Abstract
The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of production system, breed, parity and stage of lactation on milk composition of dromedary camel. Samples of camel milk were collected from 191 healthy she-camels from four different indigenous breeds (Majahiem, Maghatier, Shoal and Soffer). Milk samples from each quarter were collected during the afternoon milking and California Mastitis Test (CMT) was used as an indirect measure of the health status of the udder quarter. The highest significant concentrations of protein, lactose and Solid None Fat (SNF) were recorded for the seminomadic system and Soffer breed. Moreover, the mean fat, protein, lactose and SNF values were significantly the highest during the first stage of lactation. Protein, lactose and SNF values were gradually decreased by the subsequent parity. Settled system and Shoal breed had the significant high content of fat compared to their counterparts. However, insignificant differences in fat percentage during parity were observed. Fat content was significantly high at the first stage of lactation in comparison with the second and third ones. Seminomadic system and in Maghatier breed significantly increased the Ca++ and K+ values compared to their counterparts. The Na:K ratio was also affected by production system. The results indicated that variations in camel milk composition were mainly attributed to factors such as production system, breed, parity and stage of lactation. Therefore, those factors should be taken into account when nutritional and technological aspects of camel milk need to be evaluated.