The Rediscovery of Donkey's Milk as Healthy Food for Different Life Stages

Abstract

Donkey milk has been traditionally used by humans since ancient times. Nowadays, it is being increasingly studied and the number of papers published on main academic databases (Scopus; ISI; Web of Knowledge) more than tripled in the last ten years; about one-third of these articles come from Europe. The interest for this milk is associated with an increase in the number of dairy farms and an increase in consistency of some donkey breeds that in the past suffered a critical decrease in numbers. Currently, donkey milk is directly sold on the farm as raw milk or is available on the market as pasteurized, UHT, and milk powder. There are also several registered patents related to donkey milk powders, fermented product, and cosmetic preparations.