Premium
Case study: Comparison of milk composition from adjacent organic and conventional farms in the USA
Author(s) -
Tunick Michael H,
Van Hekken Diane L,
Paul Moushumi,
Ingham Elaine R,
Karreman Hubert J
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
international journal of dairy technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 1471-0307
pISSN - 1364-727X
DOI - 10.1111/1471-0307.12284
Subject(s) - conjugated linoleic acid , stearic acid , composition (language) , linoleic acid , food science , grazing , fatty acid , chemistry , linolenic acid , zoology , biology , agronomy , biochemistry , organic chemistry , linguistics , philosophy
A study of two adjacent dairy farms, one using conventional confined herd management and the other organic management, revealed significant differences in the fatty acid composition of the milk. Compared with conventional milk, organic milk had higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid ( CLA ) and α‐linolenic acid (the major omega‐3 fatty acid in milk), and less stearic and linoleic acid (the major omega‐6 fatty acid in milk) during the spring–summer grazing season. When discarding geography and weather as variables, organic milk appears to yield more CLA and α‐linolenic acid, which should be beneficial to health.