Fatty acid and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content in fermented milks as assessed by direct methylation

It has been investigated the CLA content and fatty acid profile of several commercial Spanish plain fermented milks (FM) by direct methylation. Direct methylation avoids extraction procedures and so reduces solvent consumption, being cost efficient and environmentally friendly, whereas free of interferences due to solvent affinity. Regular yogurt and FM containing probiotic bacteria were investigated. High-fat, full-fat and low-fat types were tested (samples included FM with probiotic bacteria and FM with regular yogurt cultures). CLA content in FM ranged from non-detected to 93.33 mg/100 g. Neither the fat content of FM nor the presence of probiotics affected the CLA content (% of total fatty acids). Regarding CLA content per serving size of FM only fat content was positively correlated with CLA.