EVALUATION OF EWE COLOSTRUM QUALITY BY ESTIMATION OF ENZYME ACTIVITY LEVELS

The objective of this study was to assess the potential use of colostral enzymes for the determination of colostrum quality in ewe. The enzymes gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured in the colostrum from 11 ewes, milked within six hours after birth, by a dry chemistry system and spectrophotometrically. The quality of colostrum, given by the content of gamma globulines (IgG), was measured by electrophoresis separation of colostrum proteins. The highest activity was found for GGT, followed by LDH and ALP. A very high correlation (r = 0.83, P < 0.001) between GGT and IgG concentration was shown, suggesting this enzyme can be a good marker for the evaluation of colostrum quality in ewe.