Mineral and vitamin content of goat's milk.

Nine vitamin and mineral elements were determined in goat's milk of two breeds, Aardi and Masri, in Saudi Arabia. The concentrations of various vitamins in the milk of the Aardi and Masri goats, respectively, were: vitamin A, 77 and 203 IU/100 gm; thiamin, 0.047 and 0.030 mg/100 gm; riboflavin, 0.122 and 0.170 mg/100 gm; vitamin B-6, 0.045 and 0.046 mg/100 gm; niacin, 0.280 and 0.248 mg/100 gm; pantothenic acid, 0.247 and 0.191 mg/100 gm; ascorbic acid, 0.890 and 0.898 mg/100 gm; vitamin B-12, 0.07 and 0.06 microgram/100 gm; and folacin, 0.2 and 0.7 microgram/100 gm. Among the minerals, the concentrations (mg/100 gm) in the milk of Aardi and Masri goats, respectively, were: sodium, 58 and 53; potassium, 158 and 155; calcium, 88 and 116; magnesium, 13 and 13; phosphorus, 65 and 88; iron, 0.14 and 0.14; copper, 0.07 and 0.07; zinc, 0.15 and 0.15; and manganese, 0.02 and 0.02. The concentrations of vitamin B-12 and folacin in goat's milk were lower than those in cow's milk. The mineral profile of goat's milk compared better with that of cow's milk than with that of human milk.