Milk of various animals and its types

Milk is a very popular and one of the most useful products for humans. It is rich in protein, vitamins A and D, and calcium. It is obtained by milking some representatives of farm animals.

Types of milk consumed by humans: goat, cow, buffalo, mare, donkey, camel, sheep, deer, yak, zebu, antelope, rabbit.

Despite the popularity of this product, not all nationalities can consume raw milk. Since it was originally conceived by nature as a product for feeding newborns in any representative of the mammalian class, the ability to digest lactose faded with the return, but in the process of evolution a gene mutation occurred, thanks to which some human races, previously actively engaged in cattle breeding, learned to digest it in adulthood. Other nationalities do not consume milk and dairy products at all, because they suffer from lactose intolerance.

The most popular milking animal is a cow, but in places where breeding ordinary cows is difficult, other animals are used.

The taste and composition of milk depends on the time of year, feed, breed of livestock, as well as the health and mood of the individual. Natural milk happens:

• Fresh milk — that is, still a warm product that has not undergone temperature treatment.
• Whole milk is milk that has been subjected only to thermal effects, while its structure and basic indicators, such as composition and fat content, have not undergone any changes.

In the further comparison of the properties of milk of various animals, it is natural milk that participates.

Comparison of the average chemical composition of human milk and milk of farm animals:

Type of milk	Content, %					Acidity
	Dry substances	Fat	Protein	Lactose	Ash
Human	11,9	3,9	1	6,8	0,4	6
Cow	12,7	3,8	3,5	4,7	0,7	16
Goat	13,7	4,4	3,3	4,9	0,8	15
Sheep	17,9	6,7	5,8	4,6	0,8	25
Mare	10,1	1,0	2,1	6,7	0,3	6
Donkey	10,4	1,6	2,2	6,0	0,5	9
Buffalo	17,8	7,5	4,5	5,0	0,8	20
Camel	13,7	4,5	3,5	5,0	0,7	15
Zebu	16,7	7,7	4,3	3,6	0,8	-
Deer	36,7	22,5	10,3	2,5	1,4	-

Cow's milk is the most common type of milk in the world. The cow has been domesticated by man for a very long time, and since then many breeds have been bred that have certain signs that a person needs: a high level of lactation, a certain amount of fat, protein and other substances in milk, resistance to various diseases, a strong constitution and so on. Natural, freshly milked cow's milk is characterized by high fat content and density, it is very nutritious, while healthy and tasty. However, the shelf life is very short, because under the action of fermented milk bacteria, souring occurs quickly. Its shelf life is no more than a day. 

Goat's milk is close in composition and properties to cow's milk. It has a whitish gray color, a sweet taste and a characteristic smell (if certain conditions of animal husbandry are met, the smell can be avoided). Goat's milk contains more fat, calcium and phosphorus. Goat's milk fat is more dispersed, so goat's milk is easier to digest and is better suited for the preparation of infant formula. In addition, goat's milk is used as a preventive and therapeutic agent for gastrointestinal diseases, it can be used by people with stomach ulcers. It is also used for the preparation of cheese mixed with sheep's milk.

Sheep's milk is much fatter than cow's milk and has a grayish tint. This color, like that of goat's milk, is explained by the lack of carotene, which is processed into vitamin A. It is good to cook cheeses from sheep's milk, because, compared with cow's milk, it contains much more dry substances. Mixed with goat's milk, it is used to make cheese.

Mare's milk is white with a bluish tinge of color, has a sweet, slightly tart taste and smell, more viscous. Compared with cow's milk, it contains less fat, protein, minerals, albumin and globulin predominate in its proteins. Milk is rich in vitamins, especially vitamin C (5-7 times more than in cow's milk). Mare's milk has a bactericidal effect. The fat in mare's milk is more dispersed than in cow's milk, so it is more easily absorbed by the body. In its composition, mare's milk is close to human milk, which is why it is recommended for newborn children. The most popular product of mare's milk processing is koumiss. When fermented, mare's milk does not form a clot, which is a limitation for the manufacture of some types of fermented milk products.

