Abstract: The aim of this study was to characterize the fat acid profiles of camel, bovine and caprine milk by gas chromatography. The results showed that there were significant differences in the types and contents of fatty acids among the three milks. A total of 33 fatty acids were detected in camel milk, with palmitic acid being the most abundant ((23.73 ± 2.17)%); the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of camel milk was (4.09 ± 0.54)%, which was significantly higher than that of bovine and caprine milk. A total of 29 fatty acids were detected in bovine milk, with palmitic acid being the most dominant ((27.44 ± 2.45)%), and 34 fatty acids were detected in caprine milk, dominated by oleic acid ((30.89 ± 3.57)%). Among these milks, the highest content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) was found in caprine milk ((35.26 ± 3.86)%). In addition, the fatty acid profile of camel milk was further analyzed by principal component analysis and correlation analysis. The results showed that the ratio of saturated fatty acids to MUFA to PUFA was 1:0.60:0.08, which was closer to the FAO/ WHO recommended value 1:1:1. There was a negative correlation between PUFA and short-chain fatty acids and long-chain fatty acids, with a maximum correlation with n-6 FA (0.978); there was a positive correlation between SCFA and LCFA, and between n-6 FA and LCFA.

Key words: camel milk, bovine milk, caprine milk, fatty acids