The fatty acid composition of milk fats from beef cows fed on different winter rations

Abstract

The component fatty acids of four composite milk fat samples from groups of stall-fed beef cows in the Inverness area were determined by the ester-fractionation procedure. The milk fat from cows fed on grass silage resembled in composition that from dairy cows at pasture, whilst the milk fats from cows fed wholly or mainly on roots were more saturated ; a feature of these fats was their relatively high content of palmitic acid accompanied by a correspondingly low content of oleic acid. In all four milk fats a reciprocal relation was observed between the proportions of oleic acid and palmitic acid present, whilst the proportion of stearic acid in these fats varied directly with their content of oleic acid. The influence of diet on the composition of the milk fats is discussed.