This study focused on the study of the changes originated in the milk from partum until d 90 of lactation. Ten multiparous Majorera goats, bred carefully under animal health standards, with a litter size of 2 kids (the average in this breed is 1.83 prolificacy) and similar gestation length (149 ± 1 d) were used. Goat kids were removed from their dams to avoid interferences with the study. Compositional content (fat, protein, and lactose) were measured, as well as some other properties, including pH, density, titratable acidity, ethanol stability, rennet clotting time, and somatic cell count. Moreover, immunity molecules (IgG, IgA, and IgM concentrations and chitotriosidase activity) received great attention. Fat and protein content were higher in the first days postpartum, whereas lactose content was lower. Density, titratable acidity, rennet clotting time, and somatic cell count decreased throughout the lactation period, whereas pH and ethanol stability increased. Relative to the immunological parameters, each measured parameter obtained its maximum level at d 0, showing the first milking as the choice to provide immunity to the newborn kids. On the other hand, this study might be used to establish what the best use is: processing or kid feeding.

Several factors can affect lamb body weight (BW) and immune status during the first days of life, including colostrum source and timing of the first colostrum feeding. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of colostrum source (goat or sheep) and timing of the first colostrum feeding (2 or 14h after birth) on lamb BW and immune status. In this study, 40 lambs were removed from their dams at birth and randomly assigned into 4 groups of 10 lambs each. Lambs were subsequently fed at 2 or 14h after birth with goat or sheep colostrum. Blood samples and BW recording were performed before feeding. Blood plasma was used to measure the immunoglobulin concentration (IgG and IgM), chitotriosidase activity, and complement system activity (total and alternative pathways). In general, no differences in any of the measured variables were observed among the 4 groups, indicating that neither colostrum source nor timing of the first colostrum feeding had an effect on these variables. These findings may improve management on lamb farms that raise animals under artificial conditions, because our results indicate that it is not necessary to feed colostrum to lambs immediately after birth and that goat colostrum may be used to feed newborn lambs.

The objective of this study was to examine the physicochemical properties of cheese elaborated via traditional artisan methods using goat milk containing 5, 1.5, or 0.4% fat and ripened for 1, 7, 14, or 28 d. Seventy-two cheeses were produced (2 batches x 3 fat levels x 4 ripening times x triplicate). Proximal composition, pH, texture analysis, and color were recorded in each cheese. Protein and moisture were increased in cheese, and fat and fat in DM were decreased with decreasing fat in milk. Internal and external pH was higher in low-fat and reduced-fat cheese, and pH values decreased during the first 2 wk of ripening but increased slightly on d 28. Cheese fracturability, cohesiveness, masticability, and hardness increased with decreasing fat, whereas elasticity and adhesiveness decreased. Cheese lightness and red and yellow indexes decreased with decreasing fat content; during ripening, lightness decreased further but yellow index increased.

The aim of the research was to evaluate the effects of immunoglobulin G (IgG) colostrum concentration on goat kid immune status when the total amount of IgG fed was constant. Majorera goat kids (n = 56) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups, and kids received 4 g of IgG per kg of body weight of atomized colostrum at 4 different IgG concentrations: 20 (AC-20), 40 (AC-40), 60 (AC-60), and 80 (AC-80) mg/mL. Blood samples were obtained on d 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 postpartum. Immunoglobulin G, IgA, and IgM plasma concentrations, apparent efficiency of absorption of IgG, plasma chitotriosidase activity, plasma complement activity, and plasma proteinogram were measured. Plasma IgG and IgM concentrations were highest on d 1 in AC-80 animals, and IgA plasma concentration was lower in AC-20 than in AC-80. The apparent efficiency of absorption was higher in AC-80 (24.4%) than in the other treatment groups (by an average of 13.8%). Chitotriosidase plasma activity on d 5 (1,488 nmol/mL per hour) was higher than on d 0 and 1 (average of 1,183 nmol/mL per hour). There were no effects of colostrum IgG concentration on complement activity and plasma protein distribution, but gamma-globulin and alpha-globulin were lower on d 0 than on d 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Increasing the immunoglobulin concentration in colostrum using atomized colostrum improves the immunoglobulin absorption at the same amount of immunoglobulin fed.