Feeding Livestock Flax

[Guest guest]

We have talked about this a little before. My question is how much

of this flax the below article refers to shall actually end up

already having the oil pressed out of it??? Two of the largest

organic flax oil producers in the US are in the county I am resident

of. (In fact they are probably the two largest.) Over the years I

have purchased a lot of by-product from them for my animals & slowly

learned how they " dispose " of the left over food by-products.

The " dry " left over flax seed hull is very high in protien &

purchased by farmers as a feed for their dairy cows. Now, just what

is the law for claiming this milk to be Omega-3 enriched as spoke of

in the article below??? *just curious*

 

 

OMEGA-3July 1998Ontario Dairy FarmerOriginally published in the Flax

Focus NewsletterMake room for omega-3 enriched milks and cheeses in

your refrigerator. In the future, these products may be sold

insupermarkets. Research from the University of Manitoba shows

thatflaxseed-fed cows produce omega-3 enriched milk, a

developmentwhich would mean more flaxseed going into livestock

feed.Even a small addition of flaxseed to the rations of some ofthe

1.3 million dairy cows in Canada would provide an attractivealternate

market for flax.Since flaxseed contains a high amount of alpha-

linolenicacid, an essential omega-3 fat, feeding the animals

flaxseedrations produces milk with extra omega-3 fats.The milk study,

by Dr. J.R. (Ray) Ingalls, senior scholar,and Jane Goodridge, a

graduate student, in the Department ofAnimal Science at the

University of Manitoba, shows that adding aspecially prepared milled

flaxseed to the rations of fourHolstein cows changed the fat content

of the milk the dairy cowsgave.Flaxseed accounted for the increase of

the omega-3 fat inthe milk. The research was funded in part by the

Flax Council ofCanada, Manitoba milk Producers and NSERC-IOR

program. " The flaxseed supplement in the cows' rations

dramaticallyincreased the alpha-linolenic acid content of the milk

produced, " said Dr. Ingalls.The research report states that with 1.6

kg of flaxseedsupplement (410 g fat), the alpha-linolenic acid

content of themilk was increased 670 per cent per kg of milk fat

produced.Furthermore, an untrained taste panel was not able to spot

aflavour difference in milk or plain yogourt made from the en-riched

milk.Since an average cow produces about 7,000 litres of milk

peryear, Dr. Ingalls feels there may be a place for some of

thatproduction to be enriched with omega-3 fat from flaxseed.He says

the development of modified-fat dairy products suchas omega-3 milk is

the target of researchers around the worldbecause consumers are

looking for foods which promote betterhealth.Dairy products are no

exception, he notes, and omega-3enriched products have appeal. The

essential omega-3 fats canprotect against heart disease, according to

current research.The key to successfully producing omega-3 enriched

dairyproducts is in perfecting the feed, Dr. Ingalls explained.

TheManitoba research was conducted with an exclusive flaxseed

feed,which was developed in Australia.The Australian method

chemically treats milled flaxseed anduses heat to prepare it as a

feed supplement for dairy cows. Thespecial treatment of the feed is

required because of thepeculiarities of a cow's digestion, and

particularly its rumen,(one of the four stomachs).Designed to tackle

harsh grasses, the rumen changes some ofthe dietary fats, and they

are not passed along to the milk.Therefore, polyunsaturated fats like

omega-3s must be " protect-ed, " Dr. Ingalls says, if the level of

polyunsaturated fats is toincrease in the milk.