Challenges of Meeting Cow Demands for Omega Fatty Acids

Fatty acids are chains of carbons that end in an acid group, or carboxyl group as it is referred to in biochemistry. Fatty acids vary in the length of the fatty acid chain and the number of double bonds. It is common to abbreviate fatty acids by listing the number of carbons in the chain:number of double bonds (Table 1). An example of a common fatty acid is stearic acid with 18 carbons and no double bonds, or C18:0. Fatty acids, such as stearic acid, are referred to as saturated because all the carbons are holding the maximum number of hydrogens possible, or the fatty acid is “saturated” with hydrogen. Stearic acid is low in plant oils, but present in higher amounts in animal fats, particularly in fats obtained from ruminant species such as beef tallow.