Presence of Anthocyanins in Milk of Lactating Boer Goats Fed Red Napier Grass

¹ Lecturer in Animal Bioscience, Faculty of Food Security, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia 60121
² Faculty of Animal Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia 65145

^* Corresponding author: ifars@ub.ac.id

Abstract

This short communication evaluates the effect of feeding Red Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum cv. Red) on anthocyanin concentration in the milk of lactating Boer goats. The study aimed to compare anthocyanin transfer into milk between goats fed Red Napier grass and those fed Napier Pakchong grass. Lactating Boer goats were allocated into two dietary groups and fed either fresh Red Napier grass or Napier Pakchong grass during the lactation period. Milk samples were collected and analyzed for anthocyanin concentration using ELISA methods. The results revealed that goats receiving Red Napier grass produced milk with detectably higher anthocyanin content compared to goats fed Napier Pakchong. These findings indicate that red Napier grass can improve the functional properties of goat milk through increased anthocyanin content, which has the potential to provide benefits for functional food applications.