HIGH OMEGA 3 CONTENT FOODS

Food consumption habits have changed throughout history. With the development of commercial agriculture, the consumption of linoleic acid (LA) has increased, especially due to the consumption of vegetable oils (corn, soybeans, etc.), However, in the last decades, the consumption of healthier foods is being promoted, for example foods rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) from vegetable origin, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from animal origin (fish).

Several studies have shown the beneficial effect of omega-3 fatty acids on human health. Different effects have been demonstrated, for example, on the cardiovascular system (Mori et al., 2000), at a neurological level in elderly people (Bourre 2004), improving psychiatric disorders (Peet and Stockes 2005), etc. Omega-3 fatty acids (FA) are important for embryological development (Jensen 2006), both in humans and animals. The main mechanism of action is through the alteration of the composition and function of the membranes (phospholipids), and also through gene expression.

One of the ways to enrich the human diet with omega-3, is to increase the consumption of these fatty acids in farm animals. One of the first foods commercialized ‘rich’ in omega-3 were eggs of layers hens that consumed diets with a high content of omega-3 (Surai and Sparks, 2001). In the case of ruminants, the rumen is capable of saturating the unsaturated FA, for these reason FA sources must be protected against this biohydrogenation. NOREL has developed a source of protected omega-3 (ALA; HI-FLAX®) for ruminants. This product, in addition to increasing the content of omega-3 in milk, improves the productivity and reproduction performance of cows. It has been observed that the consumption of milk enriched with omega-3, folic acid and vitamin E reduces the levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in human patients with metabolic syndrome (Benito et al., 2006).

Healthy foods are here to stay. The market of dairy, meats and eggs products is changing quickly. Because of this, farmers should find the best way to deal with these changes, differentiated their products