2.2.4. Minerals, Vitamins, Urea, Enzymes, Hormones, and Other Ingredients

Mineral substances in milk contain from 0.6 to 0.8%. The main macronutrients include: calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium; microelements: copper, iron, zinc, cobalt, manganese, iodine, etc. Milk contains almost all vital vitamins. They are represented by fat-soluble (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble (B1, B2, B3, PP, B6, B9, B12, C, H) vitamins. Another important component of milk is urea. Monitoring the level of urea in milk and blood allows to adjust the feeding diet in a timely manner, as well as improve the quality of milk and dairy products. Urea is also added to improve the thermal stability of milk and to increase the total nitrogen content (milk protein), which is a type of adulteration. Milk also contains more than 20 native enzymes, hormones (prolactin, oxytocin, somatotropin, thyroxin), pigments (carotenoids that determine the color of milk), gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, ammonia (they get into milk from blood, air during milking, pipeline transport), etc.

Thus, the composition of milk is complex and unstable, and the absence of one of the substances or a deviation of its quantity from the norm usually indicates a sick state of the animal, an inadequacy of the diet (feed) or falsification of milk.
