Background and Aim: Milk yield variability in tropical dairy goats is driven not only by nutrition but also by complex metabolic and hormonal regulation. Conventional nutrition studies often overlook the physiological mechanisms underlying lactation efficiency. This study aimed to integrate metabolomic and hormonal analyses to identify biomarkers associated with high and low milk yield performance in Sapera goats. It provides the first untargeted ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS)-based metabolomics characterization linking metabolic and endocrine profiles to lactational efficiency in tropical dairy systems. Materials and Methods: Twenty lactating Sapera goats were categorized into two groups: High-yielding (HY) (>1000 mL/day) and low-yielding (LY) (≤1000 mL/day). All animals were fed identical diets formulated according to National Research Council (2007) standards and managed under uniform housing conditions. Milk composition, blood metabolites (glucose, cholesterol, total protein, and triglycerides), and plasma hormones (leptin and insulin-like growth factor-1) were quantified using colorimetric and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay assays. Untargeted metabolomics of milk samples was performed using UHPLC-HRMS. Metabolites were identified through multi-database annotation, and statistical comparisons were conducted using independent t-tests with p 0.05). However, HY goats exhibited higher glucose and cholesterol concentrations and lower leptin levels (2.39 ± 0.42 ng/mL vs. 3.00 ± 0.44 ng/mL). Metabolomic analysis identified 213 metabolites, 19 unique to HYs, 28 to LYs, and 166 metabolites were found in both groups. HY goats showed enrichment of metabolites linked to lipid metabolism, membrane synthesis, and antioxidant defense (e.g., uric acid and phosphoserine derivatives), while LY goats displayed compounds indicative of metabolic stress and detoxification load (e.g., glycocholic acid and 3-furoic acid). Integrative correlation mapping revealed coordinated regulation between blood and milk metabolites in HY animals. Conclusion: HY and LY goats possess distinct metabolic and hormonal signatures despite similar milk composition. Identified biomarkers such as uric acid and glycerophosphoserine highlight pathways supporting efficient nutrient utilization and milk synthesis. These findings provide a foundation for precision feeding and biomarker-guided selection strategies to enhance productivity and sustainability in tropical dairy goat systems. Keywords: biomarkers, goat milk, insulin-like growth factor-1, leptin, metabolomics, precision nutrition, Sapera breed, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry.
Islamiyati et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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