Short term evolution of nutritionally relevant milk fatty acids of goats fed a cereal-based concentrate enriched with linseed oil

Goat diet supplementation with linseed oil (LO) can be a fruitful technological strategy to enhance the nutritional value of milk fat. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of LO in a basal diet rich in starch on goat milk fatty acid (FA) profile. The FA contents were monitored exhaustively during 24 h after LO supplementation or elimination by gas chromatography. Rumenic acid, the main conjugated linoleic acid isomer and α-linolenic acid, both related with bioactive properties, significantly rose in milk between 12 and 24 h after the inclusion of LO in the diet. On the contrary, medium-chain saturated FA decreased. Changes in other nutritionally relevant milk FA as well as short term effects caused by dietary LO suppression are discussed.This work was supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Project AGL2016-75159-C2-2-R). Pilar Gómez-Cortés was subsidized with a Juan de la Cierva research contract from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.Peer reviewe