Background:
The livestock sector continues to play an important role in the livelihood of farmers and also food security by providing various food items. Milk and milk products are integral components of the human diet; however, recent awareness about hypercholesterolemia and saturated fats leads to the minimized use of animal-origin foods. Based on the results from the field survey, we have identified that the low milk fat content in the milk was a major issue. About 41.6% of the animals had milk fat depression. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are linked to beneficial health outcomes. Omega fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function, growth, and development. Cows cannot produce omega-3 fatty acids and are mostly obtained from the diet. Cow milk is high in saturated fatty acids because microbes degrade the feed in the rumen and convert unsaturated fatty acids into saturated by biohydrogenation. Milk is also a good source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is known for cancer-fighting and anti-atherogenic properties. Hence, the redesigning of the milk fat towards greater human health benefits is desirable for value-added milk that will be beneficial to consumers as well as fetch more price for the farmer.:
Technology Details:
To improve the overall fat content of cow milk and quality, the ICAR- NIANP has recently developed a product ‘OmeB’, which is formulated using phtyo-sources adequately available in the country. The product is under patent. The product can be fed daily to the dairy cattle in two equal dosages by mixing along with the concentrate ingredients just before the morning and evening milking. The product was evaluated in field conditions at the commercial dairy farms in Bengaluru. Analysis of the milk samples before and after the feeding of the Phyto-supplement OmeB revealed significant changes in the milk quality. The saturated fatty acids content due to phyto-supplement OmeB was significantly decreased from 74 to 65%. On the contrary, the feeding of Phyto-supplement significantly increased the content of both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids from 24.3 to 31.5% and 2.16 to 3.78%, respectively. Gas chromatography analysis of individual fatty acids methyl esters (FAME) in the milk samples revealed that the saturated fatty acids such as lauric, myristic, and palmitic were significantly decreased, whereas the concentration of unsaturated fatty acids such as palmitoleic, oleic, linoleic and arachidonic was substantially increased. This modulation in the fatty acids leads to the higher unsaturation of the milk fat. Similarly, the phyto-supplement supplementation to the dairy cow also established a significant improvement in the desirable components such as omega fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids.