Production, Composition and Fatty Acid Profile of Goat Milk Supplemented with Buriti Oil

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that buriti oil (Mauritia flexuosa L.) can replace ground corn in goats’ diet improving production, composition and fatty acid profile of goat milk. This experiment was approved by the Ethics Committee for Experimentation with Animals. Four Anglo-Nubian multiparous goats with average 50 ± 4 days of lactation and weight of 38.4 ± 1.1 kg were treated for the control of internal and external parasites. The animals were randomly distributed in a double Latin square (4 × 4) comprising four periods and four buriti oil concentrations (0.00, 1.50, 3.00 and 4.50% of total DM) replacing ground corn. The animals were manually milked twice daily (at 6 h and 16 h). The data were subjected to an analysis of variance and regression analyses (linear and quadratic) using the GLM and REG procedures implemented in SAS® statistical software (version 9.1.2. Cary, NC, USA). Goat milk production, corrected production^4%fat and chemical composition were not influenced by the concentration of buriti oil replacement; however, milk fat concentration (P = 0.04) and feed efficiency (P < 0.01) increased linearly with the amount of buriti oil in the diet. There was a linear reduction on hypercholesterolemic SFA such as C12:0 (P < 0.01) and C14:0 (P < 0.01) as well as the atherogenic index (AI) (P < 0.01) with buriti oil inclusion in goat’s diet. In contrast, the fatty acids C18:0 (P < 0.01) and C18:1 cis9 (P < 0.01) increased linearly in the milk of goats that were fed with buriti oil. However, CLA (P <0.01) varied quadratically; the maximum production of 0.62 g/100 g of fat was observed when using 1.50% buriti oil. The sensory characteristics of the milk were not changed (P > 0.05) by the replacement of corn with buriti oil in the goats' diet. It is recommended to replace corn with buriti oil in goat feed by up to 4.5% of total DM, resulting in improved milk fat without affecting production; this recommendation satisfies the minimum requirements of the industry and preserves the organoleptic characteristics of the milk and its acceptability for human consumption. In addition, buriti oil replacing ground corn by up to 4.5% DM in the diet of lactating goats decrease medium-chain SFA which are hypercholesterolemic and increase the concentrations of the C18:1cis9, CLA and DFA in goat milk fat, helping to protect against cardiovascular disease.