Impact of parity, stage of lactation, and subclincal mastitis on the concentration of vitamin C in Shami camel milk

Abstract A study was conducted at Deir Al-Hajar Research Station for Shami Camels, Administration of Livestock Research, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR) in the years 2019 and 2020 to describe the associations between vitamin C concentrations in milk, and either stage of lactation, parity or the presence of mastitis. For this purpose, thirty lactating Shami camels from different parities were used. Milk samples were collected monthly over one entire lactation season lasting 11 months. The concentration of vitamin C was 35.01±9.81 mg/l milk and ranged between 33.01 and 36.80 mg/L milk during considered parities without significant differences in its concentration .However, vitamin C concentration was affected by lactation month P<0.0.5, and the values ranged between 18.99 and 53.03 mg/l milk during the course of lactation. An evident decline in vitamin C concentration in camel milk appeared with positive interactions for California test by 20-50%. The average concentration of vitamin C in milk produced from healthy and infected udders was 35.01±9.81 mg/l and 22.99±1.30 mg/l, respectively.