Czech J. Anim. Sci., 2025, 70(12):538-553 | DOI: 10.17221/123/2025-CJAS

Lactoferrin – The protective component of goat colostrum and milkOriginal Paper

Pavlína Navrátilová ORCID...1, Klára Bartáková ORCID...1, Jan Pospíšil ORCID...1, Lenka Vorlová ORCID...1, Tomáš Kopec ORCID...2, Oto Hanuš ORCID...3, Hana Nejeschlebová ORCID...3, Eva Samková ORCID...4, Josef Kučera ORCID...5, Radoslava Jedelská ORCID...3
1 Department of Animal Origin Food and Gastronomic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
2 Department of Animal Breeding, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
3 Dairy Research Institute Ltd., Prague, Czech Republic
4 Department of Food Biotechnologies and Agricultural Products Quality, Faculty of Agriculture and Technology, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
5 Czech Moravian Breeders’ Corporation, Inc., Hradištko pod Medníkem, Czech Republic

Lactoferrin (LF) is an important bioactive component of colostrum, is critical for the development of immunity in the newborns, and it is an important component of the mammary gland defence system. LF is also an important biomolecule in terms of promoting and restoring the human health. The aim of our study was to monitor the dynamics of changes in lactoferrin concentration in goat milk at varying stages of lactation and its correlation with selected components and physicochemical parameters. Colostrum (n = 24) and milk (n = 120) samples were obtained from 12 goats by hand milking. Lactoferrin was determined using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with an ion-pairing reagent equipped with a Photodiode Array Detector. The LF concentration in colostrum ranged from 206 mg/l to 1 228 mg/l, and showed a statistically significant decrease in concentration (P < 0.05) over the colostral period. Significant correlation coefficients (P < 0.001) were found between crude protein and LF (r = 0.896), lactose and LF (r = –0.754), as well as between non-fat solids and LF (r = 0.853). The LF content in milk ranged within a relatively wide range of 94 mg/l to 1 115 mg/l although the values were highly variable (vx = 57.0%). Significant correlations were found between fat content and LF in milk (r = 0.429, P < 0.001), crude protein and LF (r = 0.376), non-fat solids and LF (r = 0.361), somatic cell count (SCC) and LF (r = 0.330), as well as log SCC and LF (r = 0.348, P < 0.01).

Keywords: bioactive protein; lactation stage; physicochemical parameters; small ruminants

Received: August 18, 2025; Accepted: November 12, 2025; Published: December 30, 2025  Show citation

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Navrátilová P, Bartáková K, Pospíšil J, Vorlová L, Kopec T, Hanuš O, et al.. Lactoferrin – The protective component of goat colostrum and milk. Czech J. Anim. Sci. 2025;70(12):538-553. doi: 10.17221/123/2025-CJAS.
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