Fatty acid metabolism during forage conservation, in the rumen and in the mammary gland and their interactions.

Rumen metabolism of dietary esterified fatty acids is initialised by microbial lipolysis, and subsequent biohydrogenation of free polyunsaturated fatty acids. Our department has developed and optimised techniques to study these two processes in vitro. Moreover, our techniques allow to evaluate the accumulation of intermediate products in the hydrogenation of linoleic and linolenic acid (e.g. conjugated linoleic acids and trans-isomers of monoenoic acids). We aim at using these in vitro measurements of rumen lipolysis and hydrogenation 1/ to explain and/or predict milk and muscle fatty acid composition, 2/ for a more detailed study of microbial groups involved in these biohydrogenation processes and 3/ for in vitro evaluation of the effect of these rumen hydrogenation intermediates on mammary lipogenesis. Finally, expertise in studying fatty acid lipolysis and hydrogenation is applied to evaluate the occurrence of these processes during wilting and ensiling of forages.

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