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Osthoff, G.; Hugo, A.; de Wit, M.
The composition of cheetah (_Acinonyx jubatus_) milk
2006 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology (145): 265-269
Milk was obtained from two captive bred cheetahs. The nutrient content was 99.6 g protein; 64.8 g fat; and 40.21 g lactose per kg milk. Small amounts of oligosaccharides, glucose, galactose and fucose were noted. The protein fraction respectively consisted of 34.2 g caseins per kg milk and of 65.3 g whey proteins per kg milk. Very little variation in milk composition among the individual cheetahs was noted. Electrophoresis and identification of protein bands showed a similar migrating sequence of proteins as seen in lion's and cat's milk, with small differences in the ƒ-caseins. The lipid fraction contains 290.4 g saturated and 337.3 g mono-unsaturated fatty acids per kg milk fat respectively. The high content of 279.5 g kg-1 milk fat of polyunsaturated fatty acids is due to a high content in -linolenic acid. No short chain fatty acids, but substantial levels of uneven carbon chain fatty acids were observed.
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