- Email: [email protected]
Milk Composition of Majaheim Camels1
OUR INDUSTRY TODAY
Milk Composition of MaJahelm Camels1 F. M. ELAMIN and C.
J. WILCOX2
Zoology Department King Saud University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and
Dairy SCience Department University of Florida
Gainesville 32611 ABSTRACT
Indigenous camels in Saudi Arabia can be classified into four major ecotypes: Majaheim, Wadal, Al-Hawara, and Omani. 1) Majaheim are camels of central Arabia, Najdi breed, with some spread eastward. They are large, are blackish-brown in color, and are considered to be the best local variety available; they are very adaptable to harsh environments. 2) Wadal are restricted to the western part of the country, known as Hijaz, and are also found in the mountain range and lowlands of the Asir region. They are small and whitish-red in color; they produce small amounts of milk and are used mainly as beasts of burden. 3) AlHawara are camels of the Northern part of the country. They are yellowish-white in color and have small heads and large abdomens. 4) Omani are light weight and used mainly for riding; at present, they are bred for racing.
To detennine composition, milk samples were obtained at random from camels at two camel rearing areas near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Proximate analyses indicated 3.15% fat, 2.81% protein, 4.16% lactose, 10.95% total solids, .15% acidity, .83% ash, and 88.33% water. Mineral composition was (milligrams per gram) 30.03, Ca; 72.48, K; 43.10, Na; .28, Fe; .18, Pb; and 4.50, Mg. Results should contribute to the overall knowledge of camels as a food source, but much still needs to be learned if efficient improvement programs are to be initiated. (Key words: camel, milk, minerals, composition) INTRODUCTION
The camel population of Saudi Arabia numbers about 607,000 (11), which constitutes slightly less than 4% of the total world population of 15,100,000 (4). Camels are utilized in Saudi Arabia mainly for their meat and milk and much less for transportation. Camel milk is gaining more popularity, and several commercial farms are being formed to supply fresh milk to consumers. However, studies on composition and yield of camel milk in Saudi Arabia are scarce (14). Most camel milk is consumed fresh or when just soured (5); it is difficult to convert camel milk into butter. The present study was undertaken to investigate gross composition and selected minerals of camel milk in Saudi Arabia.
Received June 16, 1991. Accepted Iune 26, 1992. lFlorida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series Number R-OI867.
2Corresponding author. 1992 J Dairy Sci 75:3155-3157
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Milk samples from 81 camels of the Majaheim breed were collected at random during normal milking times at two camel-rearing areas near the city of Riyadh. Milk yields were not recorded. The camels were on a normal diet and at various stages of lactation. Proximate analyses and lactose contents were determined according to AOAC procedures (1). Procedures were gravimetric to determine fat and lactose and Kjeldahl for protein. Mineral concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (Perkin-Elmer Corp., Norwalk, Cn. Hydrochloric acid (20%) was used to dissolve ash. For determination of Ca and Mg, lanthanum solution (1 %) was added to overcome phosphate interference. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 1 presents results of analyses in the present experiment and results of Sawaya et at. (14) and Mukasa-Mugerwa (12). These values
3155
3156
ELAMIN AND WILCOX
TABLE 1. Chemical composition of camel and cow milk.!
Component
Present study
Sawaya et aI. (14)
(%)
X
SE
X
SE
Fat Protein Lactose Total solids Acidity Ash Water
3.15 2.BI 4.16 10.953 .15 .B3 88.33
.322 .06 .10
3.60 2.95 4.40 11.74 3 .13 .79 88.10
.50 .09 .09
.01 .01
.21
.004 .008 .35
MukasaMugerwa Atherton and (12) Newlander (2) 4.33 4.02 4.21 13.36
5.38 2.98 3.26 11.62 3
.79 86.6
.70 87.61
Rodriguez et aI. (13) Holsteins Jerseys 3.394 3.20 5.45 6 12.11 .14
5.1 J5 3.78 5.57 6 14.54 .15
87.89
85.46
IAU studies are for camels except those in the study by Rodriguez et aI. (13). 2Standard deviations are 2.78, fat; .54, protein; .90, lactose; .09, acidity; .09, ash; and 1.89, water. 3Sum of values for fat, protein, lactose, and ash. 4n
~n
= 7998. = 9342.
