Studies of physical and biochemical characteristics of milk including vitamin-A of lactating women of different socio-economic and age groups

Milk studies within two days post delivery in 90 randomly selected women of three socio-economic (low, middle and high) and three age groups ( 25, 26-32 and 33 years) of Faisalabad, Pakistan, revealed an overall concentration of vitamin-A to be 718.8 plus minus 340.5 RE/L. The milk vitamin-A showed non-significant difference between socio-economic groups, but was higher (P0.01) in women of 33 years (863.4 plus minus 327.1 RE/L) of age. The mean specific gravity of milk was 1.0265 plus minus 0.0264 and the pH was 7.08 plus minus 0.06 and showed non-significant difference in socio-economic and age groups. The mean total milk proteins was 1.31 plus minus 0.84 percent and was higher (P0.05) in women of 26-32 years of age, however, it showed non-significant difference between socio-economic groups. The mean milk lactose and fat was 5.76 plus minus 2.05 and 2.89 plus minus 1.43 percent, respectively and showed non-significant difference between socio-economic and age groups.