Author(s)

Virate J. Kiprop¹, Amy W. Girard², Lilian A. Gogo¹, Mary N. Omwamba¹, Symon M. Mahungu^1*

¹Department of Dairy and Food Science and Technology, Egerton University, Egerton, Kenya.
²Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.

The fatty acid profile in breast milk of nursing mothers who participated in a Cohort for Vitamin A (COVA) study at the fourth and ninth month of lactation was investigated. Breast milk samples were collected by manual expression and stored at - 20°C until analysis. The fat was extracted from the milk and methylated using the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) Official Methods with modifications. The separation, identification and quantification of the fatty acid methyl esters was performed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Fat contents of human milk increased significantly between the fourth and ninth month of lactation 0.38 and 1.21 mg·mL^-1 respectively; P < 0.05. The major fatty acids of breast milk fat at the 4th month of lactation were oleic acid (66.6%), followed by linoleic acid (51.3%) and palmitoleic acid (28.9%). However, at the 9th month, the major component was linoleic acid (58.1%), followed by oleic acid (30.9%) and stearic acid (23.1%). The percentage average of the total saturated fatty acids at the 4th month (16.62%) was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than the average percent of the total unsaturated FAs (48.93%). Similarly, at the 9th month the percentage average of the total saturated fatty acids (15.18%) was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than the average percent of the total unsaturated FAs (31.05%). The results obtained in this study demonstrated that the fat content in breast milk significantly increased in the 9th compared to the 4th month of lactation. The fatty profile was also significantly different with the omega 6 being the dominant at the 9th month compared with the omega - 9 being dominant at the 4th month of lactation.

Fatty acid Profile, Breast Milk, Nursing Mothers, Fatty Acid Methyl Esters, Lactation

Kiprop, V. , Girard, A. , Gogo, L. , Omwamba, M. and Mahungu, S. (2016) Determination of the Fatty Acid Profile of Breast Milk from Nursing Mothers in Bungoma County, Kenya. Food and Nutrition Sciences, 7, 661-670. doi: 10.4236/fns.2016.78067.