Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD AND COMPOSITION FOR INCREASING
OMEGA-3 LIPID IN MILK
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a composition and method for improving the
production of omega-3 lipid production in body fluids of human and animals.
Particularly, the
present invention relates to increasing the content of omega-3 lipids in the
milk of lactating
animals through specific regimens.
BACKGROUND ART
Omega-3 fatty acid oils possess properties that can be used for numerous
therapeutic advantages, including treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory
diseases such
as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel diseases such as
Crohn's disease and
ulcerative colitis; immunosuppressive treatment; hypertension prophylaxis in
normal humans
and in heart transplant patients; coronary heart disease; hyperlipidemia;
hypertriglyceridemia;
improvement of renal function and nephrotoxicity reduction. U.S. Pat. No.
4,678,808
describes the use of these oils to treat disorders associated with arachidonic
acid metabolites,
including autoimmune syndromes, acute and chronic inflammatory diseases,
atherosclerosis,
stroke, myocardial infarction, deep vein thrombosis, surgery, hyperlipidaemic
states,
hypertension, enhanced platelet responsiveness, vascular lesions and
occlusions, vascular
spasm and diabetes. According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,441, which describes
compositions for
treating gingivitis and periodontitis, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
compete with
omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids as a substrate in the arachidonic acid
cascade and can
therefore alter the synthesis of prostaglandin and leukotrienes, both of which
are powerful
mediators of inflammation and immune response. Other uses of omega-3 fatty
acid oils are
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,415 (diabetes mellitus), U.S. Pat. No.
4,843,095 (rheumatoid,
arthritis), JP 2253629 (anticancer), U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,312 (enhancing
angiogenesis), JP
1290625 (improvement of cerebral function), EP 378,824 (anti-cachexia,
cholesterol and
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triglyceride levels reduction, platelet aggregation inhibition, colon
adenocarcinomas growth
inhibition), U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,130 (cancer cachexia, malignant tumors,
abnormal CAMP
levels in adipose tissue, lipolytic activity inhibition) and U.S. Pat. No.
5,436,269 (hepatitis).
Currently the only commercially available dietary source of omega-3 highly
unsaturated fatty acids is from certain fish oils which can contain up to 20-
30% of these fatty
acids. The beneficial effects of these fatty acids can be obtained by eating
fish several times a
week or by daily intake of is concentrated fish oil. Consequently large
quantities of fish oil are
processed and encapsulated each year for sale as a dietary supplement.
However, there are several significant problems with these fish oil
supplements.
First, they can contain high levels of fat-soluble vitamins that are found
naturally in fish oils.
When ingested, these vitamins are stored and metabolized in fat in the human
body rather
than excreted in urine. High doses of these vitamins can be unsafe, leading to
kidney
problems or blindness and several U.S. medical associations have cautioned
against using
capsule supplements rather than real fish. Secondly, fish oils contain up to
80% of saturated
and omega-6 fatty acids, both of which can have deleterious health effects.
Additionally, fish
oils have a strong fishy taste and odor, and as such cannot be added to
processed foods as a
food additive, without negatively affecting the taste of the food product.
Moreover, the
isolation of pure omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids from this mixture is
an involved and
expensive process resulting in very high prices ($200-$1000/g) for pure forms
of these fatty
acids
It has been shown beneficial for humans to consume eggs enriched with Omega-3
fatty acids for numerous reasons. There is a link between dietary n-3 fatty
acid consumption
and a decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease. In addition, consumption
of Omega-3
fatty acid enriched eggs improves a person's HDL:LDL cholesterol ratio.
Furthermore,
enriched eggs are able to reduce a person's serum triglyceride levels.
Although consumption
of Omega-3 fatty acids is beneficial, dietary sources of these fatty acids are
limited to certain
types of fish and oilseed such as flax. Thus, incorporating these beneficial
fatty acids into
eggs provides an additional dietary n-3 fatty acid source for consumers.
