Seasonal variation in milk vitamin contents available for processing in Punjab, Pakistan

Seasonal variation in milk composition has attained core attention for consistent quality of dairy products at a global scale. Due to escalating scientific awareness, consumers are tracking toward nutritionally enhanced milk based functional products that have elevated their market demand. The current research was planned to evaluate localities and seasonal variation in fat, protein, lactose and vitamins (A, E, C) in milk (mix cow and buffalo milk) available for processing. The seasonal duration ranged from April 2008 to March 2009. The fat, protein and lactose contents of milk from all zones significantly varied throughout the season. Moreover, fat (5.4%) protein (3.22%) contents were high in February, while maximum lactose content (6.26%) was observed in January. Additionally, minimum fat (4.3%), protein (2.3%) and lactose (4.93%) contents were observed in summer months. Highest vitamin C content (6.68 mg/100 g) of milk was recorded in February, whereas vitamin A (264.5 IU/100) and vitamin E (0.226 mg/100 g) were obtained in August and June, respectively. It was noted that vitamin A and E contents were high in August and subsequently declined till March. Conclusively, the current exploration proved helpful to analyze seasonal variation in milk composition with special reference to vitamins for consistent quality end products.