Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T03:26:39.904Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Fatty acid content, vitamins and selenium in bulk tank milk from organic and conventional Swedish dairy herds during the indoor season

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2011

Nils Fall  and
Ulf Emanuelson
Nils Fall*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7054, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
Ulf Emanuelson
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7054, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
*
*For correspondence; e-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Fatty acids, vitamins and minerals in milk are important for the human consumer, the calf and the cow. Studies indicate that milk from organic and conventional dairy herds may differ in these aspects. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate whether there are differences in the fatty acid composition and concentration of vitamins and selenium in milk between organic and conventional herds in Sweden. Bulk tank milk was sampled in 18 organic and 19 conventional dairy herds on three occasions during the indoor season 2005–2006. Herd characteristics were collected by questionnaires and from the official milk recording scheme. Multivariable linear mixed models were used to evaluate the associations between milk composition and type of herd, while adjusting for potential confounders and the repeated observations within herd. In addition to management type, variables included in the initial models were housing type, milk fat content, herd size, average milk yield and time on pasture during summer. The median concentration of conjugated linoleic fatty acids (CLA) was 0·63% in organic compared with 0·48% in conventional herds, the content of total n-3 fatty acids was 1·44% and 1·04% in organic and conventional milk, respectively, and the content of total n-6 fatty acids was 2·72% and 2·20% in organic and conventional milk, respectively. The multivariable regression models indicated significantly higher concentrations of CLA, total n-3 and n-6 fatty acids in organic milk and a more desirable ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids, for the human consumer, in organic milk. The multivariable models did not demonstrate any differences in retinol, α-tocopherol, β-carotene or selenium concentrations between systems. Median concentrations of α-tocopherol were 0·80 μg/ml in organic and 0·88 μg/ml in conventional milk, while for β-carotene the median concentrations were 0·19 and 0·18 μg/ml, respectively; for retinol, the median concentration was 0·32 μg/ml in both groups; the median concentrations of selenium were 13·0 and 13·5 μg/kg, respectively, for organic and conventional systems.

