Specificity of human milk bile salt-stimulated lipase.

A crude preparation of the bile salt-stimulated lipase in human milk did not differentiate between the primary and secondary esters of several synthetic triacylglycerols. The dioleoyl ester of 2,3-butanediol was also digested, unequivocal confirmation of the absence of positional specificity. Preferential release of 18:2 relative to 16:0 and 18:1 as compared to 18:1t (trans) was observed. The lipase did not differentiate between 16:0 and 18:1 or 16:0 and 18:0.