DOST helps process goat milk into powder form

MANILA, Philippines - A local company is now producing powdered goat’s milk with the help of scientists from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

With the use of a spray dryer created from the original design conceptualized by the DOST’s Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) engineers, local company Skysoft Inc. based in Sta. Rita Village, Sucat, Paranaque is now processing fresh goat’s milk coming from the firm’s sister-unit  Boergoat Club Farm in Lingayen, Pangasinan, into powdered milk that is more affordable at the proposed selling price of P400 per 340 gram pack compared to the imported commercial counterpart said to cost P663.50.

The Skysoft-DOST-ITDI process involves the pasteurization of freshly extracted goat milk before being processed into powder milk using a newly fabricated spray dryer of the DOST ITDI.

The project started when Skysoft approached the DOST-ITDI requesting the technical expertise of food technologists/engineers in terms of product development and standardization of fresh goat milk processing.

A pool of experts, headed by Engr. Melchor Valdecañas, chief of the food processing division and officer-in-charge at the Office of the Deputy Director for R&D, responded to the request for technical assistance of Skysoft.

“We then worked on improving the product’s stability – prolonging its shelf life and at the same time, preserving its nutritional value after being processed,” said Elsa Falco, senior science research specialist and product development lead at the ITDI.

After having standardized the process for goat’s milk production, the goat milk underwent storage studies and was subjected to physico-chemical, microbiological, and sensory analyses.

Skysoft’s powdered goat milk performed well and was found comparable with existing imported brands in the market. Samples were still acceptable in terms of color and taste even after six months of storage. And lately, the products proved to be still good after one and a half years.

Concrete nutritional facts proving that goat milk contains higher nutritional qualities or benefits are now widespread and gaining acceptance among consumers.

Upon further evaluation of the produced powdered goat milk, this was also confirmed.

Goat’s milk produced at Skysoft has higher total fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals, and has lower level of carbohydrates as compared to cow’s milk.

 â€œAnd because of these good properties, goat milk is less allergenic; naturally homogenized; easier to digest; causes less lactose intolerance; and generally suits human body condition better than cow’s milk”, said Falco.

Considering that milk is a staple food with cow’s milk leading in the market, these latest developments spell good gains for powdered goat milk. Though less advertised compared to its big competitors that can afford heavy ad campaigns, powdered goat milk may eventually clinch a viable share in the market.

With full blast operations at Skysoft, dependence on imported powdered goat milk may soon be lessened, a welcome development for the local economy and local milk consumers, the DOST said.