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Development of Dairy Products Enriched with Healthy Lipids
This study investigated the effects of feeding an extruded flaxseed product to dairy cattle on the fatty acid profile and sensory attributes of milk and Havarti cheese. The health benefits associate with certain lipids such as n-3 PUFA have been well documented. However, increasing the availability of these nutrients in dairy products for human consumption remains a challenge due to rumen biohydrogenation. Finding a mechanism for improving the fatty acid profile of dairy products without compromising sensory attributes would prove beneficial to the North American consumer. The hypothesis was: feeding an extruded flaxseed product to dairy cattle would improve the fatty acid profile of milk and Havarti cheese without compromising sensory attributes. The objectives were: 1) to produce milk with elevated levels of n-3 through dietary means, 2) to produce Havarti cheese from control and n-3 milk, and 3) to evaluate the fatty acid profiles and sensory attributes of the milk and cheese. Six Holstein cows were offered a control diet followed by a treatment diet supplemented with an extruded flaxseed product with 70% flaxseed (LinPRO®-R70) at 9% of TMR DM for 28 days. After the 28 days, milk samples were collected for compositional, fatty acid, and sensory analysis. Bulk milk samples were also collected and used to make Havarti cheese. Milk analysis showed a significant difference (P<0.01) in total n-3 in the n-3 milk (1.25 % FAME) compared to control milk (0.67 % FAME). In a blind triangle test, sensory panelists were unable to identify source of milk indicating they were unable to detect any sensory differences between the control milk and the n-3 milk (P<0.01). After 30 days of ripening, Havarti cheese was sampled for compositional, fatty acid, and sensory analysis. A significant difference in total n-3 (P<0.01) was observed when comparing the n-3 cheese to control cheese. Cheese sensory results indicate that there were no differences in taste, texture or overall acceptability of the n-3 cheese compared to the control cheese. This trial suggests that including extruded flaxseed in the ration of dairy cattle may provide an opportunity for development and marketing of n-3 enriched dairy products.
Keywords:
n-3, cheese, extruded flaxseed