Effects of Production Systems and Seasons on Retail-Goat-Milk Fatty-Acid Composition and Nutritional Indices in Greece

Abstract

An increased consumer interest in goat milk has been registered in recent years due to its health-related benefits. This study aimed to investigate the effects of production systems and seasons on fatty-acid composition and nutritional indices for the healthy fat consumption of retail goat milk. The study lasted one year, and milk samples (n = 160) from 14 brands (10 conventional and 4 organic) were collected on a monthly basis. Organic milk had a marginally lower fat and protein content compared with conventionally produced milk according to the declared chemical composition. The production system did not significantly affect milk fatty-acid composition and its nutritional value, indicating that there were no major differences in the feeding strategies between conventionally and organically raised ewes. Seasonal effects were observed in the fatty-acid profile and the nutritional indices. Lower content of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio (h/H) and linoleic acid/α-linolenic acid (LA/ALA) ratio values were observed in summer. Retail goat milk had a desirable nutritional value, irrespective of production system and season, due to the following characteristics: low atherogenic index (AI) and LA/ALA ratio values, and high h/H ratio, desirable fatty acid (DFA) values and health-promoting index values. In conclusion, neither production nor season significantly impacted the fatty-acid composition and the fat-consumption nutritional indices of retail goat milk produced in Greece.

Variations in Composition, Antioxidant Profile, and Physical Traits of Goat Milk within the Semi-Intensive Production System in Mountainous Areas during the Post-Weaning to End-of-Lactation Period

“…Barłowska et al [49] also observed significantly lower AI and TI values in the milk of goats that grazed in mountainous regions during the day and received concentrate supplementation during milking. The values of both indices are lower than the ones reported by Kasapidou et al [15] on retail goat milk during spring, summer, and autumn. Furthermore, sampling period did not affect (p > 0.05) the hypocholesterolaemic: hypercholesterolaemic (h/H) ratio, which is employed to represent the relationship between the hypocholesterolemic and the hypercholesterolemic fatty acids, and high values are desirable.…”

“…Finally, Žan et al [41] found a better fatty acid composition in milk from a mountain flock consisted of goats of Alpine breed grazing at an altitude of 1060-1075 m in comparison to milk from a highland flock consisted of goats of the Saanen breed grazing at an altitude of 615-630 m. In general, pasture feeding can affect milk fatty acid composition, but it is dependent on parameters such as the type of forage, variation in pasture availability, and stage of grass growth maturity [6,42]. The fatty acid composition during the entire study period is within the range reported by Kasapidou et al [15] on retail goat milk on an annual basis.…”

“…Globally, there is a rapid increase in dairy goat farming due to the rising demand for goat dairy products. In Greece, goat milk production has increased by almost 20% in the period 2016-2020 [15]. A limited number of studies have examined quality traits of goat milk produced in upland regions, primarily under the semi-extensive production system [16][17][18][19].…”

Effects of Sulla Flexuosa Hay as Alternative Feed Resource on Goat’s Milk Production and Quality

“…In goat milk, the PUFA/SFA ratio ranges from 0.04 to 0.18, the n-6/n-3 ratio from 1.49 to 6.60, the AI ratio from 1.89 to 2.77, the TI ratio from 2.04 to 3.20, and the LA/ALA ratio from 1.15 to 10.67 [21,38,40,41]. The PUFA/SFA and LA/ALA ratios detected in our study were in the range, whereas the other indicators were lower.…”

Fatty Acid Composition and Nutritional Indices/Ratios of Colostrum and Milk from Crossbred Goats in the Philippines

“…The FA composition, as a measure of the quality of raw milk used in the production of milk and dairy products from goats, may vary depending on the breed (Martinez et al, 2011;Curro et al, 2019), dietary sources of fat (Ayeb et al, 2015;Kholif et al, 2016), nutrition and management (Haile et al, 2016), stage of lactation (Curro et al, 2019), production system (Lopez et al, 2019), and season (Kasapidou et al, 2022). Milk FAs have been reported for transboundary breeds (i.e., breeds found in more than one country) such as Alpine goats in Italy (Lopez et al, 2019), Anglo Nubian in Egypt (Kholif et al, 2016), and Saanen in China (Haile et al, 2016), Estonia (Yurchenko et al, 2018), and Italy (Curro et al, 2019), and local breeds (i.e., breeds found in only one country) -including the indigenous goat breeds in Italy -Garganica, Girgentana, Jonica, Maltese, and Mediterranean Red (Curro et al, 2019) and in Tunisia (Ayeb et al, 2015), Malagueña goats in Spain (Martinez et al, 2011), native goats in Greece (Kondyli et al, 2012), Peranakan Etawah goats in Indonesia (Sumarmono & Sulistyowati, 2015), and Swedish Landrace goats in Estonia (Yurchenko et al, 2018).…”