Guest guest Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Superiority of Goat Milk JoAnn Guest Oct 24, 2006 14:47 PDT ---------------------------- G.F.W. Haenlein And R. Caccese, Univ. of. Delaware, Newark To most people today, especially in the more developed countries, the term milk is synonomous with cow's milk, as if cow's alone possess a singular ability to produce mammary secretions. Perhaps nowhere has the feeling been more prevalent than in the U.S., where over 10 million cows are maintained to provide an abundant, clean source of nourishment and refreshment to our country, producing more than 125 billion pounds of milk annually. Yet on a world-wide basis, there are more people who drink the milk of goats than from any other single animal. Over 440 million goats (world-wide) produce an estimated 4.8 million tons of milk that is predominantly consumed locally, or processed into various types of cheeses. Here in the U.S. there are approximately a million dairy goats actively producing milk. Most of the upsurge in goat popularity has been the result of a growing trend towards attaining some measure of self-sufficiency on the part of many people, for both economic and aesthetic purposes. A goat will eat little, occupy a small area and produce enough milk for the average family (a good milker will produce about a gallon a day). As the interest in dairy goats and their products continue to rise, it is apparent that many misconceptions, discrepancies and exaggerated claims are being perpetrated. A comparison of cow and goat milk seems to be in order, so that some prejudices against goat milk may be erased. Also, while goat milk is somewhat unique, it is certainly not a magical elixir. Diet also plays a large role in the palatability of goat milk, as well as cow milk. While cows are usually rather closely regulated as to what they may eat and when, goats are often allowed to consume a large variety of materials at any time, including browsing. This kind of feeding may allow a certain " off " taste or smell to b transferred to the milk, just as cows may produce a " garlicky " milk from some spring pastures. What comes out is based on what goes in! If goats and cows are similarly managed, the smell and taste of both milks are quite comparable. Goat milk is similar to cow milk in it's basic composition. In average, cow milk contains about 12.2% dry matter (3.2% protein, 3/6% fat, 4.7% lactose and 0.7% mineral matter). Goat milk contains about 12.1 dry matter (3.4% protein, 3.8% fat, 4.1% lactose and 0.8% mineral matter). These figures are only averages of course, as there are considerable differences between breeds and among individual dairy cows in the US, and 6 breeds of dairy goats producing milk. The Saanen is best known as the Holstein of the goat world, producing a high quantity of milk with somewhat low fat levels. However, there are also differences that give goat's milk a place for special purposes. In Summary: 1. Goat milk has a more easily digestible fat and protein content than cow milk. 2. The increased digestibility of protein is of importance to infant diets (both human and animal), as well as to invalid and convalescent diets. 3. Goat milk tends to have a better buffering quality, which is good for the treatment of ulcers. 4. In under-developed countries, where most consumption is low, goat milk is an important daily food source of protein, phosphate and calcium not available otherwise because of a lack of cow milk. 5. Goat milk can successfully replace cow milk in diets of those who are allergic to cow milk. Fat One of the more significant differences from cow milk is found in the composition and structure of fat in goat milk. The average size of goat milk fat globules is about 2 micrometers, as compared to 2 ½- 3 ½ micrometers for cow milk fat. These smaller sized fat globules provide a better dispersion, and a more homogeneous mixture of fat in the milk. Research indicates that there is more involved to the creaming ability of milk than merely physical size of the fat globules. It appears that their clustering is favored by the presence of an agglutinin in milk which is lacking in goat milk, therefore creating a poor creaming ability, especially at lower temperatures. The natural homogenization of goat milk is from a human health standpoint, much better than the mechanically homogenized cow milk product. It appears that when fat globules are forcibly broken up by mechanical means, it allows an enzyme associated with milk fat, known as xanthine oxidase to become free and penetrate the intestinal wall. Once xanthine oxidase gets through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream, it is capable of creating scar damage to the heart and arteries, which in turn may stimulate the body to release cholesterol into the blood in an attempt to lay a protective fatty material on the scarred areas. This can lead to arteriosclerosis. It should be noted that this effect is not a problem with natural (unhomogenized) cow milk. In unhomogenized milk this enzyme is normally excreted from the body without much absorption. Another significant difference from cow milk is the higher amount of shorter-chain fatty acids in the milk fat of goats. Furthermore, glycerol ethers are much higher in goat than in cow milk, which appears to be important for the nutrition of the nursing newborn. Goat milk also has lower contents of orotic acid which can be significant in the prevention of fatty liver syndrome. However, the membranes around fat globules in goat milk are more fragile which may be related to their greater susceptibility to develop off-flavors than cow milk. Goat milk… is higher in minerals, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, chlorine and manganese; but is lower in sodium, iron, sulphur, zinc and molybdenum. www.meyenberg.com JoAnn Guest mrsjo- www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.