The quality of milk as well as its safety in the consumption depends on its chemical composition, microbiological, physical and organoleptic properties. It is naturally homogenized, with smaller fat molecules evenly suspend throughout the milk. In one study found out that, total fat contents in goat milk are predominated by smaller fat globules where 90% of the fat particles in goat milk were less than 5.21 µm in comparison to cow milk fat particles, 90% of which less than 6.42 µm.
Goats’ milk has less alcoholic stability when compared with cow’s milk where it precipitates on addition of 44% ethanol vs. 70% for cow’s milk.
It has freezing point slightly higher than cow’s milk equal - 0.543°C. its specific gravity ranged between 1.0263 to 1.0335 vs. 0.1320 for cow’s milk.
The gross chemical composition of goat’s milk can vary considerably and the total solids may range between 11.3 and 15, g /100g; the main cases of this variation are breed, stage of lactation, geographical location and diet.
Goat milk contained (g/100 g): 3.6 proteins, 4.5 fats, 0.83 ashes, 87.38 water, 12.62 total solids and 0.8 minerals of which 4.7 are lactose (96.26 %).
Characteristics of goat milk
