Cone, J.W.

Elgersma, A.

Jensen, S.K.

Warner, D.

English

Wageningen Yield 

Fatty acid composition of forage herb species 
Warner D.
1,2
, Jensen S.K.
3 
, Cone J.W.
2
 and Elgersma A.
1 
1
Wageningen University, Plant Sciences Group, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, The 
Netherlands
2
Wageningen University, Animal Nutrition Group, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The 
Netherlands
3
 Aarhus University, Faculty of Agricultural Science, P.O. Box 50, 8830 Tjele, Denmark 
Corresponding author: Anjo.Elgersma@wur.nl
 
Abstract
The use of alternative forage species in grasslands for intensive livestock production is 
receiving renewed attention. Data on fatty acid composition of herbs are scarce, so four herbs 
(Plantago lanceolata, Achillea millefolium, Cichorium intybus, Pastinaca sativa) and one 
grass species (timothy, Phleum pratense) were sown in a cutting trial. The chemical 
composition and concentration of fatty acids (FA) of individual species were determined 
during the growing season. Concentrations of crude protein and FA were generally higher in 
the herbs than in timothy. C. intybus had the highest nutritive value and FA concentrations. 
FA concentrations were generally lower in June after a heavy cut than in May and August. 
 
Keywords: Forage herbs, fatty acid methyl esters, seasonal variation, C18:3, timothy 
 
Introduction 
In recent years, much effort has been made to elucidate the fatty acid (FA) profile of forage 
plants in relation to meat and milk quality with regard to potential health aspects. Most studies 
on the FA composition of individual species were carried out with common grasses 
(Dewhurst et al., 2001; Elgersma et al., 2003) and some legume species. Data on alternative 
forage species are scarce. Clapham et al. (2005) compared traditional and novel forage 
species grown under greenhouse conditions and observed significant differences in the FA 
profile of grass and herb species. The proportion of C18:3 was lower and more variable in 
herbs than in grasses. Increased concentrations of polyunsaturated FA in milk from higher 
altitudes could be related to a higher percentage of herbs (Collomb et al., 2002). However, to 
our knowledge, no data are available on the FA profile of individual herb species grown in a 
sward. Therefore, a cutting trial was set up with four herb species and timothy. The chemical 
composition and concentrations of FA of these species were determined during three cuts 
during the growing season to quantify seasonal variation.  
 
Material and methods 
The trial was established on a clay soil in 2003 in Wageningen, The Netherlands (51°58'N and 
5°39'E, 7 m a.s.l.). Plots of 1.5 by 8 m were sown in triplicate in a randomized block design 
with four entries: monocultures of ribwort (Plantago lanceolata), yarrow (Achillea
millefolium), chicory (Cichorium intybus) and a mixture of parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) and 
timothy (Phleum pratense). 
The trial had been established in 2003 and was cut 4 to 5 times annually during 2004-2006. 
Results for 2007 are presented here only. In 2007, a summer drought occurred and, as the 
plots were not irrigated, they were only cut three times (with a Haldrup forage harvester) i.e., 
14 May, 18 June and 27 August (Table 1). The trial was N fertilised with ammonium nitrate: 
30 kg ha
-1 
in March and 20 kg ha
-1 
after every cut; P and K were applied according to 
Grassland in a Changing World 491
requirements. Samples of about 125 g of the harvested material were taken directly after 
cutting in 2007 and hand-separated into sown species and weeds, to obtain pure species 
samples for analyses. Samples were immediately stored in a freezer (!20 °C), freeze-dried 
and stored. Samples were ground to pass a 1-mm sieve. FA analysis was performed at Aarhus 
University in Foulum, Denmark. Lipids were extracted according to the HCl-Bligh and Dyer 
extraction with a mixture of water, methanol and chloroform and esterified to form methyl 
esters (FAME) which were quantified by gas chromatography with C17 as internal standard 
(Jensen, 2008).  
 
Table 1. Content in DM (g kg
-1
) of ash, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), 
individual and total fatty acids (TFA) of grass and herb species over three cuts in 2007.  
Harvest date 
DM content 
(g kg-1)  
Ash CP NDF C16:0 C18:2 C18:3 TFA 
Phleum pratense 
14/05/2007 182 52 102 396 2.68 3.46 10.49 18.28 
18/06/2007 199 63 65 539 1.93 2.38 5.92 11.48 
27/08/2007 215 71 103 361 2.48 3.58 10.57 18.10 
Plantago lanceolata 
14/05/2007 145 102 115 174 3.20 3.57 12.86 20.84 
18/06/2007 155 100 87 295 2.41 3.03 7.56 14.07 
27/08/2007 206 115 108 237 3.29 4.13 11.71 20.77 
Cichorium intybus 
14/05/2007 108 127 123 169 6.06 6.15 18.59 32.63 
18/06/2007 121 141 101 171 5.23 5.55 15.63 28.03 
27/08/2007 144 152 110 174 4.70 5.33 13.96 25.60 
Achillea millefolium 
14/05/2007 156 108 139 174 3.98 6.25 13.96 25.92 
18/06/2007 169 102 87 284 3.37 5.18 8.45 18.56 
27/08/2007 220 151 115 209 3.43 5.27 9.65 19.97 
Pastinaca sativa 
14/05/2007 134 101 86 171 4.16 8.89 8.00 24.95 
18/06/2007 153 110 88 286 3.75 8.78 4.30 20.48 
27/08/2007 191 147 119 163 4.20 9.13 7.19 20.02 
         
