Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2017
Increasing the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of ruminant products may be important in reducing the incidence of cardiovascular diseases in man. Previous experiments suggest that a-linolenic acid (C18:3n -3) in the form of whole linseed is extensively biohydrogenated both in vitro (Cooper et al., 2001) and in vivo (Wachira et al., 2000) and that some form of protection is required. By contrast the long chain PUFA’s in fish oils appear less susceptible to biohydrogenation (Wachira et al., 2000). The objective of the present study was to quantify the extent to which n-3 PUFA from different sources were biohydrogenated in the rumen and to determine the degree to which they were incorporated into plasma lipids.