Diet, rumen biohydrogenation and nutritional quality of cow and goat milk fat

Abstract The potential to modify the milk fatty acid (FA) composition by changing the cow or goat diets is reviewed. Ruminal biohydrogenation (RBH), combined with mammary lipogenic and Δ‐9 desaturation pathways, considerably modifies the profile of dietary FA and thus milk composition. The pasture has major effects by decreasing saturated FA and increasing FA considered as favorable for human health ( c 9‐18:1, 18:3 n ‐3 and c 9 t 11‐CLA), compared to winter diets, especially those based on maize silage and concentrates. Plant lipid supplements have effects similar to pasture, especially linseed, but they increase to a larger extent, simultaneously several trans isomers of 18:1 and, conjugated or…