Oilseeds are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFA), which can be fed to dairy animals to modify
the milk fatty acid (FA) profile and produce a more
nutritionally beneficial milk for human consumption
(Kennelly, 1996). Feeding flaxseed to dairy cows decreases
the concentrations of short- and medium-chain
FA and increases the long-chain FA content in milk
fat (Mustafa et al., 2003; Petit, 2003). On the other
hand, fish oil addition to dairy cows diet has been suggested
to specifically increase the long-chain n-3 FA
and C20:5 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and C22:6 docosahexaenoic
acid (DHA) contents in milk (Chilliard
et al., 2001).