Genetic parameters for major milk fatty acids and milk production traits of Dutch Holstein-Friesians

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for major milk fatty acids and milk production traits. One morning milk sample was collected from 1,918 Holstein-Friesian heifers located in 398 commercial herds in the Netherlands. Each sample was analyzed for total percentages of fat and protein, and for detailed fatty acid percentages (computed as fatty acid weight as a proportion of total fat weight). Intraherd heritabilities were high for C4:0 to C16:0, ranging from 0.42 for C4:0 to 0.71 for C10:0. Saturated and unsaturated C18 fatty acids had intraherd heritability estimates of approximately 0.25, except for C18:2 cis-9, trans-11, which was 0.42. Standard errors of the heritabilities were between 0.07 and 0.12. Genetic correlations were high and positive among C4:0 to C14:0, as well as among unsaturated C18, but correlations of C4:0 to C14:0 with unsaturated C18 were generally weak. The genetic correlation of C16:0 with fat percentage was positive (0.65), implying that selection for fat percentage should result in a correlated increase of C16:0, whereas unsaturated C18 fatty acids decreased with increasing fat percentage (−0.74). Milk fat composition can be changed by means of selective breeding, which offers opportunities to meet consumer demands regarding health and technological aspects.     

Detection of quantitative trait loci affecting the milk fatty acid profile on sheep chromosome 22: Role of the stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene in Spanish Churra sheep

Sheep milk fat contains several components that may provide human health benefits, such as monounsaturated fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Most of the CLA in ruminant milk is synthesized in the mammary gland by the action of the enzyme stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) on circulating vaccenic acid (trans-11 C18:2; VA). Previous studies have found significant associations between polymorphisms in the SCD gene and the fatty acid composition of ruminant products, including sheep milk. Based on this, we performed a quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis of an ovine chromosome (22) that harbors the SCD gene for effects on milk fatty acid composition traits and classical milk production traits. We identified a suggestive QTL influencing the CLA/VA ratio with the maximum statistic at position 26 cM of the studied chromosome, whereas the SCD gene has been mapped to position 41.6 cM. The individual introduction of 4 SCD single nucleotide polymorphisms in the QTL model did not cause a reduction of the variance explained by the QTL, which suggests that the SCD gene is not directly responsible for the detected effect in the Churra population studied herein. This conclusion was supported by the lack of any significant association identified between the 4 SCD single nucleotide polymorphisms and the CLA/VA ratio. This association analysis suggested a possible effect of the SCD gene on milk fat percentage in Churra sheep. An independent confirmation of these primary results will be required before attempting its practical implementation in selection programs.     

Long-term effects of feeding monensin on milk fatty acid composition in lactating dairy cows

The objective of this study was to determine the long-term effects of feeding monensin on milk fatty acid (FA) profile in lactating dairy cows. Twenty-four lactating Holstein dairy cows (1.46 ± 0.17 parity; 620 ± 5.9 kg of live weight; 92.5 ± 2.62 d in milk) housed in a tie-stall facility were used in the study. The study was conducted as paired comparisons in a completely randomized block design with repeated measurements in a color-coded, double blind experiment. The cows were paired by parity and days in milk and allocated to 1 of 2 treatments: 1) the regular milking cow total mixed ration (TMR) with a forage-to-concentrate ratio of 60:40 (control TMR; placebo premix) vs. a medicated TMR [monensin TMR; regular TMR + 24 mg of Rumensin Premix per kg of dry matter (DM)] fed ad libitum. The animals were fed and milked twice daily (feeding at 0830 and 1300 h; milking at 0500 and 1500 h). Milk samples were collected before the introduction of treatments and monthly thereafter for 6 mo and analyzed for FA composition. Monensin reduced the percentage of the short-and medium-chain saturated FA 7:0, 9:0, 15:0, and 16:0 in milk fat by 26, 35, 19, and 6%, respectively, compared with the control group. Monensin increased the percentage of the long-chain saturated FA in milk fat by 9%, total monounsaturated FA by 5%, total n-6 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) by 19%, total n-3 PUFA by 16%, total cis-18:1 by 7%, and total conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) by 43% compared with the control group. Monensin increased the percentage of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3), docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3), and cis-9, trans-11 CLA in milk fat by 19, 13, and 43%, respectively, compared with the control. These results suggest that monensin was at least partly effective in inhibiting the biohydrogenation of unsaturated FA in the rumen and consequently increased the percentage of n-6 and n-3 PUFA and CLA in milk, thus enhancing the nutritional properties of milk with regard to human health.     

