Pseudo-targeted lipidomics insights into lipid discrepancies between yak colostrum and mature milk based on UHPLC-Qtrap-MS

Yak milk is essential to maintain the normal physiological functions of herders in Tibetan areas of China. However, the lipid components of yak colostrum (YC) and mature milk (YM) have not been systematically studied. We employed a quantitative lipidomics to comprehensively describe the alterations in the milk lipid profile of lactating yaks. Herein, totally 851 lipids from 28 lipid subclasses in YC and YM were identified and screened for 43 significantly different lipids (SDLs; variable importance in projection > 1, fold change < 0.5 or > 2 with P < 0.05), with cholesterol ester (CE, 16:0) and triacylglycerol (TAG, 54:6 (20:5), 50:1 (16:0), 56:6 (20:5)) were the potential lipid biomarkers. Fourteen SDLs were modulated downwards, and 29 SDLs were modulated upwards in YM. Moreover, by analyzing lipid metabolic pathways in these SDLs, glycerophospholipid metabolism was the most critical. Our results furnish integral lipid details for evaluating yak milk’s nutritional quality.