Characterization of the milk lipid fraction in non-dairy sheep breeds

Abstract. Studies regarding the composition of milk fat are mostly conducted on dairy breeds. The aim of our studies was to evaluate the fatty acid, cholesterol and phospholipid amount in the milk of two non-dairy sheep breeds. The study was conducted on 60 ewes (Żelaźnieńska strain of Polish Lowland sheep – 30 ewes; Wrzosówka breed – 30 ewes) from one flock which were kept under the same conditions and maintenance. There were no differences in the amount of the basic components of milk in these two breeds. In the lipid fraction of Wrzosówka sheep (a more primitive breed), higher amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (P ≤ 0.05), a higher amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) n-3 (P ≤ 0.01) and a lower ratio of n-6 / n-3 (P ≤ 0.01) were recorded compared to Żelaźnieńska sheep. The milk of Żelaźnieńska sheep had a higher amount of cholesterol (P ≤ 0.05). There were no differences in concentrations of phospholipids.

With regard to the two non-dairy sheep breeds, a higher amount of PUFAs n-3 and a more favorable ratio of n-6 / n-3 was observed in the milk of the more primitive breed (i.e., Wrzosówka sheep).