Do you know that not every glass of milk you drink has the same nutritive value, even if it comes from the same dairy every time? Since the milk you drink comes from a specific animal, be it cow, buffalo, eve, mare, etc., so, the most important thing that influences the composition and nutritive value of milk is the animal factor itself. Then the second thing it depends upon is the environment, and the conditions provided to the animal. Getting into detail in both of these factors, we derive the ten crucial factors that decide the composition of the milk we consume.
1. SPECIES OF THE ANIMAL is the first thing that determines the amount of protein, carbohydrate, mineral, vitamin, or fat you will get from the milk.
You can compare the values and can easily determine which animal’s milk is best for you. If it is the protein that you seek from the milk, then probably camel’s milk as per the above table is the best. However, the highest protein can be found in Reindeer milk (10.4%), which contrarily is very low in ash content, and rather very difficult to attain!
2. BREED- Composition is strongly influenced by the BREED of a particular species. Different breeds of cow, for instance, have different fat content, and different solid-not-fat (SNF) amount. (Note- SNF= Solid-not-fat. It includes protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc. Basically, the components other than fat in the milk are called SNF. So, the higher the SNF, the better the milk.)
Amongst the following cow breeds, you can choose the best according to your interest, by comparing the values.
If you aim for more vitamin and mineral content in the milk, then Jersey is the best amongst the ones shown in the table, as it has got the highest ash content.
3. LACTATION PERIOD OF COW- Fat content varies widely as per the lactation period of the animal. Fat content is high after parturition, i.e., after the birth of the cattle. It decreases slowly during the first and second week of parturition, and gradually increases during the remainder of the lactation period.
4. FEED GIVEN TO THE ANIMAL- Feeding more than normal to the animal can increase the SNF content, but some people think that feeding excess protein to cows will increase protein content in milk, which is absolutely wrong. It does not increase the protein content, but rather increases the non-protein-nitrogen (NPN) in the milk. When animals are fed fresh pasture, then the SNF content of milk increases, which is a beneficial composition attribute.
If unsaturated fat is fed to cow (e.g. cod liver oil, and herring oil), then the fat in the milk decreases, but if saturated fat is fed (e.g. palm oil, butterfat, lard, coconut oil), then the fat content in milk increases.
5. DISEASE TO THE ANIMAL- Inflamed condition in the udder (mostly called mastitis) also changes the composition of milk. In this disease, the milk obtained usually has low lactose, high casein, high chloride content, high soluble nitrogen.
6. AGE OF ANIMAL- The age of the milking animal decides the nutrients. For instance, in the case of an old cow, the fat content is considerably reduced, and there is a gradual decrease in SNF content as well. Lactose and casein content are the ones most affected, especially after the eighth lactation.
7. HORMONES- Since milk is made inside an animal’s body, there is a direct influence of animal hormones upon the contents in the milk. With both prolactin and Thyroxin hormones, fat content in milk increases. With more estrogen hormone in ovaries, the fat and SNF content increase along with protein content. However, it decreases the yield of the milk.
8. MILKING SEASON- Maximum fat content during May month, and minimum fat in November. SNF is maximum in October for a typical Red Sindhi Breed of the cow. The minimum SNF is in July and September months. The season includes a number of factors that determine milk nutrition. It includes Temperature, hours of sunlight, length of the day, exercise, rainfall, drought, stall feeding or Pasteur feeding, the influx of newly evolved cows, etc.
9. WEATHER CONDITIONS- During the dry months, the SNF content in milk decreases, whereas the fat content increases. Astonishingly, both fat and SNF content in the milk decrease in the wet months.
10. EXERCISE- If the animal is provided with grazing conditions, where it is able to roam around to graze, and its body is under exercise conditions during feeding, then the percentage of fat in milk is increased over a corresponding period of rest.
These were the 10 factors that determine the nutritional composition of milk. In determining the nutrient content of your glass of milk, these factors play a key role and are regulated to get the best quality milk.
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