Researchers at the Virginia Tech College of Agricultural and Life Sciences have successfully infused omega-3 fatty acid in milk.

Omega-3 is a fatty acid found in fish oil that prevents coronary disease, reduces inflammation, assists infant brain development and maintains brain function in humans.

As many people do not prefer consuming fish, researched looked out for alternative ways to provide easy intake of omega-3 fatty acids.

After the experiments, food science researchers at Virginia Tech found that it is possible to incorporate fish oil into milk and dairy-based beverages in an amount that is sufficient to promote good heart health.

Post infusion, the milk neither spoiled nor did lose its shelf life and it also cleared the sniff test.

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences food science and technology professor Susan Duncan said they did not find any aroma differences in the injected milk samples.

"We were concerned the fish oil would undergo a chemical process called oxidation, which would shorten the milk’s shelf life, or the milk would acquire a cardboard or paint flavor by reacting with the fish oil. It appears we have a product that is stable, with no chemical taste or smell issues," she added.

The aroma-free milk delivered 432mg of fatty acids, which is above the target set by the US Department of Agriculture which is 250mg per day and close to 500mg daily intake target set by many health studies.

Duncan said she wanted to help those people who do not eat fish but consume milk products by adding an additional nutrition to their diet.

"One of these dairy servings a day apparently is enough to sustain enough continuous omega-3 to benefit heart health," she added.