Short communication: Fatty acid profile of yak milk from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in different seasons and for different parities

• Published in: Journal of dairy science Vol. 94; no. 4; pp. 1724 - 1731
• Main Authors: Liu, H.N., Ren, F.Z., Jiang, L., Ma, Z.L., Qiao, H.J., Zeng, S.S., Gan, B.Z., Guo, H.Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.04.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal productions; Biological and medical sciences; cold; fatty acid; fatty acid composition; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gas chromatography; grazing; milk; Milk and cheese industries. Ice creams; milk fat; milk production; parity; polyunsaturated fatty acids; season; summer; Terrestrial animal productions; Vertebrates; winter; yak milk; yaks; China; fatty acid; season; parity; yak milk; Dairy industry; Lipids; Yak milk; Season; Fatty acids; Parity
• ISSN: 0022-0302; 1525-3198
• DOI: 10.3168/jds.2010-3749

Yaks are the most important grazing livestock for milk production on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau because these animals are adapted to the high elevations and extremes of cold and can graze throughout the year. In the present study, 30 yaks were selected and the fatty acid (FA) profile of yak milk at different seasons and parities was investigated using gas chromatography. The concentrations of cis-9 C18:1, cis-11 C18:1, cis-9,trans-11 C18:2, and C18:3 n-3 in yak milk were higher in summer (25.26, 1.50, 1.46, and 0.33g/100g of total FA, respectively) than in winter (22.17, 0.77, 1.27, and 0.28g/100g of total FA, respectively). The contents of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated FA in milk fat of multiparous (parities 2 to 5) yaks (31.61 and 4.20g/100g of total FA, respectively) were higher than those in primiparous yaks (29.61 and 3.80g/100g of total FA, respectively). These results suggest (1) that the potential exists to improve the FA composition of yak milk by developing local supplement resources during the winter and (2) that multiparous yaks have a more favorable FA profile than primiparous yaks.