eChapter Name: Elementary Knowledge of Milk Synthesis in Mammary Glands
9788194281511
eBook Name: BIOCHEMISTRY AND HUMAN NUTRITION
by Manvesh Kumar Sihag, Ankit Goyal, Karuna Meghwal, Beenu Tanwar, Nitika Sandhu
Introduction
The basic physiological structures of mammary glands in all species are almost same and are located externally in order to fulfill the milk requirement of neonates after parturition. The process of secretion of milk from the mammary glands is known as lacto genesis. Milk provides an almost complete nutrition to neonates from birth till weaning period. It is a complex mixture of various constituents like:
Lipids such a striacyl glycerols(TAG),phospholipids,cholesterols and other sterols, free fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins
Carbohydrates such as lactose, oligosaccharides
Proteins such a scaseins, α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, immunoglobulin’s, bovine serum albumin, lactoferrin, lysozyme, enzymes, hormones and growth factors
Non-protein nitrogenous compounds like urea, creatine, creatinine, uric acid and amino acids
Major and minor minerals, water-soluble vitamins and cells (leucocytes, macrophages, and epithelial cells).