Donkey's milk differs slightly from mare's milk in chemical composition and other indicators. Donkey's milk forms a clot of small flakes when coagulated, has a high biological value and belongs to medicinal foods. It has bactericidal and medicinal properties, because it contains immune globulins, and because of this it is recommended for newborn children. From the milk of a donkey, as well as from mare's milk, koumiss is prepared.

Camel milk is popular in Central Asia, Kazakhstan and other countries where camels are used as working cattle. Camel milk is characterized by a sweetly salty taste, a viscous consistency, and an increased content of phosphoric and calcium salts. Due to the fact that it contains a lot of sodium, it quenches thirst well in warm weather. Camel milk contains a lot of antibacterial substances that allow you to keep the product fresh for a long time, even in hot climates. In a number of countries it is used to treat gastrointestinal diseases, and in Switzerland camel milk is used to make rare and expensive salted chocolate. Camel milk is made from: ayran (a kind of curdled milk), katyk (sour cream), suzbe (cottage cheese), chal (sour whey), shubat (a kind of koumiss), butter and cheese. The butter from this milk has a salty taste and too hard consistency, so to improve its taste, camel milk is mixed with cow's milk.

Reindeer milk or milk of vazhenok (female reindeer) is produced only in the northern regions, and in the north of Russia is almost the only source of protein. At the same time, it is very different from the milk of other farm animals and has a very high calorie content, a tart taste, and the consistency resembles cream of a greenish color. Deer milk has 3 times more protein and 5 times more fat. These parameters are extremely important in a cold climate. In Norway and Finland, cheese is made from reindeer milk, and Tuvinians and Altaians use reindeer milk to drive araka — milk vodka.

Yak milk is an indispensable food for Tibetans and residents of South and Central Asia. It is about twice as fat as cow's. Butter, cheese, fermented milk products, dough are produced from the milk of female yaks, it is also consumed in its natural form and made Chasuimu — a popular Tibetan drink made from yak butter, tea, salt and water. Butter made from yak milk has a texture similar to cheese.

Buffalo milk has a pleasant taste and smell, more viscous than cow's milk, due to the significant fat content and skimmed milk residue (SOMO). It is whiter than cow's milk, because there is practically no carotene in it. Buffalo milk contains more glutamic and aspartic acids, leucine, phosphorus and calcium than cow's milk. This milk is used in its natural form and for the production of fermented milk products: butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, brine cheeses. But it is very difficult to use it in cheesemaking of another kind.

Zebu milk is mainly consumed by the peoples of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Armenia. The composition is close to cow's, but contains more fat and protein, minerals and sugar, and less lactose. In the habitats of zebu, the disease piroplasmosis is quite common, which is transmitted through tick bites. Zebu has developed immunity to the disease, so those who drink milk from these animals also do not suffer from pyroplasmosis. In the steppe zone of Ukraine, zebu is used for hybridization with cattle in order to increase its fat and protein content.

The milk of eland antelopes domesticated in Askania Nova contains three times more fat than cow's milk, as well as a lot of proteins and minerals. In addition, it is characterized by a high content of immunoglobulins and lysozyme, has the strongest bactericidal properties and does not curdle at room temperature for 4-5 days. This is a very valuable dietary product.

Rabbit milk is a product that has appeared on the market quite recently and has taken its place in medicine. Rabbit milk protein helps fight inflammatory processes in the body and prevents rejection of donor organs during transplantation.

Looking at this list, we can see that there are not so many domesticated animals that bring milk, but each of them has its own distinctive feature, and some types of milk are famous for their healing properties. But, if we talk about the healing properties of milk, then only natural things can boast of them: whole and paired. The main thing to remember is that fresh milk can be infected with brucellosis, leukemia or other infectious diseases, which is why its sale without pretreatment is prohibited. Boiling, pasteurization or sterilization allows you to get rid of infections. If you do not want to catch any infection from milk, refuse to purchase milk from your hands at spontaneous markets.