EU-Project Quality low input food: influence of processing on the content of conjugated linoleic acids

Among consumers there is a growing demand for food products with a natural nutritional-physiological advantage over comparable conventional products. As part of an EU funded project, Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux ALP examined the possible impact of processing on nutritionally valuable milk components, using the example of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA). Among the many benefits ascribed to CLA, it is believed to have an anticarcinogenic effect.The extent to which processing influences the CLA content of the end product was determined by literature research and own investigations of organic and conventional butter. Furthermore, new methods to determine the oxidation stability of butter were evaluated by ALP, and the storage stability of CLA enriched and conventional butter was examined. As a third objective a process for low-input CLA enrichment of milk fat has been developed.