Critical Divergence in Ghee Quality: Contrasting the Effects of <i>Artemisia herba alba</i> and <i>Retama raetam</i> on the Fatty Acid Profile and Nutritional Quality Indices of Arbia Goat Ghee

ABSTRACT Goat ghee is currently gaining more interest as an important bioactive food having an impact on human health provided by its fatty acid (FA) composition. The objective of this study was to characterize the FA profile of ghee derived from local Arbia goats and assess the effects of feed supplementation with two indigenous arid plants, Artemisia herba‐alba (AHA) and Retama raetam (RR), on its nutritional quality. Arbia goats were fed a control diet ( n = 5) or diets supplemented with AHA ( n = 5) and RR ( n = 5). The FA composition was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and nutritional indices were calculated. The baseline ghee was characterized by a high content of total saturated fatty acids (SFAs) (77.81% ± 6.64%). AHA supplementation significantly improved the profile by increasing total monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) (21.60 ± 4.75, p = 0.016) and yielding the lowest thrombogenicity index (TI). Conversely, RR supplementation worsened the profile, causing a significant increase in total SFAs (82.26% ± 3.82%, p = 0.010) and the highest TI. These findings emphasize that AHA is a promising, sustainable additive for enhancing the FA profile of small ruminant products, highlighting the critical need for screening indigenous plant materials to avoid adverse nutritional outcomes. Practical Applications : This research establishes a sustainable strategy for the nutritional biofortification of goat ghee through the dietary inclusion of Artemisia herba‐alba and Retama raetam . For the dairy industry, these findings demonstrate that specific botanical supplements can be used to successfully modulate the lipid matrix, significantly improving health‐related indices (atherogenic index [AI] and TI) without synthetic additives. From a technological perspective, the results offer a roadmap for producers to standardize “functional ghee” that targets the growing market for preventative nutrition. Furthermore, the identified fatty acid markers and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) profiling provide a robust analytical fingerprint for the authentication of rangeland‐sourced dairy products. This enables the differentiation of artisanal ghee from conventional alternatives, facilitating its integration into high‐value global markets and providing researchers with a validated methodology for evaluating the impact of rangeland biodiversity on lipid quality.