Fatty acid composition of dairy products and their impact on atherogenicity and thrombogenicity

Abstract This study aimed to assess lipid quality indices in various dairy products. A total of seventy samples representing seven commonly consumed dairy products, including milk, yogurt, doogh, kashk, cheese, cream, and ice cream, were randomly collected from chain stores in Iran. The fatty acid composition of these samples was analyzed using gas chromatography (GC), and lipid quality indices were calculated using the appropriate equations. The results showed that cream and fermented dairy products had the highest concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), while ice cream had the lowest levels of SCFAs but the highest concentration of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which accounted for 7.27% of the total fatty acids. Cheese and cream were rich in medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), whereas yogurt contained the highest proportion of long-chain saturated fatty acids, making up 46% of the total fatty acids. Additionally, ice cream exhibited the most favorable lipid quality indices, characterized by lower atherogenicity (AI: 1.70 ± 0.87) and thrombogenicity (TI: 2.54 ± 0.32), along with a superior hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic (H/H) ratio of 0.92 ± 0.16. Overall, significant differences (p < 0.05) were found among the primary groups of fatty acids and their corresponding healthy lipid indices, depending on the type of dairy products analyzed. These findings can assist food policy makers in identifying practical solutions for the development of the dairy industry and in promoting healthier dairy products to support public health.