September 2, 2009
Slight changes in cow diet produce healthier milk
Norwegian dairy and feed experts have succeeded in changing the fatty acid composition of milk by making small changes in cow diets.
The study was conducted by Norwegian dairy cooperative Tine, which processes 90 percent of all Norwegian milk, while the research was conducted by the University of Life Sciences.
Tests on 43 dairy farms showed that the fatty acid composition of the milk changes. There is less saturated palmitic acid in milk, which is replaced by unsaturated fatty acids.
About one quarter of all fat in regular milk is composed of palmitic acid. It is assumed that unsaturated fats are healthier for humans than saturated fatty acids.
One of the preconditions for the research was that the altered feed composition should not lead to higher food prices. Much grain is processed in Norwegian animal feed as that is mandatory.
Change of fat composition by variation in feed is also applied in the Netherlands. Adaptation of the ration needs close monitoring, because over-feeding the cow with unsaturated fatty acids may have undesirable side effects, such as a decrease of fat content in the milk.
The researchers did not reveal how the ration was changed.
