By Marissa Speck, UT Extension Intern 2025
Goat dairies are currently a niche operation, but when visiting large conventions such as American Dairy Science Association’s (ADSA’s) annual national meeting, you can find many people who share the love of the goat dairy industry. Below will highlight the new findings within the industry that will help move the industry forward.
Research Posters
During ADSA, researchers are able to display posters of their research findings. This year, there were multiple great dairy goat posters!
“Viability of probiotics in goat milk yogurt containing plant-based prebiotics during refrigerated storage,” was a poster that I was able to attend and talk to the man behind the mission. For this study, researchers wanted to test the probiotic survival in goat milk yogurt during cold storage. They found that hemp protein powder with or without carrot powder helped to maintain higher levels of beneficial probiotics in goat milk yogurt. During refrigerator storage, all yogurt groups maintained probiotic counts above the minimum required for health benefits. Adding the plant-based prebiotics, especially hemp protein, helped to boost probiotic survival in goat milk yogurt, supporting its role as a functional food for gut health. Future research will focus on optimizing the sensory attributes such as taste and texture of the yogurt with plant-based additives.
The poster, “Meta-analysis on the effects of grazing management on methane emissions,” found no significant difference in the decrease in methane emissions from small ruminants based on different grazing types. Due to a limited number of studies meeting the effect size though, it is hard to draw strong conclusions from this study. Further research should be conducted to refine the estimates of the effect of grazing on methane emissions.
“Metabolizable protein requirements for maintenance and growth in female Saanen goats in the late growth stage” found that Saanen goats needed about 0.04 ounces of metabolizable protein per lb. of body weight daily to maintain their body weight. The protein needed for growth depended on their size and growth stage, which was calculated through an equation that researchers for this project constructed. Findings from this research could be used in the future to help optimize dairy goat diets, ensuring the goats get enough protein in their diet. Further research on protein levels could help to improve feed efficiency, reduce nitrogen waste, and support environmentally sustainable goat farming. While talking to the researcher present, we discussed other future research that could be done based on this study, including protein requirements for proper udder and alveoli formation.
The study, “Insight into differences in milk proteome from human and 8 dairy animal species for formula humanization,” was done to find improvements in infant formula. In this research, it was found that goat and sheep milk are not the most suitable alternatives to human milk for infant formula due to differences in protein structure, allergen content, and physical properties from human milk. This study found that cow, donkey, camel, and horse milk may be more closely aligned with human milk properties. To use goat’s milk as a base for infant formula, it would require modification to reach nutritional and structural aspects similar to human milk.
“Analysis free and combined short-chain fatty acid profile in milk from Holstein cows, buffalos, yaks, goats, sheep, camels, human, donkey, and mares” compared flavor and nutritional components, digestive health benefits, and suitability for different consumers based on free and combined short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in milk. Goat and sheep milk had higher total SCFA content compared to human, camel, donkey, and mare milk. Straight-chain fatty acids were found to be the reason behind the strong flavor of goat and sheep dairy products. Most SCFAs in goat and sheep milk were found to be in combined form, which contributes to digestibility and nutritional content.
In the research, “Development and validation of an LC-MS method for free monosaccharide analysis in milk from 8 species,” researchers developed a highly accurate LC-MS (liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry) method to measure free monosaccharides in milk from 8 species to better understand carbohydrate profiles and nutritional value. It was found that sheep and goat milk are high in galactose and mannose, which are important for energy metabolism and immune response. They found that using the LC-MS method is a great tool for studying milk composition in relation to neonatal nutrition, dairy innovation, and human health.
“Factors influencing isoflavone content and optimization of extraction conditions in red clover” tells that red clover is a valuable leguminous forage that is rich in bioactive isoflavones. Isoflavones are plant-based chemicals that can act like mild hormones in the body. It was found that isoflavones, like biochanin A, enhanced rumen bacterial degradation, improved lactate metabolism, and helped mitigate subacute ruminal acidosis. It also boosted milk yield, composition, and feed efficiency in dairy goats and cows. Researchers also found red clover positively influenced hormonal regulation, anti-inflammatory responses, and immune function in lactating cows.