Influence of prion protein genotypes on milk production traits in Spanish Churra sheep

The aim of this work was to analyze the possible relationships between milk production traits and prion protein genotypes in Spanish Churra sheep. For this purpose, 2 analyses were carried out. First, an association study was performed of the prion protein genotypes of 12,533 Churra ewes and their milk yield, protein percentage, fat percentage, and somatic cell score as phenotypes, followed by a quantitative trait loci screening on the chromosome where the prion protein gene was located in this population. The latter analysis was carried out using 8 genetic markers (7 microsatellites and the prion protein genotypes) spanning ovine chromosome 13 using a daughter design. Regarding genotype frequencies, the most frequent allele was ARQ (75.90%), which linked with a high susceptibility to scrapie, followed by the resistant haplotype, ARR (18.16%). The frequency of the most susceptible allele, VRQ, was around 1%. No evidence of association or linkage between prion protein genotypes and milk traits has been detected in Churra sheep. These results indicate that increasing the ARR frequency in Churra population will not have an adverse effect on selection for milk traits included in the breeding objectives. However, the low allele frequencies for ARR should be considered in the initial stages to prevent possible bottlenecks in future genetic progress.     

Genetic parameter estimation for major milk fatty acids in Alpine and Saanen primiparous goats

Genetic parameters for 18 fatty acids or groups of fatty acids (FA), milk production traits, and somatic cell score (SCS) were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood with a repeatability animal model, using 45,259 test-day records from the first lactations of 13,677 Alpine and Saanen goats. Fatty acid data were collected as part of an extensive recording scheme (PhénoFinLait), and sample testing was based on mid-infrared spectra estimates. The total predicted FA content in milk was approximately 3.5% in Alpine and Saanen goats. Goat milk fat showed similar saturated FA to cattle and sheep, but higher contents of capric (C10:0) FA (~9.7 g/100 g of milk fat). Heritability estimates ranged from 0.18 to 0.49 for FA and estimates were generally higher when FA were expressed in g/100 g of milk fat compared with g/100 g of milk. In general, the 3 specific short- and medium-chain goat FA, caproic acid (C6:0), caprylic acid (C8:0), and especially capric (C10:0) acid, had among the highest heritability estimates (from 0.21 to 0.37; average of 0.30). Heritability estimates for milk yield, fat and protein contents, and SCS were 0.22, 0.23, 0.39, 0.09, and 0.24, 0.20, 0.40, and 0.15, in Alpine and Saanen goats, respectively. When FA were expressed in g/100 g of milk, genetic correlations between fat content and all FA were high and positive. Genetic correlations between the fat content and FA groups expressed in g/100 g of fat led to further investigation of the association between fat content and FA profile within milk fat. Accordingly, in both Saanen and Alpine breeds, no significant genetic correlations were found between fat content and C16:0, whereas the correlations between fat content and specific goat FA (C6:0 to C10:0) were positive (0.17 to 0.59). In addition, the genetic correlation between fat content and C14:0 was negative (−0.17 to −0.35). The values of the genetic correlations between protein content and individual FA were similar, although genetic correlations between protein content and FA groups were close to zero. Genetic correlations of milk yield or SCS with the FA profile were weak. Results for genetic parameters for FA, however, should be further validated, because the low predicting ability of certain FA using mid-infrared spectra and the limited calibration data set might have resulted in low accuracy. In conclusion, our results indicated substantial genetic variation in goat milk FA that supported their amenability for genetic selection. In addition, selection on protein and fat contents is not expected to have an undesirable effect on the FA profile in regard to specificity of goat products and human health.     

