Comparative Analysis of Milk Fatty Acids and Minerals of Indigenous vis-à-vis Crossbred Cattle and Buffaloes

Abstract

Background: The information about milk quality of different breeds of cattle and buffalo is still scanty. The objective of the study was to the compare milk fatty acid composition and mineral concentration in the crossbred cattle and indigenous cattle and buffalo reared on same farm. Methods: This study was conducted on 187 individual milk samples, which includes 124 crossbred Vrindavani cattle, 19 indigenous cattle and 44 Murrah buffaloes. Result: The Murrah buffalo milk had significantly (P≤0.05) higher concentration of fat and saturated fatty acids than indigenous or crossbred cow’s milk. The mono unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and poly unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) contents (C16:1, C20:2, C20:4n6 and C22:6N3) were significantly higher in indigenous cows compared to crossbreds and Murrah buffalo. The concentration of iron and zinc were significantly (P≤0.05) higher in indigenous cattle, whereas, the contents of Cu and Mn were higher in Murrah buffalo.