• Mariangela Longini, Maria Luisa Tataranno, Fabrizio Proietti, Mario Tortoriello, Elisa Belvisi, Antonio Vivi, Maria Tassini, Serafina Perrone, and Giuseppe Buonocore.
• Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena , Siena , Italy and.
• J. Matern. Fetal. Neonatal. Med. 2014 Oct 1; 27 Suppl 2: 27-33.

ObjectiveTo investigate changes in global metabolic profile between: 1 - breast milk and formula milk, 2 - breast milk from mothers delivering at different gestational age (GA) collected within one week from delivery, and then week by week until term equivalent age.MethodsProton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was used to analyze the water-soluble and lipid fractions extracted from 50 milk samples, 46 human milk at different GA, from 23 weeks of gestation until term equivalent age and four different formula milks.ResultsThe formula milk for premature infants was the most similar to breast milk of preterm babies. Breast milk showed higher lactose concentrations than formula milk, that conversely presented higher galactose 1-phosphate and maltose concentrations. Mother's milk of very preterm babies (23-25 wks of GA) showed a different metabolic profile from preterm infants ≥29 wks of GA with a subsequent trend to similarity around the 30th week of post-natal age. Breast milk from preterm infants of 29-34 wks, collected up to 40 wks of post-natal age showed a temporal change over the first three weeks of lactation, approaching to zero with the achievement of term age.ConclusionsMetabolome is a promising tool to study human and artificial milk global metabolic profile.

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