6Lactose and mineral percentage were combined.
relate to the Majaheim breed. Additional values for camels are given by Atherton and Newlander (2). Fat percentage in this study falls within the range of that of MukasaMugerwa (12) and is lower than that of many cattle breeds (2, 10). Florida Holstein samples averaged 3.39%, for example (13), and are shown in Table 1 along with Florida Jerseys. This difference could reflect species or dietary differences. Generally, estimates of fat percentages of camel milk vary with season (9), stage of lactation (3), and pregnancy (13). Protein contents were similar to those found by Sawaya et al. (14) but somewhat lower than those by Mukasa-Mugerwa (12). However, because camels in the present study were selected over several generations to yield as much milk as possible under harsh desert conditions, percentage estimates of milk constituents might be expected to be low, i.e., a negatively correlated response. In future research and on commercial farms, more attention should perhaps be given to protein content of camel milk. Lactose percentage in this study (4.16%) was lower than that reported by Sawaya et al. (14) and Mukasa-Mugerwa (12) but was similar to that reported by Knoess (8) for camel milk in Ethiopia. Total solids content was lower than that found by others (3) for camels. Acidity in milk mainly reflects temperature of milk after collection, husbandry techniques, and marketing practices. Sawaya et al. (14) Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 75, No. 11, 1992
noted that acidity of camel milk was low compared with that of cows, but Rodriguez et al. (13) reported .14 and .15 for Jerseys and Holsteins. Ash content (Table 1) in this study was reasonably high (3, 7), suggesting that, depending on yields, camel milk could provide a satisfactory level of minerals for consumers. The water content in this study (88.33%) was within the range reported by others (3, 6, 12, 14). In general, variations in minerals of the various studies reflect many genetic and environmental factors. For grazers, mineral contents are more uniform because of selective grazing and browsing of different plants (6, 15). Sawaya et al. (14) provided higher estimates of mineral contents than the present study (Table 2), except for Fe, which was similar, .28 and .26. Estimates by Sawaya et
TABLE 2. Mineral content of camel milk. Sawaya et aI. (14)
Component Present study
(mg/l00 g) Ca K Na Fe Ph Mg
X
SE
X
SE
30.03 72.48 43.10 .28 .18 4.50
B.9 15.9 11.6 .1 .7 .9
106 156
2.0 4.2 1.4 .02
69 .26 12
.2
OUR INDUSTRY TODAY
al. (14) were 353% of the present study for Ca. 215% for K, 160% for Na. and 267% for Mg. Reasons for these major discrepancies are unknown. CONCLUSIONS
Overall, information is lacking on milk composition of camels. When camels are kept under normal farm conditions, several changes in milk composition would be expected. Study and diagnosis of those changes is of paramount importance before extensive improvement methods are attempted. Although the bovine species is expected to be the major source of milk nutrients for people of Saudi Arabia. an increasing supply of camel milk for human consumption warrants study of camel milk composition and quality. Extensive studies are needed in which standard genetic and environmental parameters can be estimated. REFERENCES 1 Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 1980. Official Methods of Analysis. 13th ed. AOAC, Washington, DC. 2 Atherton, H. V., and J. A. Newlander. 1977. Chemistry and Testing of Dairy Products. 4th ed. AVI Pub!. Co. Inc., Westport, CT. 3 El Amin, F. M. 1979. The dromedary camel of Sudan. Page 35 in Proc. Workshop on Camels. Int. Found. Sci., Stockholm, Sweden.
