A Comparative Appraisal of Traditional "Ghee" Derived From the Three Genotypes (Arunachali Yak, Yak-Cow Hybrid, and Cow) Reared Under Semi-Intensive Conditions

The present study aims to characterize "ghee" derived from Arunachali yak (AY), yak-cow hybrid (YCH), and cow reared under semi-intensive conditions in Arunanchal Pradesh, India. The milk obtained from Arunachali yak has significantly (p < 0.05) higher fat, solids-not-fat, and protein content compared to YCH and cow. The ghee obtained from three different genotypes is characterized and showed significant variation (p < 0.05) in various physicochemical parameters viz., yield, moisture, specific gravity, saponification value, free fatty acid, cholesterol, vitamin A, and instrumental color profile. Further, the ghee obtained from YCH milk has significantly (p < 0.05) higher oleic acids (35.24% +/- 0.21), linoleic acid content (1.18% +/- 0.03), and unsaturated fatty acid (UFA)/saturated fatty acid (SFA) ratio (0.69 +/- 0.01), whereas cow ghee has significantly (p < 0.05) higher alpha-Linolenic acid (0.57% +/- 0.04) compared to the other samples. AY ghee has higher saturated fatty acids (63.58% +/- 0.07); however, no significant difference is observed in the total fatty acids content of the ghee obtained from AY and YCH. In Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis, the characteristic intensity of the absorption peaks in the region of 650-4000 cm(-1) is taken. They are nearly comparable, and no differences are detected by the naked eye. It can be concluded that the findings of this study will be useful for characterization and also provide scientific support for further in-depth study. Practical applications: The experimental results of this study would aid the increase of information about physicochemical characterization of these three genotypes of foot hills of the Himalayas.