Milking the benefit from camels

By JOE OMBUOR

Milk is not uniform. It is diverse in its density, nutritional content and vital ingredients, depending on source. Cow’s milk, for instance, differs immensely from human, elephant, goat or Soya milk.

As food for the human baby, breast milk has no equivalent substitute. It is also known to have medicinal and healing ingredients, hence its use to heal wounds including applying it to the umbilicus of newborn babies in some traditional societies. Cow or goat milk has none of these qualities.

But camel milk comes close in its nutritional value, say experts. It beats formula milk as substitute for the baby. Says Miss Kate Kibarah, a clinical nutritionist and colon hydro therapist: "True, it is closest to human milk in composition. Like human breast milk, camel milk is thin and high in water content (86-87 per cent). While fat contents are nearly the same (4,2 per cent in human milk and about five per cent in camel milk, both have fatty acids not found in cow milk. Protein content is slightly higher in camel milk at 3.5 per cent to1.1 per cent in human milk. Camel milk protein is easily digestible and contains antibodies compatible with human ones. The antibodies help fight serious diseases such as cancer and hepatitis B.

Nervous system

"Camel milk is three times higher than cow milk in vitamin C that helps build body immunity and 10 times higher in iron, a key component of blood. Though low in vitamin A, it is high in vitamin B important for the normal functioning of the brain and the nervous system. It is rich in potassium, magnesium and sodium that are good for intracellular and extra cellular fluids. Its high concentration of insulin inhibits diabetes in children and adults.

Miss Kibarah says research has proved that camel milk is low in cholesterol and therefore friendly to the cardiovascular system incorporating the heart and the blood vessels. Its therapeutic qualities are galore. "Camel milk has been therapeutically used in India with considerable success against jaundice, problems of the spleen, tuberculosis asthma, hepatitis and anaemia. Individuals suffering from HIV/Aids are also advised to take camel milk," she says.

Heart disease

Research also have it that regular intake of camel milk helps control blood sugar levels, controls ulcers and helps reduce the possibility of developing coronary disease.

An animal nutritionist at Egerton University, Njoro, Dr Abdi Yakub Guliya says studies have shown that consumption of camel milk can reduce insulin dosage by more than half for diabetics while allergy associated with acute asthmatic cases in children reduce drastically with intake camel milk.

He says the milk serves as a mild laxative in its fresh form to clean the colon and has been known to reduce blood pressure. "Its anti-microbial properties that delay the growth of micro organisms give camel milk a longer shelf life (seven to eight) hours more than cow milk, rendering it ideal for marketing," he says.

For those who travel to Northern Kenya where camels abound, it is not uncommon to see folks taking contaminated water, some from turbid puddles by the roadside after rains without developing diarrhoea or worse waterborne afflictions.

Now camel rearing has spread beyond its traditional Somali, Rendile, Gabbra and Turkana community areas in Wajir, Mandera, Isiolo and Turkana counties to Samburu, Narok, Kajiado and Laikipia counties where the Maasai are changing to camel because of its drought resistant traits, after losing most of their cattle, goat and sheepherds to persistent droughts that has played havoc on once predictable weather patterns.

Drought resistant

A fast growing camel population that previously stood at 1.2 million (2007) has surpassed the two million mark, prompting the Ewaso Ng’iro North Development Authority under whose area most camel are reared to come up with a plan to build a camel dairy plant in Isiolo to process the milk.

A consultant with Global trade Marketplace, an industrial and engineering solution provider in the dairy processing sub sector Mr Boniface Mwalimu says only 12 per cent of camel milk is marketed, the bulk of which is sold in raw form to rural consumers. Only two per cent reaches urban consumers. "Of the 88 per cent that does not reach the market, 38 per cent is directly used by camel keeping households and the remaining 50 per cent goes to waste," he rues.