Who knew :-) Donkey milk

[Guest guest]

Does this statement make any sense?

" The rest goes into donkey milk, which is drunk without the need for

pasteurisation. There's no need, " said Mr. Denys. " Unlike cow's milk, donkey

milk does not contain any bacteria. "

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Donkey milk has been hailed as the secret of long life by a family in Ecuador,

but is there any science behind claims for milk that is supposedly the closest

thing to human milk?

The longevity of the world's oldest woman, Esther de Capovilla from

Ecuador, was put firmly in the hands of the nutritional wonders of donkey's

milk. Mrs. de Capovilla passed away earlier this week at the ripe old age of

116.

Olivier Denys from Belgium's only donkey milk farm, the Asinerie du Pays des

Collines at the Château des Mottes, told NutraIngredients.com that he was

surprised by the admission.

" We know that donkey milk is very good for your health, for the digestion and

intestine, but we hadn't heard that it extended lifetimes, " he said.

Mr. Denys and his partner Marie Tack operate Europe's most productive donkey

dairy, yielding between 2,000 and 3,000 litres of milk every year. Half of this

production goes into the popular cosmetics range, offering customers donkey milk

soaps, crème de bains, beauty cream, and face masks.

The rest goes into donkey milk, which is drunk without the need for

pasteurisation.

" There's no need, " said Mr. Denys. " Unlike cow's milk, donkey milk does not

contain any bacteria. "

Mr. Denys described the milk as whiter and lighter than cow's milk, with a lower

fat content. Indeed, according to Fundamentals of Dairy Chemistry (B. Webb, A.

, J. Alford, AVI Publishing, 1974) donkey milk only contains 0.6 grams of

fat per 100 grams of fresh milk, considerably less than the 3.7 grams found in

cow's milk.

But it's the protein content that makes it different from cow's milk, said Mr.

Denys.

A study by betta Salimei from the Università degli Studi del Molise, Italy

in the journal Animal Research (2004, Vol. 53, pp. 67-78) reported that the

average protein content of the milk is 1.72 g per 100 g of milk, and was

characterised by low casein and whey protein contents.

" Donkey's milk is the closest milk to human milk, " said Denys.

And that has implications for a lot of people, particularly newborns, since

there is said to be no threat of allergy, unlike cow's milk allergy that affects

up to 4 per cent of all infants, with 90 per cent usually having grown out of

the allergy by the age of three.

The milk also has 60 times the vitamin C content as cow's milk, he said, as well

as containing vitamins A, D and E, and is a rich source of calcium and

phosphorous, making it quite the nutritional gold mine.

And the milk contains immunoglobulins, proteins that function as antibodies and

boost the immune system. This makes the milk very attractive to people with

subdued immune function, like cancer patients undertaking chemotherapy, said Mr.

Denys.

Amazingly, and perhaps irresponsibly, the Indian Journal of Medical Sciences

(Vol. 53, Issue 11, p. 510) ran a news article in November 1999 entitled, " AIDS

cure from donkey's milk? 'Immuno-stimulants in milk could provide cure for

cancer, TB also' "

The lack of supporting science in the literature suggests that these claims were

wishful thinking, and it seems unlikely that many self-respecting scientists

would support such statements, but the statements from Esther de

Capovilla's family have seen interest in donkey's milk increase, said Denys.

The news also adds to a growing interest in other milk sources, with reports

increasing for the possibilities of milk from animals ranging from sheep to

camels.

Any potential success for donkey's milk appears to lie in the health and

nutritional markets however, and the Asinerie du Pays des Collines does market

its milk as a 'cure' of 28 bottles of 20 ml, one of each to be drunk each day to

help boost the system. Sales are limited to a specific catchment area ranging

from Amsterdam to Paris, due to the milk being frozen after milking. A monthly

'cure' sells for ?55 (£37).

Another limitation is the quantity of milk produced. A donkey gives about two

litres of milk per day, over three milkings, while a cow can churn out 40 litres

in a single milking.

And despite having 84 donkeys in his drove, Mr. Denys revealed that only about

15 jennies are ever on active milk duty.

" It's niche, " he said. " But our production goes up every year, and the market is

expanding. "

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