Introduction: Milk-based oil is a bioactive and nutrient-rich food item, containing fat-soluble vitamins, essential fatty acids, and Rumenic Acid (RA). However, high cholesterol and saturated fatty acid levels make it challenging to consume. Some indices based on fatty acid composition have been defined to address this issue:
HPI=(∑(USFAs))/(∑C12:0+C16:0+(4×C14:0))
AI=(∑C12:0+C16:0+(4×C14:0))/(∑(MUFAs+PUFAs))
TI=(∑C14:0+C16:0+C18:0)/(0.5∑MUFAs+0.5∑PUFAs(n6)+3∑PUFAs(n3)+n3/n6)
Method and materials: In this cross-sectional study, the nutritional indices of 12 sheep and 12 cows’ butter oil were assessed and compared. The fatty acid composition of the oils was determined using gas chromatography after direct trans-esterification. The calculations of the HPI, AI, and TI were carried out using statistical tests in SPSS software.
Results: The study revealed that cow's butter oil had a higher HPI mean of 0.40±0.03 than sheep's butter oil, which had a mean of 0.35±0.28 (P <0.001). Additionally, the cow's butter oil had a lower AI mean of 1.96±0.26 compared to the sheep's butter oil, which had a mean of 2.42±0.33 (P <0.001). Lastly, the TI was 2.78±0.26 in cow's butter oil vs. 2.96±0.25 in sheep's butter oil (P <0.064).
Conclusion: It appears that, based on the indices for assessing the nutritional value and consumer health benefits of animal fat, cow's butter oil may be better than sheep's butter oil for human nutrition. However, further clinical trial studies are recommended to investigate the effects of butter oil on the Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT) test and Atherogenic Indices of Plasma in both animal and human models.