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Adam L Lock, 50 Role of fatty acid nutrition in milk fat synthesis, Journal of Animal Science, Volume 97, Issue Supplement_2, July 2019, Pages 24–25, https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skz122.046
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Abstract
Our understanding of fatty acid (FA) digestion and metabolism in dairy cows has advanced significantly in the last few decades. We now recognize that FA, both of dietary and rumen origin, can have different and specific effects on feed intake, rumen metabolism, small intestine digestibility, milk fat synthesis in the mammary gland, and energy partitioning between the mammary gland and other tissues. We will present research focusing on specific FA and how dairy cows respond differently to combinations of FA. Recent research has highlighted differences in intestinal digestibility among palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), and oleic (cis-9 C18:1) acids, which impacts the amount and profile of absorbed FA available for metabolic purposes including milk fat synthesis. C16:0, C18:0, and cis-9 C18:1 usually comprise the majority of FA present in milk fat and adipose tissue of dairy cows. In addition, these FA comprise the major FA in a wide range of commercially available fat supplements. While these FA have different functions in metabolism, they may also interact with each other by competitive or complementary mechanisms under different physiological conditions. In the mammary gland, milk FA are derived from 2 sources; 16 carbon FA originating from extraction from plasma. 16-carbon FA originate from either de novo or preformed sources. Milk lipid synthesis in the mammary gland is dependent upon the simultaneous supply of short/medium-chain FA and long-chain FA. C16:0 has a higher preference as a substrate to start triglyceride synthesis than C18:0 or cis-9 C18:1. Also, if the amount of preformed FA surpasses the capacity of the mammary gland, these might be redirected to other tissues (e.g. adipose tissue) altering energy partitioning. In the future, the opportunity and challenge will be to continue to improve our understanding of how and which FA affect nutrient digestion, energy partitioning, and milk synthesis in lactating dairy cows and effectively apply this knowledge in the feeding and management of high producing dairy cows.
