The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of season on the fatty acid and terpene composition in ewe milk. A total of 760 samples of bulk sheep milk were collected during winter (147 samples), spring (314 samples) and summer (299 samples) of 2011, from 90 commercial farms of dairy sheep from the prefecture of Grevena, Greece. Regarding fatty acid composition, summer samples had higher concentrations of α-linolenic acid, cis-9, trans 11- CLA, trans-11, C18 : 1 and PUFAs but lower content of saturated fatty acids particularly C12 : 0, C14 : 0 and C16 : 0. The winter milk had the lowest content of terpenes, in particular sesquiterpenes, compared to spring and summer milk. The terpene profile of milk samples, in all three seasons, revealed the presence of monoterpenes: a-pinene, b-pinene and D-limonene, especially with a higher frequency of appearance in summer. The most common and abundant sesquiterpenes found in milk samples were β-caryophyllene and α-caryophyllene with a higher frequency of appearance in summer. In conclusion, the available pastures in semi-extensive farming systems can contribute to the production of high quality milk.
Keywords: Ewe milk; fatty acids; seasons; semi-extensive production system; terpenes.