Association of breed and non-genetic factors with freezing point and milk attributes of Zebu cattle

The present experiment was conducted to study the milk quality parameters of indigenous cattle which are important for farmers, manufactures and consumers. For this study, we have collected 150 milk samples of three different indigenous cattle breeds viz. Kankrej, Sahiwal, and Rathi from semi-arid region of Rajasthan, India. The samples were evaluated for the milk fat, protein, lactose, solid not fat (SNF), somatic cell count (SCC), pH, electric conductivity and freezing point, and observed the relationship of breed, stage of lactation, parity and body condition score (BCS) with their milk constituents and freezing point. Total Protein, freezing point and electric conductivity of milk differed significantly (P<0.01) among the breeds. Freezing point, fat and protein contents of milk were significantly affected by parity and body condition score of the cattle. From this study it can be concluded that the milk constituents differ among the breeds of indigenous cattle and are affected by many non genetic factors, therefore these are the factors viz. breed, parity and body condition score which influences the quality of milk in different Zebu cattle breeds.