**3. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats**

For many small herders, goats are seen as hardier animals than sheep since they can roam farther searching for food and also have a longer milking season [10].

On the other hand, the continuous increase in food poisoning cases reported around Lebanon has highlighted the need to monitor the manufacturing of food products in order to avoid future health hazards [13]. Other constraints mainly relate to the production systems, farm management skills, health of the herds, milk and dairy product quality and their marketing [1].

Although goat milk is very nutritious and is considered as an acceptable food in several parts of the country, its production and handling remains a major problem limiting its consumption. The dispersed nature of production across the diversity of small farms, small volumes and seasonality of milk production, high ambient temperatures in the summer, poor handling systems, lack of cooling facilities in remote areas, lack of well-organized transportation and communication systems all create a considerable challenge to goat milk production [14]. One of the concerns regarding goat milk by the general public is the perception that goat milk or goat milk products have a 'goaty' flavour because of a long history of widespread negative popular misconception [15] against goats. Well-produced and well-handled goat milk is indistinguishable in taste and odour from good quality cow milk [15]. Milk in general and goat milk in particular have their unique characteristic flavour but not unacceptable smell or odour. Proper handling of milking goats and bucks by separation, good management and hygiene can eliminate the poor attitude by consumers towards goat milk [15].

*4.1.2. Darfiyeh cheese manufacturing*

cellar at 10–12°C [19] (**Figures 1**–**3**).

ing these manufacturing steps:

and salt; and removing the whey continually.

them with local olive oil soap known as 'Baladi soap'.

**Figure 1.** Flow diagram of production of *Darfiyeh* cheese balls [8].

**4.2. Serdale**

'Ambariss'[3].

reasons.

In the full processing of Darfiyeh, no starter culture is added, nor CaCl<sup>2</sup>

of the microbial rennet powder from *Mucor miehei* (Strength 1:150,000) used is variable, but it guarantees a firm coagulation within 60–90 min. Following coagulation, the curd is compacted for the first drainage of the whey, after which it is pressed by hand into the characteristic shape of a parallelepiped (12, 9 and 9 cm). Subsequently, the whey is boiled and raw goat milk is added to coagulate proteins, in order to get the whey cheese or Aricheh. For ripening, Darfiyeh and whey cheeses are introduced inside the goat's skin, which are stored in a natural

It is a non-pasteurized goat cheese, known by many names: 'Serdale', 'Jebnet el Fokhara', or

The traditional way to prepare is to introduce the raw goat milk in jars that have a 2 inches hole in the base and let it ferment for a year and the procedure consists of adding raw milk

Till now, the same procedure is applied, but the milk is placed in big plastic gallons, for economic

According to the flow chart of production below, the production of 'Serdale' is done follow-

The milk is collected from the farmers in the village as a first step. Jars are prepared by soaking them for 10–15 days in the whey of the milk so that the walls absorb whey well, and washing

solution. The amount

The Goat Dairy Sector in Lebanon

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An opportunity relies in mixing pure breed goats to increase milk production in their offspring. Breeding local goats with imported Shami breed from Cyprus can be an innovative strategy. Shami goats are special breed for milk production, producing an average of 4–5 kg/ day on average compared to less than 1 kg/day average for Lebanese breeds [10].

Traditional grazing system with no supplements provided to the cattle is being threatened by the declining winter precipitation and the Syrian crisis [10]. The lack of foraging and limited access to traditional grazing is forcing herders to shift into a semi-intensive system, which consists of daily feed supplements during the grazing period.
