Digestion and absorption of lipids in ruminants

There are major differences in the process of fat digestion and absorption between ruminants and non-ruminant’s animals. Dairy cows mainly consume a diet that contains “polyunsaturated” fatty acids (PUFA) as part of plant triglycerides and glycolipids. The bacteria in the rumen will split off the fatty acids (and sugars) from the glycerol backbone. The glycerol and the sugars released from glycolipids are fermented to the volatile fatty acids (VFA). The breakdown of dietary lipids by the rumen bacterial generally occurs very rapidly as the lipids are exposed during rumination and bacterial digestion of feed particles.