Major components of caprine milk and its significance for human nutrition

Abstract

Recently, infant formula products made of caprine milk have gained popularity, mainly because the nutritional composition of caprine milk is similar to that of human milk. In addition, caprine milk is considered to be better than bovine milk in terms of nutrient composition and easier digestion. Compared to bovine milk, caprine milk contains more β-casein, but less αS1-casein. While the lactose concentration of both bovine and caprine milk is almost the same, a content of total oligosaccharides in caprine milk was approximately five to eight times higher than that in bovine milk. However, as the dairy goat industry in Korea is in a nascent stage of milk production and further processing, many nutritional advantages of caprine milk over bovine milk are not fully conveyed to general consumers. It is recommended that scientific research regarding the nutritional benefits of caprine milk needs to be conducted urgently, owing to the increasing domestic sales of infant formula products made of caprine milk. copyright © 2014 The Korean Society of Food Science and Technology.