Organic Milk is Better For You
Organic milk is better for you than the traditional white stuff, according to new research.
Scientists compared the fat content of 22 brands sold in
supermarkets and organic milk came out on top, with up to 60 per cent
more polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Researchers at Newcastle University analysed the milk over a two-year
period. All the milk tested was full-fat and roughly half was organic.
Although the overall fat content was similar in all the milks, the
organic brands had more healthy fats, reports the Journal of Dairy
Science.
The survey, conducted over 2 yr replicating summer and winter, sampled 22 brands, 10 of which indicated organic production systems. Results corroborate earlier farm-based findings considering fat composition of milk produced under conventional and organic management. Organic milk had higher concentrations of beneficial fatty acids (FA) than conventional milk, including total polyunsaturated fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid, and α-linolenic acid.
As expected, purchase season had a strong effect on fat composition: compared with milk purchased in winter, summer milk had a lower concentration of saturated fatty acids and higher concentrations of PUFA, CLA9, and α-LN. Differences identified between sampling years were more surprising: compared with that in yr 2, milk purchased in year 1 had higher concentrations of PUFA, α-LN, and linoleic acid and lower concentrations of C16:0 and C14:0. Strong interactions were identified between management and season as well as between season and year of the study. As in the earlier farm studies, differences in fat composition between systems were greater for summer compared with winter milk. Large between-year differences may be due to changes in weather influencing milk composition through forage availability, quality, and intake. If climate change predictions materialize, both forage and dairy management may have to adapt to maintain current milk quality. Considerable variation existed in milk fat composition between brands.
