The South African Journal of Animal Science is an open access, peer-reviewed journal. The journal publishes reports of research dealing with the production of farmed animal species (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, poultry and ostriches), as well as pertinent aspects of research on companion animals and aquatic and wildlife species. All submitted articles are subjected to a single-blind peer review process that is managed by a section editor under the supervision of the editor-in-chief. Copyright of a published article resides with the authors. Such articles will be published as open access content and be covered by the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 South African Licence. Users may copy, distribute, transmit and adapt the work, but must recognise the authors and the South African Journal of Animal Science.
Originally supported by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), the South African Journal of Animal Science moved online in the early 2000s using a custom-built manuscript submission and editorial management system. In August 2025, the journal transitioned to the Public Knowledge Project’s Open Journal Systems (PKP OJS), hosted by Khulisa Journals at the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).
In line with international best practices, the journal integrates key components of digital research infrastructure, including DOIs (digital object identifiers), ORCID iDs (researcher identifiers), ROR IDs (research organisation identifiers), and CCLs (Creative Commons Licences), ensuring transparency, traceability, and global interoperability.
As of August 2025, the South African Journal of Animal Science makes use of the Crossref 10.17159 DOI prefix. View the journal metadata health and the Crossref DOI Conflict Report here.
If you experience any problems with the journal’s online platform, please contact the editor-in-chief at [email protected].
Clarivate Journal Impact Factor (2024): 0.6 (Q4 of subject category)
Clarivate Journal Citation Indicator (2024): 0.26
Scopus CiteScore (2024): 1.4
Goat milk production and processing in the NIAYES in Senegal
This study was carried out from February to December 2003 to analyse goat milk production and processing in the districts of Thies and Mbour located in the Sahelian area, 70 km from Dakar. Among the suppliers of the three processing…
Quantitative and qualitative milk characteristics of Nebrodi goats
Milk quantity and quality characteristics were investigated in 40 lactating Nebrodi goats of different ages and order of kidding. Every month from the start of the first lactation individual daily yields were recorded and individual milk samples were taken to…
Effect of crossbreeding between two Egyptian goat breeds on physicochemical, technological and nutritional characteristics of go
Milk samples of two different crossbreds of Egyptian goats were analyzed for their physicochemical, technological and nutritional characteristics, in order to evaluate the effect of crossbreeding on milk properties. Crossbred goats (50% Damascus : 50% Barky) had better milk properties…
Factors influencing milk quantity and quality in Assaf sheep and goat crossbreds
The present study aimed to analyze the major factors that influence milk yield in Assaf sheep and Saanen, and Shami x Anglo Nubian goats, the major small ruminant dairy breeds and crossbreds in Israel. Six different farms with 745 Israeli-Assaf…
Influence of betaine on goat milk production and composition
A study was conducted to determine the effect of the inclusion of betaine in goat diets on milk production and physical-chemical characteristics of the goat milk. Thirty lactating goats free of intramammary infection were selected from a commercial Murciano-Granadina herd…
Prediction of weekly goat milk yield using autoregressive models
This paper proposes the use of autoregressive models to predict weekly milk yield in a goat farm. Twenty-eight goats were used to build the model and eight goats were used to validate it. The best models obtained were those in…
Goat milk and heat treatments
Heat stability of goat milk has been investigated on European milk samples from France, Greece and Portugal. A variability of coagulation temperatures was observed and was directly linked to milk composition. Some technological adaptations such as the use of additives…
Characterization of Maltese goat milk cheese flavour using SPME-GC/MS
The effect of lactation on the flavour of cheese made with raw milk of Maltese goats bred in Sicily (Italy) was studied. The goat cheese flavour was analyzed for the first time by Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) coupled with Gas…
Effect of six months prolonged frozen-storage on changes in organic acid composition of plain soft goat milk cheese
Feasibility of prolonged frozen-storage of goat milk cheeses is extremely important for profitability and sustainability of the dairy goat industry. Extended frozen-storage can be detrimental to the cheese texture and flavour compounds including organic acids. The study was conducted to…
Application of the lactoperoxidase system to improve the quality of goat milk cheese
Gouda cheese was made from goat milk preserved by the lactoperoxidase (LP) system and the effect of the LP system on the biochemical, microbiological and sensory properties of cheese over a ripening period of 90 days was investigated. Cheese made…
Changes in milk composition as affected by subclinical mastitis in sheep and goats
The present study focused on gaining a better insight into how subclinical mastitis at the gland level in dairy sheep and goats affects milk yield and compositional changes in relation to curd yield. Animals chosen for the study had one…
Interrelationships between the activities of the plasmin system in goats and sheep experiencing subclinical mastitis, casein deg
The present report focuses on how the differences in the plasmin (PL) system between sheep and goats are reflected in their response to subclinical intramammary infection (IMI), particularly in respect to casein (CN) degradation and milk yield (MY). Plasmin is…
Effects of intravenous infusion of trans-10, cis-12 or cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on milk fat synthesis and
The effects of an intravenous infusion of trans-10, cis-12 or cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) were evaluated during two consecutive days on milk fat synthesis and fatty acid profile of milk fat in dairy goats. Neither milk yield nor…
Physiological responses to preslaughter transportation stress in Tasco-supplemented Boer goats
Tasco seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) supplementation is known to increase antioxidant activity and immune response in farm animals, but its effects have not been adequately studied in goats. This study was conducted to determine the effects of Tasco feed supplementation on…
Oxidative stability of chevon as influenced by dietary Tasco supplementation in Boer goat bucks
Tasco seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) extract has been reported to improve vitamin E status and carcass characteristics in meat animals, but its effects have not been studied in goats. This study was conducted to determine the effects of Tasco feed supplementation…
Post-mortem metabolic status, pH and temperature of chevon from indigenous South African goats slaughtered under commercial cond
The study was conducted to investigate the effects of sex, age and pre-slaughter conditioning on post-mortem pH, temperature and glycolytic metabolite concentrations in M. longissimus thoracis (LT) of indigenous South African goats. Three hours post-mortem, the 2-teeth group had the…
Effect of sex, age, and pre-slaughter conditioning on pH, temperature, tenderness and colour of indigenous South African goats
Sex, age and pre-slaughter conditioning effects on pH, temperature, colour and tenderness properties of M. semimembranosus (SM) of indigenous South African goats were investigated. Sex and age had no significant effect on pH. However, female goat carcasses cooled significantly slower…
Comparison of textural properties of low-fat chevon, beef, pork, and mixed-meat sausages
Chevon (goat meat) is an ideal source of red meat for the preparation of heart-healthy products because of its lower fat content. This study was conducted to compare the texture attributes of low-fat chevon sausages to those of beef and…
The use and macro-mineral content of saline water for goat production
To overcome a lack of data on the use and acceptability of saline water for goats, a survey of saline water use by drought affected goat producers in Australia was completed. The responses (n = 31) from all but one…
Exposure assessment of potentially toxic trace elements in indigenous goats in the rural communal production systems of the nort
Recent advances in analytical techniques have allowed hydro-geochemical databases to form an essential component of animal and human epidemiological studies. Geographically localised communities and livestock production systems have a higher incidence of risk factors, and therefore baseline concentrations of key…
