ABSTRACT
The fortification of milk with phytosterols is an increasingly common practice to enhance the sterol profile and offer consumers potential health benefits. This study investigated whether cattle feed can influence the profile of phytosterols and cholesterol in the milk produced as an alternative to direct fortification of milk. Five experiments were performed using feeds commonly used by Australian dairy farmers and selected formulated rumen-protected feeds. Statistical significances were observed for some individual plant sterols and cholesterol in milk under these differing feeding regimens compared with the respective controls. In the case of the phytosterols, where the daily recommended consumption is typically 2 g per day, the total phytosterols were <0.12 mg/100 mL of milk. An experiment using a rumen-protected feed with high phytosterol levels suggested a decreased transfer of cholesterol to the milk by as much as 20%, although further work is required to confirm these preliminary results. Overall, the study suggests that different feeding practices have minimal effect on the resulting sterol profile of the milk.
Subject(s)
Animal Feed/analysis , Dairying/methods , Diet/veterinary , Milk/chemistry , Animals , Biofortification , Cattle , Cholesterol/analysis , Female , Phytosterols/analysisABSTRACT
Antibiotics have been the treatment of choice for a broad range of bacterial infections for decades. In recent years, however, concern has been growing over the increasing incidence of infections that are resistant to known antibiotics. A 1995 outbreak of ampicillin- and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) at the 3Y site of the McMaster University Medical Centre brought this concern home to us and resulted in the development of outbreak-management guidelines for VRE.
