Compositional differences between goat milk fat and that of cows and buffaloes

Abstract

Goat, cow and buffalo ghee have striking differences in their fractionation and melting behaviour, fatty acid composition including saturated and unsaturated glycerides and lactone profiles. Goat ghee exceeds in its level of liquid fraction (69%) compared to cow ghee (30.5%) and buffalo ghee (26%). Consequently, melting point (m.p.) and softening point (s.p.) of goat ghee (30.2°C, 29.4°C) were lower than in cow ghee (35.8°C, 33.7°C) and still lower than in buffalo ghee (38.8°C, 34.3°C), with similar trends of m.p. and s.p. in their solid and liquid fractions. Levels of unsaturated glycerides (GU) were high in goat ghee (64.5%) in comparison to cow (54.5%) and buffalo ghee (56.0%). These variations were also reflected in the fatty acid composition of ghee and its fractions obtained from different species. Variations were also observed in the above characteristics of liquid and solid fractions obtained by solventless fractionation of goat, cow and buffalo ghee. These compositional differences may be helpful in the utilization of goat ghee or its liquid and solid fractions to formulate specific dairy products.