Goat Milk As A Substitute For Cow Milk

Some food products like yoghurt, cheese and milk powder, are made from goat milk. Other than cow, goat also is a main supplier of dairy and meat products. The demand of goat milk is increasing because of the growing population of people. The old says “goat being the cow of the poor people” could be relevant to people with low economy status due to the price is cheaper than cow. The increasing demand of goat milk in many developed countries is because of the increasing production of yoghurt and cheese. Some people prefer goat milk instead of cow milk. This is because cow milk can cause allergy and gastrointestinal problems to some people.

In nutrition allergy treatment, it has been reported that goat milk gives benefits to treated children with cow allergy. Cow milk allergy is a common problem among the first 3 years of life. However, the prevalence of cow milk allergy varies with countries and age of people. It could be the differential diagnostic methods with the absence of standardized antigens. In a study, goat milk had been used to substitute cow milk. As a result, the children who drunk the goat milk gained benefits similar to those on cow milk in terms of weight gain, height, skeletal mineralization as well as blood serum contents of vitamin A, calcium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and hemoglobin. In clinical study, goat milk was used to treat children with cow milk allergy. The result showed that goat milk is a valuable aid in children nutrition because it is less allergy reaction and provide better digestibility than cow milk.

In animal study, goat milk showed better absorption of iron and copper to prevent the occurrence of anemia in condition of malabsorption syndrome. Goat milk helps to improve the utilization of fat and weight gain. The goat milk contains higher medium chain triglycerides (MCT) which is 36% compared to cow milk, 21%. In a study of malabsorption, the fat content in goat milk can be absorbed better in intestine compared to cow milk. Goat milk keeps our heart healthier compared to cow milk because it contains more monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and MCT. These elements help to prevent the cardiovascular and coronary diseases.

Cow milk proteins are similar to the major cow milk proteins. Goat milk has shown higher levels of threonine, isoleucine, lysine, cystine, tyrosine and valine compared to cow milk. The higher content of cysteine in goat milk is related to the better absorption of copper in intestine. Goat milk contains much higher capric, caprylic acids and MCT. These components have widely used in clinical treatment for malabsorption, chyluria, steatorrhea, hyperlipoproteinemia, intestinal resection, premature infant feeding, epilepsy, cyctic fibrosis, non-thriftiness of children, infant malnutrition, coronary by-pass and gallstones. Fat in goat milk also provides direct energy instead of being deposited in adipose tissue.

Reference:

G.F.W. Haenlein. Goat Milk in Human Nutrition. Small Ruminant Research 51 (2004) 155–163