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Review
. 2018 Jul 4;23(7):1636.
doi: 10.3390/molecules23071636.

Role of Fatty Acids in Milk Fat and the Influence of Selected Factors on Their Variability-A Review

Oto Hanuš  1 , Eva Samková  2 , Ludmila Křížová  3 , Lucie Hasoňová  4 , Robert Kala  5
Affiliations
Review

Role of Fatty Acids in Milk Fat and the Influence of Selected Factors on Their Variability-A Review

Oto Hanuš et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Fatty acids (FAs) of milk fat are considered to be important nutritional components of the diets of a significant portion of the human population and substantially affect human health. With regard to dairy farming, the FA profile is also seen as an important factor in the technological quality of raw milk. In this sense, making targeted modifications to the FA profile has the potential to significantly contribute to the production of dairy products with higher added value. Thus, FAs also have economic importance. Current developments in analytical methods and their increasing efficiency enable the study of FA profiles not only for scientific purposes but also in terms of practical technological applications. It is important to study the sources of variability of FAs in milk, which include population genetics, type of farming, and targeted animal nutrition. It is equally important to study the health and technological impacts of FAs. This review summarizes current knowledge in the field regarding sources of FA variability, including the impact of factors such as: animal nutrition, seasonal feed changes, type of animal farming (conventional and organic), genetic parameters (influence of breed), animal individuality, lactation, and milk yield. Potential practical applications (to improve food technology and consumer health) of FA profile information are also reviewed.

Keywords: breed; dairy cow; energy status; feeding; genetic polymorphism; lactation; milk fatty acid profile; nutrition; organic system; season.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagram of the sources of variability in the fatty acid profile of milk.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proportions of palmitic and oleic acids (g∙100 g−1 of fatty acids) depending on lactation stage. References: A = [100], B = [101], C = [102], D = [103].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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