Low-fat answer to India's coronary crisis

Nov 14 2007

First he devised a way for India's 11 million dairy farmers to improve milk production. Now Dr Suresh Gulati of the University of Sydney's Faculty of Veterinary Science is making milk healthier in a country where coronary heart disease is set to soar.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 60 per cent of the world's cardiac patients will be Indian by 2010, meaning that heart disease will be a bigger problem there than in America.

Dr Gulati has been to India on a 2007 Endeavour Executive Fellowship from the Department of Education, Science and Training. He has been working in the village of Kadodra in Gujarat, where milk from the local Jaffarabadi buffaloes has an exceptionally high milk fat content of 8 per cent.

By feeding the buffaloes 'good fats' in the form of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) supplements, "we were able to reduce milk fat content by as much as 30 per cent and increase the levels of healthier fatty acids," said Dr Gulati.

"There is a world-wide demand for dairy products, infant formula and functional foods with higher levels of good fats such as omega-3 and CLA which are associated with health benefits," he said.

Previously Dr Gulati worked with the same farmers to improve milk production in a country where the vast majority of village dairy farmers are women tending just one or two cows or buffaloes for their livelihood.

"Because most of the nutritious grains go to feeding India's large human population, dairy cattle are often left with a diet of just straw and stubble. This sort of diet lacks the nutrients and energy necessary for optimal milk production," explained Dr Gulati.

He devised a system of turning low cost oil seed by-products such as sunflower and canola meal into feed supplements for cattle and buffaloes, increasing milk production by a litre of milk a day per animal. That translates into about 33 Australian cents extra profit per animal - "a tremendous proposition for India's dairy farmers," he said.

Dr Gulati came to Australia almost 35 years ago. Originally from New Delhi, he studied at the University of New South Wales and worked for many years at the CSIRO before joining Sydney University.