Clemson - Clemson University researchers are lowering the saturated fat content in milk - while it's still in the cow - by adding fatty acid to the cow's diet.
Thomas C. Jenkins, a Clemson animal scientist holds a patent on the formula that combines fatty acid and ammonia in the feed. This lowers the overall fat content in the milk and changes the remaining fat to the more healthful monounsaturated form found in canola or olive oil.
"Feeding fat to dairy cattle is done routinely to give them more energy so they can produce more milk," Jenkins said. "But this fat is different because it gives consumers a product that also lowers the saturated fat in the milk."
It is saturated fat which has been linked to human health problems, including heart disease, digestive disorders and some forms of cancer. The long-term result may be a butter that spreads right out of the refrigerator or rich-tasting cheese and ice cream that's actually good for you. While commercial availability of these products is several years away, taste tests are being planned for early next year.
The unique fat supplement has been in development at Clemson since 1993. It functions by altering the way cows process feed. Normally, cattle feed contains unsaturated fat that is converted into saturated fat by microorganisms in the cows' digestive system through a process called biohydrogenation.
Jenkins and his colleagues theorized that attaching ammonia to fatty acid in the feed would prevent the microorganisms from adding the hydrogen that converts unsaturated fat into the saturated form. This approach removes saturated fat from milk at the source by using the natural chemicals and processes in the cow's digestive system.
As a result of this research, Jenkins recently received the American Feed Industry Association Award presented by the American Dairy Science Association. His findings are already being used by animal nutritionists seeking the proper formulation of fat in dairy cattle diets. He is also a sought-after speaker at national conferences on animal nutrition and dairy management.
Jenkins earned a bachelors degree in animal science and masters degree in animal nutrition at Pennsylvania State University and a doctoral degree in animal nutrition from Cornell University. He was a faculty member at Ohio State University prior to joining Clemson in 1986. He is an active member of the American Dairy Science Association, the American Society of Animal Science and the American Society of Nutritional Sciences.
This research is funded through Clemson University's Agriculture and Forestry Research System.