Project
Variability in immune active mother milk components
Variability of composition in Chinese human milk.
Infants who are exclusively breastfed for 6 months have less gastrointestinal and other infectious diseases. Because of observed health benefits to new-born babies, the World Health Organization advices mothers to exclusively breastfeed babies for the first 6 months of life. Health benefits are related to the presence and concentration of specific mother milk components like e.g. human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and milk serum proteins.
Aim
This PhD project aims at providing new insights in the variability of milk serum proteins and HMOs in colostrum and mature milk of Chinese and Dutch mothers. Such information could be useful to come to the best suitable infant formulas enriched in specific compounds.
Approach
Analysing the composition of immune-active components, followed by studying their fate during digestion and intestinal fermentation, using different (e.g. LC, CE, MS) analytical approaches.
Comment
BSc and MSc students are always welcome to contact me to be involved in the project. There is a lot of interesting work, in and out the lab.
- Elwakiel, M.; Hageman, J.; Wang, W.; Szeto, I.; van Goudoever, J.; Hettinga, K.; Schols, H. Human milk oligosaccharides in colostrum and mature milk of Chinese mothers: Lewis positive secretor subgroups. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2018, 66, 7036-43.
- Elwakiel, M.; Boeren, S.; Hageman, J.; Szeto, I.; Schols, S.; Hettinga, K. Variability of serum proteins in Chinese and Dutch human milk during lactation. Nutrients. 2019, 11, 499.