Camel Milk: An Important Natural Adjuvant

Abstract

One humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) breeds, indigenous to India, have been shown to have good genetic potential to produce milk. Camel milk not only is cost-effective in terms of feed conversion but also has additional advantage of longer lactation period and unique adaptation mechanisms for warm arid and semiarid regions. The key features of camel milk in comparison with other milk are low fat with high content of unsaturated and long-chain fatty acid. The proteins are rich in lactoferrin and lysozymes, but deficient in b-lactoglobulin. It has higher percentage of total salts, free calcium, protective proteins and vitamin C, and some of the microminerals, viz iron, copper and zinc. Physicochemical properties of camel milk are also unique and useful for food processing. The shelf life of raw camel milk is 8–9 h, which can be extended up to 18–20 h through activation of camel lactoperoxidase system. Heat stability of camel milk is shown to be highest at pH 6.8, and it ferments relatively slowly compared to the cattle milk. The camel milk is successfully processed for producing a variety of products, such as fermented milk (‘lassi’), soft cheese, flavored milk and ‘kulfee’ (a kind of ice cream). Camel milk has been traditionally used in different regions of the world as natural adjuvant for managing a variety of human diseases.