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Kataria D, Singh G. Health benefits of ghee: Review of Ayurveda and modern science perspectives. J Ayurveda Integr Med 2024; 15:100819. [PMID: 38181707 PMCID: PMC10789628 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaim.2023.100819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The scientific view on dairy fats is undergoing a change. While at one time they were associated with negative health effects, recent scientific research has provided new insights into the functional benefits of dairy fats and their fatty acids. This changing scientific view on dairy fats is also resulting in a scientific interest in Ghee, the clarified butter obtained from milk. Ghee, besides being a traditional milk product of cultural importance in India and finding extensive use in its cuisines, is also one of the most important ingredients of the materia medica of Ayurveda, the traditional system of medicine that originated in India. While modern scientific literature has limited studies on functional benefits of ghee, Ayurveda literature extensively catalogues the therapeutic potential of ghee and details different types of ghee based on source of milk, manufacturing method, maturation and physical phase. This work reviewed the Ayurveda literature on health benefits of ghee and examined the complementarity and gaps between Ayurveda literature and modern scientific literature to identify research questions and hypotheses for further exploring the therapeutic potential of ghee. The Ayurveda literature review involved curation of references to ghee in eleven important Ayurvedic texts spanning over 3000 years. 4000 references to milk and milk products were curated from these texts, of which 2913 mentions were in the context of therapeutic benefits of milk products. Of these, ghee had 774 mentions, the highest amongst milk-based products. These mentions were grouped into 15 benefit clusters. A review of ghee in modern literature published between 1990 and 2023 was also conducted. A comparison of this with the Ayurveda literature showed that there were major differences in the focus areas of health between the two. While recent research primarily focused on ghee's connection with cardiovascular health, wound healing and skin health, Ayurveda prioritized cognitive benefits, gastrointestinal health, and nourishing. These later areas are of growing importance to human health as global population ages, and chronic and brain related diseases start dominating public health concerns. As scientists search for solutions to these, ghee, its usage and formulations in Ayurveda and the detailed associations between ghee's animal source, processing, maturation, phases and health benefits, may have scientific insights to offer that can guide future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepshikha Kataria
- Department of Food & Nutrition and Food Technology, Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110016, India; Centre for Ayurveda Biology and Holistic Nutrition, The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560064, India
| | - Gurmeet Singh
- Centre for Ayurveda Biology and Holistic Nutrition, The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560064, India.
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van Zyl CDW, van Reenen M, Osthoff G, du Preez I. Evaluation of BAYESIL for automated annotation of 1H NMR data using limited sample volumes: application to African elephant serum. Metabolomics 2023; 19:31. [PMID: 36995481 PMCID: PMC10063514 DOI: 10.1007/s11306-023-02001-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Technological advancements enabled the analyses of limited sample volumes on 1H NMR. Manual spectral profiling of the data is, however, complex, and timely. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the performance of BAYESIL for automated identification and quantification of 1H NMR spectra of limited volume samples. METHOD Aliquots of a pooled African elephant serum sample were analyzed using standard and reduced volumes. Performance was evaluated on confidence scores, non-detects and laboratory CV. RESULTS Of the 47 compounds detected, 28 had favorable performances. The approach could differentiate samples based on biological variation. CONCLUSIONS BAYESIL is valuable for limited sample 1H NMR data analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mari van Reenen
- Centre for Human Metabolomics, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Gernot Osthoff
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Ilse du Preez
- Centre for Human Metabolomics, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
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Osthoff G, Wiese I, Deacon F. African Elephant Milk Short Saccharide and Metabolite Composition and Their Changes over Lactation. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13030544. [PMID: 36766431 PMCID: PMC9913514 DOI: 10.3390/ani13030544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Elephant milk composition is unique, as are its changes over lactation. Presented here is the milk non-dedicated metabolite composition of three African elephants. Their lactation times are overlapping and span day one to thirty months. Metabolites were identified and quantified by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Lactose and short oligosaccharides are a large component of the metabolites, with lacto-N-difucohexaose I as the major oligosaccharide. These were followed by metabolites of lipids, amino acids, and the citric acid cycle. The content of lactose, lacto-N-difucohexaose I, 2'-fucosyllactose, and some unidentified oligosaccharides decrease over lactation, while that of difucosyllactose and other unidentified ones increase. The high content of glutamate, as a glucogenic amino acid, supported the uprated synthesis of saccharides by the milk gland cells. The content of succinate and choline increase over lactation, indicating higher energy expenditure and phospholipid synthesis during later lactation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gernot Osthoff
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
- Correspondence: ; Fax: +27-5140-12216
| | - Irenie Wiese
- Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
| | - Francois Deacon
- Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
