Breed differences in sheep milk fatty acid profiles: Opportunities for sustainable use of animal genetic resources

Abstract

Milk fatty acid profile of dairy sheep could be a clue for the sustainable use of local, endangered sheep breeds. We have determined milk quality parameters and fatty acid profiles in milk of three Italian breeds, Altamurana, Gentile di Puglia and Sarda. We found significant differences ( P < 0.05) between breeds in C4:0; C6:0; C12:0; C14:0; C16:0; C18:0. The Altamurana breed showed a higher content of caproic (C6:0), lauric (C12:0), myristic (C14:0) and palmitic (C16:0) than the Sarda. Compared to Gentile di Puglia, Altamurana milk had a higher content of butyric (C4:0), myristic (C14:0) and palmitic (C16:0). Butyric (C4:0) and stearic (C18:0) were highest in the Sarda breed. The Gentile di Puglia breed showed the lowest content of saturated fatty acids. No differences between breeds were evident for CLA and poly-unsaturated FAs (PUFAs), while MUFAs were lowest in the Altamurana. We found that milk yield and fat content affected significantly milk fatty acid profiles ( P < 0.05); when milk yield increased, myristic fatty acid (FA) and total saturated FA were decreased, while PUFA were increased. Short- and medium-chain FA and CLA were negatively affected by fat percent, while stearic acid was positively affected. The differences between breeds in milk fatty acid profiles, according to the reviewed literature on cheese characteristics, are likely to affect cheese quality and could be an indicator of typicity to launch specific types of cheese, to sustain the local, endangered Altamurana and Gentile di Puglia breeds.