Diet Supplementation with Fish Oil and Sunflower Oil to Increase Conjugated Linoleic Acid Levels in Milk Fat of Partially Grazing Dairy Cows

• Published in: Journal of dairy science 2007-06, Vol.90 (6), p.2897-2904
• Main Authors: AbuGhazaleh, A.A., Holmes, L.D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Feed; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Animal productions; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle - metabolism; Cattle - physiology; conjugated linoleic acid; Dietary Fats - administration & dosage; Dietary Fats - metabolism; Dietary Supplements; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; fish oil; Fish Oils - administration & dosage; Fish Oils - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; grazing; Lactation - metabolism; Linoleic Acids, Conjugated - analysis; Linoleic Acids, Conjugated - metabolism; Milk - chemistry; Oleic Acids - administration & dosage; Oleic Acids - metabolism; Plant Oils - administration & dosage; Plant Oils - metabolism; Random Allocation; Sunflower Oil; Terrestrial animal productions; Time Factors; Vertebrates; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems
• ISSN: 0022-0302; 1525-3198
• DOI: 10.3168/jds.2006-684

The objective of this study was to determine the long-term effect on milk conjugated linoleic acid (cis-9, trans-11 CLA) of adding fish oil (FO) and sunflower oil (SFO) to the diets of partially grazing dairy cows. Fourteen Holstein cows were divided into 2 groups (7 cows/treatment) and fed either a control or oil-supplemented diet for 8 wk while partially grazing pasture. Cows in group 1 were fed a grain mix diet (8.0kg/d, DM basis) containing 400g of saturated animal fat (control). Cows in the second group were fed the same grain mix diet except the saturated animal fat was replaced with 100g of FO and 300g of SFO. Cows were milked twice a day and milk samples were collected weekly throughout the trial. Both groups grazed together on alfalfa-based pasture ad libitum and were fed their treatment diets after the morning and afternoon milking. Milk production (30.0 and 31.2kg/d), milk fat percentages (3.64 and 3.50), milk fat yield (1.08 and 1.09kg/d), milk protein percentages (2.97 and 2.88), and milk protein yield (0.99 and 0.91kg/d) for diets 1 and 2, respectively, were not affected by the treatment diets. The concentrations of cis-9, trans-11 CLA (1.64 vs. 0.84g/100g of fatty acids) and vaccenic acid (5.11 vs. 2.20g/100g of fatty acids) in milk fat were higher for cows fed the oil-supplemented diet over the 8 wk of oil supplementation. The concentration of cis-9, trans-11 CLA in milk fat reached a maximum (1.0 and 1.64g/100g of fatty acids for diets 1 and 2, respectively) in wk 1 for both diets and remained relatively constant thereafter. The concentration of vaccenic acid in milk fat followed the same temporal pattern as cis-9, trans-11 CLA. In conclusion, supplementing the diet of partially grazing cows with FO and SFO increased the milk cis-9, trans-11 CLA content, and that increase remained relatively constant after 1 wk of oil supplementation.