Fatty Acid Profile in Creole Goat Milk in Grazing and French-Alpine and Saanen Confined Goats in Three Seasons of the Year

The composition of goat milk varies depending on the diet, breed, production system, weather conditions, gestation stage, among other factors. The objective was to determine the fatty acid profile in the milk of extensive grazing Creole and French Alpine and Saanen goats confined in three seasons. The experiment was carried out using a factorial design with two factors, the season of the year (fixed effects) with three levels (rainy, transition and dry) and the breeds (fixed effects) with three levels (Creole, Saanen and French Alpine) with measurements repeated over time. Five Creole, Saanen and French Alpine goats were ran-domly selected in the extensive grazing and in the confined system, respectively. The results showed that the most abundant fatty acid content in milk was palmitic acid in the three seasons, as well as in three goat breeds. From the total acids in the milk profile, only six showed significant differences between seasons and between goat breeds, while nine showed significant differences in the interaction of seasons × breeds. The content of caprylic, capric and lauric acid was higher in milk collected in the transition season, while stearic and oleic acids showed an increase in the dry season and only alpha linolenic acid was abundant in rainy season. The fatty acid showed differences between breeds, especially unsaturated fatty acids, being more abundant in Creole, which suggests that the species from the extensive grazing in the rangeland shows good nutritional contribution, both in the rainy and in dry seasons.