Camel milk has been put forward as an alternative to cow’s milk, so it’s only a matter of time before someone puts it in their coffee.
I am not a coffee drinker.
But living in Melbourne means I am obliged to state that we have the best coffee in Australia – if not the world – and argue against anyone who says otherwise (I’m looking at you, Iga Swiatek).
And not drinking coffee doesn’t mean I have completely escaped the discussion around evolving milk tastes and options (and no, this is not an invitation to debate whether milk even has a place in coffee).
Things have come a long way since the low fat, no fat, full cream, high calcium, high protein, soy, light, skim, omega-3, high calcium with vitamin D and folate, or extra dollop days.
These days there are more milk options than you can poke a stick at, including oat, almond … and camel?
You heard me.
Your Back Page scribbler had his own Dr Ian Malcolm moment recently when I came across new research out of Edith Cowan University suggesting that camel milk could be used as an alternative to dairy.
The research, published in Food Chemistry, shows that camel milk does not contain the major milk allergen beta-lactoglobulin – meaning dairy fans who can’t stomach that particular protein can enjoy a cool glass of camel juice with their cookies without experiencing any gastrointestinal distress.
“This is a good thing,” the study’s lead author Manujaya Jayamanna Mohottige, a PhD student at ECU, told media.
“We now know that camel milk has the potential to be hypoallergenic compared to cow’s milk, but also that it has higher potential to yield bioactive peptides which can have antimicrobial properties and anti-hypertensive properties.
“These bioactive peptides can selectively inhibit certain pathogens [to] create a healthy gut environment … [there’s also] the potential to decrease the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in future.”
For anyone wanting a more detailed nutritional breakdown, when compared to cow’s milk camel milk typically has a higher water concentration (87-90% versus 85-87%), more protein (2.2-4.9% versus 2.9-3.5%) and less fat (1.2-4.5% versus 3.8-5.5%) and lactose (3.5-4.5% versus 4.6%).
There are a number of operational camel dairies in Australia, such as the Good Earth Dairy in Western Australia, but it could take a while before your local café offers this option – and even then, it may be in short supply.
Roughly 80% of the world’s milk production comes from cows, with the remaining 20% coming from (in descending order) buffaloes, goats, sheep and then camels. Estimates suggest approximately 0.4% of current global milk production is provided by camels. And unlike dairy cows, which can produce over 25L of milk per day, camels usually produce about 5L a day.
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