Avaliação da composição nutricional e bioatividade de leite asinino do ecótipo nordestino obtido de diferentes fases de lactação

Abstract

Donkeys were essential for the rural economy, in several civilizations, thousands of years ago, due to their rusticity and carrying capacity, being used in antiquity as a draft animal and in the production of milk. However, due to the mechanization process in rural areas, they lost their importance. Recently, donkey milk has gained prominence, as several studies have shown the similarity to human milk in terms of chemical composition, palatability, high nutritional value, and the possibility of being consumed as an alternative to human milk in the feeding of neonates and children. with cow's milk protein intolerance or food allergies. Due to the scarcity of studies related to the composition of donkey milk from the Nordestino ecotype, this study aimed to evaluate the physical-chemical characteristics, lysozyme and antioxidant activity of the milk of donkey from the Nordestino ecotype, in the period of 180 days of the lactation phase. The milk samples used in the experiment were obtained during 180 days postpartum (1, 3, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180) from a herd of 10 females, with ages ranging from 3.5 to 6 .5 years old, healthy, allocated in the Agreste region of Pernambuco. The experiments involved analyzes for the parameters of total protein, fat and lactose. In addition to assays to assess lysozyme activity and antioxidant activity capacity (ABTS and ORAC). A high content of protein and lipids was observed in colostrum, while in mature milk it presented higher values for lactose and neutral pH (7.0). The levels found for lysozyme activity demonstrate an excellent activity of this enzyme, with higher values at the beginning of the lactation period (colostrum 4040.01 U/mL). In the antioxidant activity, different behaviors were observed between the methods used to verify the antioxidant capacity; however, the period between 60 and 90 days postpartum the results express significant values for the ORAC method (1,58,6 and 143,7 μmol trolox TEAC/100 mL, respectively). Considering these results, the lactation stage significantly influences the composition, lysozyme activity, antioxidant capacity, are also related to changes in milk composition.