Mean 167 109 103 257 3.64 5.13 10.88 21.52 
SEM 5 6 3 28 0.221 0.279 0.712 1.30 
Significances         
Species (S) *** *** ** *** *** *** *** ** 
Harvest (H) *** *** *** ** NS NS ** * 
S x H  ** ** *** * NS NS NS NS 
*** P < 0.001; ** P < 0.01; * P < 0.05; NS, non significant; SEM, standard error of the mean. 
 
Results and discussion 
Herbage chemical composition, and total and individual FAME concentrations were 
characteristic to species (Table 1); particularly the three major FA, C18:3, C18:2 and C16:0, 
were highly affected by the plant material (P < 0.001). Timothy differed from the herbs in 
terms of having particularly low levels of total FA (TFA), C18:3, C18:2 and C16:0. Besides 
expected differences between the grass and the herbs, a further distinction could be made 
among the individual herb species studied. Chicory was highest in TFA and C18:3 
concentrations, which is in accordance with the results of Clapham et al. (2005). Ribwort and 
yarrow were similar in terms of FAME levels. Parsnip had fibre and protein levels that were 
comparable to chicory, but a unique FA profile with very low concentrations of C18:3 (27% 
of TFA) and high concentrations of C18:2 (39% of TFA).  
Grassland Science in Europe, Vol. 15492
The cutting date affected the concentration of C18:3 (P < 0.01) and TFA (P < 0.05): all 
species had lower values in mid-June (after a heavy cut) than in mid-May or in late August. In 
other studies with grass species, cutting date was a central factor in determining FA 
concentration in fresh forage (Dewhurst et al., 2001; Elgersma et al., 2003), and particularly 
high FA concentrations were found in autumn at low temperatures (Witkowska et al., 2008). 
In our study, no autumn cut was taken due to poor growth.  
 
Conclusions
Herbs were superior to timothy in crude protein and FA concentrations; the latter differed 
considerably among herb species. Chicory contained the highest concentration of total FA and 
C18:3, and was also superior to other herb species in terms of nutritional composition. Parsnip 
had a distinctive FA profile, with a particularly low proportion of C18:3.  
 
Acknowledgements 
Financial support of D. Warner by the Grassland Science Foundation (SGW) is gratefully 
acknowledged. 
 
References 
Clapham W.M., Foster J.G., Neel J.P.S. and Fedders J.M. (2005) Fatty acid composition of traditional and novel 
forage species. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 53, 10068-10073.  
Collomb M., Bütikofer U., Sieber R., Jeangros B. and Bosset J.O. (2002) Correlation between fatty acids in 
cow’s milk fat produced in the lowlands, mountains and highlands of Switzerland and botanical composition of 
the fodder. International Dairy Journal 12, 661-666.  
Dewhurst R.J., Scollan N.D., Youell S.J., Tweed J.K.S. and Humphreys M.O. (2001) Influence of species, 
cutting date and cutting interval on the fatty acid composition of grass. Grass and Forage Science 56, 68-74.  
Elgersma A., Ellen G., van der Horst H., Muuse B.G., Boer H. and Tamminga S. (2003) Influence of cultivar 
and cutting date on the fatty acid composition of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Grass and Forage 
Science 58, 323-331.  
Jensen S.K. (2008) Improved Bligh and Dyer extraction procedure. Lipid Technology 20, 280-281.
Witkowska I.M., Wever C., Gort G. and Elgersma A. (2008) Effects of nitrogen rate and regrowth interval on 
perennial ryegrass fatty acid content during the growing season. Agronomy Journal 100, 1371-1379. 
Grassland in a Changing World 493


Correlation between fatty acids in cow’s milk fat produced in the lowlands, mountains and highlands of Switzerland and botanical composition of the fodder.

Effects of nitrogen rate and regrowth interval on perennial ryegrass fatty acid content during the growing season.

Fatty acid composition of traditional and novel forage species.

Improved Bligh and Dyer extraction procedure.

Influence of cultivar and cutting date on the fatty acid composition of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.).

Influence of species, cutting date and cutting interval on the fatty acid composition of grass.

Fatty acid composition of forage herb species

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Fatty acid composition of forage herb species

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