Comparative analysis of milk production, composition, and plasma metabolomics in various dairy goat breeds from Yunnan Province, China

Xiang Xun¹Hua Chang¹Samiullah Khan²Ibrar Muhammad Khan^3,4Zhu Feiyan¹Linfu Yang¹Gang Duan¹Jiming Li¹Nourhan Nassar⁴Feiyan Dai^1*Huaming Mao^1*

• ¹Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
• ²Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China
• ³School of Science, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, China
• ⁴Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China

The present study crossed Alpine goats with Yunshang black bucks from Yunnan Province to produce dual-purpose F1 (AYF1) goats. AYF1 goats were compared with Saanen and Toggenburg goats by evaluating milk yield, composition and molecular markers for identifying metabolites using LC-MS technology. A total of 18 goats were selected with each breed consists of 6 goats per group. Daily milk yield was recorded, and milk composition was analyzed on days 60 and 120 of lactation. The results showed that at day 60th, Saanen and AYF1 goats had significantly higher protein and fat content than Toggenburg goats. At day 120th, AYF1 has higher fat while Saanen has higher protein content compared to Toggenburg goats. There were no differences (P > 0.05) among the milk yield during first, second, and fourth month, however, Saanen breed yield more milk during the third month compared to other breeds (P < 0.05). The metabolomics data showed a total of 1108 and 360 distinct metabolites were screened in the positive and negative ion modes, respectively. The majority of metabolites in Saanen goats were higher than other breeds. Abundances of 2-Phenylacetamide, 5-Aminolevulinic acid, and Ureidopropionic acid were significantly higher in Saanen goats than AYF1 goats (P < 0.05). In the initial screening, 55 common and 17 useful differential metabolites were identified. Seventeen metabolites, including twelve metabolic pathways and seven functional classifications, were investigated using the KEGG platform. Metabolomic analysis showed that Saanen dairy goats produced higher L-fucose, 4-acetamidobutanoic acid, L-tyrosine and D-galactose, suggesting their involvement to milk production, while AYF1 goats had higher sucrose, L-proline, ectoine and biotin, suggesting thier possible role in the metabolism of milk constituents. These findings offer insights into breed-specific milk metabolite profiles, holding the potential of AYF1 goats as a beneficial dual-purpose genotype for enhanced dairy and metabolic performance.