Physicochemical characteristics of raw milk in sheep of Boyacá, Colombia

Abstract

The quality of raw milk is a key factor to consider when selecting the best females for sheep production systems because the lamb growth rate is highly correlated with this. The objective of this work was to determine the physicochemical characteristics of raw milk from Dorper sheep across sixty days of lactation. Parameters evaluated were percentage of fat, protein, lactose, total solids, non-fatty solids and freezing point expressed in degrees centigrade. Animals were randomly assigned to three groups according to days of lactation, as follows: 3-20 days, 21-40 days and 41-60 days (40 ewes each). Milk analysis was performed using MilkoScan Mars. Somatic cell count was performed with a SCC Portacheck equipment for goats. ANOVA was performed to determine statistical differences among the groups for each parameter (p<0.05). There were no statistical differences for fat, non-fat solids, and total solids; the other parameters have statistical differences. The best results were fat: 8.09% (group 2), protein: 5.45% (group 1), lactose: 5.22% (group 2), non-fatty solids: 11.13% (group 1), total solids: 19.17% (group 2), freezing point -0.5836°C (group 1) and SCC 75.3 x 1000 cells/ml (group 2). The physicochemical characteristics of Dorper's raw milk were better than other breeds, including dairy and meat breeds.