Groundbreaking research suggests more beneficial fatty acids in Organic Milk
We all know that in order to produce the best food you need the finest ingredients! At Rachel's Organic our organic dairy farmers are aware of this, ensuring their cows are fed on a diet rich in forage, fresh grass and clover to produce high quality organic milk. In fact organic certification bodies such as the Soil Association state that at least 60% of an organic animal's diet must be forage based ² silage (pickled grass), hay or grazing.
This natural diet not only benefits the dairy cows, but is also reflected in the quality of the milk, a recent study led by Dr Richard Dewhurst at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER) at Aberystwyth has identified that there are direct benefits to be found in milk produced by cattle grazing on such natural diets of grass and clover. Dr Dewhurst said:
"Our previous research has shown that milk from cows fed clover can contain up to 240% more Omega-3 fatty acids than milk from cows fed grass and concentrates. Organic dairy farmers feed much higher levels of clover because they use it as an alternative to using synthetic chemical fertilizers to ensure lush pastures." ¹.
Early findings from an ongoing study ³ conducted at The University of Aberdeen have confirmed these findings, and it is suggested that drinking just ½ a pint of organic milk a day as part of a healthy balanced diet could provide as much as 10% of the UK's Daily Reference Value of essential n-3 fatty acid, (alpha linoleic acid), which is widely considered a healthy ingredient of human nutrition.
However, Jaime Robertson, University of Aberdeen points out that the levels of Omega 3 does obviously fluctuate across the seasons directly relating to the herd's diet. With the fatty acid content being higher over the Summer months when the cows are left to graze the pastures as opposed to the colder Winter months when they shelter from the elements in sheds and feed on silage (pickled grass) harvested earlier in the year.
In the meantime work is being carried out into how best to sustain this naturally occurring fatty acid in conserved grass such as silage, which may strengthen the case that organic milk really is nature's goodness in a glass!
¹ Dewhurst RJ, Fisher WJ, Tweed JKS and Wilkins RJ (2003). Comparison of grass and legume silages for milk production. 1. Production responses with different levels of concentrate. Journal of dairy science (Volume 86 pages 2598 - 2611).
² UK Register of Organic food Standards (1999). UKROFS Standards for Organic Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Publication.
³ Robertson J & Fanning C, (2004). Omega 3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Organic and Conventional Milk. Summary report. (University of Aberdeen).