Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 November 2017
Previous studies have shown that including fish oil (FO) in the diet of beef cattle resulted in increased long chain C20n-3 PUFA (C20:5n-3 and C22:6n-3) in muscle resulting in a lower n-6:n-3 ratio (Scollan et al., 2005). Fish oil is considered to be a good inhibitor of biohydrogenation in the rumen, resulting in increased production of C18:1 trans-11 (Vaccenic acid), the precursor for conjugated linoleic acid (CLA cis-9, trans-11) in muscle. This study investigated the effects of incremental levels of FO in the diet on fatty acid metabolism in the rumen.