Descriptive Profiles of Milk Titratable Acidity and Its Within-Species Associations with Milk Composition and Quality Parameters Across Eight Dairy Animal Species

Milk titratable acidity is a key indicator of raw milk freshness and quality, but its variation across different dairy animal species remains incompletely characterized. Based on 16,984 raw milk samples from eight dairy animal species (Holstein cow, goat, buffalo, camel, sheep, yak, donkey, and horse) collected within a retrospective raw milk quality monitoring framework in China from 2016 to 2024, this study provides a large-scale descriptive comparison of milk titratable acidity across species. Distinct titratable acidity profiles were observed among species, with camel and yak milk showing relatively high values, sheep, Holstein, and buffalo milk exhibiting intermediate values, and donkey and horse milk presenting markedly low values. Calendar-season-associated patterns also differed among species. Correlations between titratable acidity and milk components varied by species, with relatively stronger positive associations with protein and solids-not-fat (SNF) in several ruminant milks, suggesting that milk composition may contribute to differences in titratable acidity. However, because this study was based on an unbalanced observational dataset with limited animal-level, farm-level, feeding, management, physiological, and environmental metadata, these observations should be interpreted as descriptive and exploratory patterns rather than causal biological mechanisms. This dataset provides preliminary reference information for future studies on species-associated variation in raw milk titratable acidity and for discussions on species-specific raw milk quality evaluation.