MILK PRODUCTION

538
MILK PRODUCTION
Buffaloes milk physicochemical properties
raised on tropical pasture
Oliveira, J.S.; Souza, A.O.; Fernandes, S. A. A. * ; Ferrão, S.P.B.; Silveira, E.S.
Southwest of Bahia University, Praça Primavera 40, Primavera, Itapetinga, Bahia, Brazil. E-mail: fernandes_pe@hotmail.com
Abstract
The main objective of present investigation was to study the effect of lactation stage and animal’s breed on physicochemical
properties of milk from buffalo. The experiment was carried out from May to September, 2008, in the Três Irmãos
farm, located in the Maiquinique (Bahia, Brazil).The follow physicochemical parameters were determined: total acidity
and pH, density, cryoscopy, which indicated that there was not interaction between breed and lactation stage.
INTRODUCTION
Key words: Buffalo Milk, Lactation Stage, Physicochemical Characteristics.
The importance of food science and technology for improving the human beings quality of life is highlighted by the
rising search for healthy food, with high nutritional value, available and accessible to people. With this, the investigation
of alternative food sources has been the subject of extensive researches in the last decades. Buffalo’s milk is
promising in this context, since it has a superior nutritional value due to the high levels of fat, protein and minerals
(specially calcium and phosphorus), that can be consumed in natura and may be used as raw material for producing diary
products, varying in accordance to each regional culture 1, 2 savu . Moreover, buffalos are extremely rustic and demonstrate a
high adaptation capacity, being able to survive in diverse environments with huge weather variations, relief and vegetation,
so growing them is very economically feasible 4-3,5-4 . The data found regarding buffalo’s milk characteristics are very
varied, since several factors influence the physicochemical properties 6, 5-8, 6 . In this context, the aim of this work was to
evaluate the quality of milk from buffalo herd raised in the Bahia southwest, concerning physicochemical characteristics,
as well as factors that influence, such as the lactation stage and the animal’s breed.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The experiment was carried out from May to September, 2008, in the Três Irmãos farm, located in the Maiquinique (Bahia,
Brazil). Twenty four animals were separated, according to extern characteristics, 12 were of the Murrah breed and 12 of
the Jafarabadi breed. Animal’s food was pasture with Brachiaria Decumbens, with mineral salt supplement available.
Buffalos of the same race were subdivided in three groups, four animals each. One liter of milk was sampled from every
animal. Samples from animals of the same group were mixed, forming a composed sample. Thus, the composed samples
were collected during the lactation, at the beginning (approximately one month after lactation), in the middle (fifth
month of lactation) and at the end (near the ninth month of lactation).The follow physicochemical parameters were
determined: total acidity and pH, density and cryoscopy. For statistical analysis, the results obtained were treated using
Proceedings 9 th World Buffalo Congress