Effects of Geographic Region on the Composition of Bactrian Camel Milk in Mongolia

Camel milk is considered as an essential source of nutrition for desert people. However, few studies have investigated how geography affects Bactrian camel milk in Mongolia. In this study, we evaluated the differences in gross composition, fatty acid composition, and amino acid composition among Bac...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jing He, Yuchen Xiao, Khongorzul Orgoldol, Liang Ming, Li Yi, Rimutu Ji
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-11-01
Series:Animals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/11/890
Description
Summary:Camel milk is considered as an essential source of nutrition for desert people. However, few studies have investigated how geography affects Bactrian camel milk in Mongolia. In this study, we evaluated the differences in gross composition, fatty acid composition, and amino acid composition among Bactrian camel milk samples collected from 102 Bactrian camels in five different Mongolian regions. The proportion of long-chain fatty acids, out of total fatty acids, was high in all samples of Bactrian camel milk. The primary fatty acids detected in the samples were palmitic acid (23.99−30.72%), oleic acid (17.21−24.24%), and stearic acid (11.13−16.49%), while the dominant amino acids were leucine, lysine, valine, and aspartic acid. Cysteine was the least common amino acid detected in the Bactrian camel milk samples. Considerable differences in the fatty acid and amino acid compositions were observed among Bactrian camel milk from different regions of Mongolia. The findings suggest that geography strongly affects the composition of camel milk.
ISSN:2076-2615