Volatile Components in Breast Milk - Abstract
First experience of an infant with various kinds of flavors in diet is through breast milk where odors and flavors transmit crucial information of the outside world. In this study, volatile components in breast milk affecting its flavor and aroma were analyzed showing the effect of mother’s diet on characteristic volatile components of breast milk.
16 samples of breast milk from 1 donor and 1 sample each of Infant formula milk and semi-skimmed milk were tested in a gas chromatograph, which was also analyzed against the respective diets of the mother in order to make an inference about effect of lactating mother’s diet on the presence/absence of specific volatile components in milk.
11 common volatile compounds were identified in breast milk, cow’s milk and Infant formula milk in different quantities. But when lactating mother was given varying diets, breast milk showed significant increase/decrease in the volatile composition compared to the semi-skimmed and formula milk whose ingredients were kept constant. Breast milk showed a varied composition of these 11 components among each sample.
Breast milk shows comparatively vast flavor and aroma profile than formula milk and cow’s milk inferring breast-fed infants are used to a diversity of tastes and odors that might affect their food preferences and openness to different flavors later in life.