Milk-and-Dairy-Products-in-Human-Nutrition-FAO

Chapter 3 – Milk and dairy product composition 89
Other milks
No milk products have been reported from llama, alpaca, mithun or moose milks.
3.4 Key messages
Cow milk is energy-dense and provides high-quality protein. It can make a significant
contribution to meeting the required nutrient intakes of calcium, magnesium,
selenium, riboflavin, vitamin B 12 and pantothenic acid. However, cow milk does
not contain sufficient iron and folate to meet requirements, and animal milks are
not recommended for infants younger than 12 months. The total fat in cow milk
generally ranges between 3 and 4 g/100 g, with SFAs comprising 65–75 g/100 g of
total FA. Values for trans-FA lower than 10 g/100 g total FA are reported, varying
with feed.
Milks from other dairy species are also generally a source of protein and are either
high in or a source of calcium. Sheep, mare and donkey milks can be considered
sources of vitamin C. Sheep, goat, buffalo and Bactrian camel milks are high in or a
source of riboflavin. Buffalo milk is high in vitamin B 6 , while buffalo, Bactrian camel
and goat milks can be sources of vitamin A. Bactrian camel milk is high in vitamin D.
There are large interspecies differences in nutrient composition: species averages
for total fat range from 0.7 to 16.1 g/100 g, protein ranges from 1.6 to 10.5 g/100 g
and lactose ranges from 2.6 to 6.6 g/100 g. The two extremities are cervid (e.g. reindeer
and moose) milks (high in protein and fat, low in lactose) and equine milks (low
in protein and fat, high in lactose).
Milk FA composition also varies with species. While most milks contain large
amounts of SFA (>65 g/100 g total FA), horse, donkey and Bactrian camel milks
have been reported to contain less (40–55 g/100 g total FA). The individual SFA
pattern also varies with species, e.g. goat and sheep milks are rich in short- and
medium-chain FAs of 4–10 carbon atoms. Equine milks have a higher polyunsaturated
FA content than other milks (more than 20 g/100 g total FA in equine milks
compared with about 6 g/100 g total FA in cow milk).
There are also interspecies variations in milk proteins. The casein:whey-protein
ratio in most milks is approximately 80:20, although equine milks resemble human
milk in their relatively low content of caseins (40–45 percent). The individual
proteins also vary, making camel milks and equine milks possibly more suitable for
people who are allergic to cow milk.
Heat treatment is associated with changes in nutrients. Losses in vitamin C,
folate, thiamine, pyridoxine and vitamin B 12 occur, the percentage loss generally
depending on severity of heat treatment, in the order sterilization > UHT treatment
> pasteurization.
In fermented milks the lactose content is lower, and both lactose and milk proteins
are more easily digestible than in the original milk. The folate content in yoghurt,
dahi and fermented milks can sometimes be higher than in the original milk.
During traditional cheese-making, the milk whey, which contains whey proteins,
water-soluble vitamins and much of the lactose, is removed, while the curd contains
casein, fat and salts. Progressive breakdown of casein during ripening may increase
the digestibility of cheese, and beneficial bioactive peptides and free amino acids
may be formed during fermentation and ripening processes. Mineral contents vary
with cheese type.