Effect of Pregnancy and Dry Period on Raw Milk Quality of Water Buffalo in Chitwan, Nepal

摘要

One hundred and fifty four water buffaloes of Chitwan district were used to determine the variations in thecomposition of raw milk and milk yield due to pregnancy and dry period. Primary data for the study was collectedusing a well-designed questionnaire. Effect of dry period length and pregnancy were taken under consideration thatdetermines the lactational efficiency. Effect of pregnancy on various milk components was also studied. Thecomponents analyzed in milk were fat, protein, SNF, density, lactose, total solid and salt. For better understandingthe effect of pregnancy, the data obtained were categorized into two classes: pregnant and non-pregnant. The datathus obtained was analyzed using SPSS version 24. Fresh milk samples were collected and analyzed using milkanalyzer in the laboratory. Results of present study unveiled that the salt, protein, lactose and SNF content in milk ofnon-pregnant buffalo is significantly lower (p0.05) than that of non-pregnant one. Results alsorevealed that the length of dry period has significant effect on milk components and total yield. Among all other milkcomponents, salt content in milk shows higher level of significance (p<0.05). The significant effect (p<0.05) ofpregnancy on milk yield is generally observed after the 5th month of gestation.