Fat content of goat milk: indicators and how to determine at home

Dairy products in human life, and especially children, play an important role. By comparing the fat content of goat's and cow's milk, as well as other indicators, you can decide which one is more useful. Experts tell about the content of vitamins, microelements and other useful substances in the product. But the fat content of milk can be determined even at home.

What is the fat content of goat milk

The fat content of goat milk varies from 3.2% to 6.5%. This percentage depends on several reasons. First of all, the breed of the animal has an impact on the composition of the final product.The highest fat milk comes from Nigerian Dwarf goats. Saanen and Toggenburg have the least fat content.

The amount of fat in a dairy product is affected by the feed used. In the spring, when the goats eat young growth, milk yields increase, but the fat content of milk decreases. During this period, concentrated feed should be added to the diet. From the middle to the end of summer, when the grass loses its juiciness, the nutritional value of milk increases, but its quantity decreases.

To raise milk yield, animals are fed with juicy foods. It can be various vegetables, fruits, such as pumpkin, zucchini, apples. It is advisable to give a mixture of these fruits.

To a large extent, the fat content of goat's milk changes during lactation, which lasts about ten months. After the birth of a kid, up to fifteen days, the goat gives colostrum of high oiliness. Then, about nine months, medium fat milk. The production of milk is completed with a fifteen-day yield of high-fat milk, which is called old-fashioned.After that, the goat must be inseminated so that it can start producing milk again.

Among other things, the fat content and the amount of dairy products are influenced by the genetic factor, metabolic rate, harmonious body structure. The ability to care for the udder depends on the hostess. It should be kept clean, properly milked and massaged, milked at least three times a day. Morning milk always contains a higher percentage of fat. With good care and proper feeding, a goat, on average, gives three liters of milk.

How to determine it at home

When buying milk in a store, you can easily find out its fat content, such information is contained on the package. Veterinary laboratories, factories and collection points have special equipment that determines the composition of milk with high accuracy within a few minutes. The owners of mini-farms can seek help from specialists to accurately determine the fat content of milk.In homemade milk or purchased from private traders on the market, it will be more difficult to find out the fat content, but it is still possible. For this you need:

Prepare a glass, marker or felt-tip pen, ruler or tape measure.
Wipe the top of the container with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol.
Measure ten centimeters from the bottom of the glass, making markings one millimeter each.
After the measuring cup is ready, one hundred milliliters of milk is poured into it.
After twelve hours, you can evaluate the result. The thickness of the cream layer, measured in millimeters, will indicate the percentage of fat content.

This is the only way to determine the approximate fat content of milk at home.

Which milk is fatter: goat's or cow's

If we compare goat's milk and cow's milk, then the first is certainly fatter. To check this, you need to pour goat's milk into one glass, and cow's milk into the second. After a few hours, cream appears on the surface of the milk, but the settled cow's milk becomes bluish, and goat's milk does not separate all the fat, as it is fine-grained, fat globules are distributed throughout the volume of the glass. Even though the layer of cream is almost the same, the fat content of the milk differs significantly.

Depending on the breed of goat, fat content ranges from three and a half to six percent. And homemade cow's milk - from 3.2 to 5%.

The composition of any milk includes the same substances, but their quantity is different. The goat product contains more calcium (33%, cow - 28%), higher calorie content, more iron, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium. He althy fatty acids are 15% higher than cow's.

Goat milk has a low lactose content, half the fat molecules, which allows the product to be better absorbed. There is no A1 casein, thanks to this feature, the product does not cause allergic reactions. Saturated fats promote better absorption of vitamins.

Despite the fact that goat's milk is fatter than cow's milk and may be considered heavier on the body, it is not. Due to the presence of fat in a finely dispersed state, the product is well absorbed even by a child's body. The presence of useful amino acids, vitamins and other substances has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract and other human organs.