Effect of feeding management and seasonal variation on fatty acid composition of Mexican soft raw goats’ milk cheese

Abstract

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding management and seasonal variation (summer and winter 2007) on fatty acid composition of Mexican soft raw goats’ milk cheese. Four groups were formed. During the summer, group A grazed on a natural semiarid rangeland. group B was kept in confinement, fed with concentrate grains and lucerne hay. Through the winter group C grazed on the same rangeland with supplementation and group D was fed as the group B. Thereafter, four kinds of cheeses were manufactured from milk of each animal group: grazed-summer (GS), indoor-summer (IS), grazed-winter (GW) and indoor-winter (IW). Results of this study indicated that fat content in cheese was affected by season. Moreover, during the summer period, pasture-based regime increased monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations; however, winter season could diminish the cheese desirable fatty acid profile.

Keywords:

• Goat milk
• Cheese
• Grazing
• FAME