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Methods of incorporating polyunsaturated fatty acids in milkRelated Patent Categories: Food Or Edible Material: Processes, Compositions, And Products, Treatment Of Live AnimalMethods of incorporating polyunsaturated fatty acids in milk description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080020086, Methods of incorporating polyunsaturated fatty acids in milk. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/312,106, filed Mar. 28, 2003, which is the National Stage of International Application No. PCT/US/01/20471, filed Jun. 26, 2001, which claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/214,291, filed Jun. 26, 2000. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to methods of incorporating polyunsaturated fatty acids in milk with increased efficiency. More particularly, the methods include protecting polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, with a protective agent prior to feeding the supplement to a milk-producing animal. The invention further provides methods of feeding the polyunsaturated fatty acids to milk-producing animals by top dressing the polyunsaturated fatty acid supplement onto regular feed to increase the incorporation efficiency of the polyunsaturated fatty acids into milk. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] It is desirable to increase polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of milk to help increase the dietary intake of these beneficial fatty acids. For example, omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids are recognized as important dietary compounds for preventing arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease, for alleviating inflammatory conditions and for retarding the growth of tumor cells. For children, it would also be desirable to increase both the omega-3 (especially DHA, C22:6n-3) and the omega-6 fatty acid content of milk as the eicosanoids from the omega-6 fatty acids are important for growth and DHA is important in brain and nervous system development. Milk is not only an important food source in its own right, but it can also be used to make a wide variety of other dairy products, such as butter, yogurt, cheese and the like. [0004] One way to enrich omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs in milk is to increase the content of these fatty acids in the feed ration of ruminants. However, it has been found that ruminants fed high concentrations of long chain unsaturated fat in their feed rations can sometimes exhibit one or more of the following results: (1) reduced milk output; (2) decreased fat content in the milk; (3) decreased protein content in the milk; and (4) increased trans-fatty acid content in the milk. [0005] Accordingly, it would be desirable to have improved methods of producing PUFA-enriched milk. The present invention satisfies this desire and provides related advantages as well. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006] The present invention generally relates to methods of increasing the efficiency of producing milk enriched with omega-3 and/or omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). In one aspect, the invention relates to the protection of PUFAs with a protective fat. The invention further provides compositions containing omega-3 and/or omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and a protective fat, and to methods of making and using such compositions. [0007] The source of the PUFAs can be from any animal, plant or microbial source. A preferred source of the polyunsaturated fatty acids is a microorganism, particularly algae. The microorganism can be used in a whole cell form or as a lipid extracted from the microorganism. Preferably, the microorganism is from the order Thraustochytriales, more preferably from the genus Thraustochytrium or Schizochytrium, and in particular Schizochytrium sp. (ATCC 20888 and ATCC 20889). (There has been some discussion in the taxonomic community as to whether the genus Ulkenia in the order Thraustochytriales is really separate from the genus Schizochytrium. For the purpose of this application we follow the current scientific consensus that Ulkenia is not a valid genus and species formerly described as "Ulkenia" are really members of the genus Schizochytrium.) Oil seeds including genetically modified oil seeds, can also be used as the source of the PUFAs, including soybeans, flax, sunflower, safflower, rapeseed and canola for example. The seeds or oils extracted from the seeds can be used. [0008] Although a particularly useful protective fat is tristearine, other tri-saturated triacylglycerols (e.g. tri-palmitine or tri-myristine), or di-saturated triacylglycerols which are preferably solid at room temperatures can also be used. Forms of other protective fats such as tallow, lard and calcium salts of fatty acids, for example, are also useful. Functional derivatives of these specific fats are also contemplated for use in the compositions and methods of the present invention. Other protective agents can also be used, including protected forms of casein and soy proteins, for example. [0009] Preferably, the desired PUFA and the protective fat is combined in a ratio ranging from about 1:10 to about 10:1 (protective fat:PUFA), more preferably in a ratio ranging from about 1:5 to about 5:1, more preferably in a ratio ranging from about 1:1 to about 3:1 and more preferably in a ratio of about 2:1. [0010] Various methods of making and using the compositions are also provided. Methods of making the compositions of the present invention are generally