Camel milk. Can it be an alternative to cow’s milk?

In terms of nutritional value, camel milk is superior to bovine milk and is very close to human milk [3]. It is more easily digested and, in addition, contains amino acids essential in the human diet and a high percentage of β-caseins [3,8]. It is characterised by a high – greater than in cow’s milk – content of proteins with protective functions. These include immunoglobulins (compatible with human), lactoferrin, lysozyme, lactoperoxidase [3,8]. They have antimicrobial, anticancer and antidiabetic effects [3].

In people with diabetes, camel milk can reduce blood glucose levels within 3 months and help treat insulin resistance [11]. Analysis of the results of various studies has also shown that long-term (> 6 months) consumption of such milk by diabetics helps to improve the lipid profile. It reduces total cholesterol and LDL fraction [10,11].

Camel milk also shows properties that are important for allergy sufferers. As in breast milk, it lacks the allergenic β-lactoglobulin (Bos d 5) [3]. This whey protein causes symptoms in up to 76% of people with an allergy to cow’s milk protein (ABMK) [2,8]. The structure of another allergenic protein, β-casein, in camel milk is different from that in cow’s milk. Laboratory studies and skin tests in allergic individuals have shown that the differences in the structure of cow’s and camel’s milk proteins are large. This in turn translates into differences in allergenicity [7].

Camel milk is described as mild in taste, similar to cow’s milk, much less distinctive than goat and sheep equivalents. The taste of such milk depends on what the camel is fed (sweet – green fodder, salty – dried plant spurs) [7].

Despite its numerous health-promoting properties and taste qualities, camel milk and products made from it are still rare in Europe. Although it can already be purchased in frozen or powdered form in many countries (including Poland), access to such milk is still limited [8].

The low prevalence of camel milk is mainly due to the differences in the population of dairy cattle (about 1.5 billion) [4] and camels (about 37 million) [5]. As much as 90% of the world’s camel population resides in northern and eastern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and in south-west Asia [5]. According to FAO (2019), African countries (such as Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya) are leading in camel milk production (90%). This is followed by Asian countries (such as India, Yemen, Saudi Arabia) [3].

In this context, it is important to note that such milk requires different processing than cow’s milk. A different infrastructure is therefore required for its processing. In order to preserve the natural nutritional value of camel milk, it is necessary, among other things, to maintain heat stability. And for distribution to be possible, the milk must have a long shelf life [3]. Camel milk is processed by modern dairies in Saudi Arabia and Mauritania [7].

However, it has been reported that global camel milk production has increased significantly in the last two decades – by as much as 94%. The upward trend appeared to be greater only for buffalo milk, which is now produced by 111% more [8].

Camel milk is increasingly being identified as a viable alternative to cow’s milk. The need to find a substitute is linked to the growing problem of ABMK [1]. The prevalence of this allergy is highest among infants and young children, ranging from 1.9% to 3.2% [2]. According to some researchers, the increase in ABMK cases is associated with an increase in the number of children being fed modified milk instead of breast milk [1].

With ABMK, milk from other ruminants such as goats and sheep should not be consumed. The reason is the high similarity of the proteins (up to 90%), which is associated with the risk of cross-reactivity and anaphylaxis [6,7]. In contrast, allergy sufferers intolerant to cow’s milk proteins usually do not react to mare’s, donkey’s and just camel’s milk proteins [7].

According to some researchers, camel milk is more suitable than cow’s milk for the production of ‘humanised’ milk, i.e. imitating breast milk as a substitute in infant nutrition. These researchers believe that it could be a substitute for children with allergies [8,9].

So will camel milk replace cow’s milk in the future for people with ABMK? Such a possibility exists, but for the time being it is purely theoretical. Knowledge of camel milk and the possibilities of its use, as well as interest in this type of substitute, are still low [8].

Aleksandra Lipiec 

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translation: Julia Majsiak