engleski

Milking characteristics of Istrian and Littoral- dinaric donkey breeds

Istrian and Littoral Dinaric donkey are autochthonous breeds which habitat primarily in the Mediterranean part of Croatia. During the second half of the 20th century they have lost primary function as working animal, which led to breeds suppression. Nowadays these two breeds are in the status of endangered ones. One of the possibilities for their economic re- affirmation is launching the program for production and processing donkey’s milk. The aim of the study was to determine the possibility of milk production of Istrian and Littoral Dinaric jennies in terms of quantity and chemical composition. Istrian jennies produce 745.4 mL/milking while Littoral Dinaric produce 317.8 mL/milking. Milk form Littoral Dinaric jennies contained a significantly higher proportion of milk fat and proteins. There were no significant differences in the content of lactose, dry matter, number of somatic cells and microorganisms in milk between these two breeds. Considering the potential for milk production and milk quality, we believe that both breeds are suitable for integration in the programs for milk production, thus enabling for both population to be economically sustainable. It is necessary to develop production technology and markets, with special emphasis considering quality of donkey milk and safety of consumers.

donkey ; autochthonous breeds ; milk ; chemical composition ; utilisation

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