Raghvendar Singh

Camel milk: alternative milk for human consumption and its health benefits

Purpose – Camel as a livestock plays an important role in desert ecosystem and its milk has potential contribution in human nutrition in the hot and arid regions of the world. This milk contains all the essential nutrients as found in other milk. Fresh and fermented camel milk has been used in different regions in the world including India, Russia and Sudan for human consumption as well as for treatment of a series of diseases such as dropsy, jaundice, tuberculosis, asthma and leishmaniasis or kala-azar. The present paper aims to explore the possibility of camel milk as an alternative milk for human consumption. Design/methodology/approach – Recently, camel milk and its components were also reported to have other potential therapeutic properties, such as anti-carcinogenic, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive and renoprotective potential; and for autism, and has been recommended to be consumed by children who are allergic to bovine milk. Findings – It has also been reported to alleviate oxidative stress and l...

Enzymatic hydrolysis of camel milk proteins and its antioxidant properties

Camel milk proteins were hydrolysed with alcalase, α-chymotrypsin and papain and hydrolysates were assessed for antioxidant activity. Non-fat camel milk (NFCM) powder was reconstituted (5% TS) in phosphate buffer and enzymes were added at a ratio of 1:100 (enzyme: substrate). Hydrolysis was carried out at 55oC for Alcalase and Papain, and 37oC for α-Chymotrypsin for 6 hours and samples were drawn at 2h interval. The hydrolysates were analysed for change in pH, degree of hydrolysis (DH) and antioxidant activities viz. 2, 2′ azino bis (3 ethylbenzthiazoline 6 sulphonic acid) (ABTS), 2,2′ diphenyl 1 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP). With the progress of hydrolysis time, pH of the hydrolysates were decreased and higher rate was observed for alcalase. The DH increased significantly (p<0.05) upto 6 h on hydrolysis with alcalase and papain, whereas upto 4h for chymotrypsin. In SDS-PAGE, the disappearance of major protein bands in hydrolysates samples confirm hydrolysis and production of low molecular weight peptides. The antioxidant activity was assessed by ABTS, DPPH and FRAP assay, increased significantly (p<0.05) with the increase in hydrolysis time and DH. The hydrolysis carried by chymotrypsin exhibited higher antioxidant activity as compared to alcalase and papain. The results suggested that camel milk proteins could be used as natural source of protein to produce hydrolysates with antioxidant activities and can be used for human consumption and as ingredient in nutraceutical and pharmaceuticals and also in health oriented food products.

Quality attributes of chevon patties incorporated with camel milk protein hydrolysates

Purpose n n n n nThe purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of camel milk protein hydrolysates (CMPHs) on physico-chemical, sensory, colour profile and textural quality attributes of chevon patties. n n n n nDesign/methodology/approach n n n n nCamel milk proteins were hydrolyzed with three different proteolytic enzymes, viz., alcalase (CMPH-A), α-chymotrypsin (CMPH-C) and papain (CMPH-P), and dried to powder form before further utilization. Four treatments were prepared with incorporation of CMPH, viz., CMPH 0 per cent (C), CMPH-A 0.09 per cent (T1), CMPH-C 0.06 per cent (T2) and CMPH-P 0.09 per cent (T3), in the product formulation. The developed goat meat patties were evaluated for physico-chemical (pH; emulsion stability, ES; cooking yield, CY; water activity, aw), instrumental colour and texture profile and sensory attributes. n n n n nFindings n n n n nThe pH, moisture, fat and ES values of goat meat emulsions were comparable amongst treatments as well as with the control; however, treated emulsions had higher ES and moisture content. The pH and moisture per cent of cooked chevon patties varied significantly, whereas other physico-chemical (CY, aw, per cent protein, per cent fat, per cent ash and per cent dietary fibre) as well as dimensional parameters (per cent gain in height and decrease in diameter) were comparable amongst treatments and the control. Hardness, springiness, stringiness, cohesiveness, gumminess and resilience of chevon patties decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with the incorporation of CMPH than that of the control; however, the values were comparable among all the treated products. Protein hydrolysate in chevon patties resulted in significant increase in redness (a*) values, whereas all other parameters (L*, b* and hue) decreased significantly as compared to that of the control. The colour and appearance, texture, juiciness overall acceptability scores were comparable in all the treated products and were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the control. The flavour scores of C, T1 and T3 were comparable but significantly lower than that of T2. The overall acceptability scores of T1 and T2 were also comparable and significantly higher than C and T3; however, the highest score was recorded for T2. n n n n nPractical implications n n n n nResults concluded that chevon patties with acceptable sensory attributes and improved CY and textural attributes can be successfully developed with the incorporation of CMPH. n n n n nOriginality/value n n n n nThe protein hydrolysates of different food proteins could be explored in a same pattern to find out their implication in food matrices.

Camel Milk: An Important Natural Adjuvant

One humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) breeds, indigenous to India, have been shown to have good genetic potential to produce milk. Camel milk not only is cost-effective in terms of feed conversion but also has additional advantage of longer lactation period and unique adaptation mechanisms for warm arid and semiarid regions. The key features of camel milk in comparison with other milk are low fat with high content of unsaturated and long-chain fatty acid. The proteins are rich in lactoferrin and lysozymes, but deficient in β-lactoglobulin. It has higher percentage of total salts, free calcium, protective proteins and vitamin C, and some of the microminerals, viz iron, copper and zinc. Physicochemical properties of camel milk are also unique and useful for food processing. The shelf life of raw camel milk is 8–9xa0h, which can be extended up to 18–20xa0h through activation of camel lactoperoxidase system. Heat stability of camel milk is shown to be highest at pH 6.8, and it ferments relatively slowly compared to the cattle milk. The camel milk is successfully processed for producing a variety of products, such as fermented milk (‘lassi’), soft cheese, flavored milk and ‘kulfee’ (a kind of ice cream). Camel milk has been traditionally used in different regions of the world as natural adjuvant for managing a variety of human diseases.