Milk Proteins Are Predigested Within the Human Mammary Gland.

ABSTRACT: Previous work demonstrates that proteases present in human milk release hundreds of peptides derived from milk proteins. However, the question of whether human milk protein digestion begins within the mammary gland remains incompletely answered. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether proteolytic degradation of human milk proteins into peptides begins within the mammary gland. The secondary objectives were to determine which milk proteases participate in the proteolysis and to predict which released peptides have bioactivity. Lactating mothers (n = 4) expressed their milk directly into a mixture of antiproteases on ice followed by immediate freezing of the milk to limit post-expression protease activity. Samples were analyzed for their peptide profiles via mass spectro

SUBMITTER: Nielsen SD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5856648 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature