Comparative Studies on Milk Parameters and Somatic Cell Count of Goat Reared under Farm and Field Condition
Pratap Gore *
Animal Physiology division, ICAR- National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India.
Ajay Kumar Dang
Animal Physiology division, ICAR- National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Goat milk quality is influenced by both physiological and management-related factors, particularly parity and rearing conditions. Somatic cell count, milk composition, electrical conductivity, and pH are important indicators of udder health and milk quality; however, their combined variation under farm and field management systems remains insufficiently characterised. Evaluating these parameters across different parity groups can provide a clearer understanding of how rearing environment and physiological status are associated with goat milk quality. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of parity and housing conditions (farm vs. field) on somatic cell count (SCC) and milk composition parameters in goats. Primiparous and multiparous goats under intensive farm and extensive field management systems were evaluated for SCC, milk fat, solids-not-fat (SNF), protein, lactose, electrical conductivity, and pH in four treatment groups. Statistical analysis showed significant (P < 0.05) effects of parity and management systems on SCC, protein, lactose, electrical conductivity, and pH, whereas milk fat and SNF percentages were non-significant in all groups. The SCC (4.81 ± 0.04 Lakhs/ml) and pH (6.60 ±0.04) of multiparous farm goats were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than the SCC (4.42 ±0.05 Lakhs/ml) and pH (6.24 ±0.06) of primiparous farm goats. Under field management, goats had lower overall SCC values (4.26 ±0.02 to 4.29 ± 0.04 Lakhs/ml). Electrical conductivity was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in multiparous goats under farm (5.74 ±0.07 mS/cm) and field (5.76 ±0.06 mS/cm) conditions than in primiparous goats under farm (5.53 ±0.08 mS/cm) and field (5.54 ± 0.07 mS/cm) conditions, respectively. The highest protein percentage (3.54 ± 0.18%) was obtained from field multiparous goats, whereas the highest lactose percentage (4.62 ± 0.04%) was obtained from field primiparous goats. It is concluded that advancing parity and intensive farm management increase SCC, electrical conductivity, and pH due to cumulative mammary gland stress, while the major macronutrients (fat and SNF) maintain compositional stability across environments.
Keywords: Goat milk, somatic cell count, parity, farm management, milk composition, electrical conductivity