Camel Milk Products: A Promising Sustainable Food Confronts Technological Challenges

Sally Sakr, Reham Algheshairy, Hend Alharbi, Asmahan Ali, Woroud Alsanei, Tahani Alharbi, Safyah Aladel, Faez Albaqami, Raghad Alhomaid, Essam Hamad and Hany Elkashef

Climate change challenges sustainable development, as it affects the availability of cattle feed, water and thermal comfort in the drylands, impacting food security. Thus, transitioning to livestock species other than bovine can enhance food security and help reduce emissions. In this regard, camels are considered one of the promising species that perform better under harsh climatic conditions. Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) are considered one of the most important animals in rural economy in arid zones across the Middle East, East and North Africa, Central Asia and India because they are the main source of milk and meat products. In recent years, various dairy products derived from camel milk have gained popularity in the Gulf and European countries. Moreover, camel milk and its products have been recognized for their beneficial characteristics. They are considered a healthier alternative to bovine milk, especially for diabetics, digestion and gastrointestinal problems and bovine milk protein allergenicity. Consequently, the potential market for camel milk and its products could experience dramatic growth. The importance of camels and their products was reflected by the United Nations’ Declaration of 2024 as the International Year of Camelids (IYC 2024). In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, camel milk products are gaining great attention and this was reflected by the Ministry of Culture’s designation of 2024 as the year of camel. Unfortunately, dairy products made from camel milk still encounter significant technological challenges. The coagulation process of camel milk complicates the production of fermented milk products such as yogurt and cheese with the desired texture and structure. Current technological processes that apply to bovine milk may not yield satisfactory results when applied to camel milk. Based on the above, this review addresses the challenges of processing camel milk for various dairy products and recent endeavors to develop camel milk-based dairy products.

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