Concentrations of minerals in milk of sheep and goats grazing similar pastures in a semiarid region of Pakistan

An investigation was conducted to evaluate and compare the mineral content of milk from a flock of sheep and goats grazing similar pastures in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Milk samples were taken eight times after an interval of 2 weeks during two different seasons of the year. Milk samples were analyzed for Ca, Mg, K, Na, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, Co and Se. Sheep milk was higher than goat milk in Mg, K, Na and Fe. No differences were seen in overall Co and Se concentrations, while goat milk was higher in Ca, Cu, Mn and Zn. Goat milk was higher than sheep milk in Ca and Zn during both seasons, Fe, Mn and Co during winter and Cu only during summer and lower in Mg and K during both seasons and Na only during winter with similar amounts of milk, Co and Se in both sheep and goats during winter and summer. Clear species differences were seen in Ca, K, Mg, Na and Zn concentrations of milk in this study. Overall mineral status of sheep and goats grazing the same types of pastures was inadequate and mineral supplements containing the deficient elements found in this study are recommended in this region. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.