Production and Composition of Milk from Three Breeds of Buffaloes in Shoumen Region

M. TZANKOVA and N. PETROVA¹

Buffalo Research Institute with Biotechnology Centre, BG-9700 Shoumen, Bulgaria
¹Research Institute of Animal Science, BG-2232 Kostinbrod, Bulgaria

Abstract

TZANKOVA, M. and N. PETROVA, 2000. Production and composition of milk from three breeds of buffaloes in Shoumen region. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 6: 103-106

A study was carried out to establish milk production and composition of the 47 lactating buffaloes from different dairy breed (Murrah – 10 numbers, Bulgarian Murrah (Back cross F3 and F4) – 31 numbers and Bulgarian Buffalo x Murrah (Back cross F2) – 6 numbers, respectively).
Individual milk samples of buffaloes were taken three times in mid-lactation at monthly intervals over a period from May to July 1999.
Investigated Bulgarian Murrah Buffalo lactating animals have higher daily milk production at 7.0% fat corrected milk (7.0% FCM) (4.89 l), compared with the Murrah (3.57 l) and Bulgarian Buffalo x Murrah (3.23 l) and at 4.0% protein corrected milk (4.0% PCM) 5.67 l, 4.19 l and 4.26 l respectively.
Mean values for fat (% ), protein (%), lactose (%) freezing point (0C), total solids (%), solids non fat (%) and somatic cell /ml for Bulgarian Murrah, Murrah and Bulgarian Buffalo x Murrah were 6.01, 6.5 and 5.32; 3.98, 4.39 and 4.01; 4.77, 4.47 and 4.44; -0.614, -0.639 and -0.593; 15.98, 16.42 and 16.05; 9.94, 9.90 and 9.65; 378 000, 1 242 000 and 1 774 000 respectively.

Key words: buffalo milk, production, composition