A metabolomic study of preterm human and formula milk by high resolution NMR and GC/MS analysis: preliminary results

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the metabolic profile of preterm human breast milk (HBM) by using a metabolomic approach. Methods: NMR spectroscopy and GC/MS were used to analyze the water-soluble and lipid fractions extracted from milk samples obtained from mothers giving birth at 26–36 weeks of gestation. For the sake of comparison, preterm formula milk was also studied. Results: The multivariate statistical analysis of the data evidenced biochemical variability both between preterm HBM and commercial milk and within the group of HBM samples. Conclusions: The preliminary results of this study suggest that metabolomics may provide a promising tool to study aspects related to the nutrition and health of preterm infant.

Keywords::

• Preterm milk
• NMR
• GC/MS
• metabolomics
• newborns
• preterm infants
• nutrition
• human brest milk
• formula

Declaration of Interest: The authors report no declaration of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.