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Updated: Sep 26, 2026
Dietary Supplementation of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: November 29, 2013
Linseed oil supplementation and DGAT1 K232A polymorphism affect the triacylglycerol composition and crystallization
N Arita-Merino1, S Yener2, H J F van Valenberg2
1Food Quality and Design Group, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands; Physics and Physical Chemistry of Foods, Wageningen University & Research, PO Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands.
Abstract:
We studied the effect of dietary linseed oil (LSO) supplementation and DGAT1 K232A (DGAT1) polymorphism on the triacylglycerol composition and crystallization of bovine milk fat. LSO supplementation increased unsaturated triacylglycerols, notably in the C52-C54 carbon range, while reducing the saturated C29-C49 triacylglycerols. These changes were associated with an increase in the low-melting fraction and the crystal lamellar thickness, as well as a reduction in the medium and high-melting fractions and the formation of the most abundant crystal type at 20 °C (β'-2 polymorph). Furthermore, DGAT1 KK was associated with higher levels of odd-chain saturated triacylglycerols than DGAT1 AA, and it was also associated with an increase in the high-melting fraction and the endset melting temperature. An interaction between diet and DGAT1 for the unsaturated C54 triacylglycerols accentuated the effects of LSO supplementation with DGAT1 AA. These findings show that genetic polymorphism and cows' diet can have considerable effects on milk fat properties.
