Importance of First-Milking Colostrum

It is worth noting that researchers who use colostrum in clinical trials usually seek first milking colostrum because they recognize that potency and quality are diminished with time. To expect similar results with transitional milk being marketed as colostrum would be unfair to those
producers of true first-milking colostrum.

Bovine (cow) colostrum is produced before birth, and can only be collected for a short period of time without being diluted by the subsequent production of milk. At the time of birth, potency is at its peak. The active elements such as immune factors, growth factors, antioxidants and antiinflammatory agents are at their highest concentrations. However, in less than 12 hours, the concentration of these components is only half of what it was at the time of birth. This makes colostrum a limited commodity and yet, because of the extensive dairy industry, sufficient quantities
are available for human use as a dietary supplement. Since colostrum is such a limited commodity, it is easy to see why anyone would want to stretch the collection of this valuable substance. This is why many widelyadvertised colostrum products on the market today are obtained from the first 5 milkings—as far as 72 hours, and definitely not complete colostrum.