Feeding for Specific Milk Fatty Acid Profiles

Feeding for Specific Milk Fatty Acid Profiles 

The earliest efforts to modify the composition of milk fat used an insoluble formaldehyde-crosslinked protein to encapsulate unsaturated vegetable oils. In numerous studies using this approach, linoleic acid was increased to as high as 35%, w/w, of the total milk fatty acids (reviewed by McDonald and Scott, 1977). Bitman et al. (1973) fed increasing amounts of safflower oil encapsulated in formaldehyde-treated casein. The content of milk fat increased linearly from 3.5 to 4.6% as supplemental protected oil was increased from 0 to 1320 g/day per cow. The concentration of linoleic acid increased to 33% of total milk fatty acids, with a compensating decrease in Ci6 o and a smaller decrease in Ci4 0. The concentration of milk fat decreased to lower than pretreatment levels when the supplement was removed, a common observation (Pan et al., 1972). A typical milk fatty acid profile from cows fed a protected sunflower/soybean (70/30) supplement is shown in Table 2.1. 

Fatty acid Control3 Sunflower/soybean3 Canolab 

122 and 62%, respectively. Relatively small changes were observed for short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids. 

Several other procedures have been developed to protect unsaturated fatty acids from ruminal biohydrogenation. Of these, only the amide derivative has extensive research documentation (Jenkins, 1998, 1999), but has not been applied commercially. Often, calcium soaps of palm oil or canola fatty acids are referred to as protected. These are not protected from ruminal biohydrogenation (Table 2.2), but rather are ruminally inert with regard to their effects on the rumen microbial population. 

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