Milk Fatty Acids in Organic and Grassfed Dairy Production

This webinar was recorded on January 28, 2020, and was presented by Elle Andreen of the USDA ARS in University Park PA.

Recently, specific unsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3’s and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) have garnered interest due to their beneficial human health effects, from improving brain health to fighting cancer. Because of these exciting developments, interest in and demand for food containing these and other beneficial fatty acids has increased. One such food of interest is organic and grassfed dairy products, which have been found in some cases to have higher amounts of these fatty acids compared to conventional milk. In this webinar we will discuss how the growing interest in milk fatty acids is relevant to organic and grass dairy producers and industry personnel. We will cover the ‘basics’ of how fatty acids are produced in ruminants, and review recent research on the differences in milk fatty acid content of organic, grassfed, and conventional milk. We will also discuss the consumer perception of and demand for these products, and how this new information is relevant to farmers. The intended audience is dairy producers, consultants, and other industry personnel.
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