Camel milk is the latest dairy trend rising in demand across the world

Camel milk is the newest non-cow option rising in popularity among consumers in the U.S. and Asia — and Australia is answering the rather expensive call.

The land Down Under is in a unique position to fill this request because it is home to the largest herd of wild camels in the world, Good Earth Dairy chief executive officer, Marcel Steingiesser, — a camel milk convert — told Bloomberg.

“We (at Good Earth’s dairy) have the opportunity to make the best camel milk,” Steingiesser said. “Australia has an incredible reputation in food quality safety standards and that’s a great opportunity for all camel dairies in Australia.”

But camel’s milk, when compared to the bovine variety, is far more expensive. A liter imported from the United Arab Emirates costs about $19 while two liters of cow’s milk is just $4.30, on average.

There are only a few camel dairy farms in the United States, like Troyer Family Farm in Michigan, and the animal’s milk has been approved by the FDA for consumption.

It has a number of health benefits, and has been cited by experts as being beneficial for people suffering from Type 1 diabetes and autoimmune diseases.

“Studies have shown that the consumption of camel milk increases the bodies’ production of antioxidant enzymes thereby lowering oxidative stress within the body,” Ohio State University dietitian Lori Chong told Live Science. “Studies have also shown that daily consumption of camel’s milk can improve glycemic control while also lowering the insulin requirement of people with Type 1 diabetes.”

Camel’s milk is also lower in total fat and saturated fat than cow’s milk but about equal in calories and protein. It has more iron and vitamin C, too, and when raised on American farms, camel’s milk is typically GMO, preservative and hormone free.

The rise in popularity of camel’s milk comes at a time when traditional cow’s milk is being shunned for a number of other options — like hemp and nut milks, — and some even more obscure options, like cockroach milk.

The bugs’ milk is secreted in the form of crystals which typically nourishes offspring but can also be beneficial to people, according to the researchers at the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine in India.

“The crystals are like a complete food – they have proteins, fats and sugars,” one of the scientists, Sanchari Banerjee, told the Times of India. If you look into the protein sequences, they have all the essential amino acids.”

The trend is also coinciding with New Zealand’s current Mycoplasma bovis bacteria epidemic among its cow population, resulting in the slaughter of 126,000 animals in an attempt to save the nation’s dairy herd — which is responsible for about 3% of the world’s milk production. The bacteria can cause cows to develop mastitis, pneumonia and arthritis.

“This is a tough call – no one ever wants to see mass culls,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “But the alternative is to risk the spread of the disease across our national herd. We have a real chance of eradication to protect our more than 20,000 dairy and beef farms, but only if we act now.”

Source: NY Daily News

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Camel milk is the latest dairy trend rising in demand across the world

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