**1. Introduction: the importance of goat milk, dairy products, and meat as a potential functional food**

Interest from the consumers as well as growing concerns for physical well-being and health have increased the demand for information about the consumption of healthier foods.

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The intake of some active compounds present in food, the so-called nutraceuticals and functional foods, can be regarded as having beneficial effects (physical and mental) on certain functions in the human body, that go beyond their nutritional effects.

**3. Composition of goat milk**

and mineral compounds found in goat milk.

Milk and derived dairy products are considered an important constituent of a balanced diet. Milk, as the first food for mammals, supplies all the energy and nutrients needed forthe proper growth and development of the neonate. For all mammalians, the consumption of milk ends at the weaning period except in humans, which continue consuming milk throughout their life. The physical characteristics and composition of milk vary between species. Chemically, milk is a complex oil-in-water emulsion containing proteins, fats, carbohydrates (mainly lactose), and lower amounts of minerals, enzymes, cells, hormones, immunoglobulins, and vitamins. The information currently available on the composition of goat milk has been published in the form of reviews [11–13]. Authors are unanimous in recognizing that fresh milk composition has a dynamic nature that varies with several factors such as (a) genetics (e.g., species, breed, and individual); (b) stage of lactation; (c) health status of the individual animal; and (d)

Nutritional and Health Profile of Goat Products: Focus on Health Benefits of Goat Milk

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environmental factors (e.g., feed, climate, season, or method of milking) [14–16].

Approximate compositions of the milks of different animals are compared in **Table 1**.

The basic nutrient composition of goat milk resembles that of cow milk (**Table 1**). Both milks contain substantially higher amounts of proteins and minerals, but lower lactose content than human milk [17]. Nonetheless, goat milk has high concentrations of fat globules, which are smaller than those present in cow milk; these globule diameters average are approximately 3.6 and 3.0 μm against 4.0 μm, respectively [18, 19]. The smaller size of fat globules provides a smoother texture in goat's derived products. Furthermore, goat milk contains lower amounts of α1-casein conferring it a higher water-holding capacity and a lower viscosity [20, 21]. Despite all these properties, the flavor of goat's milk is peculiar and more intense in comparison to cow's milk, which can restrict the acceptance of its derivatives by consumers [21]. However, goat milk is more easily digested than cow milk due to the absence of agglutinins in the former [11].

Goat and cow milk differ essentially in their casein micelles (structure, composition, and size), the proportion of individual protein fractions and higher content of nonprotein nitrogen

**Composition Goat Cow Human** Energy (kcal) 70 69 68 Water (%) 87.5 87.7 86.7 Total solids (g) 12.2 12.3 12.3 Protein (%) 3.2 3.3 1.3 Fat (%) 4.0–4.5 3.8 4.1 Lactose (%) 4.6 4.7 7.2 Ash (g) 0.8 0.7 0.2

**Table 1.** Basic composition of different milks (mean values per 100g) (adapted from Yadav et al. [24]).

As technology and science advances, the fields of health and nutrition have focused on several emerging fields, namely nutrigenomics, or "personalized nutrition." The study of the human genome in order to comprehend cellular response to nutrients and bioactive compounds is a promising field of work, which should lead specific dietary recommendations to prevent or aid in the treatment of certain diseases. In fact, stroke, cancer, and atherosclerosis and the general risk of diseases may be somehow minimized by introducing proper preventive nutrition and functional foods/foods as part of a healthier lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and physical activity [1]. Ingesting a wide variety of foods, namely fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk, meat, and eggs is one way to ensure the intake of certain bioactive compounds that are present in its constitution such as carotenoids, dietary fiber, fatty acids, flavonoids, isothiocyanates, minerals, phenolic acids, plant stanols/sterols, polyols, prebiotics and probiotics, phytoestrogens, soy protein, sulphides/thiols, and vitamins [2].

Functional foods are growing in reputation across the globe and are becoming a part of daily diet of consumers who are concerned with their health. The global market potential for functional foods and beverages has been estimated to be worth \$192 billion by 2020 [3]. However, the effectiveness of nutraceutical products in preventing diseases depends on preserving the stability, bioactivity, and bioavailability of the active ingredients [4]. Functional foods are found virtually in all food categories; however, some products are not widely available in the market [5].

Sheep and goat products (mainly meat and dairy) have interesting characteristics in their levels of flavor, taste, aromas, and leanness as well as the specific composition of fats, proteins, amino, and fatty acids and have been traditionally consumed in certain regions of the globe [6]. Additionally, the nutritional properties of goat milk and its lower allergenicity when compared to cow milk [7, 8] has sparked an interest in goat milk as a functional food, and it is now one of the current trends in healthy eating in developed countries [9]. Moreover, the use of milk with particular nutritional properties, alone or in combination with bacterial strains with probiotic properties and capable of producing physiologically active metabolites, might become one of the options for manufacturing new dairy functional beverages [10].
