Flaxseed contains ~40% oil and of this ~50–60% is
linolenic acid (18:3n−3, LNA) making flaxseed one of the richest
plant sources of n−3 FA. Furthermore, in ruminants, bacterial
biohydrogenation in the rumen can result in accumulation of partial
hydrogenation products including vaccenic acid (trans (t)11–18:1,
VA) and rumenic acid (cis (c)9,t11–18:2, RA), both of which
have purported health benefits. Thus, feeding flaxseed to cattle may also present
opportunities for producing beef products with enhanced levels of
partial biohydrogenation products of linolenic acid as shown