Addition of Essential Oils to Cows' Feed Alters the Milk Metabolome-NMR Spectroscopic Studies of “Nature's Perfect Food” Check Access

Milk contains lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, immunoglobulins, peptides, amino acids, nucleotides, vitamins, minerals, and other metabolites. Many factors influence the milk composition; feed, seasonal variation, genetics, health, and number of and stage of lactation. There is a clear correlation between the milk composition and its nutritional value, technological properties, and content of functional ingredients. For a number of years, breeding programs have been in place to actively improve milk quality. Additionally, a large focus has been on the effect of feed on milk quality. However less attention has been paid to changes in the milk metabolite profile through alterations in feeding regime. In bovine milk, NMR-based metabolomics has previously been used to identify small molecules in several studies. The use of NMR metabolomics to assess the milk metabolome and in dairy research in general has recently been reviewed. In the present study NMR spectroscopy was used to identify how changes in the feeding regime could cause changes in the milk metabolome. More specifically, we wanted to examine if addition of oregano (Origanum vulgare) and caraway (Carum carvi) essential oils in the feed, which are known to introduce differences in the milk volatile compounds immediately upon addition, would also affect the milk metabolite profile.