Table 6.
Fatty acid composition (g/100 g fat) of donor human milk.
| Fatty Acid (%) | Common Name | Donors (n = 108) | Reference Values | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European [52] 1 | World [73] 2 | |||
| Saturated Fatty Acids (SFAs) | ||||
| C6:0 | Caproic | 0.11 (0.02) | 0.08 ± 0.02 | 0.13 ± 0.47 |
| C8:0 | Caprylic | 0.18 (0.16, 0.21) | 0.22 ± 0.06 | 0.21 ± 0.22 |
| C10:0 | Capric | 1.20 (0.29) | 1.44 ± 0.34 | 1.37 ± 0.86 |
| C12:0 | Lauric | 5.42 (1.58) | 5.46 ± 1.84 | 5.7 ± 2.81 |
| C14:0 | Myristic | 5.88 (4.91, 7.75) | 6.19 ± 1.93 | 6.56 ± 3.05 |
| C15:0 | Pentadecanoic | 0.18 (0.13, 0.25) | ||
| C15:0 ai | C15:0 anteiso | 0.02 (0.02, 0.03) | ||
| C15:0 i | C15:0 iso | 0.03 (0.02, 0.05) | ||
| C16:0 i | C16:0 iso | 0.02 (0.01, 0.03) | ||
| C16:0 | Palmitic | 19.61 (2.45) | 21.94 ± 2.92 | 21.5 ± 4.82 |
| C17:0 ai | C17:0 anteiso | 0.04 (0.03, 0.06) | ||
| C17:0 i | C17:0 iso | 0.27 (0.06) | ||
| C17:0 | Margaric | 0.19 (0.15, 0.23) | 0.31 ± 0.15 | |
| C18:0 | Stearic | 5.72 (4.96, 6.49) | 6.68 ± 1.59 | 6.36 ± 2.07 |
| C20:0 | Arachidic | 0.16 (0.11, 0.21) | 0.17 ± 0.04 | 0.23 ± 0.17 |
| Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAs) | ||||
| C14:1 cis-9 (n5) | Myristoleic | 0.07 (0.04, 0.11) | ||
| C16:1 cis-9 (n7) | Palmitoleic | 1.47 (1.19, 1.76) | 2.21 ± 0.64 | 2.3 ± 0.92 |
| C17:1 | Margaroleic | 0.07 (0.03) | ||
| ∑ C18:1 trans | 0.22 (0.13, 0.34) | 0.66 ± 0.35 | ||
| C18:1 cis-9 (n9) | Oleic | 38.23 (4.98) | 35.59 ± 4.17 | 32.6 ± 5.84 |
| C18:1 cis-11 (n7) | Cis vaccenic | 1.61 (0.28) | 2.38 ± 0.53 | |
| C20:1 (n9) | Gondoic | 0.53 (0.36, 0.82) | 0.38 ± 0.12 | 0.46 ± 0.28 |
| n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (n-6 PUFAs) | ||||
| C18:2 (n6) | Linoleic (LA) | 14.79 (12.37, 17.19) | 14.00 ± 4.95 | 15.7 ± 7.15 |
| C20:2 (n6) | Eicosadienoic | 0.25 (0.19, 0.35) | 0.26 ± 0.07 | 0.37 ± 0.19 |
| C20:3 (n6) | Dihomo-γ-linolenic | 0.33 (0.23, 0.44) | 0.31 ± 0.09 | 0.37 ± 0.18 |
| C20:4 (n6) | Arachidonic (AA) | 0.54 (0.18) | 0.44 ± 0.12 | 0.50 ± 0.25 |
| n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (n-3 PUFAs) | ||||
| C18:3 (n3) | Linolenic (ALA) | 0.50 (0.40, 0.62) | 0.94 ± 0.55 | 1.11 ± 1.05 |
| C22:5 (n3) | Docosapentaenoic (DPA) | 0.07 (0.05, 0.11) | ||
| C22:6 (n3) | Docosahexaenoic (DHA) | 0.28 (0.17, 0.45) | 0.34 ± 0.35 | 0.37 ± 0.31 |
| n-7 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (n-7 PUFAs) | ||||
| C18:2 c9, t11 (n7) | Rumenic | 0.08 (0.04, 0.12) | ||
| Fatty Acid Families | ||||
| Not identified | 0.20 (0.15, 0.25) | |||
| SFAs | 39.83 (37.0, 42.1) | 42.23 ± 5.29 | 42.2 ± 7.73 | |
| MUFAs | 42.49 (5.22) | 41.34 ± 4.48 | 36.3 ± 6.46 | |
| PUFAs | 16.71 (14.83, 19.37) | 16.43 ± 5.07 | 21.2 ± 8.18 | |
| SCFAs | 0.11 (0.10, 0.12) | |||
| MCFAs (C8–C15) | 13.02 (11.13, 16.18) | |||
| LCFAs (C16–C18) | 84.0 (80.71, 86.35) | |||
| VLCFAs (C20–C24) | 2.34 (2.02, 3.16) | |||
| n-6 PUFAs | 15.77 (13.46, 18.44) | 17.8 ± 7.51 | ||
| n-3 PUFAs | 0.87 (0.72, 1.17) | 1.88 ± 2.63 | ||
| n-6 PUFAs/n-3 PUFAs | 17.21 (13.31, 24.81) | |||
| LA/ALA ratio | 28.68 (22.52, 40.31) | |||
| ARA/DHA ratio | 1.83 (1.32, 3.06) | 1.68 ± 0.89 | ||
Variables are expressed as means (standard deviations) when they were distributed parametrically and as medians (25th and 75th percentiles) when they were distributed non-parametrically. 1 Data (mean ± standard deviation) from 223 lactating mothers at a breastfeeding stage of 120 ± 5 days. 2 Data (mean ± standard deviation) from mature milk. Abbreviations: SCFAs, short-chain fatty acids; MCFAs, medium-chain fatty acids; LCFAs, long-chain fatty acids; VLCFAs, very-long-chain fatty acids.