Seasonal variation of fatty acid in milk of intensive and extensive dairy systems in Northern Italy

The effect of dairy farm management practices (intensive or extensive) on the fatty acid (FA) profile of milk transformed in Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) 'Raschera' cheese have been studied over two years. The intensive farms adopted diets based on corn silage, with a high concentrate to forage ratio, whereas the cow diets on the extensive farms were based on hay in the winter season, and on grazing in summer. The milk from the pastures presented the highest contents of human health FA, i.e. conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and linolenic acid. Furthermore, the extensive production systems allowed milk to be produced with higher oddand branched-chain FA (OBCFA) content than intensive farms. Therefore, different FA profiles could be used to confer added value to dairy products from extensive systems and to justify their higher prices.