Bovine milk contains about 3.5 to 5% total lipid, existing as emulsified globules 2 to 4 μm in diameter and coated with a membrane derived from the secreting cell.
The lipid content of mammalian milk varies from 16 g/liter (horse) to 105 g/liter (deer), human milk contains about 38 g of fat per liter.
The lipids consist essentially of triglycerides, together with very small proportions of other lipids including phospholipids, cholesterol, squalene, lanosterol, free fatty acids, traces of monoglycerides resulting from lipolysis, and bound aldehydes, glycerol ethers, and also keto-compounds,
Triacylglycerols make up 98% of the lipid content of milk, ranging in different species from 0 to 50% of the total milk volume. The fatty acid composition of the triacylglycerols depends on the species, the dietary fatty acid composition, and the carbohydrate-to-lipid ratio of the diet.
Phospholipids or ‘lipids containing phosphorus’ are about 0.5 to 1% of total lipids, and· sterols are 0.2 to 0.5%. These are mostly located in the globule membrane. Cholesterol is the major sterol at 10 to 20 mg/dl.
Lipid content in milk
