Abstract

Source of Variation of Conjugated-Linoleic-Acid Contents in Dairy Products

Marcelino Kongo J, João Leite, Ana Borges and Duarte Ponte

Samples of bovine milk (raw, thermized, or pasteurized) and of cheeses (raw and pasteurized) at 60 d of ripening were analyzed for contents in CLA. Detected values varied between 1.45 ± 0.20 mg/g in raw milk, 1.44 ± 0.05 mg/g lipid in thermized milk and 1.40 ± 0.11 mg/g in pasteurized milk, and 9.6 ± 0.5 mg/g in pasteurized cheeses and 10.8 ± 4.2 mg/g in raw-milk cheeses. Our results indicate that although processing factors such as heating and ripening affect the CLA contents of a dairy product, the major source of its variation among products may be the intrinsic amount of CLA present in the raw-milk.