Acidity and specific gravity of goat milk produced by a group of breeders from the Costa Rican Central Plateau.

Abstract

The evaluation was conducted at the Alfredo Volio

Experimental Station of the University of Costa Rica and at

the Dairy Processing Facility of the Costa Rican Association

of Goat Breeders (A.C.C.C) both located in Ochomogo,

Cartago. Goat milk supplied by the seven producers was

evaluated from June 1st to December 31th of 2002. Weight,

acidity expressed as Dornic units, and specific gravity of the

milk brought to the facility by every producer were measured

daily. From the total data that was gathered, a characteristic

value of 17,7 ± 0,3 ºD for acidity and 1,029 ± 0,002 for

specific gravity were determinated, both for a confidence

level of 99%. ANOVA statistical essays were conducted

followed by Scheffé post hoc test in order to study the

variation of acidity and specific gravity at different months

for all the data regardless of the producer. In the other hand

variations on both parameters for each producer and among

them over the moths were also studied by the statistical

methodology mentioned above. The results obtained showed

no significant differences in acidity for any of the evaluations

(P≤0,05), however significant variations were detected for

specific gravity for the same set of tests. When correlated,

specific gravity and acidity showed a very low correlation

coefficient of 0,03 which makes impossible to argue any sort

of relation between both variables. The same happened when

the weight of milk brought by every producer day by day was

correlated with specific gravity (r = -0,67)