Abstract
Abstract. Studies regarding the composition of milk fat are mostly conducted on dairy breeds. The aim of our studies was to evaluate the fatty acid, cholesterol and phospholipid amount in the milk of two non-dairy sheep breeds. The study was conducted on 60 ewes (Żelaźnieńska strain of Polish Lowland sheep – 30 ewes; Wrzosówka breed – 30 ewes) from one flock which were kept under the same conditions and maintenance. There were no differences in the amount of the basic components of milk in these two breeds. In the lipid fraction of Wrzosówka sheep (a more primitive breed), higher amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (P ≤ 0.05), a higher amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) n-3 (P ≤ 0.01) and a lower ratio of n-6 / n-3 (P ≤ 0.01) were recorded compared to Żelaźnieńska sheep. The milk of Żelaźnieńska sheep had a higher amount of cholesterol (P ≤ 0.05). There were no differences in concentrations of phospholipids. With regard to the two non-dairy sheep breeds, a higher amount of PUFAs n-3 and a more favorable ratio of n-6 / n-3 was observed in the milk of the more primitive breed (i.e., Wrzosówka sheep).
Highlights
For several millions of people around the world, milk is an essential dietary component
This might be due to the fact that milk fat contains many functional components besides SFAs, including unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) such linoleic acid (LA), αlinolenic acid, arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers, phospholipids and some sterols including cholesterol (Park et al, 2007)
Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) like EPA and DHA are important in the diet of infants, where they are responsible for the proper development of the nervous system and the retina (Parodi, 2004)
Summary
For several millions of people around the world, milk is an essential dietary component It contains numerous nutrients, and many of these possess health-promoting properties. Most of the studies have shown no relationship between the consumption of milk fat and the risk of CVD (Huth and Park, 2012) This might be due to the fact that milk fat contains many functional components besides SFAs, including unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) such linoleic acid (LA), αlinolenic acid (αLNA), arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers, phospholipids and some sterols including cholesterol (Park et al, 2007). Polyunsaturated fatty acids like LA (PUFAs n-6) and αLNA (PUFAs n-3) are recognized as essential fatty acids in the human diet. Long-chain PUFAs like EPA and DHA are important in the diet of infants, where they are responsible for the proper development of the nervous system and the retina (Parodi, 2004)
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