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US patents 5, 985,348 and 6,177,108, discloses a process for the heterotrophic
or
predominantly heterotrophic production of whole-celled or extracted microbial
products with
a high concentration of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids, producible in
an aerobic
culture under controlled conditions using biologically pure cultures of
heterotrophic single-
celled fungi microorganisms of the order Thraustochytriales. The harvested
whole-cell
microbial product can be added to processed foods as a nutritional supplement,
or to fish and
animal feeds to enhance the omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid content of
products
produced from these animals. The lipids containing these fatty acids can also
be extracted and
used in nutritional, pharmaceutical and industrial applications. This has the
disadvantage of
requiring microorganisms manipulations en a feeding environment.
A new method for producing Omega-3 fatty acid enriched milk is needed which
produces milk of a desirable flavor. In addition, a method is needed which is
able to ensure a
predetermined amount of Omega-3 fatty acids are consistently provided in milk.
Still further,
a diet for milking animals needs to be available which increases the amount of
Omega-3 fatty
acids in their milk without causing adverse effects.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
Fig. 1 illustrates the concentration of alpha-linolenic acid regarding
treatments of
flax seeds;
Fig.2: illustrates the difference between milk production of cows that
received the
reference feed and those that received flax seeds;
Fig. 3 illustrates the total milk omega-3 fatty acid content (C 18:3; C20:5
and
C22:5) had increased when the cows were fed with flax seeds; and
Fig. 4 illustrates the average quantities of C18:3 in fatty acids in function
of
different treatments.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aim of the present invention is to provide a method for inducing or
increasing
omega-3 lipid production by secretory tissue in a human or an animal
comprising orally
administering to said human or animal roasted flax seeds, fragment or
derivatives thereof at a
concentration inducing increase of the production of omega-3 in said secretory
tissue. The
flax seeds can be for example given as a whole, crushed, fragmented, or
grinded.
The secretory tissue is preferably mammary glands of a lactating animal, such
as
but not limited to, a cow, a sheep, or a goat.
According to another aim of the present invention, there is provided a
composition
comprising roasted flax seeds for inducing or increasing omega-3 lipid
production by
secretory tissue in a human or an animal.
The composition can be under form of a food composition.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a use of roasted
flax
seed, a fragment or a derivative thereof for inducing or increasing omega-3
lipid production
by secretory tissue of a human or an animal.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a use of roasted
flax
seeds, a fragment or a derivative there of in the preparation of a composition
for inducing or
increasing omega-3 lipid production by secretory tissue of a human of an
animal.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with
reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention
are shown.
This invention, may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should
not be
construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these
embodiments are
provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully
convey the
scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
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Flax seed oil is a blue flowering plant that is grown in several countries for
its oil
rich seeds. This natural oil (also known as Linseed Oil) is highly recommended
for the
general well being and whole body nutrition and is considered to be nature's
richest source of
omega-3 fatty acids that are required for the health of almost all body
systems.
Flax seed oil contains omega-6 and omega-9 essential fatty acids, B vitamins,
potassium, lecithin, magnesium, fiber, protein, and zinc and also provides
approximately SO%
more omega-3 oils than what you could get from taking fish oil.
It has been discovered by the inventors and described herein that oral
administration of roasted flax seeds, fragment or derivatives thereof, allow
to improve or
increase the production of omega-3 lipids in body fluids of animals, including
human.
One embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method for causing or
increasing omega-3 lipids production in body fluids of human and animals.
Particularly, the
method is performed by orally administering to human being and animals
targeted quantities
of roasted flax seeds, fragment or derivatives thereof to induce, improve or
increase the
production of omega-3 lipids by secretory body tissues. Oral ingestion of
roasted flax seeds,
fragments or derivatives thereof induce or increase omega-3 lipid production,
for example in
milk, that can vary from between about1,00% to 1,4% of total milk fatty acids
measured
according to the present invention.
For example, but not limited to, when flax seeds, after roasting, are added to
cow
regimen for feeding, the cows ingesting this regimen are induced to produce
higher
concentrations of omega-3 lipids in their milk then those cows having not
ingested the
regimen comprising the roasted flax seeds, fragment or derivatives thereof.
Roasting initially is endothermic; i.e. heat transferred to flax seeds raises
their
sensible heat content, evaporates water and provides heat used in endothermic
reactions. After
seed temperatures reach, for example, 130°C., rapid exothermic
reactions occur, seed
temperatures rapidly rise and flax seeds characteristics are very rapidly
acquired. Excessive
weight loss and undesirable characteristics changes occur if roasting is
excessively prolonged.
