This experiment was conducted to determine if CLA could be transferred from sows to their offspring through the umbilical cord or milk. Eighteen pregnant Dalland sows of mixed parity were used in a completely randomized block design based on parity and BW. The sows were allotted to 1 of 3 groups and fed diets containing 0, 0.5, or 1.0% CLA during the last 50 d of gestation and throughout a 26-d lactation (n = 6). Umbilical cord blood was sampled at parturition. Colostrum and milk were collected from each sow on d 2 and 15 after farrowing. Samples of blood, backfat, and the LM were obtained from piglets at 2 and 26 d of age. Sow reproductive performance and piglet growth were not altered by CLA supplementation during the late gestation and lactation periods. The CLA supplementation of sow diets had an impact on the fatty acid profiles in colostrum and milk. Dietary CLA increased the concentrations of total SFA (linear and quadratic), but reduced the total MUFA in the colostrum (linear and quadratic). Although dietary CLA increased the concentrations of total SFA (quadratic), it had no influence on total MUFA concentrations in the milk. In addition, feeding sows diets supplemented with CLA resulted in increases (linear and quadratic) in the CLA content of plasma, backfat, and the LM in their offspring. However, trans-10, cis-12–18:2, rather than cis-9, trans-11–18:2, was detected in the umbilical cord blood, which indicates that CLA may be transported from the sow to the fetus in an isomer-specific manner.

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