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 (2025): 0.8 (Q4 of subject category)
Scimago (SJR) (2025): 0.231 (Q3)
Scopus CiteScore (2025): 1.4
The influence of age and reproductive status on quality and quantity of cashmere produced by Boer goats under South African cond
The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and quantity of cashmere produced by Boer goats in South Africa. No significant differences were found between reproductive status and qualitative and quantitative characteristics of cashmere produced by Boer goats…
The accuracy of Video Image Analysis (VIA) and Optical Fibre Diameter Analysis (OFDA) to measure fibre diameter of cashmere
The aim of this study was to evaluate two techniques, Optical Fibre Diameter Analysis (OFDA) and Video Image Analysis (VIA) that were used to measure fibre diameter of cashmere and guard hair produced by South African indigenous goats. The fibre…
Variation in terpene content and profile in milk in relation to the dominant plants in the diet of grazing goats
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the diet of grazing goats on the concentration and the profile of terpenes in their milk. This was tested during three seasons of the year using the two most…
Seasonal variation in retinol concentration of goat milk associated with grazing compared to indoor feeding
Forty-five Siriana dairy goats were divided into three groups and assigned to three feeding treatments: i) grazing (G), ii) grazing plus 600 g of mixed barley and chickpeas grain per day (GBC), iii) grazing plus 600 g of mixed maize…
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…
