The Sierolat Research and Development department expressed its contribution in the context of the projects carried out by research groups of Federico II and Vanvitelli Universities, aimed at characterizing the properties of some functional metabolites present at naturally high levels in buffalo milk whey. These are betaine and carnitine derivatives, among which δ-valerobetaine is the most abundant one, which has been shown to have important anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, expressed through the modulation of Sirtuins, in turn involved in the reduction of ROS (Reactive Species to oxygen), and the inhibition of cytokine release. δ-valerobetaine also showed significant antidiabetic activity, protecting endothelial cells from oxidative stress and cytokine release induced by hyperglycemic conditions. The non-intensive breeding mechanisms of dairy buffalo animals also promotes the production of these metabolites in higher quantities, further enhancing their healthy properties.

Studies on the antineoplastic properties of δ-valerobetaine, expressed through the activation of necrosis and apoptosis mechanisms in colorectal cancer cells, have been published and are ongoing. It has been proved that δ-valerobetaine is able to induce perturbations in the cell cycle, influencing the expression of cyclins and other proteins involved in cell proliferation. Thetudies suggest a cascade activation mechanism that determines the selective accumulation of ROS at the level of tumor cells leading to the loss of mitochondrial integrity.

1. Servillo, L., D'Onofrio, N., Neglia, G., Casale, R., Cautela, D., Marrelli, M., Limone, A., Campanile, G., Balestrieri, M. (2018) Carnitine Precursors and Short-Chain Acylcarnitines in Water Buffalo. Milk ournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 66 (30), 8142-8149
   
2. D'Onofrio, N., Balestrieri, A., Neglia, G, Monaco, A., Tatullo, M., Casale, R., Limone, A., Balestrieri, ML, Campanile, G. (2019) Antioxidant and Anti -Inflammatory Activities of Buffalo Milk δ-Valerobetaine. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 67 (6), 1702-1710


3. Salzano, A., Licitra, F., D'Onofrio, N., Balestrieri, M.L., Limone, A., Campanile, G., D'Occhio, M.J., Neglia, G.(2019) Short Communication: Space Allocation in Intensive Mediterranean Buffalo Production Influences the Profile of Functional Biomolecules in Milk and Dairy Products. Journal of Dairy Science 102, 7717–7722
   
4. Cacciola, NA, Salzano, A., D'Onofrio, N., Venneri, T., Cicco, PD, Vinale, F., Petillo, O., Martano, M., Maiolino, P., Neglia, G., Campanile, C., Severino, L., Merola, C., Borrelli, F., Balestrieri, M.L., Campanile, G. (2022) Buffalo Milk Whey Activates Necroptosis and Apoptosis in a Xenograft Model of Colorectal Cancer. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23, 8464-8478


5. D'Onofrio, N., Cacciola, NA, Martino, E., Borrelli, F., Fiorino, F., Lombardi, A., Neglia, G., Balestrieri, ML, Campanile, G. (2020) ROS-Mediated Apoptotic Cell Death of Human Colon Cancer LoVo Cells by Milk δ-Valerobetaine. Scientific Reports 10, 8978-8992
   

Buffalo milk and whey contain gangliosides of the GM1 class at levels comparable to those of human milk, which play an important role in the modulation of cellular signal transduction events, have shown anti-inflammatory capabilities and have obtained positive results in clinical tests conducted on Alzheimer's patients.

1. Garau, V., Manis, C., Scano, P., Caboni, P. (2021) Compositional Characteristics of Mediterranean Buffalo Milk and Whey. Dairy, 2, 469–488

Buffalo milk whey, which is used for the production of B-POWER whey protein concentrated, contains an unique variant of β-lactoglobulin, not present in cow milk whey, which:

• is rich in essential aminoacids, in particular Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Valine and Leucine, the latter one involved in the process of synthesis and degradation of muscle proteins and in the stimulation of insulin release.
• is easily digestible, resulting in a pattern of small peptides that also show important antioxidant activity
  
  1) Bassan, JC, Goulart, AJ, Nasser, ALM, Bezerra, TMS, Garrido, SS, Rustiguel, CB, Guimarães, LHS, Monti, R. (2015) Buffalo Cheese Whey Proteins, Identification of a 24 kDa Protein and Characterization of Their Hydrolysates: In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion. PLoS ONE 10(10): e0139550

Buffalo milk is rich in oligosaccharides with immunostimulant activity.

In particular, a rare pentasaccharide has been isolated from buffalo milk, which has structural similarities with the oligosaccharides of human milk and is able to stimulate the immune response.

1. Saksena, R., Deepak, D., Khare, A., Sahai, R., Tripathi, L.M., Srivastava, V.M.L. (1999) A Novel Pentasaccharide from Immunostimulant Oligosaccharide Fraction of Buffalo Milk. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1428, 433-445