T H E ACTION OF H E R R I N G OIL B E F O R E AND A F T E R H Y D R O GENATION ON T H E Y I E L D AND F A T P E R C E N T A G E OF T H E M I L K OF T H E GOAT 1

W. R. GRAHAM, JR., with the assistance of P. T. C U P P S 2

Department of Dairy Husbandry, College of Agriculture, Columbia, Mo.

When small amounts of cod-liver oil are included in the diets of lactating cows, there is a subsequent decline in the fat percentage of the milk which they secrete. This was first pointed out by Golding and his associates (1), and has since been amply substantiated by Petersen (2) and McCay and Maynard (3). Recently Golding (4) has shown that the factor or factors in cod-liver oil which cause this decline in fat percentage are not recovered in the nonsaponifiable fraction of the oil. McCay and Maynard (3) have shown that the principle responsible for the phenomenon is located in the saponifiable fraction of the oil. In other words, some f a t t y acid or groups of fat t y acids is responsible. McCay and Maynard fed not only cod-liver oil but shark and salmon oil. These, however, produced an effect that was much smaller than that experienced with cod-liver oil. In the light of these findings it would appear that the fat t y acid group responsible for the reaction would be present in other fish oils but possibly in smaller quantities. The reaction, if of general biological importance, should be manifest in other species. Other highly unsaturated fat t y acids will not produce a similar effect in lowering the percentage of fat in the milk. However, this does n o t necessarily mean that certain groupings of unsaturated bonds possibly occurring in the fat t y acids of cod-liver oil are not responsible for the phenomenon. I f this were true, hydrogenation of the f atty acids would obliterate the effect as produced by the untreated fish oil.
EXPERIMENTAL

Six lactating goats were used in the experiment, which was continued over a period of 11 weeks. The animals were divided into two groups and their ration supplemented as shown in Table 1 with herring oil and the same oil after hardening by hydrogenation. The animals were confined to their stalls throughout the experiment. The milk secreted was measured to the nearest 5 ec. and milk fats were determined
Received for publication September 25, 1937. 1 Contribution from the Department of Dairy Husbandry, Missouri Agricultural Experimen Station, Journal Series No. 529. The author wishes to thank the General Educgtion Board of the Rockefeller Foundation for financial support. 45

46

W. R. GRAHA!~ JR.~ AND P. T. CUPPS

TABLE 1 Showing the ~at supplemen~ to the daily diet

GROUP WEEK

1-3

3-5 2 oz..A. 2 oz.B

6 2oz. B 2 oz.A.

6-9 2oz. B 2 oz. ~&

9-11

Control Control
A--Original herring oil.

2oz. B 2oz. B

B--Hydrogenated herring oil.

on the milks of each animal twice weekly from a composite sample made up by taking aliquots from each milking. The original plan of experiment called for a mixture of the fat in the diet. However, while the goats consumed their ration containing the hardened oil with their usual appetite, they refused the mixture containing the original oil. Consequently, this was fed by syringe throughout the experiments.
I I I 1 I

SHOWING THE EFFECT OF UNTREATED AND HYDROGENATED HEP'P'ING OIL ON THE MILK YIELD AND FAT HRCENTAGE OF THE MILK OF GOATS.
MILK

'

"

,
,,I--" I I la'll"l "--"I' L~,llW ~

o
,

.-..-.
a.~ ~.~0

G P OUP , I

~- ~- "-z"0

~= ~

a.

6 'zG. I.

lo

~1

12

TIME IN WEEKS
The c o n d e n s e d r e s u l t s arc s h o w n i n T a b l e 2 a n d F i g u r e 1. These demons t r a t e d t h a t w h e n 2 ounces of h e r r i n g oil were f e d d a i l y t h e r e was a subseq u e n t r e d u c t i o n i n the p e r c e n t a g e of f a t i n t h e m i l k p r o d u e e d b y t h e s e a n i m a l s . S i m i l a r a m o u n t s of the same f a t a f t e r h y d r o g e n a t i o n h a d l i t t l e

