干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

The camel is a multi-purpose animal with a huge productive potential. To western societies and even scientists it is unfortunately an alien animal. Only a few people have realised that the camel is the most suitable domestic animal for use in climatic extremes. In time of global warming, growing deserts and increasing scarcity of food and water, the camel can be part of a solution to these problems.

Small-scale enterprises have demonstrated that living condition of the nomadic herdsman and his family can be improved by selling surplus camel milk. The Dubai example has also clearly proven that dromedaries can be milked in high-tech dairy farms. Some compositions of camel milk are different from cow milk and their values also differ from cow milk and also between different researchers. Insulin, vitamin C, niacin and some unsaturated fatty acids are higher in camel milk. The absence of beta-lactoglobulin and the different compositions of proteins in camel milk may prevent allergic reactions. Therefore, camel milk could be an interesting alternative for infant milk products. Although the amount of lactose in camel milk is as high as in cow milk, lactose intolerance against camel milk does not exist. The reason is unknown. Raw camel milk is highly contaminated with bacteria when camels are milked under nomadic conditions lacking proper hygiene. However, there is no doubt that microbiological parameters of camel milk can meet international standards of cow milk when proper hygienic conditions are in place. No microbiological standards for camel milk exist. Camel milk must be heat-inactivated for human consumption. Our investigations showed that the shelf life of pasteurised camel milk kept at 4 degrees C is more than 10 days. Heat-inactivation of 72 degrees C for 5 minutes on different camel milk parameters, including insulin and vitamin C reduces their amount by only 5% to 8%. Gammaglutamyl transferase (GGT) is a potential indicator for the question of whether camel milk has been properly pasteurised or not.