QUANTITATION OF AND INTER INTRA-INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY IN MAJOR CAROTENOIDS OF MATURE HUMAN-MILK/

The quantitation of carotenoids from milk has been technically challen ging due to the small quantities present, insolubility and instability of the carotenoids, and significant inter-and intra-individual variat ion. Here we report methods for extraction and quantitation by high pr essure liquid chromatography of the major carotenoids, beta-Cryptoxant hin, lycopene, alpha-carotene, and beta-carotene in a normal populatio n of lactating lactating women. Methodology to evaluate and protocol t o accommodate the significant variation in carotenoids of human milk i s also presented. Carotenoids present in the highest concentrations in breastmilk of these mothers were lycopene and beta-carotene at 31.2 a nd 45.9 nM respectively, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene concentratio ns in this population of mothers showed the greatest variation, rangin g as much as 20-fold between individuals. The remaining carotenoids va ried fourfold to sixfold across individuals. Within individuals, carot enoid concentrations varied from twofold to fivefold when measured on separate days. For an individual on a single day, breastmilk carotenoi d concentrations vary as much as fourfold and are strongly correlated with lipid concentrations. For routine field collections, a collection protocol was developed that will approximate 24-hr collections of a p opulation of mothers within 10%.