Fatty acid composition of raw caprine milk of a native Greek breed during lactation

The fatty acid (FA) and free fatty acid (FFA) profiles of caprine milk from a native Greek breed were investigated during a period of 6 months (January–June). The most abundant FAs were palmitic, oleic, stearic and capric. The short- and medium-chain FAs represented 17.5 and 14.5% of total FA, respectively, while long-chain FAs accounted for the rest (68.0%). From January to April, the major FFAs were acetic, palmitic, stearic and caproic, but afterwards, acetic and propionic were the principal FFAs, followed by stearic, palmitic, oleic and capric.