Determination of amino acid profile of mare milk produced in the highlands of the Kyrgyz Republic during the milking season.

The research paper investigates the effect of the milking season on the amino acid profile and chemical composition of milk produced by the Kyrgyz native breed mares, raised under traditional pasture conditions in the Kyrgyz Republic’s highlands.

Research Methodology

• The research collected milk samples monthly from May to August in 2014. The mares, from whose milk was being collected, were grazing at an altitude of 2200 meters above sea level.
• The procedure to evaluate the composition of amino acids incorporated diethyl ethoxymethylenemalonate in High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
• Eighteen different amino acids were determined in the mare milk through this method.
• To validate the analytical process, the researchers also evaluated various parameters such as linearity, precision of the method, the procedure for derivatization, and instrumental precision.

Findings

• The outcomes suggest that the most abundant amino acids present in mare milk were glutamic acid, leucine, and lysine. Ornithine was found in much smaller quantities.
• The study observed the percentage of essential amino acids in the mare milk protein for each month of the sampling period.
• The results found that the percentages for the months of May, June, July, and August were 46%, 46%, 51%, and 48%, respectively.

Conclusions

• The proportions of essential amino acids consistently remained high throughout the milking season, highlighting the considerable nutritional value of mare milk during this period.
• The study emphasizes the significance of traditional pasture conditions for maintaining mare milk’s quality and might be beneficial to those investigating adaptable milk production practices.