Changes in the physicochemical and microbiological quality of crossbred goats colostrum during four days postpartum

Abstract

The colostrum that newborn ruminants consume right after birth is directly linked to their long and healthy lives. It is the first food that ensures their growth, development and immunity against diseases. The animal material of the research consisted of eight goats, Saanen x Makatia and Saanen x Alpine goats, raised in the Ghardaia region, where arid climatic conditions prevail. Colostrum samples were collected during 4 days after kidding. Every sample was subjected to the evaluation of the microbiological quality and the main physicochemical properties, such as content of fat, protein, pH, titratable acidity, density, conductivity, appearance and colour, as physicochemical analysis. As a result, there was a decrease in fat and protein content from day one to day four in the two populations, although the difference between the 4-day averages was not significant. Acidity and density also followed a decreasing curve; the difference between the 4-day averages was significant in the Saanen x Makatia population. For pH, the results showed that the difference between averages was not significant across days. Increasing conductivity values were observed in the tow populations. With regard to the microbiological analysis, in general we noted the absence of sulphite-reducing Clostridium, Salmonella and yeasts in all the samples. The counts of Staphylococcus aureus, total aerobic mesophilic flora and total and faecal coliforms are tolerabe, as they do not exceed the microbiological limits for raw milk, which means that the colostrum is of satisfactory quality.