From "The Composition of Primates' Milk and Its Importance in Selecting Formulas for Hand-Rearing" by Exequiel M. Patiño and Juan T. Borda Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, (found in the Laboratory Primate Newsletter, VOLUME 36 NUMBER 2 APRIL 1997)
Introduction Very little is known about the composition of primates' milk. Of the approximately 166 species of primates in existence, the milks of only 19 have been studied, and those only incompletely (Oftedal, 1984). The milk of humans is the only one that has been analyzed with the frequency necessary to establish an average composition that is trustworthy (Packard, 1982). In nonhuman primates, milk composition has been studied in the great apes (e.g. Ben Shaul, 1962; Tailor & Tomkinson, 1975); Old World monkeys (e.g., Buss, 1968; Buss & Cooper, 1970); New World monkeys (e.g. Buss, 1970; Patiño & Ruiz, 1993); and prosimians (e.g., Buss et al., 1976).
Milk composition is known for only four of the 76 known species of New World monkeys (Mittermeier et al., 1988): Saimiri sp. (Buss, 1970; Buss & Cooper, 1972; Patino & Ruiz, 1993); Leontopithecus rosalia (Buss, 1975); Saguinus oedipus (Glass & Jenness, 1971); and Callithrix jacchus (Turton et al., 1978). In general, milk of the order Primates, compared with that of other orders, is characterized by moderate amounts of solids and fats, low levels of proteins, and high levels of sugar (Oftedal, 1980). Knowing the composition of primates' milk is of fundamental importance in selecting formulas for feeding infants that are being raised by hand.
Composition of Primates' Milk Primate milks contain on the average 13% solids, of which 6.5% is lactose, 3.8% lipids, 2.4% proteins, and 0.2% ash. Lactose is the largest component of the solids, and protein is a lesser one. The milks of humans and Old World monkeys have the highest percentages of sugar (an average of 6.9%), while those of New World monkeys have the highest content of solids in general and also of proteins and lipids. Comparing the milk of humans with those of non-human primates, we see that they have similar proportions of solids, but the former is richer in sugar and lipids, the latter richer in proteins. In fact, human milk has the lowest concentration of proteins (1.0%) of all the species of primates.
Milk Formulas for Hand Rearing Selecting an appropriate milk formula is one of the most important aspects of hand rearing primates. Most systems of hand feeding use formulas for humans, which are based on cows' milk, the composition of which has been modified to make it as similar as possible to human milk. Although both primate and bovine milks have approximately the same percentage of solids, primate milk has more lactose, a similar amount of lipids, and smaller amounts of proteins and ash.
Go To Page: 1 2
