Camel and its Milk

Prof. Dr. Arshad Iqbal, Dr. Muhammad Jassar Aftab, Dr. Asma Kausar

In general two types of camels exist in the world viz Arabian (single humped)/ Dromedary and Bactrian (double humped). Camels of first kind are found in almost all the arid and semi arid regions of the world while Bactrian can be found in cold mountainous regions of China, Mongolia and Afghanistan. Worldwide there are about 19 million camels, and of these 16.2 million are Arabian camels, majority of which (80%) is present in Africa. Globally Somalia has the maximum camel population. Pakistan at present has 0.9 million camels. Bolochistan possesses the largest population (36.43%), followed by Punjab (33.51%), Sindh (22.76%) and N.W.F.P (7.30%). Arabian camel is unique food producing animal in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world.  Function wise Arabian camel is mainly used for food while the latter for work. Allah has made camel a very unique and wonderful animal specie on this planet, highly useful in its services rendering for the humans. Significance of this animal is even mentioned in the Holy Quran in Surrah Al-Ghashia “Do they not look at the camels how they are made.”

Camels, in Pakistan, are reared in the desert areas mostly of Sindh province, Cholistan (Punjab) and hilly areas of Balochistan. The main purpose of these animals is transportation and much less meat and milk production. Although Pakistan has the best buffalo of the world and its milk is expected to be the major source of milk but an increasing demand of milk in summer season warrants studying other animal species like camel. Average milk yield of camel ranges between 3.5 to 35 Kg per animal per day. The main factors affecting milk production include its breed, stage of lactation, season, and nutritional status etc. The major portion of this milk is used to feed their young ones, and rest of it is consumed by the owner as fresh or slightly soured or mixed with buffalo milk and sold to consumers in big cities. As such camel milk in majority of areas could not get attraction of the consumers as their preference for the buffalo and cow milk. However in areas where camel is considered really an important animal in their lives, milk is used for domestic purposes. While very small camel population can be found in the periurbane areas of some cities; the milk produced in these areas is mixed with milk of other species and sold in the market.

Despite large camel population in Pakistan, camel milk is not utilized to any significant extent probably due to unawareness of its use, advantages, and the market value. Sometimes saltish taste and high acidic nature can be counted towards least preference for camel milk among the people. However, it is much more nutritious than that of cow milk.

Camel milk has an opaque-white color and often has a sweet but sharp taste that can at times have a salty flavour. The variation in taste is due to the type of feed consumed by the camel as well as the amount of readily available water. The amount of milk produced by the camel is not affected by lack of water or type of forage, but the smell, taste, and contents are affected. By controlling diet, camel milk can be produced having different flavours. For example saltier tasting milk can be produced by controlling water intake. Similarly milk with sweeter, sharper taste can be produced by continuing water intake. In this way milk with two different flavours can be marketed.

Camel milk is highly nutritious and called ‘liquid gild’ in some countries. Its four kilograms are sufficient to meet an adult’s daily caloric requirements. Its composition is governed by several factors such as water availability, feeding condition, lactation period, stage of lactation and season etc. It has 86.30-87.30 % water, 3.30-5.80 % lactose, 2.90-5.40 % fat, 3.00-3.90 % protein, and 0.60-0.80 % ash. It is also a rich source of vitamins (A, B1, B2, B12, C and carotene) and minerals. The levels of sodium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus are similar in camel and cow milk, while potassium, iron, zink, and manganese tend to be slightly higher in camel milk. It has three times the vitamin C (5 mg/100ml) and upto 10 times the iron content than that of cow milk. It is natural source of alpha-hydroxy acid. It has high anti-oxidant properties. The pH of milk is between 6.5-6.7.

Presence of camel hence is really a great blessing for the poor people who are raising these animals in the most hostile environment where they do not have access to fruits and vegetables in their diet; in this case camels serves them as the cheapest staple diet. Moreover shelf life of camel milk is much larger than that of cattle milk.

As previously mentioned, the composition of camel milk changes with change in diet consumed by camel. It is rich in fat when water is available to the animal but water content increases to over 90 % and fat content decreases from 4.3-1.1 % when water is scarce. This proves that camel milk is not only a source of nutrition but also a source of liquid as well. By controlling water intake, a producer can produce milk that is rich in fat and nutrients. So one can market his milk as a source of liquid to different populations. Low water intake also causes decrease in protein, lactose, calcium, phosphate and magnesium. Similarly by controlling water intake, sodium and chloride can be increased in milk that will account for the salty taste.

As far as preparation of milk byproducts from camel milk is concerned there are some misconceptions found in the camel owning societies in different regions. Same is very much true for butter making which is some what difficult. However, different products of camel milk like butter, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, chocolate, falvoured milk and different fermented products are being marketed in different parts of the world.

Camel milk is naturally well homogenized, which results in facing difficulty in gathering fat globules for butter making in the traditional churning method. Butter can be made if milk is soured first, churned, and a clarifying agent is added, or if it is churned at 24-25 oC, but time will vary greatly in achieving results. A quantity of four litres milk can give 175 gram butter. Yogurt can be readily made from camel milk. Butter or yogurt made from camel milk is said to have a very faint greenish tinge. The cheese produced from camel milk has low levels of cholesterol and lactose.

Ice cream made from camel milk is the healthy alternative for the people with sweet tooth. It is being marketed in UAE. With introduction of camel milk ice cream, people get to enjoy not only the healthy benefits of camel milk but the creamy goodness of ice cream as well. Children who develop allergy against the products made from cow’s milk can enjoy their taste of ice cream from it. Camel milk ice cream is safe and an ideal option for the people suffering from lactose intolerance. Due to high vitamin C content in camel it is indeed a healthy dessert. Even weight watchers can enjoy the delicious taste of ice cream since the fat content of camel milk ice cream at the maximum is 2.5 % while the average ice cream contains between 6 to 9 % fat. Al Nassma, company in Dubai, has introduced the world’s first chocolate made out of camel milk. All chocolates are produced without preservatives or chemical .Saffron and date flavoured camel milk has also been introduced in dairy industry. Biomedical research is being done for the development of drugs based on antibodies found in camel called nanobodies.

Development of ‘oral insulin’ is a challenge because stomach’s acidity of consumer normally destroys insulin. But camel milk has resolved this problem because surprisingly it contains high level of insulin or insulin like protein which is able to pass through the stomach without being destroyed. This could be the plausible reason that milk of the camel has traditionally been used to treat diabetes. In Russia, Kazakhstan and India doctors often prescribe it to convalescing patients. It is also used as viagra as it is sex stimulant.

Camel milk is also highly admirable because it can help prevent wrinkles and fine lines. It has capability to make the skin soft and supple. It can moisturize the skin and help people with dry skin, eczema and seborrhea dermatitis. Due to these properties camel milk issued in cosmetics.

It can be concluded from the above discussion that camel milk is not only a good source of nutrition but can be used to manufacture various commercial products with it, provided it is properly addressed for the purpose.