Abstract
Kenya is the leading camel milk producer globally, with an annual production volume of 1.165 MMT, followed by Somalia (0.958 MMT) and Mali (0.271 MMT). In Kenya, pastoral tribes in North-Eastern parts rear about 4.722 million camels accounting for about 80% of all camels. Camels offer locals various benefits, including transportation of goods across the deserts, meat, fur, and milk. Camel milk contains natural therapeutically and immunity-boosting properties due to the higher concentration of lactoferrin, lactoglobulins, and lysozyme than bovine milk. Camel milk has been shown to have hypoallergenicity properties compared to bovine milk. Camel and human milk are similar in nutritional composition and therapeutic properties. Camel milk is known to fight various diseases, including cancer, diabetes, autism, hypertension, and skin diseases. Despite the standing of Kenya in the world in terms of camel milk production, Kenya lags considering the camel milk products, industries, and marketing. This paper reviews recent literature on camels and camel milk production trends in Kenya in relation to the world. The review also discusses various camel milk properties (nutritional and therapeutic) as well as the camel milk sector situation in Kenya.
Highlights
Camels (Camelus dromedarius) are animals reared in the desert and were first domesticated in the Southern region of Arabia more than 4,500 years ago [1]
Within the ASALs, camels are majorly reared for milk production as they produce milk for extended periods compared to cattle especially in dry areas [4]
According to the global camel milk production rankings by FAOSTAT [8], Kenya produces about 1.165 million litres followed by Somalia and Saudi Arabia at 0.956 and 0.271 million tonnes, respectively
Summary
Camels (Camelus dromedarius) are animals reared in the desert and were first domesticated in the Southern region of Arabia more than 4,500 years ago [1]. According to the global camel milk production rankings by FAOSTAT [8], Kenya produces about 1.165 million litres followed by Somalia and Saudi Arabia at 0.956 and 0.271 million tonnes, respectively. The increasing in camel milk production volumes has been due to the rising adoption of camel rearing practices, improved production techniques supported by various organizations, and improving camel milk consumption in Kenya. Despite this ranking, the production and marketing of camel milk products in Kenya is still very low. This paper reviews recent literature on camels and camel milk production in Kenya in relation to the global status It discusses camel milk benefits, both nutritional and therapeutic, as well as the situation of camel milk processing in Kenya
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