Temporal alterations in the bovine buttermilk glycome from parturition to milk maturation

The bovine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) has many associated biological activities, many of which are linked with specific carbohydrate structures of MFGM glycoconjugates. Bovine buttermilk is a commercially viable source of MFGM and is an under-valued by-product of butter making. However, the changes in buttermilk glycosylation over the course of lactation have not been extensively investigated. In this study, buttermilk was generated from three individual multiparous cows at 13 time points over the first three months of lactation. Buttermilk glycosylation was profiled using lectin microarrays and lectin blotting. Suggested differences in glycosylation, including N-glycosylation, sialylation and fucosylation, were observed between early and late time points and between individual animals. Overall, these data suggest temporal changes in the glycosylation of buttermilk proteins which may have an important impact on commercial isolation of glycosylated ingredients.