Figure 1. Formation of conjugated linoleic acid in the dairy cow. Conjugated linoleic acid is first produced in the rumen from dietary linoleic acid (18:2). Additionally, dietary linoleic and alpha linolenic (18:3) acids are converted to vaccenic acid (18:1 t-11), which escapes to the mammary gland, where it is enzymatically converted to conjugated linoleic acid.
Credit: Kabsik Park, used with permission under Creative Commons CC-BY-2.0 license.