Contract no: QLK1-2002-02362

Duration: 01/01/2003 – 30/06/2006

Contents

• Introduction
• Objectives
• Expected Achievements
• Participants
• Project Components
• Publications

Introduction

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a natural component of milkfat exhibits several health promoting attributes, including protection against cancer, heart disease and obesity. These diet-related diseases contribute significantly to EU health-care costs. To confer the potential benefits of CLA to humans, CLA rich foods should be included as part of a balanced diet. This project aims to develop dairy-based functional foods enriched in CLA, and evaluate their efficacy in humans. This will be achieved by development of natural, consumer-acceptable strategies and processing systems to produce CLA-enhanced dairy foods of proven safety and quality. Co-ordinated studies of CLA metabolism and behaviour in milk production in bovine, ovine and caprine species will be performed. Detailed experiments and large-scale animal trials will be conducted with lactating dairy cows, goats and sheep, leading to the identification of animal feeding and management strategies appropriate to a range of geographical regions and dairy systems throughout the EU. In addition, the ability of selected food-grade cultures to make CLA will be exploited, and CLA-enriched dairy foods will be manufactured at pilot and commercial scales from CLA-enriched milk from these sources and evaluated in studies with animals and healthy humans to establish their safety and efficacy. This project will positively impact on health of EU consumers, EU milk producers and EU functional foods industry.

Objectives

1. Elucidation of the biological mechanisms of CLA production in lactating ruminants and in bacteria
2. Enrichment of CLA in milk products, by identification of animal feeding and management strategies for production of CLA-enriched milk appropriate to a range of geographical regions and dairy systems, and through exploitation of CLA-producing cultures
3. Evaluation of the contribution of added intestinal microbes to mammalian CLA status
4. Assessment of the impact of CLA-enriched fats on stability and quality in dairy food systems and development of stable CLA-enriched food products with acceptable sensory properties
5. Assessment of the safety of these naturally produced CLA-enriched dairy products in humans
6. Assessment of the impact of CLA-enriched dairy product consumption on human health parameters

Expected Achievements

Consumption of CLA-rich foods is likely to confer health benefits on humans, given the health promoting properties attributed to dietary CLA. These include reduction in cancers, such as skin, stomach and breast cancer, and reduction of the risk of heart disease and obesity.

List of Participants

1. Dr. Catherine Stanton, Teagasc, Dairy Products Research Centre (DPRC), Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland. www.teagasc.ie
2. Dr.Giovanni Piredda, Istituto Zootecnico e Caseario per la Sardegna (IZCS), Località Bonassai, 07040 Olmedo, Italy. www.regione.sardegna.it/izcs
3. Dr. Nick Offer, Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), Food Systems Division, Auchincruive, KA6 5HW Ayr, United Kingdom. www.sac.ac.uk
4. Dr. Sebastiano Banni, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Dipartimento di Biologia Sperimentale (UCDBS), Sezione di Patologia Sperimentale, Cittadella Universitaria, 09042 Monserrato (Cagliari), Italy. www.unica.it
5. Dr. Yves Chilliard, INRA Theix, Herbivore Research Unit 63122 St Genès-Champanelle, France. http://www.clermont.inra.fr/urh/eng/eq_tall.htm
6. Dr. Jean-Pierre Tillon, Union Invivo, (INZO) BP 19, 02402 Chateau-Thierry Cedex, France. www.inzo-net.com
7. Dr Pekka Huhtanen, Agrifood Research Finland (MTT), Animal Production Research, 31600 Jokioinen, Finland. www.mtt.fi
8. Dr Richard Dewhurst, Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER), Plas Gogerddan, SY23 3EB, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, United Kingdom. www.iger.bbsrc.ac.uk
9. Dr. Donal Muir, Hannah Research Institute (HRI), Hannah Research Park, KA6 5HL Ayr, United Kingdom. www.hri.sari.ac.uk

Project Components

Publications and dissemination events

• Publications, conference papers, abstracts, presentations