FOLATE IN GOAT MILK-PRODUCTS WITH REFERENCE TO OTHER VITAMINS AND MINERALS - A REVIEW

As with cow milk, if goat milk is to be used as the sole source of nut rition during early infancy it needs to be modified. These modificatio ns must include dilution in order to reduce renal solute load and the addition of sugar, vitamins and minerals to make the formulation more like human milk and more nutritionally complete. Infants fed exclusive ly goat milk are at risk of developing megaloblastic anemia unless the goat milk is fortified with folic acid or the infant is provided with an oral folic acid supplement. In addition to the absolute difference in folate concentration between goat and human milk, the impact of th ermal processing and species differences in milk folate bioavailabilit y should be considered in fortification of milk products. More researc h is needed to elucidate the impact of different feeding regimes (e.g. , iron and folate content of diets) on milk folate content. Post-weani ng, there is little doubt that goat milk is an excellent source of nut rition for the human when used as part of a nutritionally well-balance d diet.