[Effect of substituting coconut oil for part of the tallow in milk replacement diet on the postprandial formation of plasma lipids in young preruminant calves].

The effects of coconut oil intake on fatty acid composition and plasma content of lipids have been investigated in Friesian preruminant male calves (3-weeks-old) 2 h (T2), 3 h (T3), 5 h (T5) and 7 h (T7) after the morning meal. Calves were fed for 21 days a milk replacer containing 21 p. 100 of dry matter which comprised tallow (diet T), or 2/3 tallow +1/3 coconut oil (diet A) or 1/3 tallow + 2/3 coconut oil (diet B). Compared with the data in the case of the conventional diet (diet T), plasma triglycerides (TG) and non esterified fatty acids (NEFA) concentrations were much higher with diet A (10 p. 100 C12 +C14 acids) and much lower with diet B (30 p. 100 C12 + C14 acids). Cholesteryl esters (CE) and phospholipids (PL) concentrations showed, at each sampling time, higher values with diets A or B. C12 and C14 acids were only present in plasma NEFA and TG with diets A and B. Saturation degree of plasma NEFA and TG was very high. It reached the highest value in the TG at T3 with diets T and A, at T5 with diet B. The fatty acids composition of plasma TG was only similar at T7 to that of feed TG (diet T, A or B). The fatty acid composition of plasma PL and especially CE was characterized, for the 3 diets, by the high level of polyunsaturated fatty acid proportions.