Dc. Donovan et al., Influence of dietary fish oil on conjugated linoleic acid and other fatty acids in milk fat from lactating dairy cows, J DAIRY SCI, 83(11), 2000, pp. 2620-2628
Lactating cows were fed menhaden fish oil to elevate concentrations of conj
ugated linoleic acid, transvaccenic acid, and n-3 fatty acids in milk. Twel
ve multiparous Holstein cows at 48 +/- 11 DIM were assigned randomly to a r
eplicated 4 x 4 Latin square. Each treatment period was 35 d in length, wit
h data collected d 15 to 35 of each period. On a dry matter (DM) basis, die
ts contained 25% corn silage, 25% alfalfa hay, and 50% of the respective co
ncentrate mix. Fish oil was supplemented at 0, 1, 2, and 3% of ration DM. L
inear decreases were observed for DM intake (28.8, 28.5, 23.4, and 20.4 kg/
d) and milk fat (2.99, 2.79, 2.37, and 2.30%) for 0 to 3% dietary fish oil,
respectively. Milk yield (31.7, 34.2, 32.3, and 27.4 kg/d) increased as di
etary fish oil increased from 0 to 1% but decreased linearly from 1 to 3% d
ietary fish oil. Milk protein percentages (3.17, 3.19, 3.21, and 3.17) were
similar for all treatments. When the 2% fish oil diet was fed, concentrati
ons of conjugated linoleic acid and transvaccenic acid in milk fat increase
d to 356% (to 2.2 g/ 100 g of total fatty acids) and 502% (to 6.1 g/100 g),
respectively, of amounts when 0% fish oil was fed. There were no additiona
l increases in these fatty acids when cows were fed 3% fish oil. The n-3 fa
tty acids increased from a trace to over 1 g/100 g of milk fatty acids, whe
n the 3% fish oil diet was fed. Fish oil supplementation to diets of dairy
cows increased the conjugated linoleic acid, transvaccenic acid, and n-3 fa
tty acids in milk.