Comparison of Fatty Acid Composition of Milk from Simmental and Polish Holstein-Friesian Cows in Different Production Seasons

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the fatty acid (FA) profile of Simmental cow milk in relation to lipid intake in feeds and their composition, and to compare it with FA composition of milk from cows of Polish Holstein-Friesian (PHF) breed. To this end, 104 milk samples were collected from Simmental cows and 52 milk samples derived from PHF breed were taken over a 2-year period. The season significantly influenced both contents of lipid, dry matter and crude protein as well as FA content in lipids extracted from forages. Winter and autumn seasons were characterized by a significantly higher intake of lipids with forages resulting from the intake of fresh silages, compared with the other seasons when the animals were fed stored silages. This was reflected in the highest content of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) c-9 t-11 C18:2 in milk from the autumn season. Compared with PHF, milk from Simmentals had a higher content of short-chain saturated FAs (SCSFAs) and was characterized by great differences in FA contents determined in the group of odd- and branched-chain FAs (OBCFAs). Milk from Simmental cows had the butyric acid C4:0 and iso C15:0 content of 4.99 and 1.20 g/100 g FA on average, respectively, which have been associated with benefits for human health.