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Milk fatty acids in relation to feeding practices on Dutch organic farms

de Wit, Jan; Wagenaar, Jan Paul; de Vries, Anneke and Baars, Ton (2006) Milk fatty acids in relation to feeding practices on Dutch organic farms. Paper at: Joint Organic Congress, Odense, Denmark, May 30-31, 2006.

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Summary

Various recent studies have indicated positive interactions between organic animal production and poly-unsaturated fatty acids, particularly CLA and omega-3. In this paper, we present the monitoring results of 15 organic farms concerning the rela-tionship between feeding practices and fatty acid pattern. The results indicate a strong negative effect of maize and grass silage and concentrate feeding on CLA levels in milk fat. On the other hand, feeding fresh grass has a positive effect. Omega-3 levels in milk fat seem less related to feed characteristics: similar relations to those with CLA seem to exist, but feed composition explains the variation in omega-3 levels only to a limited extent, while there is a large farm influence. This might be related to the energy balance of the cows. A comparison of measured CLA and omega-3 levels in organic milk with common levels in conventional milk shows a small difference during the stable period. Effects of adding oil - as a possibility to improve the level of CLA and omega-3 in a way that is organically acceptable - are explored, but effects remain small.


EPrint Type:Conference paper, poster, etc.
Type of presentation:Paper
Subjects: Food systems > Food security, food quality and human health
Animal husbandry > Production systems > Dairy cattle
Research affiliation: International Conferences > 2006: Joint Organic Congress > Theme 9: Organic animal products: quality and safety
Netherlands > Louis Bolk Institute
Deposited By: de Wit, Ir. Jan
ID Code:7320
Deposited On:10 May 2006
Last Modified:12 Apr 2010 07:32
Document Language:English
Status:Published
Refereed:Not peer-reviewed

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