Selective Proteolysis of α-Lactalbumin by Endogenous Enzymes of Human Milk at Acidic pH.

ABSTRACT:

Scope

The use of human milk products is increasing for high-risk infants. Human milk contains endogenous enzymes that comprise a dynamic proteolytic system, yet biological properties of these enzymes and their activities in response to variations including pH within infants are unclear. Human milk has a neutral pH around 7, while infant gastric pH varies from 2 to 6 depending on individual conditions. This study is designed to determine the specificity of enzyme-substrate interactions in human milk as a function of pH.

Methods and results

Endogenous proteolysis is characterized by incubating freshly expressed human milk at physiologically relevant pH ranging from 2 to 7 without the addition of exogenous enzymes. Results show that the effects of pH on endogenous proteolysis i

SUBMITTER: Gan J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7231428 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature