Vitamin E and vitamin A contents, fatty acid profiles, and gross composition of harp and hooded seal milk through lactation

This study reports fatty acid profiles and vitamin A and vitamin E contents of the milk of the harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) and hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) throughout the lactation period, as well as standard compositional analyses. The milk for this study was collected from harp and hooded...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Zoology
Main Authors: Debier, Cathy, Kovacs, KM, Lydersen, C, Mignolet, Eric, Larondelle, Yvan
Other Authors: UCL - AGRO/BAPA - Département de biologie appliquée et des productions agricoles
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Natl Research Council Canada 1999
Subjects:
Cystophora cristata
Harp Seal
hooded seal
Phoca groenlandica
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/44078
https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-77-6-952
Description
Summary:This study reports fatty acid profiles and vitamin A and vitamin E contents of the milk of the harp seal (Phoca groenlandica) and hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) throughout the lactation period, as well as standard compositional analyses. The milk for this study was collected from harp and hooded seals breeding on the pack ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Mother-pup pairs were serially captured, or point-sampled, in order to obtain milk samples during different lactation stages. Milk lipids showed the respective species' typical patterns during lactation, with a significant increase for harp seal milk and a relatively constant value for hooded seal milk. The profiles of most of the milk fatty acids remained relatively stable over the course of lactation in both species. Vitamin A content was also quite stable through lactation. By contrast, vitamin E content underwent a dramatic drop between the day of birth and early lactation for harp seals and from birth to midlactation for hooded seals. It then continued to decrease at a slower rate until the end of lactation in both species. The highest vitamin E content of colostrum reached 125 mg/kg of milk for harp seals and 200 mg/kg of milk for hooded seals. These concentrations subsequently dropped to 20-50 mg/kg of milk by early or mid lactation. These changes in this lipophilic, antioxidizing vitamin were not correlated with milk lipid content or its polyunsaturated fatty acid profiles.

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