Contribution to the study of physicochemical characteristics and lipid fraction of organic milk

Organic milk is produced in an agro-system in which the use of synthetic livestock additives or other artificial inputs are forbidden. The objective of this work was to characterize the physicochemical composition and the profile of fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in pasteurized whole milk, a product deriving from organic agriculture in Brazil. The organic milk was analyzed during the period of twelve months, and the results were compared with those of milk obtained from conventional production systems. The seasonality and the handling of the animals affected the chemical composition of the studied milk during the one-year period. The protein contents were higher in the organic milk, but the contrary was observed for the fat levels. The main fatty acids of the milk did not present significant differences during the seasons of the year, and in the milk studied. However, higher amounts of CLA were found in organic milk (2.8 times higher than in conventional milk). This is probably due to animal diets.