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Therefore, to end roasting quickly and provide flax seeds of desired, reliably
duplicated quality, seeds most commonly are rapidly cooled (quenched) as soon
as they reach
a selected end-of roast temperature. First, a controlled amount of water, can
be sprayed on the
seeds and largely evaporates, providing evaporative cooling. Then, the seeds
can be cooled
further by forced contact with ambient-temperature air. The roasting
temperature may vary
between 110°C to 140°C, for example at a treatment rate of 3
tons/hour.
Different roasting methods that are currently used for other types of grains,
such as
coffee grains, can be applied to flax seeds to allow the different embodiments
of the present
invention.. Among the most recent systems, various proposals have been
advanced, as for
example, for high-pressure roasting systems. Notably, numerous patents issued
to Horace L.
Smith Jr. describe batch or continuous systems for pressure-roasting of coffee
in rolling
fluidized beds or spouted beds.
A "fluidized bed" system directs a gas or other fluid upwardly through a mass
of
particulates such as coffee beans, or flax seeds, so that the particulates are
held suspended in
the rising fluid. Ideally, the upward flow is nearly uniform in all regions of
the bed.
A "spouted bed" system utilizes upward flow of the gas or other fluid
concentrated
at a few locations within the bed. The particles move upwardly at these
locations and
downwardly at other locations in the bed. Most of the Smith patents call for
use of
pressurized, low-oxygen-content gas circulating in a closed loop through: a
heater, a bed of
roasting coffee in a heavy-walled, cylindrical chamber and a cyclonic
separator. The cyclonic
separator removes small particles, commonly referred to as "chaff' from the
gas. Some other
techniques use gas pressures up to 300 psig (2.1 MPa gauge). In a specific
example, Robustas
were roasted at 150 psig to improve their flavor. The roasting gas is heated
by indirect contact
with either a high-temperature, heatexchange fluid or hot gases produced in a
fuel-fired
furnace. To modify the roasting effects, part of the roasting gas can be bled
off in some cases
and replaced by inert gas produced by combustion of fuel. It will be
recognized to those
skilled in the art that other more conventional methods can be used to
performed roasting of
flax seeds according to the present invention.
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Another embodiment of the present invention resides in a composition
comprising
roasted flax seeds, fragments or derivatives thereof. The composition may
consists in a food
composition comprising different other products, such as for example, but not
limited to,
flavouring or coloring agents, fibres, lipids, glucids, and any other compound
or product that
can be useful for feeding human or animals.
Also, synthetic antioxidants, such as BHT, BHA, TBHQ or ethoxyquin, or natural
antioxidants such as tocopherol, can be incorporated into the food or feed
products by adding
them to the products during processing of the cells after harvest. The amount
of antioxidants
incorporated in this manner depends, for example, on subsequent use
requirements, such as
product formulation, packaging methods, and desired shelf life.
It is understood herein that roasted flax seeds can be ingested by human or
animals
under different forms, such as being crude, roughly grinded, or into the form
of a powder,
pellets, capsules, a paste, or any other form that can be seen in the field of
feeding. It can also
be mixed to other food products into different forms seen in the art.
One embodiment of the present invention is the use of roasted flax seeds in
the
preparation of a composition for inducing, improving, or increasing omega-3
lipid production
in body fluids of human and animals. Particularly, roasted flax seeds are used
in feeding
milking animals and induce or increase the production of omega-3 lipids in
their milk.
Preferred animals for milk product production include milk-producing animal,
in particular
cows, sheep, goats, bison, buffalo, antelope, deer and camels. More preferred
animals for milk
product production include cows, sheep and goats.
Methods to feed roasted flax seeds, fragment or derivatives thereof containing
material to an animal that is a ruminant (i.e., cow, sheep or goat) can
require some
encapsulation technique for to protect the important elements of roasted flax
seeds, such as
omega-3 lipids, from breakdown or saturation by the rumen microflora prior to
digestion and
absorption of the omega-3 by the animal. Alternatively, the active elements
can be "protected"
by coating the oils or cells with a protein (e.g., zeain) or other substances
which cannot be
digested (or are poorly digested) in the rumen. This allows the fatty acids to
pass undamaged
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through the ruminant's first stomach. The protein or other "protectant"
substance is dissolved
in a solvent prior to coating the cells or oil. The cells can be pelleted
prior to coating with the
protectant. Animals having high feed conversion ratios can require higher
concentrations of
roasted flax seeds to achieve an equivalent incorporation of important
elements as animal with
low feed conversion ratios.
