Got Goat's Milk?

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GOT GOAT'S MILK?

JoAnn Guest

Jun 11, 2004 12:14 PDT

 

GOT GOAT'S MILK?

 

Moderator's Note:

Goat milk contains significant amounts of caprylic acid which has been

effectively used to combat candidiasis, UTI's and frequent bladder infections.

JG

 

What does goat's milk give you that cow's milk doesn't? In many parts of

the world, goat's milk is preferred to cow's milk. Even in the United

States, the goat is gaining popularity. Goats eat less and occupy less

grazing space than cows, and in some families the backyard goat supplies

milk for family needs.

 

Goat's milk is believed to be more easily digestible and less

allergenic than cow's milk. Does it deserve this reputation? Let's

disassemble goat's milk, nutrient-by-nutrient, to see how it compares

with cow's milk.

 

Different fat. Goat's milk contains around ten grams of fat per eight

ounces compared to 8 to 9 grams in whole cow's milk, and it's much

easier to find lowfat and non-fat varieties of cow's milk than it is to

purchase lowfat goat's milk. Unlike cow's milk, goat's milk does not

contain agglutinin.

 

As a result, the fat globules in goat's milk do not cluster together,

making them easier to digest.

 

Like cow's milk, goat's milk is low in essential fatty acids, because

goats also have EFA-destroying bacteria in their ruminant stomachs. Yet,

goat milk is reported to contain more of the essential fatty acids

linoleic and arachnodonic acids, in addition to a higher proportion of

short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids.

 

These are easier for intestinal enzymes to digest.

 

Different protein. Goat milk protein forms a softer curd (the term given

to the protein clumps that are formed by the action of your stomach acid

on the protein), which makes the protein more easily and rapidly

digestible.

 

Theoretically, this more rapid transit through the stomach could be an

advantage to infants and children who regurgitate cow's milk easily.

 

Goat's milk may also have advantages when it comes to allergies. Goat's

milk contains only trace amounts of an allergenic casein protein,

alpha-S1, found in cow's milk.

 

Goat's milk casein is more similar to human milk, yet cow's milk and

goat's milk contain similar levels of the other allergenic protein, beta

lactoglobulin. Scientific studies have not found a decreased incidence

of allergy with goat's milk, but here is another situation where

mothers' observations and scientific studies are at odds with one

another. Some mothers are certain that their child tolerates goat's milk

better than cow's milk, and mothers are more sensitive to children's

reactions than scientific studies.

 

Less lactose. Goat's milk contains slightly lower levels of lactose (4.1

percent versus 4.7 percent in cow's milk), which may be a small

advantage in lactose-intolerant persons.

 

Different minerals. Although the mineral content of goat's milk and

cow's milk is generally similar, goat's milk contains 13 percent more

calcium, 25 percent more vitamin B-6, 47 percent more vitamin A, 134

percent more potassium, and three times more niacin.

 

It is also four times higher in copper. Goat's milk also contains 27

percent more of the antioxidant selenium than cow's milk.

 

Cow's milk contains five times as much vitamin B-12 as goat's milk and

ten times as much folic acid (12 mcg. in cow's milk versus 1 mcg. for

goat's milk per eight ounces with an RDA of 75-100 mcg. for children).

The fact that goat's milk contains less than ten percent of the amount

of folic acid contained in cow's milk means that it must be supplemented

with folic acid in order to be adequate as a formula or milk substitute

for infants and toddlers, and popular brands of goat's milk may

advertise " supplemented with folic acid " on the carton.

 

GOAT'S MILK FORMULA VERSUS COMMERCIAL FORMULA FOR ALLERGIC INFANTS

Parents of babies allergic to cow's milk and other commercial formulas

often ask if it's safe to use goat's milk as an alternative. In theory,

goat's milk is less allergenic and more easily digestible than cow's

milk, but it should not be used as a substitute for infant formula. Like

cow's milk, it can cause intestinal irritation and anemia. If your baby

under one year of age is allergic to cow's milk-based formulas, try

either a soy-based formula or a hypoallergenic formula. If your baby

can't tolerate either soy or hypoallergenic formulas, in consultation

with your doctor and/or a pediatric nutritionist click here for the

recipe for goat's milk formula.

 

This formula has stood the test of time. One batch contains 715 calories

and nineteen calories per ounce, which is essentially the same as cow's

milk formulas. This is sufficient for an infant six to twelve months. A

baby on goat's milk formula should also receive a multi-vitamin with

iron supplement prescribed by her doctor. In infants over one year of

age, goat's milk can be readily used instead of cow's milk. (Be sure to

buy goat's milk that is certified free of antiobiotics and bovine growth

hormone (BGH). (For more information about goat's milk call

1-800-891-GOAT)

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032400.asp

_________________

Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2004 11:04 am

Post subject: Why Goat Milk?

-

Why Goat Milk?

 

By George F. W. Haenlein

Cooperative Extension Dairy Specialist

University of Delaware

 

 

INTRODUCTION

Why goat milk? This is a critical question for all who are trying to

establish a dairy goat business and industry. The value of goat milk in

human nutrition has so far received very little factual and academic

attention (Haenlein, 1984, 1988, 1992; Park, 1991).

