Short term evolution of nutritionally relevant milk fatty acids of goats fed a cereal-based concentrate enriched with linseed oil

Abstract

Goat diet supplementation with linseed oil (LO) can be a fruitful technological strategy to enhance the nutritional value of milk fat. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of LO in a basal diet rich in starch on goat milk fatty acid (FA) profile. The FA contents were monitored exhaustively during 24 h after LO supplementation or elimination by gas chromatography. Rumenic acid, the main conjugated linoleic acid isomer and α-linolenic acid, both related with bioactive properties, significantly rose in milk between 12 and 24 h after the inclusion of LO in the diet. On the contrary, medium-chain saturated FA decreased. Changes in other nutritionally relevant milk FA as well as short term effects caused by dietary LO suppression are discussed.

Effects of Hemp Seed on the Production, Fatty Acid Profile, and Antioxidant Capacity of Milk from Goats Fed Hay or a Mixed Shrubs–Grass Rangeland

“…Hemp seeds, due to their high content of ALA (18.63% of total FA) compared to other vegetable oils (<9%, except for linseed [6]), ensured a high content of n-3 FAs (ALA, EPA, and DPA) in goat's milk, which have beneficial effects on human health. ALA in ruminant feed, mainly in the mammary gland, undergoes a series of elongation and desaturation reactions, leading to the formation of long-chain PUFAs (EPA, DPA, and DHA) [2].…”

“…In the hot and dry summer months (the period from June to August, in Romania's conditions), these resources can no longer meet the nutritional requirements of the goats due to the decrease in the productivity and quality of the pastures. The decrease in the quality of pastured plants and the negative energy balance that occurs due to the decrease in the digestibility of nutrients and the reduced dry matter (DM) intake, in addition to the decrease in milk production, also causes a decrease in the content of FAs that are beneficial for human health (VA, CLA c-9,t-11, and n-3 FA) from milk and increases the concentration of saturated FA with an atherogenic effect [6,7]. Thus, breeders have developed several goat-feeding strategies to support milk production, such as the exploitation of mixed shrubs-grass rangeland [8].…”