Nutrition, production, and processing of virgin omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in dairy: An integrative review.

With improving living standards, functional and healthy foods are accounting for an increased share in human food. The development of dairy products that are rich in virgin omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) has become a topic of interest. Virgin n-3 PUFA milk can provide high-quality protein and calcium, as well as provide n-3 PUFAs to improve human health. This review aims to investigate the effect of virgin n-3 PUFAs in milk on human health and discuss the content of virgin n-3 PUFAs in milk regulated by dairy animal diet and the effect of food processing on the content of virgin n-3 PUFAs in dairy production. The interaction between n-3 PUFAs and proteins in milk is the key to improving the nutritional value of n-3 PUFAs in milk. n-3 PUFA supplementation in the diet of dairy animals is the key method to improve n-3 PUFAs in raw milk, as well as to adjust the types of virgin n-3 PUFAs. Compared with a common source, virgin n-3 PUFAs in milk show higher antioxidant activity, but elevated temperatures and long-term thermal processing should be avoided.