Effect of diet and rumen development on the composition of adipose tissue triglycerides of the calf

1. Samples of subcutaneous (inguinal) and perinephric adipose tissue were obtained, at slaughter, from each of twenty male calves. Three were neonatal animals, three were 3 days old and two were fed on reconstituted milk to appetite until they weighed 100 kg. The other twelve calves were given milk until they reached 50 kg live weight; concentrates were then included in the diet until, at 60 kg live weight, six calves were slaughtered. The remaining six calves were raised to 100 kg on concentrates alone. The weight of the empty reticulo-rumen of each slaughtered calf was recorded.2. The component fatty acids of the adipose tissue triglycerides of the neonatal and 3-day-old calves were very similar; about 80% consisted of oleic acid (18:1) and palmitic acid (16:0) and the remainder comprised stearic acid (18:0), palmitoleic acid (16:1) and myristic acid (14:0), together with very small amounts of other acids which, in the glycerides of the 3-day-old calves, included some evidently of colostral origin. The perinephric glycerides of both these groups of calves were somewhat more unsaturated than were those of subcutaneous adipose tissue.3. The continued consumption of milk by the calves slaughtered at 60 kg live weight was reflected in the presence of enhanced proportions of 14:0, 18:2, 17:0 and 17:1 in the depot triglycerides and, in addition, very small amounts of branched-chain acids and trans 18:1 were detected. A similar fatty acid pattern was observed in the triglycerides of the calves which were given milk only until they were 100 kg live weight. In all these calves only limited growth of the rumen took place.4. By contrast, the calves which were raised on solid feed from 60 kg to 100 kg and in which rumen development had taken place had depot triglycerides whose fatty acid composition resembled that found in adult animals. Increased proportions of stearic acid accompanied by relatively large amounts of trans 18:1 were present, evidently as a result of the assimilation of the products of bacterial modification of dietary fatty acids in the rumen.5. Regardless of the age of the calves and the over-all fatty acid composition of their tissue triglycerides, the intramolecular disposition of the fatty acids was similar in that saturated components were present esterified mainly in positions 1 and 3, and unsaturated acids for the most part in position 2; the only major exception to this distribution pattern was in respect of trans 18:1 which, when present, was preferentially esterified to the primary alcoholic groups of the glycerol moiety as if it were a saturated acid.