不同胎次中国荷斯坦牛鲜乳脂肪酸组成研究

对5个胎次共98头中国荷斯坦牛鲜奶乳成分及脂肪酸含量进行了测定分析。结果表明，乳脂率、乳蛋白率及体细胞数在胎次间存在显著（P＜0．05）或极显著（P＜0．01）差异；短、中链脂肪酸（C4∶0～C16∶0）中，除C6∶0在第一胎与其他4胎间含量差异显著（P＜0．05）、C12∶0在第2、5胎间含量差异显著（P＜0．05）外，其他脂肪酸含量在胎次间差异不显著（P＞0．05）；长链脂肪酸中，硬脂酸（C18：0）在第1胎含量最高。第3胎含量最低，1、3胎间差异极显著（P＜0．01）；油酸（C18∶1）和亚油酸（C18∶2）含量在胎次间变化规律相似，均表现为第1胎最低，第3胎最高，且两胎间存在极显著（P＜0．01）和显著差异（P＜0．05）。     

Effects of selenium form on blood and milk selenium concentrations,milk component and milk fatty acid composition in dairy cows

BACKGROUND: Human health may be improved if milk with a favorable fatty acid composition and Se concentration is ingested. The present study is to determine how a basal diet supplemented with daily 5 mg Se as Se‐enriched yeast (SY) or sodium selenite (SS) affects the fatty acid composition and Se concentration of bovine milk. The effects of Se form on blood Se concentration, erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) activity, serum GPx3 activity and milk yield and component were also studied. RESULTS: Both Se forms, when compared to control group, increased Se concentrations of blood (P < 0.01) and milk (P < 0.01), erythrocyte GPx1 activity (P < 0.05) and milk percentages of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (P < 0.05) and cis‐9,cis‐12 linoleic acid (P < 0.05). Cows supplemented with SY had higher Se levels in blood (P < 0.01) and milk (P < 0.01) and percentage of PUFA in milk (P < 0.05) when compared with those supplemented with SS. Milk yield, milk component and serum GPx3 activity were not significantly affected by Se form. CONCLUSION: Supplementation of diet with SY appears to be of more benefit than SS in producing favorable milk with high PUFA and Se concentrations. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Exploring polymorphisms and effects of candidate genes on milk fat quality in dairy sheep

The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic control of the fatty acid (FA) composition in milk from 3 breeds of sheep: Altamurana, Gentile di Puglia, and Sarda. Single nucleotide polymorphisms within genes, encoding enzymes putatively involved in the synthesis and metabolism of milk fat, were selected for analysis, and the allele substitution effects were determined for 16 genes, which were polymorphic in the 3 sheep breeds, upon the milk fat composition. Four genes (α-1-antichymotrypsin-2; diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase homolog-2; propionyl Coenzyme A carboxylase, β polypeptide; and insulin-like growth factor-I) play a role in the desaturation of stearic FA into polyunsaturated fatty acids. Furthermore, 2 genes (growth hormone receptor and zona pellucida glycoprotein-2) affect the variability of the total fat content in addition to the butyric and stearic FA profile, and the fatty acid synthetase gene has an influence on the medium-chain FA. Milk FA profiles play an important role in dairy sheep farming because they have a large effect on cheese characteristics and also because sheep milk may be marketed as a source of nutraceuticals because it contains higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid than milk from other ruminants. The current study evaluated the global effects of a large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotypes on traits that are not commonly investigated in sheep but that are potentially very useful for improving milk quality.     

Effect of feeding oilseed supplements to dairy cows on ruminal and milk fatty acid composition

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of oilseed‐based supplements, rapeseed and linseed, against a barley‐based control, on the fatty acid composition, and subsequent solid fat ratio, of the milk fat from dairy cows. In addition, as a means of understanding the digestive processes which influence the milk fat composition, ruminal extracts were collected from the cows and analysed for fatty acid composition. Four lactating dairy cows each fitted with a rumen fistula were provided with silage and one of four concentrate diets. The main constituent of the concentrate supplements was either rapeseed (ground or unground), linseed (unground) or a barley control. The diets were offered in accordance with a 4 × 4 Latin square arrangement. The oilseed‐supplemented concentrates provided the cows with 620–640 g fatty acids day^?1. Experimental treatments were provided to the cows for 2 weeks, after which ruminal extracts were collected over a 24 h period and a milk sample was taken. All extracts were analysed for fatty acid composition. The diets fed influenced the long‐chain fatty acid composition of the ruminal extracts and milk fat. The proportion of C18:1n‐9 in the ruminal extracts increased from 202–224 to 282–321 g kg^?1 of the total fatty acids when the cows were provided with the rapeseed‐based diets. The linseed‐based diet increased the C18:1n‐9 proportion of the ruminal extracts from 164 to 218 g kg^?1 of the total fatty acids. Both rapeseed‐based diets also resulted in a higher proportion of C18:0 in the ruminal extract, possibly owing to biohydrogenation of the dietary fatty acids. This proportion of C18:0 in the ruminal extract was lowest immediately after feeding, increasing to a maximum 4–6 h later. Both rapeseed‐based concentrates increased the proportion of C18:1n‐9 in the milk fat to approximately 300 g kg^?1 of the total fatty acids as compared with 214 g kg^?1 for the control. The proportion of C18:1n‐9 in the milk fat from the cows offered the linseed‐based concentrate was 246 g kg^?1 of the total fatty acids. There were also significant decreases in the proportions of C16:0 in the milk fat from the cows offered all oilseed‐based concentrates. There was no difference between the fatty acid compositions of the milk fats from the cows fed the ground or unground rapeseed‐based supplements. The oilseed‐based supplements also resulted in significant decreases in the solid fat content of the milk fat at temperatures ranging from 0 to 35 °C, which would be indicative of a softer, more spreadable butter. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Short communication: Estimates of heritabilities and genetic correlations among milk fatty acid unsaturation indices in Canadian Holsteins