accomplished by obtaining an omega-3 and/or omega-6 PUFA and combining the protective fat with the PUFA to produce the composition. Additionally, methods of producing milk enriched with omega-3 PUFA, omega-6 PUFA or a combination thereof are also provided in which an animal capable of producing milk is fed the composition of the present invention. The milk-producing animal can be a cow, sheep, goat, bison, buffalo, antelope, deer or camel. Optionally, the methods further include extracting milk from the animal to obtain the enriched milk as well as producing a dairy product from the enriched milk, such as cheese, butter, yogurt and the like. [0011] In another aspect, the invention also relates to a novel method of feeding milk-producing animals to increase the production of PUFA-enriched milk. The method involves adding a layer of a PUFA supplement on top of regular feed and feeding the animal the layered feed. The PUFA supplement can contain either protected or unprotected PUFAs. The methods can further include extracting the PUFA-enriched milk from the animal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] FIG. 1 is a graph comparing the amount of DHA (mg/l) in milk produced by cows fed DHA-rich microalgae supplement in a total mixed ration versus top dressed on the feed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0013] The present invention generally relates to the discovery of improved methods for producing milk enriched with omega-3 PUFA, omega-6 PUFA or a combination of these PUFAs. [0014] In one aspect of the invention, it has now been discovered that feeding milk-producing animals, particularly ruminants, the long chain omega-3 and/or omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids along with a protective fat allows for significant enrichment of the PUFA content of milk while limiting one or more of the following: reductions in milk production, decreases in fat content, decreases in protein content, and/or increases in trans-fatty acid content, when compared to animals fed a non-enriched diet. [0015] The compositions of the present invention include an omega-3 PUFA, an omega-6 PUFA or a combination of the two and a protective fat. Preferred PUFAs include any omega-3 or omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids with three or more double bonds. Omega-3 PUFAs are polyethylenic fatty acids in which the ultimate ethylenic bond is three carbons from and including the terminal methyl group of the fatty acid and include, for example, docosahexaenoic acid C22:6(n-3) (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid C20:5(n-3) (EPA), omega-3 docosapentaenoic acid C22:5(n-3) (DPAn-3), stearidonic acid C18:4(n-3) (SDA), and linolenic acid C18:3(n-3) (LNA). Omega-6 PUFAs are polyethylenic fatty acids in which the ultimate ethylenic bond is six carbons from and including the terminal methyl group of the fatty acid and include, for example, arachidonic acid C20:4(n-6) (ARA), C22:4(n-6), omega-6 docosapentaenoic acid C22:5(n-6) (DPAn-6), gammalinolenic acid C18:3(n-6) (GLA) and dihomogammalinolenic acid C20:3(n-6) (dihomo GLA). The PUFAs can be in any of the common forms found in natural lipids including but not limited to triacylglycerols, diacylglycerols, phospholipids, free fatty acids, esterified fatty acids, or in natural or synthetic derivative forms of these fatty acids (e.g. calcium salts of fatty acids, ethyl esters, etc). Suitable PUFAs for the present compositions can also include any combination of omega-3 PUFAs and/or omega-6 PUFAs. [0016] Any source of PUFAs can be used in the compositions and methods of the present invention, including, for example, animal, plant and microbial sources. Sources of the PUFAs and methods for processing and isolating the PUFAs preferably include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,594, issued Aug. 23, 1994 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,244, issued Dec. 16, 1997, both incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. For example, strains of fungi, algae or protists can be isolated that contain the PUFAs. The organism, such as algae for example, is preferably fed to the animal in a whole cell form or alternatively as an extracted lipid. Preferably, the organism is selected from the order Thraustochytriales, more preferably from the genus Thraustochytrium or Schizochytrium, and particularly Schizochytrium. Preferred strains are the deposited Schizochytrium sp. strains ATCC 20888 and 20889 and derivatives thereof. [0017] It is especially desirable to use a microbial source of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. These PUFAs are naturally encapsulated in the microbial cell wall, which can function as a natural protective barrier. Although feeding the whole-cell microbes themselves can readily lead to an increase in polyunsaturated fatty acid content of the milk, decreased milk production and the other side effects noted above can sometimes occur depending on the amount of natural protection provided by the microbial cell wall. [0018] Oil seeds, such as soybean, flax, sunflower, safflower, rapeseed and canola for example, are also useful as sources of the PUFAs. Preferably, oil seeds that have been genetically modified to increase the PUFA content can be employed. The oil seeds or oil extracted from the seeds can be used. Methods of extracting oil from seeds are known to those skilled in the art. Animal sources, such as fish, can also be used as a source of PUFAs. Continue reading about Methods of incorporating polyunsaturated fatty acids in milk... 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