Goat Milk: Complete Vitamin Profile

Goat Milk ‐ Vitamin Information

Goat milk is a high-nutrient beverage, belonging to the same class of all other mammals’ milks; made from proteins, fats, carbohydrates and various micronutrients. It has different properties than cow's milk due to its unique nutrition composition. This difference includes greater minerals concentrations, higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and lower levels of most vitamins compared to cow’s milk (Abauomy et al. 2011). Many studies examine goat milk compositions in relation to its nutritional qualities, health benefits and suitability for human consumption.

As stated previously, the micronutrient content found in goats milk varies among individual animals, regions, diet and agricultural system used. In general, Goat milk contains minor variations in almost equal amounts of fat and protein compared to that of cows milk, which differs significantly in fat content. For example, donkey milk has seven times more fat than cow's milk, while goat milk holds approximately four-fold amount found in cow’s milk (Nuutila and Sandholm 1999; Cedrone 2006). Additionally, there are major differences in the lactic acid bacteria between bovine and caprine milk. An accurate analysis is made difficult by these factors. Vitamins are an important part of the overview of comprehensive nutrient value of any food product, including cows and goat milk. Here we discuss the variation and relevance of each vitamin contained within goat milk.

Vitamin A plays a key role in maintaining eye health, as well as growth, development and reproductive function. Vitamin A can be obtained either from beta carotene present in plants or preformed retinoids found animal products. Because cows milk contains only circumscribed quantities of beta carotene, the large majority of milk vis vitamA normally comes from small sterols and fatty acids produced in cows mammary glands. Some researchers have suggested that since goat milk contains relatively larger quantities of fatty acids than cows milk, it should have higher levels of vitamin A per unit volume (Elango et al. 2002). Studies comparing cows and goat milk have revealed inconsistent results when measuring vitamin A concentration in both milks. Comparative analyses showed no significant differences in vitamin A quotients among the two types of milk, while others suggest an increase of up to ten times more Vitamin A in goats milk in comparison with cows milk (Berget et al. 2001; Elango et al. 2002).

Even though prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency still exist worldwide, cow milk contain satisfactory proportions of vitamin D (Monget et al. 2003). One milliliter of cows milk usually contains 5–30 micrograms (µg) of vitamin D, whereas the quantity of vitamin D found in goats milk depends on pasture grazing of the animal, type of feed supplement and exposure level of sunlight (Murray and Lewis 1985; Schollmeyer 2002). According to research conducted in Norway where they monitored 180 samples of goat milk once every season during the year 2000-2001, the mean value was much lower at ¼ µg/mL, as compare to Cow milk.

Vitamin E, also known as alpha-tocopherol, belongs to a complex of liposoluble antioxidants that help protect our body from cell damage caused by free radicals. Typically, natural sources of vitamin E come from vegetable oils, nuts and green vegetables, many of which are processed foods contaminated with added chemicals and preservatives. Despite having inferior supplies of Vitamin E than Cow milk, considerable amounts of this antioxidant can be found in fresh goat milk (Bhatnagar et al. 2019). Furthermore, some studies conclude that the total amount of biological activity of unsaturated fatty acids and their respective phosphorylated metabolites usually surpasses Vitamin E levels. Generally speaking, some studies register levels too low to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), and others suggest potential protection against oxidative stress thanks to a superior content over that found in cows milk.

Vitamin C is largely thought to complement vibrant skin characteristics and prevent a variety national of prolong illnesses, such scurvy and rheumatoid arthritis amongst many others. There are numerous foods capable of delivering strong vitamin C contributions like papayas, blackcurrants and bell peppers just to name a few. Amongst them is goat’s milk. Researchers analyze increasingly varied contents of Vitamin C across producers of goat’milk, distinguishing amongst homogenized and pasteurized products. Also, depending on the season tested, Vitamin C coefficients may vary up to incredible values.

