DGC GOAT MILK Not all goat milk is the same. This has become clearer in recent years as further research has been undertaken on the composition goat milk. There are a number of key areas where goat milk produced in New Zealand by DGC differs from other goat milk in its compositional characteristics. These differences make DGC's New Zealand goat milk more suitable for certain applications. Upon closer examination this should not be surprising. For many years, the New Zealand dairy goat industry has been focused on the development of nutritional powder products, which have been well received in many countries by consumers seeking relief from digestive problems. On the other hand, other goat milk producing countries (especially in Europe) have focused their industry on production of cheeses. This has led to a particular breeding objective of increasing cheese yield (which leads to a higher level of alpha-s1-casein). Following is a summary the key differences between NZ goat milk and the milk form other countries: Alpha-s1-casein. Alpha-s1 is the major casein protein present in cow milk and has been identified as one of the major cow milk allergens. By contrast the major casein in goat milk is beta-casein, and alpha-s2 casein is the main alpha casein present. Alpha-s1 casein is also known to produce a firmer curd. This is one reason why cow milk produces a harsher, more firm curd than goat milk. Goat milk produced in New Zealand by DGC contains very low levels of alpha-s1 casein. The level of alpha-s1-casein in NZ goat milk is about 3% of total protein (compared with about 26% for cow milk). Literature reports indicate that the level of alpha-s1-casein in other goat milks can be as high as 10% of total proteins. Fat globule size. Published studies have shown that the fat globules in goat milk are smaller than cow milk. A study from Attaie and Richter (2000) showed that goat milk fat globules were on average 27% smaller than cow milk fat globules. The average fat globule diameter in goat milk from New Zealand is even less at 1320nm (as shown in a study by Anema and Lugt, 1997), compared with 2760nm in milk from French-Alpine goats in USA (Attaie and Richter). The difference in diameter is beneficial for enzymatic activity, since the smaller diameter gives a greater surface to volume ratio. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is the name given to a group of conjugated isomers of linoleic acid. CLA occurs naturally at low levels in food products from ruminant animals. Milk from pasture fed animals contains relatively high levels of CLA. As goats are primarily pasture fed in New Zealand the goat milk products produced by DGC naturally contain relatively high levels of CLA, at about 1% of the goat milk fat present. In a 1997 report, the New Zealand Dairy Research Institute stated: “The consumption of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown to have a range of health benefits in animal models, including the inhibition of carcinogenesis and atherosclerosis, weight loss induced by immune stimulation and increase in the percentage of lean body mass (Pariza, 1997). The goat’s milk has a significant CLA content (c18:2 conj 1.2%). Note that this is total CLA content (all isomers). The value is similar to that found for New Zealand milkfat (MacGibbon and Hill, 1997) and the New Zealand milkfat value is larger than that found for milkfat from sources where pasture is not the predominant feed component.”