Composti minori della frazione lipidica del latte e del formaggio: acidi grassi ramificati e idrocarburi non volatili e loro implicazioni nutraceutiche e di tracciabilità.

Dairy fat minor constituents: branched chain fatty acids and non-volatile hydrocarbons and their nutraceutical and traceability implications - Milk fat composition is highly influenced, both quantitatively and qualitatively, by the genetic selection of the animals and by the type of feeding. Several studies have been carried out on the composition of lipid fraction having nutraceutical importance, i.e. polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as CLA, omega-6 and omega-3, and branched chain fatty acids (BCFA) having 12-17 carbon atoms. BCFA seem to be important for human health since they would enhance the intestinal microbiota and are supposed to have anticancerogenic properties similar to that of omega-3 fatty acids. Their content is associated to the fresh forage consumption by the animals, thus they can also be considered markers of this type of feeding. As regards the traceability, interesting results were obtained from the chemical class of non volatile hydrocarbons and in particular from phytenes. They derive from phytol of chlorophyll by the action of rumen bacteria. In our research the composition of milk fat produced by twenty-nine farms, located in three geographical areas of the Po Plain and adopting different composition of the diet was studied. A positive correlation between the content of minor compounds of the lipid fraction and the forage levels in the animal feeding was detected.