The present invention will be more readily understood by referring to the
following examples which are given to illustrate the invention rather than to
limit its scope.
F Y A MD1 Ti' I
Preparation of an omega-3 lipid rich food composition.
Materials and Methods
Choice of treatments
Three flax seed treatments were experimented and compared to a reference
treatment. The first treatment contained raw flax seeds, not having been
submitted to no
physical or chemical treatment, the second contained roasted flax seeds and
the third,
micronized flax seeds. Roasting is a process where the grains are heated at a
temperature of
about 130 °C by means of a propane flame that is fed with propane. For
micronizing , we are
also concerned with a heating process, however this is achieved with infrared
rays. The
temperature is raised to 110 °C. For the reference feed, flax seeds
were substituted with the
same proportions of rolled barley.
The various treatments with flax seeds were modified with respect to what has
been provided in the initial protocol. As a matter in fact, it has appeared
that extrusion was a
treatment that was hardly applicable to a seed that is so rich in oil and the
results obtained by
Arif Mustafa (cited by Yvan Chouinard, 2002) of McGill University, have
established that
extruded flax seeds did not allow an efficient transfer of omega-3 fatty
acids. This treatment
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was thus replaced by one that is equivalent, i.e. roasting as described
hereinabove. As a matter
of fact, this process uses heat to treat the seed. Heat treatment allows to
increase the
availability of the non degradable protein.
Cross-over design (repeated measurements) in Latin square was retained as
experimental device. To meet the requirements of this device, eight cows were
bought, and a
cow from the application Farm was selected. Eight animals were required for
achieving the
tests and an additional cow was kept in stand-by, in case one of the selected
animals had to be
replaced. Table 1 gives the characteristics of the animals used during the
tests.
Table 1
Characteristics of the animals participating in the project
Number Pair Race Number of Milking days
Calvin s
1 1 HO 1 50
2 2 AY 3 67
3 3 AY 1 49
4 3 HO 1 80
1 AY 3 67
6 4 HO 2 48
7 4 AY 1 78
8 2 HO 2 67
9 substitute AY 1 52
Therefore, four Holstein (HO) and four Ayrshire (AY) cows were used to conform
to the Latin square. Each Holstein animal was used, at random, with an
Ayrshire animal for the
application of different feeds. The animals were all in initial lactation
stage for an average of
62 milk days. The cow which was less advanced in her lactation was at her 48th
day and the
most advanced was at yer 80th day, which is a spread of 32 days. Half of the
animals were
primipara and the other half were multipara.
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Preparation of feeds
Each animal received a personalized feed depending on its weight, its food
intake
and it milk production. The software Conseil-Lait II (3.10 version) of Agri-
Gestion Laval was
used for equilibrating the feeds.
Fodder
The fodder was distributed at will during the first two weeks for each period.
In
the third week, the amounts distributed to each animal and the amounts not
eaten were
weighed, in order to determined the food intake.
Concentrates
A complete milling was used, in order satisfy the needs of the animals, as
well as
Toplac, if necessary. Moreover, depending on the treatment, the animals
received 2 kg of one
of the three types of flax seeds or 2 kg of barley for the reference group.
Table 2 gives feed
sequences and average times for the meals.
Table 2
Cow feeding sequence
Meal Avera a time Distributed uantities iven
food (TQS
Meal 1 6: 30 am Hay 4 kg/cow
7: 00 am Milling Individual feed
7: 15 am 5 kg/cow
Mixed sila a
z
Meal 2 10: 30 am Milling Individual feed
10: 45 am Al sila e3 5 k /cow
Meal 3 2: 30 pm Milling Individual feed
2: 45 m Ha S k /cow
Mean 4 5: 30 pm Milling Individual feed
6: 00 m Mixed sila a 8 k /cow
'TQS: as given
ZMixed silage: Mixture of legumes and graminaceae
3Alf. silage: alfafa silage
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The animals received four meals of concentrate per day, in order to maintain a
greater stability with respect to rumen and for a better protein-energy
synchronism.