The objectives of the present study were to estimate genetic parameters of milk fatty acid unsaturation indices in Canadian Holsteins. Data were available on milk fatty acid composition of 2,573 Canadian Holstein cows from 46 commercial herds enrolled in the Québec Dairy Production Centre of Expertise, Valacta (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada). Individual fatty acid percentages (g/100 g of total fatty acids) were determined for each milk sample by gas chromatography. The unsaturation indices were calculated as the ratio of an unsaturated fatty acid to the sum of that unsaturated fatty acid and its corresponding substrate fatty acid, multiplied by 100. A mixed linear model was fitted under REML for the statistical analysis of milk fatty acid unsaturation indices. The statistical model included the fixed effects of parity, age at calving, and stage of lactation, each nested within parity, and the random effects of herd-year-season of calving, animal, and residual. Estimates of heritabilities for the C14, C16, C18, conjugated linoleic acid, and total unsaturation indices were 0.48, 0.25, 0.29, 0.14, and 0.19, respectively. Phenotypic and genetic correlation estimates among unsaturation indices were all positive and ranged from 0.20 to 0.65 and 0.23 to 0.81, respectively. The estimates of heritabilities and genetic correlations for milk fatty acid unsaturation indices suggest that genetic variation exists among cows in milk fatty acid unsaturation, and the proportions of desirable unsaturated fatty acids from a human health point of view may be increased in bovine milk through genetic selection.     

Estimation of genetic parameters for cheese-making traits in Spanish Churra sheep

The global production of sheep milk is growing, and the main industrial use of sheep milk is cheese making. The Spanish Churra sheep breed is one of the most important native dairy breeds in Spain. The present study aimed to estimate genetic parameters for a wide range of traits influencing the cheese-making ability of Churra sheep milk. Using a total of 1,049 Churra ewes, we studied the following cheese-making traits: 4 traits related to milk coagulation properties (rennet coagulation time, curd-firming time, and curd firmness at 30 and 60 min after addition of rennet), 2 traits related to cheese yield (individual laboratory cheese yield and individual laboratory dried curd yield), and 3 traits measuring curd firmness over time (maximum curd firmness, time to attain maximum curd firmness, and syneresis). In addition, a list of milk traits, including the native pH of the milk and several milk production and composition traits (milk yield; the fat, protein, and dried extract percentages; and the somatic cell count), were also analyzed for the studied animals. After discarding the noncoagulating samples (only 3.7%), data of 1,010 ewes were analyzed with multiple-trait animal models by using the restricted maximum likelihood method to estimate (co)variance components, heritabilities, and genetic correlations. In general, the heritability estimates were low to moderate, ranging from 0.08 (for the individual laboratory dried curd yield trait) to 0.42 (for the fat percentage trait). High genetic correlations were found within pairs of related traits (i.e., 0.93 between fat and dried extract percentages, ?0.93 between the log of the curd-firming time and curd firmness at 30 min, 0.70 between individual laboratory cheese yield and individual laboratory dried curd yield, and ?0.94 between time to attain maximum curd firmness and syneresis). Considering all the information provided here, we suggest that in addition to the current consideration of the protein percentage trait for improving cheese yield traits, the inclusion of the pH of milk as a measured trait in the Churra dairy breeding program would represent an efficient strategy for improving the cheese-making ability of milk from this breed.     

