Milk-and-Dairy-Products-in-Human-Nutrition-FAO

Chapter 3 – Milk and dairy product composition 51
calcium and phosphorus, than human milk (Table 3.1). This is because a young calf
grows faster than a child and hence has higher nutritive demands: on average, a
calf takes only 10 weeks to double its birth weight, compared with 20 weeks for a
human baby (Walker, 1990). The protein in cow milk is of high-quality (defined as
protein that supports maximal growth), containing a good balance of all the essential
amino acids, including lysine. Many human diets are deficient in certain essential
amino acids. For example, wheat and maize-based diets contain only 57 percent
and 58 percent of required levels of lysine, and cassava-based diets are deficient in
leucine, valine and isoleucine, containing only 79 percent of required levels (WHO,
FAO and UNU, 2007). More than 600 million people depend on cassava in Africa,
Asia and Latin America for food security (FAO, 2002). Including milk (and dairy
products) in staple-based diets increases availability of these limiting amino acids,
improving overall dietary quality.
Cow milk contains more protein than does human milk, but human milk contains
more lactose, resulting in comparable energy contents. Cow milk and human
milk differ in the amounts of various proteins they contain. Human milk does
not contain β-lactoglobulin, one of the main proteins associated with cow milk
allergy. 12 Caseins comprise nearly 80 percent of the protein in cow milk but less
than 40 percent in human milk. Caseins can form leathery curds in the stomach and
be difficult to digest. In addition, the type of caseins that predominate in the two
milks also differs, human milk containing more β-casein, which is more susceptible
to peptic hydrolysis than α S -casein, particularly α s1 -casein, which predominates in
cow milk (El-Agamy, 2007). The casein content of cow milk varies between breeds
and cheese makers often use milk from breeds with a higher κ-casein content in their
milk (Bonfatti et al., 2010).
Cow milk generally contains between 3 and 4 g of fat/100 g, although values as
high as 5.5 g/100 g have been reported in raw milk. Most milks consumed now contain
a standardized fat content of around 3.5 g/100 g. Cow milk contains a higher
proportion of saturated FA (SFA) than does human milk: 65–75 g/100 g total FAs,
of which about 40 percent are C12:0–C16:0. Cow milk also has a high content of
C18:0. The monounsaturated FA (MUFA) that is present in highest concentration
in cow milk is C18:1 (oleic acid).
The conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content in cow milk is generally reported to
vary from 0.1 to 2.2 g/100 g total FA depending on season, region, farming system
and feeding, and animal and breed (Elgersma, Tamminga and Ellen, 2006). For
example, milk from the Mafriwal cow breed was shown to contain a significantly
higher (P < 0.05) percentage of CLA than Jersey cow milk (0.35 g/100 g total FA vs
0.23 g/100g total FA) (Yassir et al., 2010). This has possible implications with regard
to promoting cow breeds with a higher CLA content in their milk.
Levels of water-soluble vitamins in human milk reflect maternal levels and
depend on the mother’s diet, but these vitamins are synthesized within the body of
the cow and levels are not diet-dependent in cow milk.
12 Allergy to cow milk is covered in Chapter 4.