Physicochemical profile of colostrum from Bulgarian White Dairy breed goats - first day after birth

Abstract

Colostrum is the first food that mammals receive immediately after birth. Its unique chemical composition and qualities distinguish it from milk and make it an indispensable source of nutrients and passive immunity for the newborns. The most intense changes in the composition and properties of colostrum are observed in the first twenty-four hours after birth, and by the fifth day its biochemical and physicochemical parameters reach values characteristic of milk. Both interspecies and interbreed differences in the colostrum composition have been found. Bulgarian White Dairy breed (BWD) is the only goat breed created in Bulgaria. It was created in the Research Institute of Mountain Stockbreeding and Agriculture of Troyan (RIMSA), by crossbreeding of local white goats and Saanen bucks. It is perfectly adapted to the climatic conditions of Bulgaria. The purpose of the present study was to observe the changes in the physicochemical parameters that occurred during the first twenty-four hours in the colostrum of goats of the Bulgarian White Dairy breed. The research work was conducted in the Meat and Milk Laboratory at the Research Institute of Mountain Stockbreeding and Agriculture of Troyan. For the twenty-four-hour period of the study, a reliable decrease of the indicators was reported, such as protein (14.97- 5.33%), total solids (26.47-15.71%), solid- non-fat (SNF) (20.46- 10.88%), density (1.0443-1.0356 g/ml3 ), acidity (35- 20oT), milk fat (6.67-5.19%) and calcium (Ca) (0.240-0.145 mg/%). In contrast, the lactose (2.99-4.19%) and pH (6.2- 6.33) showed an increase in their values. The obtained results are within the optimal limits for this animal species and are the first reported for BWD breed.