Chemistry of camel milk proteins: Chemistry, processing effect, techno-functional & nutritional properties

Camel is considered as a goal animal of the 21st century because it produces high quality milk under extreme temperature, deficiency of pasture and dearth of water. It is commonly consumed globally because of its salty taste, high vitamin C concentration and its medicinal properties mostly. Camel milk and its product; meat and urine considered to be superfood due to their therapeutical value and useful against different diseases such as diabetes, jaundice, anemia, malaria, dropsy, flatulence, tuberculosis, HIV, cirrhosis of the liver, cancer, rickets, arthritis besides it can detoxify snake venom. Camel milk is being used as an alternative to bovine milk for infants and young children in developing countries due to its unique composition, functional and therapeutic properties and similarities with human milk. Camel milk contains many protective proteins that have therapeutic properties like anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, ACE inhibitory, antioxidative, antibacterial properties and less allergenic due to absence of β-lactoglobulin. Different Processes such as pasteurization, homogenization, sterilization, and non- thermal processing all affects the protein structure and functionality. Due to variation in composition of camel milk especially in protein faces difficulties during processing and product manufacturing. The average casein and whey protein content in camel milk varies between 2.3 to 1.9% and 0.7 to 1.0% respectively. Camel milk protein contain higher amount of hydrolysed protein (β-casein) and lack of β-lacto-globulin. Camel milk is also being extensively studied for its techno-functional properties like foaming, gelling and emulsification. Camel milk has better foaming and emulsification properties and less gelling properties than bovine milk.