Genetic parameters for conjugated linoleic acid, selected milk fatty acids, and milk fatty acid unsaturation of Italian Holstein-Friesian cows

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and other selected milk fatty acid (FA) content and for unsaturation ratios in the Italian Holstein Friesian population. Furthermore, the relationship of milk FA with milk fat and protein content was considered. One morning milk sample was collected from 990 Italian Holstein Friesian cows randomly sampled from 54 half-sib families, located in 34 commercial herds in the North-eastern part of Italy. Each sample was analyzed for milk percentages of fat and protein, and for single FA percentages (computed as FA weight as a proportion of total fat weight). Heritabilities were moderate for unsaturated FA, ranging from 0.14 for C16:1 to 0.19 for C14:1. Less than 10% of heritability was estimated for each saturated FA content. Heritability for index of desaturation, monounsaturated FA and CLA/trans-11 18:1 ratio were 0.15, 0.14, and 0.15, respectively. Standard errors of the heritability values ranged from 0.02 to 0.06. Genetic correlations were high and negative between C16:0 and C18:0, as well as between C14:0 and C18:0. Genetic correlations of index of desaturation were high and negative with C14:0 and C16:0 (−0.70 and −0.72, respectively), and close to zero (0.03) with C18:0. The genetic correlation of C16:0 with fat percentage was positive (0.74), implying that selection for fat percentage should result in a correlated increase of C16:0, whereas trans-11 C18:1 and cis-9, trans-11 C18:2 contents decreased with increasing fat percentage (−0.69 and −0.55, respectively). Genetic correlations of fat percentage with 14:1/14 and 16:1/16 ratios were positive, whereas genetic correlations of fat percentage with 18:1/18 and CLA/trans-11 18:1 ratios were negative. These results suggest that it is possible to change the milk FA composition by genetic selection, which offers opportunities to meet consumer demands regarding health aspects of milk and dairy products.     

Genetic parameters of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid content and the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in bovine milk

Fatty acid composition influences the nutritional quality of milk and the technological properties of butter. Using a prediction of fatty acid (FA) contents by mid-infrared (MIR) spectrometry, a large amount of data concerning the FA profile in bovine milk was collected. The large number of records permitted consideration of more complex models than those used in previous studies. The aim of the current study was to estimate the effects of season and stage of lactation as well as genetic parameters of saturated (SAT) and monounsaturated (MONO) fatty acid contents in bovine milk and milk fat, and the ratio of SAT to unsaturated fatty acids (UNSAT) that reflect the hardness of butter (SAT:UNSAT), using 7 multiple-trait, random-regression test-day models. The relationship between these FA traits with common production traits was also studied. The data set contained 100,841 test-day records of 11,626 Holstein primiparous cows. The seasonal effect was studied based on unadjusted means. These results confirmed that milk fat produced during spring and summer had greater UNSAT content compared with winter (63.13 vs. 68.94% of SAT in fat, on average). The effect of stage of lactation on FA profile was studied using the same methodology. Holstein cows in early first lactation produced a lower content of SAT in their milk fat. Variance components were estimated using a Bayesian method via Gibbs sampling. Heritability of SAT in milk (0.42) was greater than heritability of SAT in milk fat (0.24). Estimates of heritability for MONO were also different in milk and fat (0.14 vs. 0.27). Heritability of SAT:UNSAT was moderate (0.27). For all of these traits, the heritability estimates and the genetic and phenotypic correlations varied through the lactation.     

Genetic analysis of predicted fatty acid profiles of milk from Danish Holstein and Danish Jersey cattle populations

The objective of this study was to assess the genetic variability of the detailed fatty acid (FA) profiles of Danish Holstein (DH) and Danish Jersey (DJ) cattle populations. We estimated genetic parameters for 11 FA or groups of FA in milk samples from the Danish milk control system between May 2015 and October 2016. Concentrations of different FA and FA groups in milk samples were measured by mid-infrared spectroscopy. Data used for parameter estimation were from 132,732 first-parity DH cows and 21,966 first-parity DJ cows. We found the highest heritabilities for test day measurements in both populations for short-chain FA (DH = 0.16; DJ = 0.16) and C16:0 (DH = 0.14; DJ = 0.16). In DH, the highest heritabilities were also found for saturated FA and monounsaturated FA (both populations: 0.15). Genetic correlations between the fatty acid traits showed large differences between DH and DJ for especially short-chain FA with the other FA traits measured. Furthermore, genetic correlations of total fat with monounsaturated FA, polyunsaturated FA, short-chain FA, and C16:0 differed markedly between DH and DJ populations. In conclusion, we found genetic variation in the mid-infrared spectroscopy-predicted FA and FA groups of the DH and DJ cattle populations. This finding opens the possibility of using genetic selection to change the FA profiles of dairy cattle.     

