Blog de Silvio Doria

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Goat milk and its products of yoghurt, cheese and powder have three-fold significance in human nutrition: (1) feeding more starving and malnourished people in the developing world than from cow milk; (2) treating people afflicted with cow milk allergies and gastro-intestinal disorders, which is a significant segment in many populations of developed countries; and (3) filling the gastronomic needs of connoisseur consumers, which is a growing market share in many developed countries.

Concerning (1), very much improvement in milk yield and lactation length of dairy goats, especially in developing countries must be accomplished through better education/extension, feeding and genetics.

Concerning (2), little unbiased medical research to provide evidence and promotional facts has been conducted, but is very much needed to reduce discrimination against goats and substantiate the many anecdotal experiences about the medical benefits from goat milk consumption, which abound in trade publications and the popular press. Goats have many unique differences in anatomy, physiology and product biochemistry from sheep and cattle, which supports the contention of many unique qualities of dairy goat products for human nutrition.

Concerning (3), a few countries like France have pioneered a very well-organized industry of goat milk production, processing, marketing, promotion and research, which has created a strong consumer clientele like in no other country, but deserves very much to be copied for the general benefit to human nutrition and goat milk producers.

The physiological and biochemical facts of the unique qualities of goat milk are just barely known and little exploited, especially not the high levels in goat milk of short and medium chain fatty acids, which have recognized medical values for many disorders and diseases of people.

The new concept of tailor making foods to better fit human needs has not been applied to goat milk and its products so far, otherwise the enrichment of short and medium chain fatty acids in goat butter, and their greater concentration compared to cow butter, could have become a valued consumer item. Also revisions to human dietary recommendations towards admitting the health benefits of some essential fats supports the idea of promoting goat butter.

While goat yoghurt, goat cheeses and goat milk powder are widely appreciated around the world, goat butter is not produced anywhere commercially in significant volume.

G. F. W. Haenlein - haenlein@udel.edu

Department of Animal and Food Science, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19717-1303, USA

Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-302-831-2523; fax: +1-302-831-2822.

Institutional members play a key role in supporting the mission of the International Goat Association.

Through important partnerships, the IGA is uniting leaders around the world, building a strong network of institutions, scientists, academics, producers and other devoted individuals and organizations.

As the IGA plans for the future, the involvement of institutions like yours is critical to our work around the globe. I would like to personally invite your institution to be a partner of this important network by becoming an Institutional Member. Join us as an Institutional Member and partner with us to help change the landscape of poverty in our world. For more information, please contact us at goats@heifer.org

Please remember: All IGA memberships are from January to December and all memberships include online access to Small Ruminant Research.

The International Goat Association offers four types of Institutional Memberships:

To find a full description of our institutional member program go to: http://www.iga-goatworld.org/Institutional_Members/Institutional_Membership.htm or click here. We hope you will join as an Institutional Member so together we can work to advocate the importance of goats in alleviating poverty through socially just, environmentally sound and economically viable goat production, the benefits are clear.

With your support we will continue to expand and improve upon our efforts of the past. Your membership ensures that our efforts to highlight the importance of goats for improving the lives of people throughout the world will continue for years to come! Together, we can make a difference.