BENEFITS OF DONKEY MILK
Donkey milk has been indicated as a valuable and safe source for the nutrition of cow-milk intolerant infants as well as an interesting nutraceutical food for older people, therefore as a brand new functional food. Moreover, the results here discussed confirm that it represents a natural source of proteins with high similarity to human milk. Nevertheless, the use of donkey milk for therapeutic purposes is hampered by several factors: difficulties in finding food, ensuring continuity of supply, medical legal risk associated with the administration of non-conventional diet therapy. In this context the valorisation of “donkey milk” as food, considering that the Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 lays down specific hygienic rules for food on animal origin including donkey raw milk, could represent an incentive for the breeding of donkeys and, therefore, an indispensable factor to preserve the animal biodiversity. Therefore, the implementation of the good practices throughout the global “dairy donkey” food chain is a crucial topic to guarantee the safety and quality of donkey milk for Public health.
Equine milk Equine (donkey) milk differs from the milk of conventional dairy species. The equid mammary gland has a low capacity (maximum 2.5 L), and a part of the milk needs to be left for the foal, and milking may be carried out two or three hours after separation from the foal. To increase milk supply, dairy equids may need to be milked repeatedly each day (Salimei and Fantuz, 2012). A female gives between 0.5 and 1.3 litres of milk a day for about 6–7 months. Donkey milk is used as a substitute for human milk in many countries. Nowadays, consumer interest in donkey milk is increasing in European countries due to its compositional similarity to human milk, and good tolerability and palatability. Hence, in western countries, donkey dairies are emerging to produce an alternative milk source for human infants. There is enhanced interest of consumers in India’s southern states also; although there are no official reports or published data on its production, quality, and hygiene. As compared to bovine milk, the donkey milk contains less fat, protein, and inorganic salts but more lactose with a concentration closer to human milk. Lactose is a source of readily available energy and it makes the milk sweet, palatable, and acceptable to children. The pH of donkey milk, as well as human milk, is neutral or slightly alkaline, probably due to low caseins and phosphates (Pal et al., 2018). Some researchers have speculated that smaller native milk fat globules may have utmost digestive parameters due to the larger surface available for lipase action (Raynal-Ljutovac et al., 2008). Fat globules have been found lesser in donkey milk than in cows, goats, and sheep milk (Martini et al., 2013). Equine milk doesn’t cream due to the small amount of cryoglobulin (agglutinins), a protein that adsorbs onto fat globules because of reduced temperature; and hence agglutination of fat globules occurs very slowly (O’Mahony and Fox, 2014). The main salts in the milk are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and magnesium, and their concentration, except that of potassium, is higher in the donkey milk than in the human milk, but considerably lower than in the milk of cows, buffaloes, goats, and sheep (Salimei and Fantuz, 2012). Donkey milk also contains anti-microbial proteins; lysozyme and lactoferrin. The lactoferrin content of the donkey milk is between the lower values of cow milk and the higher values of human milk. Lysozyme is present in large amounts, ranging from 1.0 mg/mL to 4 mg/mL, and it is highly thermostable and resistant to acid and protease and may play a significant role in intestinal immune response (Tidona et al., 2011). The donkey milk possesses some unique attributes as reported in the literature (Guo et al., 2007; Aspri et al., 2017; Bhardwaj et al., 2020; Derdak et al., 2020). It is low in fat, and hence it is considered good for cholesterol management. Presently, there is no breeding policy for donkeys in India. Selective breeding of donkeys can help to enhance their milk production potential. Even the mechanism of tolerance of donkey milk has not yet been fully evaluated; it is rational to hypothesize that its reduced allergenic properties can be related to structural differences of its protein component as compared to cow milk. The high lactose content also stimulates intestinal absorption of calcium, which is important for bone mineralization and the development of the nervous system in infants (Schaafsma, 2003). Moreover, high lactose content suggests its use for probiotic purposes (Coppola et al., 2002); as this is a perfect substrate for the accurate development of intestinal lactobacilli. The fat content in donkey milk has been found negligible (Pal et al., 2016; Bhardwaj et al., 2020); and hence, the milk is termed as natural defatted milk. Thus, milk drinks may have an immense future potential for therapeutic applications. Donkey mammary secretions contain human-like leptin at levels closer to human milk (3.35 to 5.32 ng/mL). The bioactive peptides— insulin-like growth factor 1, ghrelin, and triiodothyronine — are also found in frozen donkey milk. These molecules, and many others present in human milk, are increasingly receiving attention for their potential direct role in regulating food intake, metabolism, and infant body condition. Donkey milk is used as natural hypo-allergenic milk, as it is tolerated by about 90% of infants with varied food allergies; breast’ milk protein allergy, a common food allergy in childhood with a prevalence of approximately 3% during the first 3 years of life (Salimei and Fantuz, 2012). Since time immemorial, donkey milk has been known for its unique therapeutic values. It has remedial value as a restorative agent for metabolic diseases. It can be used in the cosmetics industry. It is the most expensive milk in the world. Its value-added products have tremendous potential, in the form of drinks for sports persons because of it being low in fat and cholesterol and high in energy. In India, donkeys are raised by landless and marginal farmers for transportation of goods at short distances (e.g. in brick kilns) and by nomads as pack animals. If donkey owners are made aware of the nutritional and therapeutic properties of milk, equine husbandry can become an excellent source of income for them.
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Compiled by DR. BP SHUKLA,RAIPUR
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