Goats milk naturally contains several B Complex vitamins including thiamin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, cobalamine and pantothenic acid. Thiamin carries an essential role in energy metabolism, providing power for mental dexterity, muscle functioning and producing adequate digestion functions. Levels of thiamin remain virtually constant throughout the lactation period, ranging around 0.071 milligrams (mg)/L (Xuebing et al. 2010). Although generally similar to those of cows' milk, quantifiable variations do exist in goads milk production, reaching peak values at early stages of lactogenesis. On average, goats milk contains 4% more riboflavin than Cow’s milk, an asset to its better quality attributes advantageous to humans. Riboflavin gives us capacity to generate enough energy, reduces inflammation and assists our prevention of ocular diseases and migraines (Hegde and Goldie 2001). Pyridoxine, otherwise know as Vitamin B6 demonstrate prominent plasmatic distributions linked to pregnancy and postpartum hormones. It regulates genetic expression as well mangane metabolism improved performance during lactogenesis episodes. Research finds significantly higher levels of B6 substance in goat dairy compositions, varying from 0.24–0.29 mg/100 mL until 20 days after calving (Rahmany 2013). Lastly, relating vegan physiologist dietary habits coined the term “vegans fatigue syndrome” to fully entice the needs of sufficient cobalamin intake. Females who Breast feed see an upward spike on salivary concentrations meanwhile levels decrease along measurements taken through cow’s and didn't evaluate considerably different levels through goat sampled materials. The National Institutes of Health recommends adult women consume 2.5 mcg daily while nursing neonates appropriately mirror -17 mcg/ml unit volumes inside Capra hircus mammary creatures (Young 1993).

In conclusion, Goat milk exhibits extraordinary levels of essential vitamins and nutrients that could benefit multiple areas of one’s health. Each vitamin contain inside goat’s milk holds a specific responsibility worthy of further detailing, but here we discussed the varied quantities of vitamin A, D, E, C and B(6,9 &12). As shown herein, contrary to cows, goats show notable disparities upon evaluating full spectrum chemical spectographs thus making goat breeding profitable yet evidently deserving for additional attention. Most importantly, countless study builds organic evidence creating reliable viability for market segment utilization.

References:

Abaunomy, F., Aboshime, M.S., Mansoor, A.H. and Al Halawany, S.A.(2011): Mineral Content of Milk from Goats Crossbred Dahmani-Awassi. World Appl Sci J 14(10): 1594–1598.

Berget K.J., Kimpinski K. and Brittin W.F. (2001): Comparison of goat versus cow milk ionic mineral and fatty acid profiles. Dairy Food Environ Saniton 21(3): 145–150.

Bhatnagar A., Rehni A.K., Sharma A.and Saharan S.(2019): Physico-chemical characterization, microbiological purity and quality assessment of Indian soft cheese from different species of buffalo milk fortified with extraneous enzymes. LWT 112: 677–683.

Cedrone G.P., Damberger A.H., Winkelman H. and Tomlin J.D.(2006): Digesta flow in Jersey vs. Spanish and Ethiopian goats given diets containing dry barley straw or haylage and concentrate. Small Rumin. Res 61(2–3): 135–145.

Elango, P., Praseena, K., Suganthi, L. and Marimuthu, S.P., (2002): Comperative lipid profile and biochemical constituents of milk from three distinct breeds of domestic animals viz: cattle, buffalo, and goat. Global Veterinarina 1(4): 217-221.

Hanna Lipowski-Pop?awska; Stanis?aw Jacek Pop?awski, Joanna Stareczek and Maria Re?ska. (2009): Microbiology and raw milk sensory quality evaluation according to breed—goat, sheep and cow milk collected consecutively from December 2007 to November 2008. Meat Science 83:228–234.

Hege, S. and Goldie, V.M.(2001): Infant nutrition and later health. British Medical Journal 322(7282):397-402.

Monget, A.L., Mullet, E., Galan ,P. Et al.(2003): Effects of sex of calves and cows on concentrations of selected nutrients in whole bovine milk. Reprod Nutr Devel 43: 313–323.

Murray MC, Lewis RL. (1985): Vitamins in Animal Nutrition. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.

Nuutila, AM. and Sandholm, M. (1999): Nutritive Value of Domestic Animals and Birds, Feeding of Farm Animals in Cool Climates. Turku, Finland:"Turun Yliopisto."

Rahmany, Ali (2013): Application of traditional sampling techniques for estimation of analyte concentrations in commercial goats` milk stored at log cabin farms.. Dissertation. Texas Tech University.

Schollmeyer, William Edward. (2002): Vitamin D requirements of young growing New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). MS thesis. Cornelia Phoenix.

Xuebing Li, Gongyan Li, Xinyan Liu, Xin Li, Ruiyuan Wang, Ming Sun and Lele Zhao.(2010): Quality indicators of breast-milkchanged during successive weeks of lactogenesis II in Chinese women. Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol 28(2):64–71.

Young, Richard G.Pepperdine University. 1993): Vitamin B6 Requirementsduring Breest-Feeding.