Table 1.

Composition of bovine colostrum and functions in children and adults.

Components	Function	Reference
Vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6, B12, D, E) Minerals (Na, K, Ca, P, S, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe) Amino acids and essential fatty acids	Promote health and growth of the infant.	(McGrath et al., 2016)
Immune factors Proline-rich polypeptide (PRP) Immunoglobulins Lactoferrin	Regulate function of the thymus gland, and reduce oxidative stress. IgG neutralizes toxins and microbes. IgA, IgD, IgE, and IgM destroy bacteria and are highly antiviral. Lactoferrin is an anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial iron-binding glycoprotein with potential therapeutic applications in cancer and HIV.	(Stelwagen et al., 2009)
Growth factors Growth hormone (GH) Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) Fat (6.7%) Protein (14.9%) Lactose (2.5%)	Stimulate DNA synthesis, enhance cell growth and tissue growth.	(Stelwagen et al., 2009)

N. B. Fat content in cow colostrum (6.7%) is higher than human colostrum (3–5%).

Protein content in cow colostrum (14.9%) is significantly greater than human colostrum (0.8–0.9%).

Lactose content in cow colostrum (2.5%) is significantly lower than human colostrum (6.9–7.2%).

[Source: (Bagwe et al., 2015; Buttar et al., 2017)]