The poster, “Comparison of 2 methionine precursor sources in dairy goats using the area under the curve method,” compared KESSENT MF Dry Kemin™, and Metasmart Adisseo™ methionine precursors. Methionine is an essential amino acid important for milk production, growth, and metabolism in goats. They found no significant difference in the methionine absorption between the two products, meaning both could be used to support milk production.
Oral Presentations
Although I was not able to attend any of the oral presentations, abstracts from the presentations were posted.
The presentation entitled “The biofilm formation capability of Staphylococcus spp. from goat milk,” found that biofilm formation may contribute to the chronic Staphylococci subclinical mastitis. This suggested biofilm formation is a pathogenic mechanism that allowed bacteria to survive in the mammary environment for prolonged periods. Stronger biofilm formations were found to be associated with greater bacterial persistence and suggested a possible relationship between the biofilm-forming capacity of Staphylococcus spp. and the stage of mastitis in goats.
ADSA Dairy Foods Division International Partnership Program Symposium
A symposium talk entitled “The genetic background of bovine and goat milk composition in relation to functional properties,” talked about the compositional differences between dairy cattle and dairy goat milk and the compositions needed for different types of products. They determined that genetic variation played a major role in the nutritional and functional properties of milk, which indicated selecting for specific genetic traits could optimize milk for specific products. Understanding the genetic differences can help the dairy industry produce higher quality, more targeted products, making breeding more efficient and products more tailored to consumer needs and preferences. Continuing research based on this symposium will select specific genes and genomic regions to create specialized dairy products.
Another symposium presentation entitled “Goat milk caseins: insights into their compositional variability and technofunctionality compared with cow milk caseins,” compared goat and cow milk to understand the differences in structure and behavior during processing. Caseins are the main milk proteins, and due to genetics, goat milk caseins were found to be highly variable. It was found that in raw form, goat’s milk caseins behaved similarly to cow’s milk but differently when heated, which affected processing for products such as cheese or yogurt. These differences are important to understand during processing to optimize processing methods and develop higher quality goat milk products with better texture, stability, and functionality.
Conclusion
In conclusion, ADSA is a great place for networking with dairy goat researchers and learning about new ideas being explored across the industry. To learn more about materials and methods of each study, click here to view the ADSA 2025 abstract book!
What are the key takeaways from ADSA 2025 for dairy goat farmers?
- Feed and Nutrition
- Saanen goats protein requirement: Saanen goats needed about 0.04 ounces of metabolizable protein per ib. of body weight daily for maintenance. More was needed for growth depending on size and stage. This could help farmers to better formulate diets based on the age and size of their goats
- Feeding red clover boosted milk yield, improved rumen health, and reduced digestive issues like acidosis.
- Two methionine products tested (KESSENT MF Dry Kemin™ and Metasmart Adisseo™) were equally effective, giving farmers flexibility of choosing based on cost or availability, without sacrificing performance.
- Milk Quality, Value, and Processing
- Adding plant-based prebiotics, especially hemp protein, helped probiotics survive longer in goat milk yogurt, which led to better gut health benefits for consumers and created a product with a longer shelf-life.
- Goat and sheep milk were found to be rich in galactose and mannose, which support energy use and immune response, which could be used as a marketing advantage for goat dairy products.
- Short-chain fatty acids gave goat and sheep milk their unique flavor and may add nutritional value, but their high levels also affected taste and digestibility, which is something to consider when developing or marketing products.
- Goat milk proteins behaved differently from cow milk proteins during processing. Understanding casein structure and genetic variation can help producers and farmers better develop dairy products with improved texture and stability.
- Human Health and Infant Formula
- Goat and sheep milk were found to not be close matches to human milk, therefore, they are not ideal substitutes for infant formula. This is important for producers to understand when addressing consumer questions or marketing to health-conscious consumers.
- Udder Health and Mastitis Management
- Some Staphylococcus species from goat milk formed strong biofilms, which could contribute to chronic mastitis. This means farmers need to be proactive with hygiene, testing, and treatment, especially in herds with high somatic cell counts or persistent infections.
- Grazing and emissions
- Rotational vs management-intensive grazing did not make a significant difference in methane emissions in small ruminants. This suggests that methane reduction strategies may need to focus more on diet or genetics rather than just grazing methods alone.