Triglyceride composition of ewe, cow, and goat milk fat

The separation and identification of the components in milk fat, which are mainly triglycerides, is a challenge due to its complex composition. A reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with gradient elution and light-scattering detection is described in this paper for the triglyceride analysis in ewes' milk fat. Triglyceride identification was carried out by combining HPLC, gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), and the calculated equivalent carbon numbers of several triglyceride standards. Quantitation of partially resolved peaks in the HPLC chromatogram was accomplished by applying a peak deconvolution program. Forty-four fatty acids were identified by GLC analysis, but only 19 were used for the following prediction of triglyceride molecular species; 181 triglycerides were identified, some of which were grouped at the same peak and needed application of the deconvolution program. Consequently, coefficients of variation were close to or lower than 5%. Moreover, the triglyceride composition of ewe, cow, and goat milk fat were compared by using these methods. These results show that ewe milk fat is richer in short- and medium-chain triglycerides, and cow milk fat is richer;in long-chain and unsaturated triglycerides.