Single-step genome-wide association for selected milk fatty acids in Dual-Purpose Belgian Blue cows

The aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters and identify genomic regions associated with selected individual and groups of milk fatty acids (FA) predicted by milk mid-infrared spectrometry in Dual-Purpose Belgian Blue cows. The used data were 69,349 test-day records of milk yield, fat percentage, and protein percentage along with selected individual and groups FA of milk (g/dL milk) collected from 2007 to 2020 on 7,392 first-parity (40,903 test-day records), and 5,185 second-parity (28,446 test-day records) cows distributed in 104 herds in the Walloon Region of Belgium. Data of 28,466 SNPs, located on 29 Bos taurus autosomes (BTA), of 1,699 animals (639 males and 1,060 females) were used. Random regression test-day models were used to estimate genetic parameters through the Bayesian Gibbs sampling method. The SNP solutions were estimated using a single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction approach. The proportion of genetic variance explained by each 25-SNP sliding window (with an average size of ~2 Mb) was calculated, and regions accounting for at least 1.0% of the total additive genetic variance were used to search for candidate genes. Average daily heritability estimated for the included milk FA traits ranged from 0.01 (C4:0) to 0.48 (C12:0) and 0.01 (C4:0) to 0.42 (C12:0) in the first and second parities, respectively. Genetic correlations found between milk yield and the studied individual milk FA, except for C18:0, C18:1 trans, C18:1 cis-9, were positive. The results showed that fat percentage and protein percentage were positively genetically correlated with all studied individual milk FA. Genome-wide association analyses identified 11 genomic regions distributed over 8 chromosomes [BTA1, BTA4, BTA10, BTA14 (4 regions), BTA19, BTA22, BTA24, and BTA26] associated with the studied FA traits, though those found on BTA14 partly overlapped. The genomic regions identified differed between parities and lactation stages. Although these differences in genomic regions detected may be due to the power of quantitative trait locus detection, it also suggests that candidate genes underlie the phenotypic expression of the studied traits may vary between parities and lactation stages. These findings increase our understanding about the genetic background of milk FA and can be used for the future implementation of genomic evaluation to improve milk FA profile in Dual-Purpose Belgian Blue cows.     

人初乳脂肪酸组成及sn-2位脂肪酸分布的研究

选择广州市健康产妇20例,用超声法快速萃取乳中脂肪,采用DM-FFAP毛细管柱气相色谱对人初乳脂中总脂肪酸组成及sn-2位脂肪酸进行了测定,并采用SPSS13.0软件对测定数据进行统计分析。结果表明:总脂肪酸组成中饱和脂肪酸(主要为棕榈酸)含量低,为36.47%,不饱和脂肪酸含量高(主要为油酸和亚油酸),为63.9%;sn-2位脂肪酸组成中饱和脂肪酸含量为61.48%,不饱和脂肪酸含量为37.95%;棕榈酸多分布在sn-2位(72.08%),油酸和亚油酸多分布在sn-1,3位。初乳中脂肪酸的组成和分布具有独特的特点,对婴儿生长发育具有非常重要意义,本文对开发人乳脂替代品具有理论指导意义。     

Technical note: Estimation of milk fatty acid yield from milk fat data

Most publications reporting milk fatty acid (FA) yields estimate these yields from milk fat yields and a coefficient estimating the proportion of FA in milk fat. The most widely used coefficient is, in fact, the proportion of fatty acyl radicals (i.e., FA from which the OH group has been removed) in milk triglycerides, equivalent to a mean proportion of 88% FA in milk fat. From a metabolic point of view, because the digestive flows and mammary FA uptake consist of nonesterified FA, it is more logical to estimate the FA proportion rather than the fatty acyl proportion in milk fat. From 588 milk FA profiles, we estimated a mean proportion of 94.4% FA in milk triglycerides. Moreover, when the other milk lipid classes (phospholipids, diglycerides, etc.) were taken into account, the proportion of FA in milk total lipids was estimated at 93.3%, almost independently of the milk FA profile. The use of this coefficient to estimate the secretion of milk FA on the basis of milk fat yield data is more physiologically relevant for milk FA secretion studies.     