 

However, if facts of the role (and superiority in certain instances)of

goat milk in human nutrition can not be identified and promoted, it will

be difficult justifying growth of the goat business as an industry next

to the dairy cattle business.

 

Since the milk supply from cows is more plentiful and cheaper, the

challenge is to demonstrate why there are good reasons to produce goat

milk; if not, dairy goats will be relegated to being only a pet

business.

 

Despite a widespread absence of infrastructural organization for goat

milk in the United States, more commercial successes with goat milk

marketing are becoming known in recent years (Loewenstein et al., 1980;

Kapture, 1982; Haenlein, 1985; Pinkerton, 1991; Hankin, 1992; Jackson,

1992).

 

Also, significant new research station efforts in Texas, California,

Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, Louisiana have been

advancing new knowledge of goat milk production on the farm, and of the

physiology, biochemistry and veterinary aspects of the animal in recent

years.

 

In addition to that, a new scientific journal--Small Ruminant

Research--has become established by the International Goat Association

initially quarterly but now on a monthly basis and with broad

international support, published since 1988 by Elsevier Science

Publishers at Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Volumes of new scientific data

presented at five major, quintannual, international goat conferences

have become widely circulated.

 

Thus, it is high time to include in these developments the sanitarians,

for establishing quality standards, and the medical profession, for

evidence on the medical benefits and values in human nutrition of goat

milk.

 

MEDICAL RESEARCH EVIDENCE FOR GOAT MILK

 

Powerful justification for goat milk can come from medical needs (not

just desires) of people, especially infants afflicted with various

ailments, including cow milk protein sensitivities.

 

Swedish studies have shown that cow milk was a major cause of colic,

sometimes fatal, in 12 to 30 percent formula-fed, less than 3-month-old

infants (Lothe et al., 1982).

 

In breast-fed infants, colic was related to the mother's consumption of

cow milk (Baldo, 1984; Cant et al., 1985; Host et al., 1988). In older

infants, the incidence of cow milk protein intolerance was approximately

20 percent (Nestle, 1987).

 

A popular therapy among pediatricians is the change to vegetable protein

soy-based formula; however, an estimated 20 to 50 percent of all infants

with cow's milk protein intolerance will also react adversely to soy

proteins (Lothe et al., 1982).

 

Approximately 40 percent of all patients sensitive to cow milk proteins

tolerate goat milk proteins (Brenneman, 1978; Zeman, 1982), possibly

because lactalbumin is immunospecific between species (Hill, 1939), but

beta-lactoglobulin appears to be the major allergen in cow's milk.

 

BIOCHEMICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GOAT MILK AND COW MILK

 

Goat milk proteins have many significant differences in their amino acid

compositions from the milk of other mammalian species, especially in

relative proportions of the various milk proteins and in their genetic

polymorphisms (Jenness, 1980; Boulanger et al., 1984; Addeo et al.,

1988; Ambrosoli et al., 1988).

 

The major protein in cow milk is alpha-s-1-casein, but goat milk may

differ genetically by having either none ( " Null " type) or much ( " High "

type).

 

Null types have shorter rennet coagulation time, less resistance to heat

treatment, curd firmness is weaker, pH is higher, protein and mineral

contents in milk are lower, and cheese yields are less than in high

types.

 

This in turn indicates and may explain significant differences to cow

milk in digestion by infants and patients (Mack, 1953), which

traditionally have been explained by the naturally " homogenized " nature

of goat milk fat.

 

Actually, the composition of goat milk fat may be much more important

than the prevalence of large numbers of small fat globules, because it

too differs significantly from the composition of cow milk fat under

average feeding conditions (Haenlein, 1992).

 

The various components of milk fat, fatty acids, differ in carbon chain

length and saturation, which has nutritional and medical significance.

 

Goat milk fat normally has 35 percent of medium chain fatty acids

(C6-C14) compared to cow milk fat 17 percent, and three are named after

goats: Caproic (C6), caprylic (C, capric (C10), totaling 15 percent in

goat milk fat vs. only 5 percent in cow milk fat (Table 1).

Besides their unique flavor, which has serious consequences in improper

handling of goat milk, these medium chain fatty acids (MCT) have become

of considerable interest to the medical profession, because of their

unique benefits in many metabolic diseases of humans (Babayan, 1981).

 

Capric, caprylic and other MCT have been used for treatment of

malabsorption syndrome, intestinal disorders, coronary diseases,

pre-mature infant nutrition, cystic fibrosis, gallstone problems,

because of their unique metabolic abilities of providing energy and at

the same time lowering, inhibiting and dissolving cholesterol deposits

(Schwabe et al., 1964; Greenberger and Skillman, 1969; Kalser, 1971;

Tantibhedhyangkul and Hashim, 1975, 1978).

 

It seems apparent that in this lipid area is great potential for

identifying a unique importance and role for goat milk, specifically

goat milk fat and probably goat milk butter, which has not received much

attention at all.

