Bovine milk having a high n6-polyunsaturated fatty acid content

2:

• Bovine milk fat according to claim 1, wherein a weight ratio of linoleic acid to alpha-linolenic acid is in the range of 4:1-15:1, preferably in the range of 5:1-10:1.

3:

• Bovine milk fat according to claim 1, comprising 10-25 wt % linoleic acid, preferably 11-20 wt % linoleic acid, and most preferably 12-18 wt % linoleic acid. based on total fatty acids.

4:

• Bovine milk fat according to claim 1, comprising 15-40 wt % palmitic acid (C16:0).

5:

• Bovine milk fat according to claim 1, comprising 8-18 wt % stearic acid (C18:0).

6:

• Bovine milk fat according to claim 4, wherein at least 30% of the palmitic acid is bound to glyceride at the sn-2 position.

7:

• Bovine milk fat according to claim 1, having an oleic acid content (C18:1 cis) in the range of 15-35 wt %.

8:

• Bovine milk fat according to claim 1, wherein the fat comprises at most 3.0 wt %, preferably 0.5-3.0 wt %, and most preferably 0.5-2.5 wt % fatty acids with one or more non-conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds in the trans position.

9:

• Bovine milk fat according to claim 1, having a soap forming potential defined as the molar percentage of the sum of C12:0, C14:0, 16:0, and C18:0 in the sn-1 or sn-3 position, based on total fatty acids of 55 mol % or less, preferably in the range of 30-52 mol %, in particular in the range of 40-50 mol %.

10:

• Bovine milk wherein the fat phase consists of the bovine milk fat according to claim 1.

11:

• Bovine milk according to claim 10 wherein at least 50 wt %, preferably 90-100 wt. % of the bovine milk phase is globular milk fat.

12:

• Method for producing the bovine milk of claim 10 comprising the steps of feeding a lactating bovine mammal with a rumen-protected linoleic acid source and a rumen-protected alpha-linolenic acid source, which source may be the same or different, followed by milking the lactating bovine mammal, wherein the mammal preferably receives (i) at least 100 g, more preferably 200-2000 g linoleic acid and (ii) at least 10 g, more preferably 20-200 g alpha-linolenic acid per day, at least 50% of the linoleic acid and at least 50% of the alpha-linolenic acid being rumen-protected.

13:

• Method according to claim 12, wherein the mammal is fed a supplement comprising a rumen-protected triglyceride oil providing linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, preferably a vegetable oil, more preferably a vegetable oil selected from the group consisting of soybean oil, linseed oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, fractions of soybean oil, fractions of linseed oil, fractions of rapeseed oil, fractions of sunflower oil, including mixtures comprising one or more of said vegetable oils and/or said fractions, and wherein the linoleic acid content of the supplement is preferably at least 35 g per 100 g fatty acids, more preferably 45-90 g per 100 g fatty acids, and the alpha-linolenic acid content of the supplement is preferably at least 3 g per 100 g fatty acids, more preferably 2.5-10 g per 100 g fatty acids.

14:

• Method according to claim 12, wherein the rumen-protected triglyceride oil or acid sources are triglyceride oils encapsulated in a rumen-resistant substance, preferably a substance at least substantially consisting of a protein, more preferably at least substantially consisting of a protein selected from the group of whey proteins and caseins.

15:

• Formula milk comprising a fat phase, wherein the fat phase consists of at least 50 wt. %, preferably at least 60 wt %, more preferably at least 70 wt %, even more preferably at least 90 wt %, and most preferably 100 wt % of the bovine milk fat according to claim 1.

The formula milk of claim 15, wherein the formula milk is an infant formula, a follow-up formula, or a growing-up formula.