Characterization of lyophilized equine colostrum

Once a commercial source of lyophilized equine colostrum becomes available, managing the colostrum-deprived newborn may have just got a lot easier.
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Characterization of lyophilized equine colostrum
J Equine Vet Sci. 2023 Nov 29:104975. doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104975. Online ahead of print.
Authors
Thatyane Carla de-Lima 1 , Gilvannya Gonçalves de-Sobral 2 , Alana Emilia Soares de-França Queiroz 2 , Gerla Castello Branco Chinelate 3 , Tatiana Souza Porto 2 , João Tiago Correia Oliveira 3 , Gustavo Ferrer Carneiro 2
Affiliations

1 Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil. Electronic address: thatyane31011993@gmail.com.
2 Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil.
3 Universidade Federal do Agreste de Pernambuco, Garanhuns, Pernambuco, Brasil.

PMID: 38040068
DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104975

Abstract

Foals require maternal colostrum in the first hours of life to prevent failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTIP). Innovative storage methods such as lyophilization may enable conservation of colostrum immunoglobulins by a differentiated process of dehydration. The current study aimed to compare the quality of equine colostrum after freezing and after the lyophilization process. Thirty-one pregnant Quarter Horse mares were used. The IgG concentration of frozen and lyophilized colostrum was determined by simple radial immunodiffusion (SRID) and Brix refractometry. The physical-chemical composition (pH, total protein (TP), fat, lactose, salts, total solids (TS), and density) of the samples was evaluated and the lyophilized colostrum reconstitution test was performed. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the variables IgG, fat, lactose, salts, TS, density, and pH between samples measured before and after lyophilization. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) between the Brix average and the TP of the frozen and lyophilized colostrum samples. Lyophilization resulted in a small reduction (6.55%) in the IgG concentration measured by SRID. A strong positive correlation was observed between colostrum density and IgG concentration by SRID (r = 0.76) and between Brix and IgG concentration by SRID (r = 0.77). In the reconstitution test, the lyophilized colostrum was easily rehydrated in water, with full dilution, and remained stable. Lyophilization could be an alternative for the conservation of mare colostrum, since it is a very efficient process for retaining the physicochemical characteristics of the product, with minimal loss, particularly of IgG. Keywords: Failure of Passive Transfer; Freeze Drying; Immunoglobulin G. Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc. Conflict of interest statement Declaration of Competing Interest None of the authors has any financial or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper.