All about goat milk

Recently, the thought of the dangers of cow's milk, characterized by poor digestibility and provoking allergic reactions, has been increasingly heard. Absolutely different, positive characteristics, has goat milk. It contains less lactose, but is absorbed many times easier.

By its chemical composition, goat milk is similar to cow milk. At the same time, it has 12% less lactose sugar, which causes its best absorption and can be consumed even with lactose deficiency.

At the same time, the product contains almost no αs1-casein protein, which causes a large number of allergic reactions when consuming dairy products. More efficient digestion of goat's milk is also due to the fact that the casein clot in it is less elastic, but has a higher formation rate. In the stomach, milk turns into light flakes, which coalesce into a loose clot. Exactly because of this reason Goat's milk is absorbed 5 times better than cow's. By the amount of vitamins A, PP, cobalt, proteins and fats, goat milk “overtakes” cow's milk.

Being more nutritious, but to a lesser extent allergenic and easily digestible, it is the goat product that is recommended to include in the diet of children and weakened adults.

Natural goat milk also contains vitamins D, H, E and C, as well as a large amount of B vitamins (B1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 12). The mineral composition is represented by potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, molybdenum, phosphorus, iron. The amount of the latter in a goat product is significantly lower than in a cow. However, its digestibility is 3 times higher. If the iron from cow's milk is absorbed by only 10%, then from goat milk - by 30%.

The composition of the product contains a large number of proteins and amino acids, which in their properties are close to breast milk. Among the most significant amino acids are cyrosine, cystine, lysine, which are involved in almost all life processes, as they are necessary for the production of hormones and the flow of metabolic processes.

These properties are more characteristic of fresh milk. When exposed to heat, some vitamins and amino acids with proteins are destroyed, as is the structure of lipid globules. However, boiling fresh milk is a prerequisite to protect yourself from possible infection with dangerous diseases, if you are not breeding goats yourself.

The nutritional value of goat milk is about 68 kcal per 100 g of product. However, its fat content is quite high and is equal to 4.6-5.4%, however fats do not contain cholesterol and trans fats, but are represented by fatty acids. The latter are necessary for the functioning and protection of the liver, metabolic exchange, increase the elasticity of the vascular walls.

Goat's milk is characterized by high bactericidal properties, which allows it to remain fresh even in room conditions for up to three days, and in the refrigerator up to seven.

Linoleic and linolenic unsaturated fatty acids provide pronounced immunostimulatory properties of the goat product, especially in the fight against viral infection. These same acids help to reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol and help clean vessels.

Due to its antibacterial and enveloping properties, goat milk helps to cope with intestinal infections, neutralize the effect of increased acidity of gastric juice, and lysozyme contained in it helps protect the gastric mucosa from harmful (spicy, salty, fried) food. It is especially useful to use the product for people with high acidity of the stomach, gastritis and peptic ulcer disease.

Diseases of the pancreas often become the cause of the rejection of milk. However, in most cases intake of 700-1000 ml of goat milk per day not only does not cause deterioration, but also has a beneficial effect on the pancreas. In this case, the product exhibits analgesic properties, acts as an antibiotic, and repairs damaged cells.

The high calcium content, as well as its best digestibility, make goat milk one of the most beneficial products for the skeletal system. It helps prevent the development of rickets and developmental lag in children, osteoporosis in the elderly, calcium deficiency in adolescents, pregnant and lactating women.

In addition, calcium is involved in the process of lipid metabolism, which, in turn, helps regulate weight.

The presence of potassium indicates a positive effect of milk on the heart. Vitamins E and C, acting as antioxidants, in combination with vitamins PP and B12 participate in the process of blood formation, increase the elasticity of the vascular walls, capillary permeability. As a result, it is possible to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, stroke, heart attack. While taking goat milk, cholesterol levels are reduced, and pressure is normalized.

Antioxidants also have an antitumor effect, due to their ability to bind free radicals. These same elements contribute to the elimination of toxins, including metal poisons, from the body. Goat milk is useful for eliminating the effects of food and alcohol poisoning.

B vitamins improve metabolism and have a beneficial effect on the nervous system - soothe, relieve signs of chronic fatigue, give a strong and healthy sleep.

The high content of vitamin B with a low level of milk sugar makes this product not only safe, but also beneficial for the skin. Its consumption is much less than cow's milk, provokes the appearance of skin rashes, helps to alleviate the condition with eczema, psoriasis.

In combination with phosphorus, vitamin B has a positive effect on the state and functioning of the brain. Such a tandem improves cerebral circulation, increases concentration, helps the brain to rest faster, prevents premature aging of cells.

By its composition, goat's milk is similar to breast milk, therefore recommended for feeding babies. It can partially replace the mixture or act as a "transitional" product when replacing the mother's milk mixture. Also in the goat product there are gastro esters, which simplify and improve the digestion of infants.

On the basis of goat milk, you can make healthy and dairy products. For example, sour cream, obtained as a result of the process of fermentation of cream. The latter in the course of this change the structure of proteins, which makes them even more easily digestible. That is why the assimilation of proteins from dairy products is easier and faster, and sour cream, despite its fat content, does not load the stomach.

The process of obtaining such a product is quite time-consuming and costly - about 500 ml of sour cream leaves 10 liters of milk.

First of all, you need to get cream out of milk. The easiest way to do this is to assert milk for several days without stirring it. Then cream (fatty layer) and backflow (skimmed milk under it) are formed at the top. It is much easier to divide milk into 2 fractions by means of a separator.

At home, you can get sour cream by adding a small amount of acidified to fresh milk. Then you need to cover the jar with gauze and hold the composition for 3-4 days. After this time, a layer of sour cream will form on the surface of the milk.

The remaining layer does not need to be thrown away. This is another useful fermented milk product - yogurt.

If you feel that the cooked sour cream expires before it is eaten, you should prepare the butter. However, homemade butter is a tasty and nutritious product, which is prepared as an independent dish, and not just for the "disposal" of sour cream.

To do this, put 2 liters of sour cream in a deep bowl and start stirring it with a wooden spoon or spatula. This should be done before the appearance of the serum, after which it is necessary to add 150-200 ml of ice-cold water to the composition and continue kneading. After a while, you will notice that the butter starts to stray into a com. Stirring should be continued until an oil ball is formed.

The finished oil is washed under cold water, wrapped in food paper and kept in the refrigerator. Extend the shelf life of the product allows converting it to ghee. To create it, the oil is cut into pieces, poured on top with a small amount of water and boil over low heat, removing the foam. Then the composition of the day is kept in the cold, and then re-evaporated, but without the addition of liquid, a quarter of an hour. Then the composition is filtered and poured into banks, sterilized beforehand. In this form, the oil can be stored for over a year.

It is prepared on the basis of fresh milk. When using pasteurized analogue, it is heated to 35-37 degrees. You will also need bacterial starter and sugar in the amount of 1% of the total volume of milk. Connect all the elements in the bank, cover it with gauze and leave for 8-10 hours. It is important to keep the kefir while cooking in a dark and warm place.

Goat milk can be the basis of many products, such as yogurt. Fresh or pasteurized milk should be heated to 40 degrees, after which cultured streptococci and Bulgarian bacillus should be introduced, protruding with leaven.

The next step is to maintain this temperature for 5 hours while the yogurt is being cooked. If the temperature regime is disturbed at this time, the microflora will turn into pathogenic, and the product may provoke poisoning. It is more convenient to cook yogurt in a yogurt maker or a slow cooker with an appropriate regimen. After a specified time, the yogurt must be removed to cool. Only in this way will it be possible to stop the action of the leaven.

You can also make cottage cheese from whole milk. The return is also suitable for this, but the finished dish will be inferior in taste. Sourdough for cottage cheese stands pepsin or any dairy product. The lack of leaven leads to bitterness in the taste.

At the heart of the curd is fresh milk or fresh milk heated to 38-40 degrees. It is combined with leaven and left in the room for 12-15 hours, covering the jar with a layer of gauze. After a specified time, a clot is formed, which has a characteristic cheesy consistency. It remains only to strain the composition through gauze, draining serum. You can leave a little more or less whey to get a more dry or juicy cottage cheese.

If during the decanting of the whey to place the curd under the press, the curd will be obtained. Ideally, you need to add more pepsin, and insist a lot of just 45-60 minutes, after which it is heated over low heat. It is unacceptable that the mass boils.

During the heating, the cheese shreds will appear in the composition, then the composition is thrown back onto the gauze and suspended for several hours - this will drain the excess serum. The process of making cheese is finished by placing the mass under the press. Eggs, herbs, spices, and salt can be introduced into the cheese.

As already mentioned, fresh milk is most useful, while heat treatment causes the destruction of some useful elements. However, there is another way to extend the shelf life of the product, while retaining all the properties characteristic of the paired counterpart. Goat milk can be frozen.

You can store such a product without damage to its composition up to 4-6 months.If shock freezing is used and the temperature is maintained at -19 degrees, then the shelf life can be extended to 8-10 months.

For freezing, you should use special bags or disposable plastic bottles, pre-sterilized. It is advisable to remove the milk for freezing no later than 15 minutes after milking. It must be cooled beforehand. If you freeze warm milk, it can not be stored for a long time.

To defrost it is enough just to get the container with milk and leave it to thaw at room temperature. You can defrost the contents of the bottles by placing them under a stream of warm water. Thawed product can not be subjected to sterilization.

As a rule, the most useful is milk, purchased not in the store, but bought on a private farm, on a farm. You need to ask the seller for veterinary certificates confirming the health of livestock and product safety.

Contrary to popular belief, high-quality milk does not have an unpleasant odor. It can occur only when the joint maintenance of the milch goat with the male, hoof diseases, animal diseases, worm infestation, or insufficient cleanliness of the premises for livestock. However, farmers, aiming at regular profit, are unlikely to keep a sick animal or violate the rules of caring for it.

Do not eat or process milk that has a salty taste. This, as well as the fact that milk tastes bitter or unpleasant, indicates violations in the animal's body, caused by both inappropriate conditions of detention and the presence of diseases.

The product is able to bring not only benefits but also harm. This happens when the individual intolerance of the product, increased lactose deficiency. If we compare goat's milk and dairy products based on it (cheese, cottage cheese), the latter contain less lactose. However, with significant lactose deficiency, even this amount will be enough to provoke an allergy.

The high content of fat in the product causes the undesirability of its reception with obesity of 2 and 3 degrees, as well as with excess weight, the appearance of which is provoked by endocrine disruptions.

For problems with blood formation, especially with increased blood clotting, goat's milk should be drunk only in diluted form. At 1 part of the product is taken the same amount of boiled milk.

In the absence of contraindications goat milk should be introduced into the diet in small portions. Over time, in the absence of negative reactions from the body, you can increase the daily dosage to 2-3 glasses. The therapeutic effect of the product becomes apparent when it is regularly consumed for 1-1.5 months, after which a week-long break should be taken.

It is better to take milk as a standalone product, without mixing with other foods. Optimally - on an empty stomach, an hour and a half before meals. Reheating milk is better not on fire, but in a water bath.

On the benefits and dangers of goat milk, see the following video.