Factors affecting variations in the detailed fatty acid profile of Mediterranean buffalo milk determined by 2-dimensional gas chromatography

Abstract

Buffalo milk is the world's second most widely produced milk, and increasing attention is being paid to its composition, particularly the fatty acid profile. The objectives of the present study were (1) to characterize the fatty acid composition of Mediterranean buffalo milk, and (2) to investigate potential sources of variation in the buffalo milk fatty acid profile. We determined the profile of 69 fatty acid traits in 272 individual samples of Mediterranean buffalo milk using gas chromatography. In total, 51 individual fatty acids were identified: 24 saturated fatty acids, 13 monounsaturated fatty acids, and 14 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The major individual fatty acids in buffalo milk were in the order 16:0, 18:1 cis-9, 14:0, and 18:0. Saturated fatty acids were the predominant fraction in buffalo milk fat (70.49%); monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids were at 25.95 and 3.54%, respectively. Adopting a classification based on carbon-chain length, we found that medium-chain fatty acids (11-16 carbons) represented the greater part (53.7%) of the fatty acid fraction of buffalo milk, whereas long-chain fatty acids (17-24 carbons) and short-chain fatty acids (4-10 carbons) accounted for 32.73 and 9.72%, respectively. The n-3 and n-6 fatty acids were 0.46 and 1.77%, respectively. The main conjugated linoleic acid, rumenic acid, represented 0.45% of total milk fatty acids. Herd/test date and stage of lactation were confirmed as important sources of variation in the fatty acid profile of buffalo milk. The percentages of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids in buffalo milk increased in early lactation (+0.6 and +3.5%, respectively), whereas long-chain fatty acids decreased (-4.2%). The only exception to this pattern was butyric acid, which linearly decreased from the beginning of lactation, confirmation that its synthesis is independent of malonyl-CoA. These results seem to suggest that in early lactation the mobilization of energy reserves may have less influence on the fatty acid profile of buffalo milk than that of cow milk, probably due to a shorter and less severe period of negative energy balance. Parity affected the profiles of a few traits and had the most significant effects on branched-chain fatty acids. This work provided a detailed overview of the fatty acid profile in buffalo milk including also those fatty acids present in small concentrations, which may have beneficial effects for human health. Our results contributed also to increase the knowledge about the effects of some of the major factors affecting buffalo production traits and fatty acid concentrations in milk, and consequently its technological and nutritional properties.

Use of multivariate factor analysis to characterize the fatty acid profile of buffalo milk

“…Their averages were 0.91% and 0.41% of total FA, respectively; these values are markedly lower than those reported by Menard et al (2010), e.g., 2.00% and 0.90% for C18:1 trans-11 and CLA cis-9,trans-11, respectively. On the other hand, our results are in agreement with a recent study on Mediterranean buffalo, that reported a similar value for CLA cis-9,trans-11 (0.45%) and slightly higher for C18:1 trans-11 (1.87%) (Pegolo et al, 2017). In the present study, the PUFA n-6 to PUFA n-3 ratio (n-6/n-3) ratio was very similar to the value reported by Santillo et al (2016) for buffaloes fed with a diet including a moderate flaxseed supplementation (5.95 vs 5.76, respectively).…”

“…In the present study, the PUFA n-6 to PUFA n-3 ratio (n-6/n-3) ratio was very similar to the value reported by Santillo et al (2016) for buffaloes fed with a diet including a moderate flaxseed supplementation (5.95 vs 5.76, respectively). Pegolo et al (2017) reported a lower value (3.89). Such a difference could be ascribed to the C18:3 n-3 (α-linolenic acid) content.…”

Genomic selection of milk fatty acid composition in Sarda dairy sheep: Effect of different phenotypes and relationship matrices on heritability and breeding value accuracy

“…Moreover, the lowest h 2 values were highlighted for C18: 2n -6 and C18: 3n -3 (Tables 4 and 5), regardless of the model used. It is well known that these 2 FA are strongly dependent on their concentration in animals' diets (e.g., Fleming, 2016;Pegolo et al, 2017).…”

Effect of Graded Supplementation of Calcium Salts of Palm Fatty Acids on Lactation Performance of Nili Ravi Buffaloes

“…Increased milk fat-toprotein ratio in buffalo milk indicates that the demand of energy for milk production in lactating buffalo might be higher compared to cow. Interestingly, the fatty acid (FA) composition of buffalo milk is similar to cow milk (Pegolo et al, 2017). This similar composition of FA in buffalo and cow milk offers an opportunity to investigate the advantages of fat feeding to increase milk yield and milk composition in buffalo.…”

“…In Pakistan, 13.7 million milking buffaloes produced around 27.3 billion liters of milk with herd average of 5.45kg/buffalo per day (FAOSTAT, 2017), far lower than the milk average of Holstein (28.7 kg/d; FAOSTAT, 2017). Conversely, buffalo milk contains higher fat content (7.8 ± 2.3%; Pegolo et al, 2017) compared with cow milk (3.84%; USDA, 2017). Increased milk fat-toprotein ratio in buffalo milk indicates that the demand of energy for milk production in lactating buffalo might be higher compared to cow.…”