Experimentation and data taking
Duration of feedin tg ests
The feeding tests took place from February 28 to May 21, 2002. This represents
a
12 week duration, i.e. four periods of three weeks (21 days) each. The number
of periods was
determined by the experimental device that was selected. With respect to the
period duration,
the first two weeks allowed the animals to get used to the feed and the last
week was used to
take data.
Experimental scheme
This section shows the different food treatments given to the animals. As
mentioned previously, eight cows were under experimentation and each one of
them received
the different treatments. Table 3 gives the experimental scheme.
Table 3
Experimental plan
Number Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Period 4
1 Roasted flaxReference Raw flax seedsMicronized
seeds flax
seeds
2 Reference Raw flax Micronized Roasted Flax
seeds flax seeds
seeds
3 Micronized Roasted flaxReferebce Raw flax
flax seeds seeds
seeds
4 Micronized Roasted flaxReference Raw flax
flax seeds seeds
seeds
Roasted flaxReference Raw flax seedsMicronized
seeds flax
seeds
6 Raw flax Micronized Roasted flax Reference
seeds flax seeds
seeds
7 Raw flax Micronized Roasten flax Reference
seeds flax seeds
seeds
8 Reference Raw flax Micronized Roasted flax
seeds flax seeds
seeds
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The number attributed to the position of the animal in the stable, and the
treatment
orders were given at random.
Weighing of quantities given and not eaten.
Fodder and supplements were manually distributed all along the tests. In the
last
week of each period, the quantities of fodder distributed and not eaten were
weighed. The
food intake was therefore measured for each animal, and this was done for each
treatment.
The amounts of concentrate were weighed at each meal for the complete duration
of the tests.
Wei__ghing of animals
An electronic scale was used to weigh the animals. They were weighed on the
last
two days of each period, after the morning milking. The scale was calibrated a
the farm and
was not displaced nor used for other purposed during the tests.
Milk analyses
The quantities of milk produced were measured, for each animal, during the
four
last milking of each period. The milk gauge content was poured in containers
and was rapidly
cooled to 9 °C, by means of a cold water cooling system. Then, the milk
was stored in a
refrigerator at 4 °C. These four samples were then amalgamated into a
single one.
From this sample, that is obtained from the four cow milking, three small
samples
were taken. The first one was intended for the PATLQ to determine fat, protein
and lactose
ratios, somatic cell count and milk urea concentration. The second one was
kept at -18 °C to
carry out milk fatty acid profile and a third sample, was also kept at -18
°C, in order to
mitigate anything unexpected. The unused milk was sent to the Laiterie de la
Baie ltee
laboratory for milk shelf live tests.
Moreover, during the last two milking of each period, some milk was recovered
and cooled, through the same cooling system, for tasting. When the milk was at
a temperature
of 9 °C, it was stored in a refrigerator at 4 °C. This milk was
sent already on the next morning
to CARA for sensorial evaluation tests.
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Fatty acid analyses
The fatty acid profile for each of the 32 samples (8 cows x 4 milking) was
carried
out at Laval University. In all, 17 fatty acids were analyzed. The names and
characteristics of
these fatty acids are presented in section 5.4.
Compilation of data
Taking of data concerning milk production was carried out for a period of two
days. An average for each animal was therefore used for statistical analyses.
An average of two weighing was also calculated for analyzing the weight of the
animals under experimentation.
The sum of the amounts of fodder that was eaten was carried out every day and
an
average, for the seven days of data taking, was then calculated. From the
ratio of the dry
matter contained in the food, it was possible to determine the dry matter
consumption for each
animal, and this for each period.
With the data obtained, it was possible to calculate food efficiency (kg of
milk
produced/ kg of dry matter ingested) and the energy efficiency (kg of milk
produced/ingested
Mcal).
Analysis of results
The data taken during the feeding tests were statistically analyzed, in order
to
show the effects of the treatments on the production parameters.
Dair~production
Dairy production is the quantity of milk produced, in kg/day, expressed on a
fatty
material basis corrected to 4%. Fatty material and protein productions were
also analyzed.
Milk composition
Milk composition comprises five parameters and the analysis was made by
infrared at the PATLQ laboratories.
