Goat milk shows important variations of fat and protein content, which may be due to morpho-physiological particularities of breed and specific characteristics of the geographical area. For this specie, fat and protein concentrations are fundamental indices for assessing both nutritional and biological value of milk. Such arguments were the basis of the present work, focused on the analysis of breed as a major factor of influence on the percentage of fat and protein in goat milk. Six samples of raw milk from Alpine (n = 12) and Carpathian goats (n = 12), representing two of the most widespread breeds in central Transylvania, were studied. The research included clinically healthy animals, selected from a herd of 60 goats of a commercial farm. The investigations involved the determination of the main physicochemical parameters of freshly milked milk samples using a semi-automatic analyzer type Ekomilk M (Milkana Kam 98-2). Data from the biochemical analysis of the two samples of milk revealed higher percentages of fat and protein for Alpine breed compared to the Carpathian breed, the differences being relevant for their individual and mean values reported for these parameters. Thus, fat percentage varied between the minimum of 5.42g% and the maximum of 7.04g% for Alpine goats milk, and between 4.27g% and 5.0g%, for Carpathian goats milk. Protein percentages followed a similar trend varying between a minimum of 3.87g% and maximum of 4.27g% for Alpine goats milk and from the minimum of 4.03g% and maximum of 4.09g% for Carpathian goats milk. The overall analysis of the results obtained for the concentration of fat and protein in investigated milk samples revealed higher degree of grassland capitalization by French Alpine breed goats compared to the indigenous Carpathian breed, in central Transylvania.

Our study aimed to determine and quantify the calcium and magnesium addition given by natural brine used in the processing of two dairy products. The research has been made on brine samples (natural and conventional) and commercially processed dairy (telemea and cheese) in the south-west Oriental Carpathian Mountains. We determined the calcium and magnesium content of the studied milk by two comparative methods (Perkin Elmer ICP device and complexometeric method) together with other basic physical and chemical parameters: dry matter/ humidity (steamer drying method), fat (butirometric method), sodium chloride (Mohr method) and pH (with an electronic pH meter). We also investigated the preferences of two consumer groups through tastings, for salted/ unsalted cheese and cheese salted with natural/conventional brine. Data analysis revealed that calcium as well as magnesium content are significantly higher in Cheese (p=0.008) and natural brine (p=0.009) added in Telemea (p=0.10). In the consumer preferences, results have shown a predominance for salted Cheese (90.3%), followed by Cheese prepared in natural brine (69.2%). We concluded that, natural, mineral rich brine resulted to be mostly relevant and can increase the biological and sensory qualities of dairy products for a lower processing price.

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Geo-climatic conditions significantly influence the health and welfare of cattle, both through their direct action on animals, as well as indirectly, on the biodiversity of forage sources (Broom, 1991; Machiko et al., 2014). In this regard, special attention must be given to the climatic factors with major impact on the expression of productive potential in lactating cows (Collier et al., 2006). In this study, focused on investigation of raw milk, we propose to evaluate the influence of the main climatic factors (temperature, humidity, pressure, precipitation) on the seasonal evolution of fat and protein content of raw milk, obtained in the conditions of Carpathian Mountain range, Valea Gurghiului. The research was conducted on (the) processed milk, from December 2011 to July 2013, in a private commercial unit in southwestern part of Western-Carpathians. The investigations were carried out in collaboration with a weather station in the area, from which we obtained data on seasonal dynamics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and rainfall. These were processed in order to quantify the influence of the main climatic factors on fat and protein content of raw milk that was submitted to physicochemical testing with the EKOMILK semiautomatic analyzer. Statistical analysis of the recorded data was carried out using MedCalc software; the analysis on the variables was carried out by means of the Pearson r. correlation coefficient test. Following the correlative statistical analysis of the values recorded from the evaluation of the climatic factors-fat/protein content, positive and negative correlations were established, which were relevant to the objectives pursued. Among these, a special relevance had the increase of fat and protein content of milk in correlation with decreasing air temperature in the autumn season. We consider that the correlated action of temperature and relative air humidity represents the main environmental factor, specific to mountain range that influences the overall composition of milk and especially its fat and protein content.