Fatty acid composition of mature breast milk of Saudi lactating mothers

The fatty acid compositions of 54 Saudi mothers' mature breast milk samples were examined. Fatty acid composition was determined by gas-liquid chromatography. Oleic acid (18:1) was the major unsaturated fatty acid, while palmitic acid (16:0) was the major saturated fatty acid. The major fatty acids are 14:0, 16:0, 18:0, 18:1 and 18:1. These fatty acids accounted for 83.4% of the total fatty acids. Mature breast milk was characterized by a higher percentage of saturated fatty acids (> 50% of total fatty acids), and a moderate level of linoleic acid. The P/S ratio was approximately 0.17. We observed higher total saturated fatty acids than those published for Western countries. Milk from younger mothers (under 34 years) had greater polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentrations than that from older mothers. Milk from mothers over 34 years had higher saturated fatty acids than those from younger mothers. Total saturated fatty acids in the milk increased with parity (number of times mother has given birth) increased, while total unsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids decreased as parity increased. Polyunsaturated fatty acid concentration from the milk of mothers with more than eight children was higher (about two-fold) than those from mothers with less than four children. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd