Colostrum Colostrum Colostrum (known colloquially as beestings, bisnings or first milk) is the first form of milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals (including many humans) immediately following delivery of the newborn. Most species will generate colostrum just prior to giving birth. Colostrum contains antibodies to protect the newborn against disease. In general, protein concentration in colostrum is substantially higher than in milk. Fat concentration is substantially higher in colostrum than in milk in some species, e.g. sheep and horses, but lower in colostrum than in milk in some other species, e.g. camels and humans. In swine, fat concentration of
Milk substitute Milk substitute A milk substitute (or, more precisely, an analogue of mammalian milk) (also called milk alternative or milk analogue) can refer to a liquid considered (particularly in the USA and other western countries) as a replacement for the milk from a mammal (mainly cows and humans). Mammalian milk analogues are white or whitish liquids that resemble either dairy or human breast milk. Milk substitutes for non-infant consumption take two very different forms: plant milks, which are liquids made from plants and may be home-made or commercially produced, and coffee creamers, synthetic products invented in the USA in the 1900s