Julie Meek

The fatty acid composition of Western Australian commercial pasteurised milk was profiled using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). A total of 31 fatty acids (FA) were identified in the milk samples. The majority of FA were medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) with 6–13 carbon atoms and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) with 14–20 carbon atoms. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) showed significant differences in the levels of MCFA and LCFA in the different milk samples. The levels of MCFA and LCFA ranged from 10.09 % to 12.12% and 87.88% to 89.91% of total FA, respectively. C10:0 and C12:0 were the major components of MCFA comprising 3.46% and 4.22% of total FA, while C16:0 and C18:1 (cis 9-octadecenoic acid) represented the majority of LCFA with the levels of 26.18% and 23.34% of total FA, respectively. This study provides new insight into the FA composition of Western Australian pasteurised milk and differences in FA profiles which influence human health.