Effect of fermentation and formalin preservation on the protein component of bovine colostrum.

Colostrum was inoculated with Streptococcus lactis or yogurt culture or preserved with .1% (vol/vol) formalin in two separate experiments. All preparations then were stored at ambient temperature for 24 days. With increasing storage time, a larger proportion of the total colostrum nitrogen was not precipitated in 10% (wt/vol) trichloroacetic acid. By day 24, this represented 30 to 35% for the fermented samples and 10 to 15% for the formalin preserved samples. The majority of this nonprecipitable nitrogen was amino acids and small peptides. Most of the nitrogen in colostrum even after 24 days of storage should be nutritionally useful to the calf because even the nonprecipitable portion is amino acids and peptides.