GC-MS测定人乳及动物乳中支链脂肪酸组成

支链脂肪酸（BCFA）是乳中微量但对婴幼儿的生长发育具有重要意义的生物活性成分。利用GC-MS对人乳和4种动物乳（牛乳、羊乳、牦牛乳、骆驼乳）中BCFA种类及含量进行测定。结果表明：5种乳中共有64种脂肪酸,其中含15种BCFA,17种饱和脂肪酸（SFA）,18种单不饱和脂肪酸（MUFA）和14种多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）;BCFA含量呈现出很大的物种间差异,动物乳中的支链脂肪酸含量显著高于人乳（p<0.001）,牛乳、牦牛乳、羊乳、骆驼乳和人乳中BCFA多为异构（iso）和反异构（anteiso）BCFA,含量分别为2.82%、4.90%、3.35%、8.00%和0.28%;人乳中BCFA受孕龄影响显著（p<0.01）,足月儿乳母的母乳中含有丰富的BCFA。     

Milk and cheese fatty acid composition in sheep fed Mediterranean forages with reference to conjugated linoleic acid cis-9,trans-11

Two experiments were undertaken to evaluate the effect on milk and cheese fatty acid composition of feeding different fresh forages to dairy sheep both in winter (experiment 1, growing stage of the forages, early lactating ewes) and in spring (experiment 2, reproduction stage of the forages, midlactating ewes). Four forage species were compared: annual ryegrass (RY, Lolium rigidum Gaudin), sulla (SU, Hedysarum coronarium L.), burr medic (BM, Medicago polymorpha L.), and a daisy forb (CH, Chrysanthemum coronarium L.). The forages were cut twice daily and offered ad libitum to 4 replicate groups of Sarda dairy sheep (groups RY, SU, BM, and CH). The CH forage was particularly rich in linoleic acid in both periods, whereas BM and SU forages were rich in linolenic acid in winter and spring, respectively. Milk fatty acid composition was affected by the forage in both experiments. Milk conjugated linoleic acid and vaccenic acid contents were higher in CH and BM groups (winter) and CH group (spring) than in the other groups. No differences were observed when comparing fatty acid profile between milk, 1-d-old cheeses, and 60-d-old cheeses within experimental groups, suggesting that the fatty acid recovery rates during cheese making and ripening were not affected by the feeding regimens. After stepwise discriminant analyses of the pooled data, the milks and cheeses sourced in the different feeding regimens differed among them. Based on these results, we conclude that it is possible to manipulate the fatty acid profile of sheep dairy produce to maximize the content of beneficial fatty acids by the use of appropriate fresh forage-based regimens.     

Milk fatty acid composition of grazing dairy cows when supplemented with linseed oil

The effects of varying amounts of linseed oil (LSO) in grazing dairy cows’ diet on milk conjugated linoleic acid (cis-9, trans-11 CLA) were investigated in this study. Twelve Holstein cows in midlactation (150 ± 19 DIM) were placed on alfalfa-based pasture and assigned to 4 treatments using a 4 × 4 Latin square design with 3-wk periods. Treatments were: 1) control grain supplement; 2) control grain supplement containing 170 g of LSO (LSO1); 3) control grain supplement containing 340 g of LSO (LSO2); and 4) control grain supplement containing 510 g of LSO (LSO3). Grain supplements were offered at 7 kg/d. Additional 100 g/d of algae, divided evenly between the 2 feeding times, were added to every treatment diet. Milk samples were collected during the last 3 d of each period and analyzed for chemical and fatty acid composition. Treatments had no effect on milk production (18.9, 18.5, 19.6, and 19.1 kg/d for treatments 1 to 4, respectively). Linseed oil supplementation caused a quadratic increase in milk fat (3.23, 3.44, 3.35, and 3.27% for treatments 1 to 4, respectively) and protein (3.03, 3.19, 3.12, and 3.08%) contents. Concentrations (g/100 g of fatty acids) of milk cis-9, trans-11 CLA (1.12, 1.18, 1.39, and 1.65 for treatments 1 to 4, respectively) and VA (3.39, 3.62, 4.25, and 4.89) linearly increased with LSO supplementations. Results from this trial suggest that the increase in milk cis-9, trans-11 CLA was proportional to the amounts of LSO fed. In conclusion, adding LSO to grazing dairy cow diets can improve the nutritional value of milk without compromising milk composition or cow performance.