Effect of Various Dietary Lipids on the Blood Plasma Lipids of Dairy Calves1,2

Abstract

Summary Fifteen newborn calves were divided into five comparable groups and were allowed colostrum for 3 days. Subsequently, whole milk was fed for 2 weeks. During the following 4-week period one group continued to receive whole milk, whereas the other groups were fed reconstituted milks containing butteroil, crude soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, and lard, respectively. Weekly determinations of blood plasma lipids revealed major dietary effects. The values for total lipids, free cholesterol, ester cholesterol, ester fatty acids, and Allen fat were highest for the groups fed whole milk and crude soybean oil, lowest for the group fed hydrogenated soybean oil, and intermediate for the groups fed butteroil and lard. Trends in phospholipid values, although somewhat more variable, in general corresponded to those for total lipids. Changes in neutral fats and free fatty acids were not so marked. The relative proportions of the plasma lipid fractions observed were not altered markedly by the various dietaries. None of these plasma lipid components appeared to be closely related to dietary suitability of the various lipids employed in this study.