Oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates in bovine milk and colostrum

Oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates are some of the most important bioacti ve components in milk. A great deal of information is available on the biol ogical function of the components from human milk. Their primary role seems to be in providing protection against pathogens by acting as competitive i nhibitors for the binding sites on the epithelial surfaces of the intestine . Evidence is also available to support the role of some of these component s as growth promoters for genera of beneficial microflora in the colon. Com pared with human milk, levels of oligosaccharides in bovine milk are very l ow. Nevertheless, a number of neutral and acidic oligosaccharides have been isolated from bovine milk and characterised. The highest concentration of these molecules is found in early postparturition milk (colostrum). The che mical structure of the oligosaccharides and many of the glycoconjugates fro m bovine milk are similar to those in human milk. It is likely that bovine oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates can be used in milk products as bioact ive components in human nutrition.