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Fat ratio
This is the percentage of fat that is present in the sample analyzed. This
parameter
is very important for milk producers, because milk value is calculated as a
function of is fat
content.
prntoin rotin
As with the fat ratio, this represents the protein percentage that is present
in the
sample analyzed. This parameter is important, because milk value is also
calculated as a
function of its protein content.
Lactose ratio
This is the lactose and other solid ratio that is found in the sample. Lactose
is in
fact the sugar portion of milk. It is a combination of glucose and galactose.
Lactose does not
have a monetary value that is as important as fat and protein, however it is
part of the
components that influence the price of milk.
Count of somatic cells
This measurement is expressed in thousands of somatic cells per milliliter
(.000/ml). If the cell count is high, this is an indication that the cow uses
its immunological
system (leucocytes) to fight a pathogenic agent in its udder (mammite). This
data allows to
explain certain anomalies (e.g. noted decrease of milk production).
Urea
The urea milk content is expressed in milligram of nitrogen per deciliter (mg
N/dl). This measurement allows to see if the protein content of the feed is
adequate.
Fatty acid analyses
The fatty acid profiles were statistically analyzed. They are expressed in
percentage of the
total quantity of fat. Therefore, the quantity of fat that is present in milk
will have an influence
on the quantity of fatty acids present.
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Shelf live
Preliminary tests were carried out with respect to milk shelf life, however
more
extended analyses should be carried out. Shelf life was evaluated by comparing
taste, odor
and pH of the reference with those of the modified milks. The quantity of
bacteria that are
present was also compared.
Statistical anal.
The statistical model used is a 4 X 4 latin square. Data processing was
carried out
by means of the software SAS (1996), according to the GLM procedure (General
Linear
Models Procedure). The treatment effects on the different parameters were
obtained from
Duncan tests. The probability level was then 5% (P < 0.05).
Results and Discussion
Dair~production
Dairy production was measured on the last two days of each period, by means of
a
milk gauge. The results of statistical analyses have shown that the dairy
production corrected
to 4% of fat was not significantly different with respect to the different
treatments (table 1).
Therefore, the production was not negatively affected by inserting flax seeds
in the
feeds. This represents a positive result, because the dairy producers who
could resist the use
of flax seeds in their animal feed, by fear of seeing a decrease in their
production, will be
reassured. On the other hand, since the animals used did not have a high dairy
production, it
would probably be interesting to pursue this investigation with high producing
cows.
Milk components
In general, as shown in table 1, the milk composition of cows having received
flax
seeds is not different from that of the reference milk. As a mater of fact,
with respect to fat
and proteins, there is no significant difference between the reference and
flax seeds
treatments. However, with respect to lactose, significant differences have
been observed
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between the reference and roasted flax seeds and between roasted flax seeds
and micronized
flax seeds.
Moreover, significant differences were observed between different flax seed
treatments. Indeed, the fat ratio of roasted flax seeds is significantly
higher than that of
micronized flax seeds.
Table 4
Voluntary food consumption of dry matter (CVMS), live weight, milk production
and
milk composition of animals receiving differently treated flax seeds
Component ReferenceRaw flax Roasted flaxMicronized
seeds seeds flax
seeds
Total CVMS (kg 19.6a 19.6a 19.2a 19.6a
d.m./d/cow)
Concentrates 8.5a 8.5a 8.3a 8.6a
(kg
d.m./d/cow)
Fodders k d.m./d/cow)ll.la ll.la 10.9a ll.Oa
Live wei ht k 560a 557a 556a 554a
/cow)
Milk production,22.5a 22.1a 22.Oa 21.9a
Corrected
to 4% of fat
(k /d/cow
Fat (%) 3.63a 3.68a 3.91a 3.55
Protein % 3.24a 3.24a 3.25a 3.33a
Lactose (% 4.55 4.59a 4.67a 4.57b
(The values followed by the same letter, for the same component, are not
significantly different close to 5%).
Dry matter consumption
The results obtained show that the addition of 2 kg of flax seeds in the feed
has no
influence on the animal dry matter consumption.
The fodder was distributed at will and is therefore representative of what the
animals wanted to eat. Their consumption was not influenced by the different
treatments.
