Evaluation of goat milk

Goats are small ruminants known for their milk, meat and fibre production. Several goat breeds are effectively adapted in the tropics however, their milk production potential has been little utilized because major attention is diverted to cattle production. Three major tropical breeds are found in Nigeria, there is need to examine their milk composition in order to enhance the awareness for nutritional significance. A comparative study on milk composition and secretion rate of West African Dwarf (WAD) and Red Sokoto (RS) goats was carried out in Abeokuta, the South-West Nigeria. Samples of colostrum and milk were analyzed for total solids, fat, lactose, crude protein, ash, phosphorus and calcium. The WAD goats had a significant higher protein contents in both milk types despite the higher secretion rate observed in RS goats however, RS had a significant higher lactose and phosphorus contents in milk than WAD. From this study it is concluded that breed difference occurs both in the quality and quantity of milk produce by WAD and RS goats. Despite its low secretion rate, milk from WAD goats are of high quality compared to that of RS goats which secret more milk than WAD goats.