Recently, a 42-year-old man quit his IT job at a software company to start a donkey farm in a village in the Dakshina Kannada district. The man worked at the software company until 2022 before deciding to quit and start “a unique first donkey breeding and training centre in India and Karnataka”.
Donkey milk has a long history in medicine and cosmetics. Hippocrates is said to have used it to treat arthritis, coughs, and wounds. Cleopatra is said to have kept her skin soft and smooth by bathing in donkey’s milk. Do you know the cost of donkey milk? One litre of donkey milk costs around Rs.13,000.
It has antimicrobial properties and is used in folk medicine to treat infections, including cough and viruses in parts of Africa and India. Compared to milk from other dairy animals such as cows, goats, sheep, buffalo, and camels, donkey milk is most similar to human breast milk. It was first used to feed orphaned babies in the 19th century.
It contains both vitamins and minerals as well as protein and contains less fat. Most calories in donkey milk come from carbohydrates in the form of lactose. Most of the protein in milk comes from casein and whey.
Casein is the protein that most people allergic to cow’s milk react to. Donkey milk is similar to human breast milk as it contains less casein and more whey.
The whey protein in donkey milk is notable for its antimicrobial properties. It contains compounds that can inhibit the growth of viruses and bacteria.
