Branched-chain fatty acids have been studied in
goat milk recently, because they lend characteristic flavors to dairy foods (Ha and Lindsay, 1993;
Alonso et al., 1999). Implicated in goat-like flavors is
4-ethyloctanoic acid, which was present at 0.227 mg/g
total fatty acids among 31 minor branched-chain fatty
acids. Monomethyl-branched substitutions on C4 and
C6 fatty acids are present only in goat milk and not
in cow milk. A comparatively high number of minor
branched-chain fatty acids is found in goat milk and
the content of trans-C18:l fatty acids is significantly
lower in goat milk under average feeding regimes
than in cow milk, also a benefit for coronary heart
disease risks