Seasonal and regional variations in the fat content of Watani cow milk in Maidan-Wardak and Logar provinces of Afghanistan

Milk fat is one of its important components, and in terms of nutritional value, the purchase and production of higher-quality livestock products, such as yogurt and cream, depend on the fat content of milk. This study aimed to investigate the seasonal, geographical, and monthly variations in the milk fat content of cow milk collected from local milk collection centers in Maidan-Wardak and Logar provinces, Afghanistan, throughout the year 2021. In total, 3368 milk samples were collected from ten districts, six of which belong to Logar province and four of which belong to Maidan-Wardak province. The results showed that fat content in the analyzed samples had an average value of 3.66 ± 0.25 % but fluctuated greatly among districts (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the fat content was the highest in the Belandab region of Logar province (3.89 ± 0.18 %) and the lowest in the Kaji (Logar) and Ebrahim Khail (Maidan-Wardak) regions (3.42 ± 0.15; 3.45 ± 0.16 %). Seasonal analysis revealed that fat content was higher in winter (3.71 %) and fall (3.76 %), lowest in summer (3.55 %) and spring (3.19 %); the variation was particularly significant, higher in winter compared to other seasons (p < 0.001). Monthly variations showed a decrease in milk fat from January to July, followed by a gradual increase from August to December. There were also differences between particular months (p < 0.001), some even below the mean values of the total year but high values were observed in August, October, and November. It was concluded that district, season, and month influenced the results. These results highlight the impact of local environmental factors (such as feed quality and water availability) and seasonal changes on the fat content of milk in these regions.