TABLE 2

Showing the eondensed results for milk yield and percentage of fat

GOAT Group 1 123 30 119 Milk (co.) Fat % Milk Fat % Milk Fat % Mean Milk Fat % 16,705 3.60 9,495 2.24 12,480 3.18 36,860 3.13 15,290 4.11 8,625 2.65 12,370 3.25 36,285 3.47 14,660 4.21 9,130 2.65 12,920 3.39 36,710 3.53 12,520 3.85 8,120 2.30 12,700 3.22 35,340 3.05 11,720 3.76 6,750 2.18 11,390 2.975 30,860 3.00 Group 2
256

WEEK

11,530 3.50 5,830 2.15 9,430 3.10 26,970 3.06

11,570 4.17 6,920 2.70 10,130 3.70 28,620 3.64

10,150 4.15 6,840 2.31 9,810 3.40 26,700 3.41

9,980 4.38 5,320 2.50 9,090 3.61 24,390 3.67

9,480 4.19 6,840 2.49 9,820 3.766 25,140 3.73

10,120 3.86 5,390 2.72 9,270 3.49 24,780 3.47

252 507

Milk Fat % Milk Fat % Milk Fat % Mean Milk lVat %

9,740 3.16 10,130 3.48 10,120 2.3 29,990 2;97

8,960 3.99 9,390 3.62 8,845 2.76 27,195 3.68

9,280 3.15 9,290 3.86 9,410 2.60 28,050 3.19

9,240 3.45 9,500 3.46 9,480 2.59 28,220 3.16

8,560 4.139 9,250 3.284 8,380 2.626 26,190 3.349

9,130 3.85 8,810 3.60 8,840 2.90 26,780 3.45

9,340 4.10 9,180 3.08 8,430 2.35 26,990 3.205

7,740 3.06 8,320 2.39 6,870 1.66

22,950 2.395

7,260 3.37 4,890 2.93 1,504 2.60 13,654 3.13

8,230 3.59 3,265 3.83 3,850 2.47 15,345 3.36

4,510 3.81 5,710 3.27 4,920 2.31

14,200 3.34

-4

48

w . R . GRAHA~Cf~JR.~ AND P. T. CUPPS

or no effect on the percentage of milk fat. In fact, if any change occurred, there may have been a slight increase under this condition of feeding. The results show that hydrogenation of the herring oil destroyed its power to reduce the percentage of fat in the milk. This fact indicates that the factor or factors responsible for the reaction are in unsaturated bonds of the fish oils. Since, however, simple unsaturation has been shown to produce no similar effect, the results must be due to some particular grouping of unsaturated bonds in these f a t t y acids. The treatment with herring oil was, however, not without effect on the general well-being of the animals. This did not become apparent until the animals had been on feed for over two weeks. At that time they began to refuse their feed and the decline in milk production and fat percentage manifest in the earlier portions of the period became more pronounced. No difficulties were experienced when the animals were fed the supplements of hardened fat. The reductions shown in the volume of milk secreted when the oil was fed are thus complicated by reduced feed intake. However, under similar conditions without the fish oil in the diet we would expect, on the basis of our knowledge of fat production, that there would have been an increase in the fat percentage of the milk. The effect produced when the oil was fed appeared to be generalized through the body rather than localized in the secretion of the mammary gland. The toxicity of the untreated oil as compared to the same oil after hydrogenation indicates that the grouping of unsaturated bonds is reacting with some mechanism which is of general importance to the animal as a whole rather than one which might be specifically related to the secretion of milk.
REFERENCES (1) GOLDING, J., SOA]~IES, K. M., AND ZILYA, S . S . The influence of the cow diet on the fat soluble vitamins of winter milk. Biochem..:[our. 20: 1306. 1926. (2) PETERSEN, W . E . The effect of cod liver oil in the ration upon the quality and quantity of cow's milk. Joum DAIRY ScI. 15: 283. 1932. (3) McCAY, C. M., AND MAYNARD, L . A . The effect of ingested cod liver oil, shark liver oil and salmon oil upon the composition of the blood and milk of lactating cows. Jour. Biol. Chem. 109: 29. 1935. (4) GOLDING, J. Some of the effects produced on the richness of cow's milk by feeding cod liver oil. Proc. World's Dairy Congress, p. 44. 1928.