Review articleFactors affecting goat milk production and quality☆
Introduction
There are many types of goats raised under quite varied production conditions throughout the world. Findings in one particular setting may not always apply to others. Goats of dairy breeds highly selected for milk production receive more research consideration regarding milk yield and quality. However, the physiological state of lactation is also integral to the rearing of all other genotypes and important to food and economic securities of millions of people. Therefore, this research summary is not restricted to dairy goat genotypes. Hence, in many locations in the manuscript some information about goat genotype and production conditions is included. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of some of the recent research regarding factors that influence the production and quality of goat milk.
Section snippets
Production systems
Because diet affects the composition of goat milk and milk products, differences between production systems based on grazing and browsing vs. use of harvested feedstuffs in confinement largely depend on specific feedstuffs and plants available and being consumed. As an example, Galina et al. (2007) observed many differences in the composition of soft cheese made from milk of goats fed indoors compared with ones grazing rangeland with a diverse array of plant species, although the diet of
Genotype
Milk yield can be defined mathematically as the area under the lactation curve, with many factors affecting the shape and scale of the curve and, thus, overall yield (Gipson and Grossman, 1990). Genetic effects are manifested individually and collectively. Individual genetic effects can be seen in the expected progeny differences that are calculated annually by USDA-AIPL (Wiggans and Hubbard, 2001). Collectively, genetic differences are seen as breed differences, with the Swiss breeds (Alpine,
Hygiene
Hygiene in milking and milk handling is of obvious importance to regulations for bacterial numbers and SCC that vary among countries and economic-cooperating regions. Delgado-Pertínẽz et al. (2003) found that on Spanish dairy goat farms a primary source of microbial contamination was handling after harvest from the udder through storage in the farm or cooperative tank, due to poor hygiene or improper refrigeration. Both bacterial numbers and SCC could be lessened by improved management
Concentrate level and types of feedstuffs
Both the dietary concentrate level and nature of specific concentrate and forage feedstuffs impact level of milk production and characteristics of milk and milk products, and it can be difficult to partition their effects. An example of this is the study of Álvarez et al. (2007) in which diets with 35 and 65% concentrate feedstuffs but similar in NDF concentration were fed to Majorero goats of Spain in mid-lactation. Forage in the 65% concentrate diet was wheat straw, and forage in the 35%
Summary and conclusions
Effects of production systems based on grazing and browsing vs. use of harvested feedstuffs in confinement largely depend on specific feedstuffs and plants available and being consumed. Low forage nutrient ingestion should have relatively greater impact on tissue mobilization than milk production in early than later periods of lactation, with a transition to proportionally greater change in milk production in late lactation. When tissue is mobilized to support milk production in early
Conflicts of interest
The authors A.L. Goetsch, S. Zeng, and T.A. Gipson do not have a financial or personal relationship with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias the paper entitled “Factors influencing goat milk production and quality.”
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This paper is part of the special issue entitled Products from Small Ruminants, Guest Edited by A. Govaris and G. Moatsou.