Keywords

Milk compositionorganic milkSwedenindoor period
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 78 , Issue 3 , August 2011 , pp. 287 - 292
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bergamo, P, Fedele, E, Iannibelli, L & Marzillo, G 2003 Fat-soluble vitamin contents and fatty acid composition in organic and conventional Italian dairy products. Food Chemistry 82 625–631CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bloksma, J, Adriaansen-Tennekes, R, Huber, M, van der Vijver, LPL, Baars, T & de Wit, J 2008 Comparison of organic and conventional raw milk quality in the Netherlands. Biological Agriculture & Horticulture 26 69–83Google Scholar
Butler, G, Nielsen, JH, Slots, T, Seal, C, Eyre, MD, Sanderson, R & Leifert, C 2008 Fatty acid and fat-soluble antioxidant concentrations in milk from high- and low-input conventional and organic systems: seasonal variation. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 88 1431–1441CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charmley, E, Nicholson, JWG & Zee, JA 1993 Effect of supplemental vitamin E and selenium in the diet on vitamin E and selenium levels and control of oxidized flavor in milk from Holstein cows. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 73 453–457CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chilliard, Y, Ferlay, A & Doreau, M 2001 Effect of different types of forages, animal fat or marine oils in cow's diet on milk fat secretion and composition, especially conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Livestock Production Science 70 31–48CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collomb, M, Bisig, W, Bütikofer, U, Sieber, R, Bregy, M & Etter, L 2008 Fatty acid composition of mountain milk from Switzerland: Comparison of organic and integrated farming systems. International Dairy Journal 18 976–982Google Scholar
Collomb, M, Schmid, A, Sieber, R, Wechsler, D & Ryhänen, E-L 2006 Conjugated linoleic acids in milk fat: Variation and physiological effects. International Dairy Journal 16 1347–1361Google Scholar
EEC 2007 Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91. LuxembourgGoogle Scholar
Ekologiska Lantbrukarna 2008 Växande Marknad 2008: Försäljning, volymer, & trender för ekologisk mat. StockholmGoogle Scholar
Ellis, KA, Innocent, G, Grove-White, D, Cripps, P, McLean, WG, Howard, CV & Mihm, M 2006 Comparing the fatty acid composition of organic and conventional milk. Journal of Dairy Science 89 1938–1950Google Scholar
Ellis, KA, Innocent, G, Grove-White, D, Cripps, P, McLean, WG, Howard, CV & Mihm, M 2007 Investigation of the vitamins A and E and beta-carotene content in milk from UK organic and conventional dairy farms. Journal of Dairy Research 74 484–491Google Scholar
Fall, N, Grohn, YT, Forslund, K, Essen-Gustafsson, B, Niskanen, R & Emanuelson, U 2008 An observational study on early-lactation metabolic profiles in Swedish organically and conventionally managed dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 91 3983–3992CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Galgan, V & Frank, A 1988 Automated system for determination of selenium in biological materials In: Trace Element Analytical Chemistry in Medicine and Biology (Eds Brätter, P & Schramel, P). Berlin & New York: Walter de Gruyter & Co.Google Scholar
Galgan, V & Frank, A 1993 Notes and comments on the determination of selenium in biological materials. Norwegian journal of Agricultural Science, Supplement, 11 57–74Google Scholar
Haug, A, Hostmark, AT & Harstad, OM 2007 Bovine milk in human nutrition—a review. Lipids in Health and Disease 6 25–40Google Scholar
IFOAM 2010 The Principles of Organic Agriculture [Online]. Available: http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/principles/index.html [Accessed 2010-08-12]Google Scholar
Jahreis, G, Fritsche, J & Steinhart, H 1997 Conjugated linoleic acid in milk fat: High variation depending on production system. Nutrition Research 17 1479–1484CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jensen, SK 1994 Retinol determination in milk by HPLC and fluorescence detection. Journal of Dairy Research 61 233–240CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jensen, SK & Nielsen, KN 1996 Tocopherols, retinol, β-carotene and fatty acids in fat globule membrane and fat globule core in cows’ milk. Journal of Dairy Research 63 565–574Google Scholar
Lavrenčič, A, Levart, A & Salobir, J 2007 Fatty acid composition of milk produced in organic and conventional dairy herds in Italy and Slovenia. Italian journal of Animal Science 6 437–439Google Scholar
Nicholson, JWG & St-Laurent, AM 1991 Effect of forage type and supplemental dietary vitamin E on milk oxidative stability. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 71 1181–1186CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nielsen, JH, Lund-Nielsen, T & Skibsted, L 2004 Date accessed: 2010-06-09 Higher antioxidant content in organic milk than in conventional milk due to feeding strategy. Available from: http://www.darcof.dk/enews/sep04/milk.htmlGoogle Scholar
Noziere, P, Grolier, P, Durand, D, Ferlay, A, Pradel, P & Martin, B 2006 Variations in carotenoids, fat-soluble micronutrients, and color in cows’ plasma and milk following changes in forage and feeding level. Journal of Dairy Science 89 2634–2648CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Palmquist, DL, Beaulieu, AD & Barbano, DM 1993 Feed and animal factors influencing milk fat composition. Journal of Dairy Science 76 1753–1771CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rist, L, Mueller, A, Barthel, C, Snijders, B, Jansen, M, Simões-Wüst, AP, Huber, M, Kummeling, I, Von Mandach, U, Steinhart, H & Thijs, C 2007 Influence of organic diet on the amount of conjugated linoleic acids in breast milk of lactating women in the Netherlands. British Journal of Nutrition 97 735–743CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SAS Institute 2004 SAS Institute. version 9.1.3 Ed.: SAS Institute Inc., Cary NC, USAGoogle Scholar
Schrauzer, GN & Surai, PF 2009 Selenium in human and animal nutrition: Resolved and unresolved issues. A partly historical treatise in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of the biological essentiality of selenium, dedicated to the memory of Klaus Schwarz (1914–1978) on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of his death. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology 29 2–9Google Scholar
Simopoulos, AP 2002 The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids. Biomedecine and Pharmacotherapy 56 365–379CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Simopoulos, AP 2008 The importance of the omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio in cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. Experimental Biology and Medicine 233 674–688Google Scholar
Slots, T, Butler, G, Leifert, C, Kristensen, T, Skibsted, LH & Nielsen, JH 2009 Potentials to differentiate milk composition by different feeding strategies. Journal of Dairy Science 92 2057–2066CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Toledo, P & Andrén, A 2003 Content of beta-carotene in organic milk. Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment 1 122–125Google Scholar
Toledo, P, Andrén, A & Björck, L 2002 Composition of raw milk from sustainable production systems. International Dairy Journal 12 75–80CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Voorrips, LE, Brants, HA, Kardinaal, AF, Hiddink, GJ, van den Brandt, PA & Goldbohm, RA 2002 Intake of conjugated linoleic acid, fat, and other fatty acids in relation to postmenopausal breast cancer: the Netherlands cohort study on diet and cancer. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 76 873–882CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed