The utilization of dietary fats by ruminants:II. The effect of fatty acid chain length and unsaturation on digestibility

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Abstract
SUMMARY The effect of fatty acid chain length and unsaturation on digestibility in sheep were examined using partially purified samples of lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acids. The digestibility of the fatty acids was relatively constant with only a very slight decrease on increasing chain length. There was an extensive hydrogenation of the unsaturated fatty acids. The corrected digestibility coefficients for lauric acid was 91%, myristic 86%, palmitic 87% and stearic acid 81–83% whereas the corrected digestibility coefficients for oleic and linoleic acids were calculated at 87 and 93% respectively. The digestibility coefficients for the saturated fatty acids are higher than similar estimates that have been reported for non-ruminants. It is suggested that the ruminant is better able to utilize saturated fatty acids than the non-ruminant.