THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF COLOSTRUM BUTTERFAT
By C. P. ANANTAKRISHNAN and ZAL R. KOTHAVALLA, Imperial Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore
(Received for publication on 29 October 1945)
T HE first secretion which can be drawn from the udder immediately after parturition (colostrum)
is a thick viscous liquid differing greatly in composition from that of the normal milk obtained a
week after calving and is known to have an important function in the nutrition of the newly born
offspring. This has been ascribed partly to the antibodies supplied to counteract pathogenic bacteria
in the intestinal tract, and partly to the vitamin-A potency of the colostrum. Colostrum is generally
characterized by a higher proportion of globulin and albumin, a higher percentage of ash and chloride
and a lower those content. Mostly the colostral period varies from four to six days [Shah, 1936;
Sivasubran
am and Dover, 1938]. Some years ago, Drummond et al [1921] pointed out that cow's
colostrum contained more vitamin-A than the normal milk produced later in lactation. Dann [1933]
studied the vitamin-A content of colostrum samples from 14 milking Shorthorn cows, using colori-
metric methods, and for the richest samples biological tests also. He concluded that the vitamin-A
concentration in colostrum may be from 10 to 100 times greater than in later milk from
the same cow independent of the season. Semb et al [1934] using spectroscopic methods have stated
that the high vitamin-A potency of the-colostral milk persists only for a few days after the calf is
born before dropping to the normal value, a fact which is confirmed by Gillam et al [1936] and Kunerth
et al [1935]. Henry et al [1940] concluded as a result of a study from four Shorthorn cows and nine
heifers, that the concentration of vitamin-A in the first colostrum ranged from 8160 to 820 Moore
blue units per 100 gm. and that of carotene from 2026 to 411 Moore yellow units per 100 gm. Dann
[1933] and Henry et al [1940] obtained higher values of vitamin-A in colostrum from heifers than
that from cows. But, Steward and McCallum [1938] working with 100 animals reported that the
colostrum from heifers did not contain more vitamin-A than that from cows. They established
that the wide range in values was not due to any differences in dietary, breed or date of calving in
animals kept under the same conditions of management. It was also suggested that the vitamin-A
content of the colostrum might be greatly affected by the length of non-lactating period between
successive calvings. It is clear that though much work has been done abroad, no examination of
the colostrum from indigenous breeds of cattle appears to have been made.
As regards the chemical composition of colostrum butterfat Tchetcheroff [1931] states that the
colostral fat shows the same characteristics as milk fat but generally contains more capryllic and
capric acids. However, Kurochkin [1927] reported that the R.M. and saponification values of
the colostral fat collected 3.5 hours after delivery were lower than those samples collected 48 hours
after parturition. Engel et al have also recorded similar results. It is, therefore, obvious from the
above that the change or the transition from colostrum to milk, which takes place during the first
few days after calving, is a gradual one. Though this change in composition of colostrum has been
observed by many workers abroad, no work appears to have been done to note the changes, if any,
in the chemical composition of colostral butterfat of indigenous breed of cattle, and it has been
thought desirable to carry out some investigation along this line. Therefore, attempts have been
made to study the chemical composition, carotene and vitamin-A content of colostral butterfat from
Sindhi and Gir cows under the usual feeding conditions.
EXPERIMENTAL
Colostrum and milk samples for the experiments were obtained from five Sindhi and two Gir
cows of the Institute farm fed the regular dairy herd ration. Only animals No. 426 and 424 were
in the first lactation. Seven samples were collected from each cow. The first sample was taken
a few hours after calving, the second at the following morning milking, and the others at the succes-
sive day milkings. Butter was made separately from the colostrum and milk samples by the desi
method without the addition of any colouring matter. The process of butter making adopted was
the same in all cases and the time taken in its preparation was also the same. It was always found
to be difficult to separate out the butter from the first and second day's colostrum samples. As
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