Effect of Schizochytrium limacinum marine alga supplementation on fatty acid profile of goat cheese

Akos Bodnar, Istvan Egerszegi, Eszter Klecska, Peter Poti and Ferenc Pajor

Abstract: Twenty multiparous Hungarian native goats (71 days in milk) were randomly allocated to two treatment groups. The animals were balanced for parity, and time of kidding. The control and experimental goats (n=10 in both groups) were kept indoors and were fed with 1.5 kg alfalfa hay, while the control animals received daily 600 g concentrate. The experimental group was fed with the same amount of hay and concentrate, and additionaly 15 g dried Schizochytrium limacinum marine alga supplementation. The investigation period lasted 31 days; the first 21 days was the period of adaptation to the marine algae enriched diet and the last 10 days was the samples collecting period. During the last 10 days, pooled milk samples were collected for cheese processing every two days, and 5–5 cheese samples were prepared from each groups. The cheese samples were selected for 4-week-ripening period, and they were frozen and stored at -20°C until further analysis. Fat, dry matter and fatty acid profile of them were determined. The Schizochytrium limacinum marine alga supplementation resulted in significantly higher concentrations of rumenic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in the cheese samples (0.35% vs 0.03%; P < 0.001; 0.44% vs 0.82%; P < 0.001). Consumers could have benefit from cheese produced by marine alga supplemented animals’ milk due to increasing of rumenic acid and DHA acid concentration, which improves the human health.

Keywords: cheese; DHA; goat; milk; Schizochytrium limacinum

Date published: 2020-06-30