Influence of mustard cake/oil feeding on conjugated linoleic acid content in buffalo milk

A lactation trial was conducted to study the mustard oil based concentrate feeding on conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content in buffalo milk. Lactating Murrah buffaloes (15; 60 days in milk of 605 kg BW in 2–4 lactation) randomly divided into three equal groups were fed concentrate mixture containing either groundnut cake (G₁), mustard cake (G₂) or mustard cake and oil (G₃) along with maize fodder and wheat straw for 90 days. The linoleic (C_18:2) and linolenic (C_18:3) acid content in GNC and mustard oil's were 25.67 and 0.96%, 40.12 and 9.31% respectively. The EE digestibility was higher (P<0.05) in G₃ than the G₁ and G₂, where as the NDF digestibility was lower in G₃. Milk yield was higher in G₃. Total solids, SNF and milk protein did not vary among the groups whereas fat percentage was lower (P<0.01) in G₃. The CLA content in the three groups were 6.84, 12.12 and 19.50 mg/g of milk fat respectively and significantly (P<0.05) differ among the groups. Hence, it was concluded that the level of CLA in milk fat depends upon the nature of diet offered to the animals and addition of 2% mustard oil increased the C18:2 and C18:3 fatty acids in the ration and it increase up to 185% CLA in milk fat.