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OR File No.: 16957-1CA
Live weight
It should be noted that during the experiment, the minimum measured weight was
451 kg and the maximum weight was 734 kg. The weight of the animals did not
vary as a
function of the treatment. The amount of flesh was therefore not affected by
the addition of
flax seeds to the feed.
Results of fatty acid profiles
When determining the milk fatty acid profile, 17 different fatty acids were
measured. The fact of increasing the quantity of omega-3 fatty acids in milk
fat necessarily
had an effect on the concentration of other fatty acids. The results for all
fatty acids are
therefore shown in this section.
Table 5 shows the fat composition of different milks. The results presented in
this
graph represent the sums of different types of fatty acids.
As shown in Table 3, the composition of fat was modified by the addition of
flax
seeds in the feed. The proportion of saturated fatty acids varied from 71.5%
for the reference
to 64% for flax seeds, 64.9% for roasted flax seeds and 63.2% for micronized
flax seeds. This
represents decreases of 7.5%, 6.6% and 8.3% respectively with respect to the
reference. Since
saturated fatty acids are bad for health, their decrease in the milk fat will
make milk better for
health.
The amount of unsaturated fatty acids has increased, as well as the quantity
of
essential fatty acids. These fatty acids are beneficial to health.
Fig. 3 gives the percentage of omega-3 fatty acids in milk fat as a function
of the
treatment of different milks.
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Table 5
Fatty acid profile of milk produced by cows receiving differently treated flax
seeds
Usual name Fatty ReferenceRaw flax Roasted Micronized
acids seeds flax flax seeds
seeds
But is acid C4:0 2.52a 2.47a 2.50a 2.37a
Ca roic acid C6:0 2.42a 2.09 2.09 2.04
Ca r lic acid C8:0 1.36a 1.07 1.07 1.06
Ca ric acid C10:0 3.04a 2.15 2.15 2.15
Lauric acid C12:0 4.10a 2.77 2.74 2.83
M istic acid C14:0 12.29a 9.49 9.45 9.75
M istoleic acid C14:1 0.92a 0.62 ' 0.56' 0.74
Pentadecanoic acidC15:0 1.19a 1.00 0.96' 1.08a
Palmitic acid C16:0 31.84a 23.34" 24.11 23.70
Palmitoleic acid C16:1 1.09a 0.80 ' 0.74 0.85
Mar aric acid C17:0 0.69a 0.63 0.63 0.65a
Stearic acid C18:0 12.06 18.99a 19.17a 17.59a
Trans oleic acid C18:1 1.71' 2.36 2.68a 2.53a~
trans
Cis oleic acid C18:1 21.48 28.64a 27.04a 28.55a
cis
Linolenic acid C18:2 2.24 2.28a 2.55a 2.53a
A1 ha-linolenic C18:3 0.45 0.71 0.90a 0.90a
acid (n-3)
Conjugated linoleicALC 0.59 0.63a ~ 0.72a ~ 0.68"
acid
(The value followed by the same letter, for the same acid, are not
sigmticantty ditterent, to a level of ~ /o).
EXAMPLE II
Feeding with the omega-3 composition
Materials and Methods
To carry out the feeding test, twelve dairy farms were enlisted in the
Saguenay-
Lac-Saint-Jean (6 farms) and Quebec (6 farms) regions. In total, 392 cows
participated in the
project, among them 203 received oleaginous flax seeds. The characteristics of
the selected
farms are presented in Table 1.
The animals were divided into two groups (flax seeds and reference) and in a
manner that their characteristics be similar. Indeed, dairy production,
protein and milk fat
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CA 02509125 2005-06-03
OR File No.: 16957-1CA
contents, as well as the average number of days of milk production and the
average lactation
number, were the same. With respect to the food used at the farms and the
feeding methods,
they were for their part somewhat diversified.
Roasted oleaginous flax seeds were distributed to about half the members of
each
herd while the other half has maintained the feeding already used at the farm.
Flax seeds were
distributed in a manner that the fat ratio be close to 5% of the feed. Thus,
the quantity varied
depending on the food used at the farm, the lactation stage and the animal
consumption. The
average quantity that was distributed was I.3 kg/cow/d (0.9 to 2.0 kg/cow/d).
Flax seeds
replaced part of the concentrates of the initial feed in order to obtain
isoenergetic and
isoproteic feeds.
