Feeding system effect on chemical and fatty acids composition of amiata ass’s milk

Ass’s milk has recently been indicated as a nutraceutical food gaining attention for its interesting profile of fatty acids and for the DHA, EPA and ARA levels. Aim of the trial was to compare the effect of feeding system on chemical and fatty acids composition of Amiata ass’s milk. For the trial 10 asses, from 90 to 146 days of lactation, were used and assigned into two groups fed with different diets. One group received a basic forage diet (FO) with access to pasture while the other group was stabled and fed with forage and concentrate (CO) according the NRC requirements for lactating donkeys. Every 15 days the donkeys were milked and the trial lasted for 60 days. The chemical composition and the fatty acids profile were investigated. Data were submitted to ANCOVA using the model: yij = μ + αi +β*xij + eij; where αi = effect of diet, xij = days of lactation. Significant differences (P<0.01) were found for fat and protein content with the lower values in pastured animals (fat: 0.28% vs 0.44%; proteins: 1.63% vs 2.02%). The fatty acids profile was slightly different in the two groups. In stabled animals was found a significant higher value (P