3157
4 Farah, Z., and M. Ruegg. 1991. The creaming properties and size distribution of fat globules in camel milk. J. Dairy Sci. 74:2901. 5 Food and Agricultural Organization. 1978. Production Year Book: Food and Agriculture Organization. Food Agric. Org., Rome, Italy. 6 Ghosal, A. K., T. C. Appana, and P. K. Dwaraknath. 1973. A note on studies on the seasonal variations in serum electrolytes in Indian camels (Camelus dromedarius). Indian J. Anim. Sci. 43:558. 7 Institute for Tropical Veterinary Medicine. 1973. Camel milk. Infonnation sheet No. 21. Inst. Trop. Vet. Med., Giessen, Germany. 8 Knoess, K. H. 1977. The camel as a meat and milk animal. World Anim. Rev. 22:39. 9 Knoess, K. H., A. J. Makhudum, Q. M. Roti, and M. Hafex. 1986. Milk production potential of the dromedary with reference to the province of Punjab, Pakistan. World Anim. Rev. 57:11. 10 Milk Marketing Board. 1986. Better Breeding. Milk Marketing Board AI Org., Surrey, Eng!. 11 Ministry of Agriculture. 1985. Ann. Rep. Agric. Saudi Arabia. Min. Agric., Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 12 Mukasa-Mugerwa, E. 1981. The Camel (Camelus dromedarius). A Bibliographical Review. lnt. Livest. Ctr. Africa Monogr. No.5. lnt. Livest. Ctr. Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 13 Rodriguez, L. A., G. Mekonnen, C. J. Wilcox, F. G. Martin, and W. A. Krienke. 1985. Effects of relative humidity, maximum and minimum temperature, pregnancy, and stage of lactation on milk composition and yield. J. Dairy Sci. 68:973. 14 Sawaya, W. N., A. Khalil, A. Al-Shalhat, and H. AIMohammad. 1984. Chemical composition and nutritional quality of camel milk. J. Food Sci. 49:744. 15 Tartour, G. 1975. Copper status in livestock, pasture and soil in Western Sudan. Trop. Anim. Health Prod. 7:87.
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 75, No. 11, 1992
Milk Composition of MaJahelm Camels1 F. M. ELAMIN and C.
J. WILCOX2
Zoology Department King Saud University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and
Dairy SCience Department University of Florida
Gainesville 32611 ABSTRACT
Indigenous camels in Saudi Arabia can be classified into four major ecotypes: Majaheim, Wadal, Al-Hawara, and Omani. 1) Majaheim are camels of central Arabia, Najdi breed, with some spread eastward. They are large, are blackish-brown in color, and are considered to be the best local variety available; they are very adaptable to harsh environments. 2) Wadal are restricted to the western part of the country, known as Hijaz, and are also found in the mountain range and lowlands of the Asir region. They are small and whitish-red in color; they produce small amounts of milk and are used mainly as beasts of burden. 3) AlHawara are camels of the Northern part of the country. They are yellowish-white in color and have small heads and large abdomens. 4) Omani are light weight and used mainly for riding; at present, they are bred for racing.
To detennine composition, milk samples were obtained at random from camels at two camel rearing areas near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Proximate analyses indicated 3.15% fat, 2.81% protein, 4.16% lactose, 10.95% total solids, .15% acidity, .83% ash, and 88.33% water. Mineral composition was (milligrams per gram) 30.03, Ca; 72.48, K; 43.10, Na; .28, Fe; .18, Pb; and 4.50, Mg. Results should contribute to the overall knowledge of camels as a food source, but much still needs to be learned if efficient improvement programs are to be initiated. (Key words: camel, milk, minerals, composition) INTRODUCTION
The camel population of Saudi Arabia numbers about 607,000 (11), which constitutes slightly less than 4% of the total world population of 15,100,000 (4). Camels are utilized in Saudi Arabia mainly for their meat and milk and much less for transportation. Camel milk is gaining more popularity, and several commercial farms are being formed to supply fresh milk to consumers. However, studies on composition and yield of camel milk in Saudi Arabia are scarce (14). Most camel milk is consumed fresh or when just soured (5); it is difficult to convert camel milk into butter. The present study was undertaken to investigate gross composition and selected minerals of camel milk in Saudi Arabia.