Adjustment of the fee was carned out in collaboration with the food adviser of
each producer involved. Generally, the total quantity of concentrates (flax
seeds included) that
was distributed had increased. Indeed, the average quantity of concentrates
has gone from 8.0
kg/cow/d to 8.5 kg/cow/d with the addition of flax seeds. Therefore, 1.3 kg of
flax
seeds/cow/d replaced about 0.8 kg of concentrates /cow/d. Moreover, in order
to ensure a
mineral equilibrium, some producers had to increase the quantity of minerals
that were
distributed during the addition of flax seeds in the feed. This is due to the
fact that the fat (flax
seed oil) is bound to calcium and magnesium in the rumen, thus decreasing the
availability of
these elements.
The animals received flax seeds during eight weeks (56 days). The milk
production for each cow was determined every second week (i.e. on days 0, 14,
28, 42 and
56) by a technician. The latter also took samples that were analyzed by the
Analysis Program
of the Quebec Dairy Herds, in order to determine milk composition, somatic
cell count and
milk urea content.
Moreover, when taking data at the farms, reference and modified milk pools
were
constituted at all the farms by mixing the milk that has been collected in the
milk gauges
during two consecutive milking. The modified and reference milks, thus
collected, were
analyzed so as to determine the fatty acid profile.
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CA 02509125 2005-06-03
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a
CA 02509125 2005-06-03
OR File No.: 16957-1CA
RESULTS
Milk production
Results concerning milk production are presented in Table 6. The cows
receiving
flax seeds have shown a better persistency than the cows that received the
reference feed (P <
0.001). Indeed, after eight weeks, the cows that received flax seeds produced
an additional 1.5
kg per day. As shown in Fig. 2, the difference between milk production of cows
that received
the reference feed and those that received flax seeds is increased up to the
fifth data taking,
since on day 0 the cows of the reference group produced more than 0.3 kg than
those of the
flax seed group and after 56 days, they produced 1.5 kg less.
Content and milk fat production
No significant effect has been observed with respect to the milk fat content
(P >
0.10). Thus, milk fat percentage remains stable enough and no effect due to
flax seeds has
been identified. However, by jointly calling upon the time factor and the
treatment, the effect
becomes significant (P < 0.05). There is a slight decrease of the fat content
that tends to be
compensated by a higher milk production. Increase in fat production has been
observed (g/d)
(P < 0.10).
Milk fatt~profile
The addition of flax seeds to cow feed has modified the composition of milk
fat
(table 4). Generally, short fatty acids (4 to 10 carbon atoms) have decreased,
medium fatty
acids (12 to 16 carbon atoms) have also decreased while long chain fatty acids
( > 18 carbon
atoms) have increased.
With respect to short chain fatty acids, no difference has been noted between
the
reference group and the one receiving flax seeds for C4:0 and C6:0. However,
C8:0 and
C10:0 have significantly decreased (P < 0.01).
The different medium chain fatty acids, of the group receiving flax seeds,
were
lower in all cases than those of the reference group, whether they are
saturated or mono-
unsaturated (P < 0.01 to P < 0.001 depending on the fatty acid).
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CA 02509125 2005-06-03
OR File No.: 16957-1CA
The long chain fatty acid content has increased with the addition of flax
seeds in
the feed, while no significant difference could be determined for others. On
the other hand,
C18:1, cis-9, cis-12 had a tendency to decrease (P < 0.10) when the animals
received flax
seeds.
The total milk omega-3 fatty acid content (C18:3; C20:5 and C22:5) had
increased
when the cows were fed with flax seeds (Fig. 3). This is due to the increase
of the a-linolenic
acid content (C18:3) (P < 0.001), since the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5)
and
docosapentaenoic acid acid (DPA; C22:5) contents remained stable (table 4).
The C18:3 milk
content of cows that received flax seeds was 35.9% higher after 56 days of
experimentation.
The average quantities of C18:3 were varied from 6.3 to 7.0 mg/g of fatty
acids for the
reference group and from 8.6 to 9.3 mg/g of fatty acids for the group that was
fed with flax
seeds (days 14, 28, 42 and 56) (Fig. 4).
While the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments
thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications and
this application is
intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention
following, in general,
the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present
disclosure as
come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention
pertains and
as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth, and as
follows in the scope
of the appended claims.
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