Ribonucleosides in raw milk and heat-treated milk samples from cows, sheep, goats and camels and their potential biotechnological application

• Ribonucleosides in non-bovine milk; species-specificity; technological treatment, biotechnological application.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the content and pattern of unmodified and modified ribonucleosides in raw and heat-treated milk from sheep, goats, and camels compared to raw and heat-treated milk from cows. The data were compared with published results from other studies on ribonucleosides in non-bovine milk. In the raw milk samples, different ribonucleoside concentrations and patterns were determined. The resulting concentration ratios and the statistical analysis indicated the species-specificity of milk ribonucleosides. In pasteurized milk samples, only slight changes in ribonucleoside concentrations were observed. The investigations have shown that sheep and goat milk are suitable sources for ribonucleosides. In particular goat milk is a valuable source of nucleo monomers and, due to the legal conditions, it is very suitable for the preparation of infant formula.