Chemical Changes in Bovine Colostrum Preserved with Formalin or by Fermentation

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Abstract
Fresh bovine colostrum from 2nd and 3rd milkings postpartum was inoculated with a yogurt culture or Streptococcus lactis or preserved with .1% formalin in 2 separate experiments. There was a rapid decrease in pH of the fermented samples which corresponded to decreased lactose concentrations and increased lactate and titratable acidity. Titratable acidity in the fermented colostrums increased further after 10 days from the production of volatile fatty acids but pH did not decrease. The pH of the yogurt fermentations in experiment 2 decreased to 3.8 and the continued increase in titratable acidity was from lactic acid rather than volatile fatty acids. The lowest pH of all other fermentations was 4.1. The extent of metabolism of the formalin-preserved colostrum was less than for the colostrum fermented by either culture. [Fermenting excess colostrum to preserve it over several weeks for feeding to calves has become accepted by many dairy producers.].