Comparison of methods for the analysis of New Zealand sea lion, Phocarctos hookeri, milk

The milk composition of New Zealand sea lion, Phocarctos hookeri, was determined using standard analytical methods, a MilkoScan™ FT 120 and an accelerated solvent extractor (ASE) for fat concentration. The results for fat, protein and total solid concentrations between the different analytical methods were assessed using different measures of statistical fitness including coefficient of determination, concordance correlation coefficient, mean prediction error, and intraclass correlation coefficient. The repeatability and reliability of the results obtained with the calibrated MilkoScan™ FT 120 were comparable with those obtained using standard methods, the Roese-Gottlieb method for fat, Kjeldahl method for protein and gravimetric method for total solids. The MilkoScan™ FT 120s are fast and cost-effective and are widely used in dairy laboratories around the world, which should make them readily accessible to ecologists/biologists studying the milk composition of non-domestic animals.