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Evidence of three distinct lactation stages in nursing gazelles: implications on maternal behaviour assessment. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Osthoff G, Beukes B, Steyn AC, Hugo A, Deacon F, Butler HJB, O'Neill FH, Grobler JP. Milk composition of white rhinoceros over lactation and comparison with other Perissodactyla. Zoo Biol 2021; 40:417-428. [PMID: 34010488 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The proximate composition of milk from fifteen free-ranging white rhinoceroses at different lactation stages is reported with detailed analysis of fatty acid composition and minerals. Lactose is the main component at 7.93 ± 0.53%, followed by 0.93 ± 0.19% protein, 1.76 ± 0.39% fat, 0.40 ± 0.18% ash, 0.05 ± 0.01% glucose, and 0.04 ± 0.02% non protein nitrogen The interindividual variation of all the components is high, showing no trend of change over lactation. The K and P content decreased over lactation. The fatty acid composition of rhinoceros milk is characteristic with a high saturated fatty acids content of 62%-84%, of which the medium chain fatty acids form the major portion. The C10:0, C12:0, C16:0, and C18:1c9 are the major fatty acids in the milk fat. The results are compared with the two other Perissodactylae families, the Equidae and Tapiridae. Differences in gross composition are small, but the milk of the Rhinocerotidae have the lowest gross energy, while the milk fats consist of the highest amounts of saturated fatty acids, while the low levels of C16:1c9 and C18:1c9 indicate the lowest mammary Δ9-desaturase activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gernot Osthoff
- Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Blake Beukes
- Department of Animal Wildlife and Grassland Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Aletta C Steyn
- Department of Animal Wildlife and Grassland Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Arnold Hugo
- Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Francois Deacon
- Department of Animal Wildlife and Grassland Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Hendrik J B Butler
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Frans H O'Neill
- Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - J Paul Grobler
- Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
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Himschoot EA, Wenker ES, Reed EG, Sampson J, Power ML. Macronutrient composition of milk from two captive African elephant (Loxodonta africana) cows. Zoo Biol 2021; 40:192-200. [PMID: 33705586 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
We assayed 31 milk samples collected from two African elephant cows housed at the Indianapolis Zoo across lactation (birth to calf age 973 days) for macronutrient composition (water, fat, protein, sugar, gross energy [GE], ash, calcium, and phosphorus). All assays were performed at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park Nutrition Laboratory, Washington, DC (SNZP) using standard methods developed at SNZP. Milk constituents are expressed on a weight-per-weight basis (%) and as a proportion each constituent contributes to milk energy. Calf weights were recorded, and growth rate calculated. The macronutrient composition of the African elephant milk samples was compared to previously published results for Asian elephants using analysis of covariance. African elephant milk is similar to Asian elephant milk, being moderately high in fat and energy and low in sugar. The mean values across lactation (excluding colostrum; n = 28) are 5.6 ± 0.3% crude protein, 3.1 ± 0.3% sugar, 13.0 ± 1.0% fat, and GE of 1.63 ± 0.10 kcal/g. Milk composition did not differ between cows. Milk composition significantly changed over lactation; fat and protein increased, and sugar decreased with calf age, comparable to previously reported data for African and Asian elephant milk. The proportion of milk energy from fat increased and that from sugar decreased over lactation, but the energy from protein was relatively constant. Protein contributed a higher proportion of energy to African elephant milk compared to Asian elephant milk (20.6% vs. 17.0%, p = .001). Despite this, calf growth rate was similar between the species, with the calves in this study gaining about 0.8 kg/day for the first 6 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Himschoot
- Nutrition Laboratory, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Wenker
- Nutrition Laboratory, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Eda G Reed
- Nutrition Laboratory, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | | | - Michael L Power
- Nutrition Laboratory, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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Arita‐Merino N, Yener S, Valenberg HJF, Hugo A, Osthoff G. Varying Levels of Medium‐Chain Fatty Acids Affect Triacylglycerol Composition and Crystallization Behavior of African Elephant Milk Fat. EUR J LIPID SCI TECH 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ejlt.202000119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Naomi Arita‐Merino
- Dairy Science and Technology Group, Food Quality and Design Wageningen University Postbox 17 6700 AA Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Sine Yener
- Dairy Science and Technology Group, Food Quality and Design Wageningen University Postbox 17 6700 AA Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Hein J. F. Valenberg
- Dairy Science and Technology Group, Food Quality and Design Wageningen University Postbox 17 6700 AA Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Arno Hugo
- Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology University of the Free State Postbox 339 Bloemfontein 9300 South Africa
| | - Gernot Osthoff
- Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology University of the Free State Postbox 339 Bloemfontein 9300 South Africa
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Osthoff G, Madende M, Hugo A, Butler HJB. Milk evolution with emphasis on the Atlantogenata. AFRICAN ZOOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/15627020.2020.1798281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gernot Osthoff
- Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Moses Madende
- Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Arnold Hugo
- Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Hendrik JB Butler
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
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