Properties, analysis and purification of milk polar lipids

The phospholipids and sphingolipids in milk are gaining interest due to their nutritional and technological qualities. Sphingolipids and their derivatives are highly bioactive compounds with anti-cancer, bacteriostatic and cholesterol-lowering properties. Several low-value process streams of the dairy industry contain considerable amounts of polar lipid and exert potential for further purification. This review deals with the structure of the main dairy polar lipids, their origin and molecular arrangement, their occurrence in raw milk and other dairy products, their methodology of analysis and purification and their nutritional and technological properties.