Physicochemical Profile of Milk from Oxytocin
Injected Buffaloes
Naheed Abbas1, Tahir Zahoor2
and Zia-Ur-Rahman3*
1Institutte
of Rural Home Economic; 2National Institute of Food
Science and Technology and 3Department of Physiology and
Pharmacology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan *Corresponding author: drziar@yahoo.com
Abstract
A study was conducted to evaluate the impact of continuous exogenous use of
oxytocin in Nili Ravi breed of buffaloes on the physicochemical composition of
milk. A group of animals (n=12) were injected with oxytocin (20IU) daily at
morning and evening while the other group of buffaloes (n=12) were kept as
control and injected with normal saline. Morning and evening milk samples were
pooled for analysis. Analysis was made on fortnight basis starting from January
to the end of June. Appropriate statistics was applied. Overall milk pH was
lower
(P≤0.05) while proteins, lactose and SNF of oxytocin
injected buffaloes were significantly higher as compared to control animals.
These differences were due to a significant lower pH during 8th and 9th
fortnights, higher milk proteins during 9th fortnight, a higher
(P≤0.05) lactose and SNF during 5th and 9th fortnights of
oxytocin injected buffaloes during the experimental periods. Milk fat, proteins
and sold not fat was significantly higher during the months of March and May.
Milk pH was higher (P≤0.05) while milk fat was lower during January and
February. During April and May, pH was lower (P≤0.05) and milk fat was higher
(P≤0.05) in oxytocin treated buffaloes as compared to control animals. During
winter season, milk fat concentration from oxytocin injected buffaloes was
significantly lower, however during summer seasons fat concentration was higher
(P≤0.05) than controls. In conclusion, long term use with a high dose of
oxytocin significantly alters the composition of milk and these changes are also
significant during different months and with different seasons.