Fatty acid and mineral composition of Italian local goat breeds

This study investigated chemical, fatty acid (FA) and mineral composition of milk from 5 Italian goat breeds: Garganica (GA), Girgentana (GI), Jonica (JO), Maltese (MA) and Mediterranean-red (MR), and 1 cosmopolitan breed (Saanen, SA). A total of 39 multiparous dairy goats reared in the same herd were sampled monthly during lactation. Milk chemical composition, FA and minerals (n=237) were determined by Fourier Transform infrared, gas-chromatography and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, respectively. Data were analysed using a mixed linear model that accounted for breed, week of lactation and parity as fixed effects, and animal and residual as random terms. Local breeds (LB) produced less (P<0.05) milk (1.40, 1.40, 1.20, 1.06 and 1.25 kg/d for JO, MA, RM, GI and GA, respectively) than SA (1.82 kg/d). Milk fat (%) did not differ (P>0.05) among breeds. Saturated FA and C16:0 were the most abundant FA in milk (75.5 and 23.5% of identified FA, respectively). Mainly differences between SA and GI where observed (P<0.05) for some individual and group of FA. Milk of SA had greater (P<0.05) C14:0 and C16:0, and lower (P<0.05) C18:0, C18:1n9, Unsaturated FA (UFA) and Monounsaturated FA (MUFA) than GI milk. On average, SA milk had greater (P<0.05) conjugated linoleic acid content than milk of LB (1.10 vs 0.88% of identified FA, respectively). Concerning mineral composition (ppm), goat milk was richer in Ca (1,073), P (794) and Na (364). Differences among breeds where observed (P<0.05) only for Na, P, Mg and Zn. Week of lactation affected (P<0.05) all the studied traits, whereas parity affected (P