Biosynthesis of Milk Fat

Abstract

Milk fat represents a loss of energy to the cow. This energy is potentially available for production of more milk when secretion of milk fat is suppressed by diet or by fatty acids unsuited to formation of milk glycerides. Full realization of this potential for greater milk production depends upon energy limiting milk production and upon preventing deposition of the extra energy in adipose tissue. Dietary magnesium oxide seems to inhibit fat deposition by decreasing adipose lipoprotein lipase and glyceride synthesis. Lactation inhibits these same reactions more dramatically, and a fuller understanding of lactational inhibition of fattening could manifest ways to facilitate diversion of fatty acids to the mammary gland. Evidence for lipoproteins in blood which preferentially transfer fat to mammary rather than adipose tissue offers one possible control while the effect of prolactin on mammary lipoprotein lipase offers another. © 1973, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.