Variation in fatty acid composition of giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) milk fats during different lactation stages

The fatty acid (FA) composition of giant panda colostrum and the variation during lactation were determined. Of the 35 FAs detected in giant panda milk fat, the most abundant were oleic acid, palmitic acid and linoleic acid. There were 14 very long-chain and 5 short- and medium-chain FAs detected. The ratio of n-6 to n-3 FAs was 3.60–7.21. Hierarchical clustering analysis demonstrated there was an unusually slow transition from colostrum to mature milk, probably an adaptive strategy. The oleic acid/linoleic acid ratio was higher in colostrum than mature milk, which may benefit digestion. Most saturated FAs were more abundant in mature milk than colostrum. Arachidonic acid accounted for 48.49% of very long-chain polyunsaturated FAs in colostrum, which was 3.34 fold that in mature milk, and for docosahexaenoic acid, 2.75 fold. During the lactation, Spearman correlations within unsaturated and saturated FAs were generally positive; correlations between them were generally negative.