Triglyceride analysis by gas chromatography in assessment of authenticity of goat milk fat

The triglyceride (TG) composition of 35 samples of milk collected at different times of year from five herds of goats was analyzed using short capillary column-gas chromatography. The distribution of TG in goat milk fat was unimodal, peaking at C₄₀ (12.6%); the sum of TG from C₃₈ to C₄₄ accounted for about 50%, whereas the three classes of TG from C₄₈ to C₅₂ did not exceed 6% each. These results were compared with the corresponding data for cow milk fat. Significant differences between herds were observed, mainly in long-chain TG. To detect foreign fats in goat milk fat, two multiple regression equations based on TG content of the goat milk fat were proposed. Analysis of known mixtures of tallow, palm oil, and cow milk fat with goat milk fat have experimentally confirmed the accuracy of the equations.