Influence of the breed on the physicochemical characteristics, fatty acid composition of sheeps milk and consumption of biologically active and trans fatty acids in the Rhodopes

Tsonka Odzhakova, Silviya Ivanova

Abstract: The presented study is aimed at establishing the physicochemical composition, the fatty acid profile of ewe’s milk from 3 breeds grown in the Rhodopes. The qualitative assessment of the fat fraction was made based on the following indicators: lipid preventive score, atherogenic and thrombogenic index and the ratio between hyper- and hypocholesterolemic fatty acids. Biologically active fatty acids were synthesized to a different degree by ewe in milk and this was determined by their breed differences – the cis isomers of oleic acid have the highest concentration in MRB, omega-3 fatty acids – RTB, CLA in Karakachan breed, trans vaccenic acid – RTB and oleic acid in MRB. The evaluation of the parameter’s lipid preventive score, atherogenic and thrombogenic index in the sheep’s milk give us an idea of its usefulness, with the lowest values obtained for the lipid preventive score in the milk of the RTB from 14.40 to 15.86 g/ 100g product, the atherogenic index in the milk of the MRB from 1.47 to 1.81, the thrombogenic index in the milk of the Karakachan breed from 1.80 to 1.99, the ratio between hyper- and hypocholesterolemic fatty acids has the highest content in the milk of the MRB from 0.70 to 0.85. The presented multidisciplinary research offers new knowledge in the field of healthy nutrition in humans, in particular the consumption of essential fatty acids. The purpose of the research is to study and evaluate the content of biologically active and trans fatty acids in sheep milk from three breeds – Karakachan, Rhodope Tsigai and Middle Rhodope and to establish their daily consumption in humans through milk.

Keywords: anticancerogenic substances (CLA); fatty acids; Middle Rhodope sheep; Rhodope Tsigai sheep; trans-, ω-3 and ω-6 FA; еwes milk

Date published: 2023-04-27