 

And all this adds even more importance to the establishment of

acceptable practices and standards for quality goat milk production,

which so far has been lagging behind those for dairy cows, but which

require separate establishment because of the many unique physiological

and metabolic characteristics of goats compared to cows (Haenlein, 1980,

1987a, 1991; Hinckley, 1991; Kalogridou-Vassiliadou et al., 1992).

 

REFERENCES

Addeo, F., Mauriello, R. and Luccia, A. di, 1988. A gel electrophoretic

study of caprine casein. J. Dairy Res., 55: 413-421.

Ambrosoli, R., Stasio, L. di and Mazzocco, P., 1988. Content of

alpha-s-1-casein and coagulation properties in goat milk. J. Dairy Sc.

71: 24-28.

Babayan, V.K., 1981. Medium chain length fatty acid esters and their

medical and nutritional applications. J. Amer. Oil Chem. Soc. 59:

49A-51

Boulanger, A., Grosclaude, F. and Mahe, M.F., 1984. Polymorphism of

caprine (Capra hircus) alpha-s-1 and alpha-s-2-caseins. Genetique

Selection Evolution 16: 157-175.

Cant, A.J., Bailes, J.A. and Marsden, R.A., 1985. Cow's milk, soya milk

and goat milk in a mother's diet causing eczema and diarrhoea in her

breast fed infant. Acta Paediatr. Scand. 74: 467-468.

 

Greenberger, N.J. and Skillman, T.G., 1969. Medium chain triglycerides.

Physiologic considerations and clinical implications. New Engld. J. Med.

280: 1045-1058.

Haenlein, G.F.W., 1985. Dimensions of the goat milk industry in the USA.

Proceedings International Seminar on Production and Utilization of Ewe's

and Goat Milk, Athens, Greece, Sept. 23-25, IDF Bul. 202: 215-217.

Haenlein, G.F.W., 1988. Research on goat milk-not wanted? Dairy Goat J.

66 (4): 243.

 

Haenlein, G.F.W., 1992. Role of goat meat and milk in human nutrition.

Proceedings Vth International Conference on Goats, New Delhi, India,

March 1-8, ICAR Publ., New Delhi, 2 (II): 575-580.

 

Hill, L.W., 1939. Immunological relationships between cow's milk and

goat milk. J. Pediatrics 15: 157-162.

Kalser, M.H., 1971. Medium chain triglycerides. Adv. Internal. Med. 17:

301-322.

Lothe, L., Lindberg, T. and Jacobson, I., 1982. Cow's milk formula as a

cause of infantile colic. A double-blind study. Pediatrics 70: 7-10.

Mack, P.B., 1953. A preliminary nutrition study of the value of goat

milk in the diet of children. Amer. Goat Soc. Inc., Mena, Arkansas, Year

Book 1952-1953, 112-132.

--

 

Table 1. Comparison of Milk Fat Compositions in Goat, Cow and Human Milk

(weight%)

Principal fatty acids in milk fat Goat milk fat Cow milk fat Human milk

fat Melting point o F

C4:0-Butyric 3 3 trace 18

C6:0-Caproic 2 1 trace 25

C8:0-Caprylic 3 1 trace 16

C10:0-Capric 10 3 2 31

C12:0- Lauric 7 2 6 44

C14:0- Myristic 13 10 9 54

Total Medium Chain Acids (C6-C14) 35 17

C14:1- Myristoleic 1 1 trace -

C16:0- Palmitic 28 26 23 63

C16:1- Palmitoleic 3 3 3 33

C18:0- Stearic 6 13 7 70

C18:1- Oleic 21 32 37 16

C18:2- Linoleic 4 3 8 23

C18:3- Linolenic and others 1 2 4 7

 

-http://ag.udel.edu/extension/information/goatmgt/gm-12.htm

-

According to J. C. LeJaouen et al., 1981; J. R. Campbell et al., 1975;

S. K. Kon et al., 1961.

GM-12

_________________

 

Info about goat milk:

 

Normal goat milk fat has a much higher concentration of so called medium chain

fatty acids (MCT), caproic, caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic (33%) verses cow

milk fat (17%), and lower in stearic and oleic (27%) lower than cow milk fat

(45%) .

 

Much documentation exists showing the uniquely beneficial effects of those MCT,

medium chain fatty acids in various medical problems, disorders and diseases,

such as those suffering from malabsorption syndromes chluria, steatorrhe,

hyperlipoproteinemia intestinal resection, coronary bypass, premature infant

feeding, childhood epilepsy, cystic fibrosis, gallstones, angcontributeto

general thriftiness of children. (5)

 

Goat milk provides 13% more calcium, 25% more Vit B-6, 47% more Vit A, 134% more

potassium and 350% more niacin than cow milk. Goat milk is higher in chloride,

copper and manganese and NONE of the controversial BOVINE GROWTH hormone (BGH)

(5)

 

http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/rawmilk.htm#goatmilk

 

Also see:

Goat Milk- Nutritional breakdown

Milk: Comparing Human, Cow, Goat & Infant Formula

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

DietaryTipsForHBP

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest

 

 

 

 

 

 

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