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| Tuesday, 28 December 2004 |
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The Water Buffalo - many aspects, one animal by Dr. A. Nandakumar, Veterinary Surgeon Of all the domesticated animals, the Asian water buffalo not only holds the greatest promise and potential for production but also a highly intelligent animal. W. Ross Cockrill, a British veterinarian and livestock scientist says "Water buffaloes are highly intelligent. They come nearer to having real reasoning power and emotional response than any other animal, and their loyalty is legendary". Throughout rural Asia, the buffaloes are honoured family members. The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis andBubalusb carabanests) is entirely different species from cattle (Bos taurus and Bos indicus) Buffaloes and camels are the only major large livestock of wholly Asian origin. Descriptions of buffaloes appears on seals struck about 5,000 years ago in the Indus valley, suggesting that it was domesticated in what is now India and Pakistan. Researchers Julie Cole, Will Faust and Matt Fleming claim in their wok on 'Evaluation of wild Cattle" 1991. That the first known bovine family (neat cattle, Buffalo and goats) in the world was the Aurochs, which is of Indian origin evolved 1.8 million years ago. Milk Buffalo The production of buffalo milk in the Asia pacific region exceeds 45 million tones annually, of which over 30 million tons produced in India alone. The high yielding Murrah is the Holstein - Friesian of the buffalo world. There are no reasons why other riverine breeds should not exceed the volumetric yield of the best milk cows. Buffalo milk contains as twice as much butterfat as cow milk. When concentrates are fed the fat content in the milk raises, when fed at lib, it can exceed 15%. The buffalo, in fact releases unwanted fat in the milk and stores only a minimum in the body tissues. Buffalo milk Vs cow's milk It is well worth to note that there is no difference in nutritive value and digestibility of milk and milk products obtained from cows' and buffalos'. Animal bioassays have shown the Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) value of buffalo milk proteins to be 2.74 and that of cow milk as 2.49. It will be seen that buffalo milk has about 11.42% higher protein than cow milk. Buffalo milk is also superior to cow milk in terms of important minerals such as calcium, Iron and Phosphorous which are high by 92%, 37.7% and 118% respectively than those present in cow's milk. An added advantage of buffalo milk is buffalo metabolizes all carotene into vitamin A, which is passed into the milk. Cholesterol controversy Significantly one might think that with the high percentage of fat up to 15% could be a factor concerned about cholesterol, but the cholesterol contend in the buffalo milk is 0.65 mg/gram as compared to the corresponding value of 3.14 mg/gram of cows milk. Not only in the milk but when buffalo meat was tested by some Florida researchers that the cholesterol content in the buffalo meat was 46% less than 7 major meat cattle breeds. Buffalo milk is commercially more viable than cow milk for the manufacture of fat based and SNF-based milk products, such as butter, ghee, cheese and milk powders because of its lower water content and high fat content. Most significantly, the low cholesterol value should make it more popular in health conscious market. By the virtue of greater opacity of casein miscelles, coupled with high levels of colloidal proteins, calcium and phosphorous, the buffalo milk is more densely white and superior whitening properties as compared to cow's milk. Therefore, unlike the cows milk (which is pale - creamish yellow in color), and cows milk fat (which is golden yellow in color) buffalo milk is distinctively whiter. Buffalo milk is, therefore, more aptly suitable production of tea and coffee whiteners than cow milk. Higher innate levels of proteins and fat render buffalo milk more economical alternative to cows milk for the production of casein, caseinates, whey protein concentrates and a wide range of the fat-rich dairy product. Better cheese Cheese made from buffalo milk display body and textural characteristics. More specially, where chewing and stringing properties. This is why the Italians convert the rich buffalo milk into 'Mozzarella', one of the most famous cheeses, for which the demand is so great. Certain traditional cheese varieties, such as "Paneer" in India or pickled cheese from the Middle East countries are best made from buffalo milk. Buffalo milk is regarded as a better health food compared to cows milk as, the presence of higher levels of various bioprotective factors, such as immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, lysozyme, lactoperoxidase as well as bifidogenic factors, render buffalo milk more suitable than cows milk for the preparation of a wide range of special dietary and health food. Work Buffalo Buffaloes are labour intensive and cost-effective. They are the most versatile of all work animals in the variety of tasks which they can taught to undertake. All buffalo breeds are a strong milk/meat entity. In economic terms, buffaloes are productive and efficient, especially in those agricultural countries where there is ample manpower and little motivation for mechanization. Sri Lanka is one among many countries where buffalo is widely used in paddy cultivation. The buffaloes have a wallowing habit in the muddy water, this is because the buffaloes contain less sweat glands, so as to keep the body cool they wallow in any kind of water holes. Earlier this century, a few Italian River buffaloes and Swamp buffaloes from Far East countries were shipped to Brazil. With others brought from India, they multiplied to two million, a few years ago. In the Amazon region the numbers have increased so fast the observers estimate Brazil will have the worlds largest water buffalo population by year 2017. Earlier the buffaloes have been severally neglected, when the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in 1974 first signposts the water buffaloes as the most neglected animal. In the intervening years, FAO has more than made up for it by providing leadership and inspiration to national and international organizations in developing water buffalo production. The Chinese scientists have crossbreed the river buffalo from India with the local swamp buffalo and getting hybrids that give excellent yield of milk. The Thailand's leading agricultural institution Kasetsart University, has got the Thai government to stop exporting buffaloes to Singapore and Hong Kong for beef, are now having the biggest buffalo population and research centre. The Philippine government predicts that ever small landholder in the country will eventually need a buffalo. The Sri Lankan buffalo population stood at 227,200 of milking animals and a total of 697.600 animals as per the year 2000 livestock data published by the Department of Animal Production and Health. The buffalo population in Sri Lanka has reduced due to slaughter of these animals indiscriminately for meat. |
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