Buffalo is the second source of milk in the world, and its milk is rich in nutritive components. It is well-known that breed influences milk composition. This work aimed to compare the detailed milk composition of three buffalo breeds (Murrah, Nili-Ravi, and Mediterranean) housed under the same environmental conditions. Mediterranean buffalo milk showed a significantly higher content of fat, protein, and some fatty acids. Moreover, the milk from the Mediterranean breed was characterized by the highest content of sphingomyelin (SM), cholesterol, and lanosterol. However, the Murrah buffalo milk contained the highest amount of total unsaturated fatty acids, phosphatidylinositol, and whey proteins. Furthermore, the Nili-Ravi buffalo milk was characterized by the highest content of total saturated fatty acids, phosphatidylglycerol, squalene, lathosterol, stigmasterol, beta-sitosterol, and casein fractions. Nevertheless, the lactose and amino acid profiles of the milk remained almost similar across the three buffalo breeds. The generated results in this study enable a comprehensive understanding of the milk constituent variability that is linked to buffalo breeds, which may support the acquirement of essential scientific knowledge on milk ingredient–processing interactions that will offer a foundation of knowledge for Chinese dairy processors in terms of milk processability and innovation.

Milk represents an integrated meal for newborns; its whey protein is rich in many health beneficial components and proteins. The current study aimed to investigate the differences between colostrum and mature milk from Mediterranean and Murrah buffaloes using labeled proteomics and bioinformatics tools. In the current work, LC-MS/MS analysis led to identification of 780 proteins from which 638 were shared among three independent TMT experiments. The significantly changed proteins between the studied types were analyzed using gene ontology enrichment and KEGG pathways, and their interactions were generated using STRING database. Results indicated that immunological, muscular development and function, blood coagulation, heme related, neuronal, translation, metabolic process, and binding proteins were the main terms. Overall, colostrum showed higher levels of immunoglobulins, myosins, actin, neurofascin, syntaxins, thyroglobulins, and RNA-binding proteins, reflecting its importance in the development and activity of immunological, muscular, cardiac, neuronal, and thyroid systems, while lactoferrin and ferritin were increased in mature milk, highlighting its role in iron storage and hemoglobin formation.