Effects of feeding calcium salts of long chain fatty acids on milk yield, milk composition and plasma parameters of lactating goats

Thirty-two goats were fed concentrates, one containing 6% calcium salts of fatty acids. Rations contained equal quantities of Ca and N. Fatty acid calcium salts significantly increased milk fat (from 3.4 ± 0.1 to 3.7 ± 0.2%), but the percentage of short and medium chain fatty acids (C4 to C14) in milk fat decreased (from 37.5 ± 1.0 to 32.2 ± 0.6%). The group fed fatty acid calcium salts had increases in plasma cholesterol (3.5 ± 0.2 vs. 4.3 ± 0.2 mmol/1), phospholipids (2.5 ± 0.1 vs. 2.9 ± 0.1 mmol/1) and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (28.9 ± 1.5 vs. 33.5 ± 2.3 U/1).