Received June 16, 1991. Accepted Iune 26, 1992. lFlorida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series Number R-OI867.
2Corresponding author. 1992 J Dairy Sci 75:3155-3157
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Milk samples from 81 camels of the Majaheim breed were collected at random during normal milking times at two camel-rearing areas near the city of Riyadh. Milk yields were not recorded. The camels were on a normal diet and at various stages of lactation. Proximate analyses and lactose contents were determined according to AOAC procedures (1). Procedures were gravimetric to determine fat and lactose and Kjeldahl for protein. Mineral concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (Perkin-Elmer Corp., Norwalk, Cn. Hydrochloric acid (20%) was used to dissolve ash. For determination of Ca and Mg, lanthanum solution (1 %) was added to overcome phosphate interference. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 1 presents results of analyses in the present experiment and results of Sawaya et at. (14) and Mukasa-Mugerwa (12). These values
3155
3156
ELAMIN AND WILCOX
TABLE 1. Chemical composition of camel and cow milk.!
Component
Present study
Sawaya et aI. (14)
(%)
X
SE
X
SE
Fat Protein Lactose Total solids Acidity Ash Water
3.15 2.BI 4.16 10.953 .15 .B3 88.33
.322 .06 .10
3.60 2.95 4.40 11.74 3 .13 .79 88.10
.50 .09 .09
.01 .01
.21
.004 .008 .35
MukasaMugerwa Atherton and (12) Newlander (2) 4.33 4.02 4.21 13.36
5.38 2.98 3.26 11.62 3
.79 86.6
.70 87.61
Rodriguez et aI. (13) Holsteins Jerseys 3.394 3.20 5.45 6 12.11 .14
5.1 J5 3.78 5.57 6 14.54 .15
87.89
85.46
IAU studies are for camels except those in the study by Rodriguez et aI. (13). 2Standard deviations are 2.78, fat; .54, protein; .90, lactose; .09, acidity; .09, ash; and 1.89, water. 3Sum of values for fat, protein, lactose, and ash. 4n
~n
= 7998. = 9342.
6Lactose and mineral percentage were combined.
relate to the Majaheim breed. Additional values for camels are given by Atherton and Newlander (2). Fat percentage in this study falls within the range of that of MukasaMugerwa (12) and is lower than that of many cattle breeds (2, 10). Florida Holstein samples averaged 3.39%, for example (13), and are shown in Table 1 along with Florida Jerseys. This difference could reflect species or dietary differences. Generally, estimates of fat percentages of camel milk vary with season (9), stage of lactation (3), and pregnancy (13). Protein contents were similar to those found by Sawaya et al. (14) but somewhat lower than those by Mukasa-Mugerwa (12). However, because camels in the present study were selected over several generations to yield as much milk as possible under harsh desert conditions, percentage estimates of milk constituents might be expected to be low, i.e., a negatively correlated response. In future research and on commercial farms, more attention should perhaps be given to protein content of camel milk. Lactose percentage in this study (4.16%) was lower than that reported by Sawaya et al. (14) and Mukasa-Mugerwa (12) but was similar to that reported by Knoess (8) for camel milk in Ethiopia. Total solids content was lower than that found by others (3) for camels. Acidity in milk mainly reflects temperature of milk after collection, husbandry techniques, and marketing practices. Sawaya et al. (14) Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 75, No. 11, 1992
