Cow’s milk of conventional or organic origin is undoubtedly a basic part of human nutrition as it contributes to the development and maintenance of the human body. It is a high-quality product and is part of a healthy eating regiment.
This dissertation focused on the recording and analysis of the quality characteristics and nutritional value of conventional and organic cow’s milk in winter and in spring (November 2019 – May 2020).
The milks used in this research had to comply to the three simple criteria: to be full fat homogenized fresh milk, to be available in large supermarkets so that they could be purchased by consumers throughout Greece and to bare the «Elliniko Sima», certifying that the milk was procured by Greek farmers.
Thus, every month, nine milk samples, seven from conventional and two from organic farming systems were collected and analyzed. Specifically, the milk’s physicochemical characteristics (pH, refraction index, Brix, electrical conductivity, freezing point, water addition) the chemical composition (fat, protein, lactose, solids-non-fat (SnF), moisture, ash, total solids contents), a detailed analysis of the fatty acid profile and the nutritional indices throughout the two seasons were determined.
The research showed that no significant differences were found between conventionally produced and organically produced milks regarding the quality characteristics, with the majority of the differences being shown between the two seasons.
Retail value of all milk samples remained stable for all six months.
TEI of West Macedonia
