Authors : M.B. Chamberlain, B.C. Veltri, S.J. Taylor, J.W. Pareas, R. Jimenez-Flores, S.O. Juchem and E.J. De Peters
Abstract: The aim was to determine the impact of feeding either low or high palmitic acid supplemental fat to lactating Holstein cows on milk yield and composition, as well as changes in thermal properties of the milk fat. This study used a new dietary lipid supplement, Energizer-RP10® (IFFCO, Johor, Malaysia) which was commercially available and a source of unesterified fatty acids. There are numerous studies in the published literature reporting the impact of dietary lipids high in palmitic acid on animal performance but few reports determined the impact on the thermal properties of the milk fat produced. Cows fed the HP diet showed higher fat content and produced more fat-corrected milk. Concentration of palmitic acid in milk was higher for high palmitic than low palmitic. Textural analysis of butter showed that anhydrous milk fat from high palmitic was harder at both ambient and 10°C temperatures compared with low palmitic. Temperatures at onset to melting and peak of melting of butter from high palmitic were higher than low palmitic. Feeding a high palmitic acid supplement to lactating cows changed the FA composition of milk lipids and modified their functional property that was illustrated by a harder butter. The implications are that feeding lipid supplements high in palmitic acid could impact the physicochemical properties of dairy products, butter in particular but also, potentially other dairy products that contain milk fat.
M.B. Chamberlain, B.C. Veltri, S.J. Taylor, J.W. Pareas, R. Jimenez-Flores, S.O. Juchem and E.J. De Peters, 2014. Feeding Lactating Holstein Cows a Lipid Source High in Palmitic Acid Changes the Fatty Acid Composition and Thermal Properties of Lipids in Milk and Butter. Research Journal of Dairy Sciences, 8: 1-12.