noted that acidity of camel milk was low compared with that of cows, but Rodriguez et al. (13) reported .14 and .15 for Jerseys and Holsteins. Ash content (Table 1) in this study was reasonably high (3, 7), suggesting that, depending on yields, camel milk could provide a satisfactory level of minerals for consumers. The water content in this study (88.33%) was within the range reported by others (3, 6, 12, 14). In general, variations in minerals of the various studies reflect many genetic and environmental factors. For grazers, mineral contents are more uniform because of selective grazing and browsing of different plants (6, 15). Sawaya et al. (14) provided higher estimates of mineral contents than the present study (Table 2), except for Fe, which was similar, .28 and .26. Estimates by Sawaya et
TABLE 2. Mineral content of camel milk. Sawaya et aI. (14)
Component Present study
(mg/l00 g) Ca K Na Fe Ph Mg
X
SE
X
SE
30.03 72.48 43.10 .28 .18 4.50
B.9 15.9 11.6 .1 .7 .9
106 156
2.0 4.2 1.4 .02
69 .26 12
.2
OUR INDUSTRY TODAY
al. (14) were 353% of the present study for Ca. 215% for K, 160% for Na. and 267% for Mg. Reasons for these major discrepancies are unknown. CONCLUSIONS
Overall, information is lacking on milk composition of camels. When camels are kept under normal farm conditions, several changes in milk composition would be expected. Study and diagnosis of those changes is of paramount importance before extensive improvement methods are attempted. Although the bovine species is expected to be the major source of milk nutrients for people of Saudi Arabia. an increasing supply of camel milk for human consumption warrants study of camel milk composition and quality. Extensive studies are needed in which standard genetic and environmental parameters can be estimated. REFERENCES 1 Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 1980. Official Methods of Analysis. 13th ed. AOAC, Washington, DC. 2 Atherton, H. V., and J. A. Newlander. 1977. Chemistry and Testing of Dairy Products. 4th ed. AVI Pub!. Co. Inc., Westport, CT. 3 El Amin, F. M. 1979. The dromedary camel of Sudan. Page 35 in Proc. Workshop on Camels. Int. Found. Sci., Stockholm, Sweden.
3157
4 Farah, Z., and M. Ruegg. 1991. The creaming properties and size distribution of fat globules in camel milk. J. Dairy Sci. 74:2901. 5 Food and Agricultural Organization. 1978. Production Year Book: Food and Agriculture Organization. Food Agric. Org., Rome, Italy. 6 Ghosal, A. K., T. C. Appana, and P. K. Dwaraknath. 1973. A note on studies on the seasonal variations in serum electrolytes in Indian camels (Camelus dromedarius). Indian J. Anim. Sci. 43:558. 7 Institute for Tropical Veterinary Medicine. 1973. Camel milk. Infonnation sheet No. 21. Inst. Trop. Vet. Med., Giessen, Germany. 8 Knoess, K. H. 1977. The camel as a meat and milk animal. World Anim. Rev. 22:39. 9 Knoess, K. H., A. J. Makhudum, Q. M. Roti, and M. Hafex. 1986. Milk production potential of the dromedary with reference to the province of Punjab, Pakistan. World Anim. Rev. 57:11. 10 Milk Marketing Board. 1986. Better Breeding. Milk Marketing Board AI Org., Surrey, Eng!. 11 Ministry of Agriculture. 1985. Ann. Rep. Agric. Saudi Arabia. Min. Agric., Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 12 Mukasa-Mugerwa, E. 1981. The Camel (Camelus dromedarius). A Bibliographical Review. lnt. Livest. Ctr. Africa Monogr. No.5. lnt. Livest. Ctr. Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 13 Rodriguez, L. A., G. Mekonnen, C. J. Wilcox, F. G. Martin, and W. A. Krienke. 1985. Effects of relative humidity, maximum and minimum temperature, pregnancy, and stage of lactation on milk composition and yield. J. Dairy Sci. 68:973. 14 Sawaya, W. N., A. Khalil, A. Al-Shalhat, and H. AIMohammad. 1984. Chemical composition and nutritional quality of camel milk. J. Food Sci. 49:744. 15 Tartour, G. 1975. Copper status in livestock, pasture and soil in Western Sudan. Trop. Anim. Health Prod. 7:87.
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 75, No. 11, 1992