Fatty acids and composition of their important groups in milk fat of Czech Pied cattle

Abstract

In 2003, 2004 and 2005 milk fat composition was determined three times in 55 dairy cows of Czech Pied cattle housed in a byre with stanchions and fed under conditions usual on Czech production farms. Fatty acids were determined by a gas chromatographic method, 26 acids out of the total 37 acids observed in chromatograms were identified. The highest proportions were observed for palmitic acid (29.25 ± 2.98%), oleic acid (24.47 ± 3.27%), myristic acid (12.14 ± 1.80%) and stearic acid (8.91 ± 2.44%). The proportions of saturated, unsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were 64.71 ± 4.18, 31.96 ± 4.20 and 27.45 ± 3.42% of total acids, respectively. The total proportion of nutritionally undesirable lauric, myristic and palmitic acid was 45.26 ± 4.77%, while that of the desirable group of polyunsaturated fatty acids was 4.51 ± 1.09%. The observed relatively wide ranges of the individual groups of fatty acids indicate that it is possible to improve the milk fat composition in Czech Pied cows.