Milk protein and fat in Saanen goats

Abstract

Dairy industry is one of the leading branches of animal husbandry. Dairy goat breeding is becoming more and more relevant each day; it has already acquired special significance for the agro‐industry of Russian Federation. In addition to the outstanding milk productivity of Saanen goats, it is worth noting the versatility of the milk processing, which is important for farms additionally engaged in manufacturing of goat cheese and other dairy products. Therefore, the chemical composition of goat milk depending on various physiological states of goats is of study interest.Research was conducted in North‐Western region of Russian Federation, in Saanen goats. Five groups included 30 Saanen goats each, from 1stto 5th lactations. The milk samples were taken once during control milking. Levels of milk fat and proteins were assessed. Results presented as mean±standard error of the mean. Student's t‐test was used after proving normal distribution. Level of significance is labeled as p<0.05.As a result of presented study, it was revealed that, in goats of 1st lactation the milk protein level was 3.1±0.22% and milk fat was 3.8±0.98%, in animals of 2nd lactation the milk protein level was 2.9±0.21% and fat was 3.7±0.52%, in goats of 3rd lactation the protein level was 2.8±0.23% and milk fat was 3.3±0.58%, in animals of 4th lactation the milk protein level was 2.1±0.23% and fat was 3.3±0.53%, in animals of 5th lactation, the protein level was 3.1±0.27% and milk fat was 3.5±0.48%. The average values according to these indicators were 3.0±0.24% for milk protein, 3.6±0.73% for milk fat. When analyzing the milk protein obtained results level he minimum values were noted in goats of 4th lactation. This marker was significantly (p<0.05) lower by 30% relative to the average protein content in milk. The maximum amount of milk protein was observed in goats of 1st and 5th lactations. There were no significant differences in animals of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th lactations when compared to the average value for the entire lactation period. When analyzing the amount of milk fat it was noted that there were no significant differences in the goats of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th lactations. There was a tendency to milk fat decreasing in animals of 3rd, 4thand 5th lactations relative to the average values for the entire lactation period, and a tendency to milk fat increasing in goats of 1st and 2nd lactations by 5.5% and 2.77%, respectively.Consequently this data is important to be taken into consideration keeping goats and planning further processing of milk depending on the prevalent number of presented goats in the herd.