Characteristics of Korean-Saanen goat milk caseins and somatic cell counts in comparison with Holstein cow milk counterparts

Characteristics of α- and β-casein fractions in the milk of Korean-Saanen goats were compared with those of Holstein cow milk using capillary electrophoresis (CE) analysis. The αs₁-CN content of the Saanen goat milk samples varied from 2.4% to 9.3% of total proteins. Total αs-CN content of the goat milk varied from 10.1% to 17.0%. Total β-CN content containing β₁-CN and the β₂-CN varied from 49.6% to 61.0% of total proteins. Average αs-CN to β-CN ratio of the Saanen goat milk from different farms was 0.24 ± 0.04, ranging from 0.17 to 0.33. The αs-CN (αs₁-CN + αs₀-CN) to β-CN (β_A1-CN + β_A2-CN) ratio of Holstein cow milk was 0.81, which was much higher than that of Korean-Saanen goat milk. The goat milk samples having more than 1.5 million cells/ml somatic cell counts (SCC) contained higher αs-CNs (P < 0.01) and lower β-CNs (P < 0.05) contents than milks with <1.5 million SCC. This resulted in a higher αs-CN to β-CN ratio (P < 0.01) in the milk with >1.5 million SCC.