthesis; Biotechnology; Breast milk; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Choline; Comparative studies; Composition; Food Science; Forestry; Glutamic acid; Glutamine; Lactation; Metabolic pathways; Metabolism; Metabolites; Metabolomics; Milk; Original Paper; Sucrose; Metabolomics; Comparison; Milk; Dezhou donkey
• DOI: 10.1007/s00217-022-03962-8
• ISSN: 1438-2377

Due to its similarity with human milk, donkey milk is gaining interest as a nutritional milk source. The aim of current study was to compare the difference in the milk composition and metabolites of two Dezhou donkey strains (SanFen and WuTou). The results showed that fat, total solids, and solids-not fat of SanFen milk were higher than WuTou milk. Then we further identified the metabolites in the donkey milk by untargeted metabolomics using LC–MS, and showed that 49 significantly different metabolites between two milk samples were detected. 36 metabolites in the SanFen were significantly higher ( p  < 0.05), while 13 metabolites were significantly lower than the WuTou ( p  < 0.05). The results indicated that some different metabolites, such as l -glutamate, and l -glutamine, glucose, and choline, might be ascribed to the genetic differences of the two Dezhou donkey strains. The significantly different metabolites (SDM) were mainly enriched in arginine biosynthesis, d -glutamine and d -glutamate metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, and starch and sucrose metabolism. This is the first comparative study performed in SanFen and WuTou and indicates that stains differentially affect the milk composition and metabolites. Furthermore, the SDM and metabolic pathways at least partly explore the regulation mechanisms related to different milk quality and lactation traits between two donkey strains.