Nutritional composition and fatty acid profile in grass-fed buffalo cheese supplemented with sunflower and fish oils

Abstract

The nutritional composition of milk, cheese, and the fatty acid profile of cheese from buffaloes fed a diet based on native grassland supplemented with 300 ml day-1 of a mixture of sunflower oil (210 ml day-1) and fish oil (90 ml day-1) were evaluated. Individual paired samples of milk and cheese were taken on days 0 (control) and 60 (treated) of supplementation. The fat content in milk was 5.5% and was reduced (p=0.0210) to 4% with supplementation. Protein content in milk was 3.2% and increased (p=0.0309) to 3.5% with supplementation. Lactose levels were 4.7% and increased (p=0.0372) to 5.2% with supplementation. On day 0, hard cheeses (32.59% moisture) were produced with 27.66% fat; 26.45% protein; 10.52% carbohydrates, and 2.79% ash. After supplementation, the cheeses presented lower fat content (21.52%; p=0.0047), higher ash content (3.20%; p=0.0002) and no significant changes in protein and carbohydrate levels (p>0.05). With supplementation, the hypercholesterolemic fraction of fat was reduced for 12:0 (14.12 to 8.53 mg g-1 of fat, p=0.0019), and for 14:0 (89.24 to 52.77 mg g-1 of fat, p=0.0023), while no changes were observed for 16:0 (p=0.1764). Vaccenic acid increased (p=0.0002) from 44.58 to 199.07 mg g-1 fat with supplementation. Rumenic acid increased (p=0.0008) from 8.56 to 20.67 g-1 fat, and α-linolenic acid increased (p=0.0035) from 15.62 to 21.31 mg g-1 fat after supplementation. These results indicate a significant improvement in the nutritional value of cheese fat from buffaloes fed a native grass-based diet supplemented with 300 ml day-1 of a sunflower and fish oil mixture (70:30).