Comparison of Ethanol Stability and Chemical Composition of Camel Milk from Five Samples

Animals (Basel). 2022 Mar 1;12(5):615. doi: 10.3390/ani12050615.

Abstract

This research was carried out to study the variation in ethanol stability and chemical composition of five camel milk samples, including two pasteurized samples (Alwatania and Darir alabaker) and three raw samples (Majaheim, Wadah, and Hamra). Ethanol stability was analyzed by dispersing camel milk samples with 0 to 100% ethanol (v/v). The findings indicate that camel milk samples precipitated after adding an equal volume of ethanol at concentrations between 50% and 64% ethanol, depending on the milk sample. The addition of sodium chloride at different concentrations (1−10%) to camel milk resulted in a significant increase in ethanol stability, and samples from Majaheim and Alwatania exhibited the highest ethanol stability values (88%). In contrast, the addition of EDTA to camel milk for pH ranging between 5.9 and 7.1 has increased ethanol stability with a sigmoidal shape in camel milk. The largest ethanol stability differences were observed in a camel milk sample from Alwatania. Thus, the level of Ca2+ in camel milk may contribute to ethanol stability by shifting the entire profile to higher ethanol stability values. The chemical composition of different camel samples was also determined. The lactose content of camel milk varied significantly (p < 0.05) across samples, ranging from 4.37% in Majaheim camel milk to 4.87% in Alwatania camel milk. The total solids of camel milk varied significantly between raw and pasteurized samples, ranging between 10.17% and 12.10%. Furthermore, protein concentration in camel milk obtained from different camel samples varied, from 2.43% to 3.23% for Hamra and Alwatania, respectively. In conclusion, ethanol stability in camel milk was dependent on the camel breed, pH level, ionic strength, and EDTA addition.

Keywords: camel milk; chemical composition; ethanol stability; milk proteins.

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