🥛 Donkey milk

Donkey milk is the milk of the jenny, or she-donkey, and one of the thinnest and leanest milks among dairy animals. According to FAO tables (2013), 100 g contains 90.8 g of water, 1.6 g of protein, only 0.7 g of fat and 6.4 g of lactose — about 37 kcal — plus 91 mg of calcium. Because it is high in lactose and low in protein, FAO groups it with mare's milk as the closest to human milk.

What sets donkey milk apart is lysozyme, a protein that breaks down bacterial cell walls. FAO gives 100–200 mg per 100 g, that is 1–2 g per litre, and a 2023 Serbian study 2.63 g per litre; cow's milk contains only micrograms. Caseins make up just 40–45% of the protein, as in human milk, so donkey milk is poorly suited to cheesemaking. Even so, pule cheese is made at the Zasavica Nature Reserve in Serbia: 1 kg takes 25 L of donkey milk with a little goat's milk added.

In clinical studies, 82.6–98.5% of children with cow's milk protein allergy tolerated donkey milk. But it is not a complete food for an infant: it is low in fat and calories, so on an all-milk diet fat has to be added, and FAO warns of a possible effect on iron absorption. Lysozyme itself can, in rare cases, also be an allergen.

Donkey milk or cow's milk? They are very different milks. Donkey milk is thin and lean, with 0.7 g of fat per 100 g, and rich in lactose, which is why FAO groups it with mare's milk as the closest to human milk. Its caseins are only 40–45% of the protein, against about 78% in cow's milk, so it is poorly suited to cheesemaking, although pule cheese is made in Serbia. Its distinctive component is lysozyme, which cow's milk has only in micrograms. It is a rare milk, not an everyday substitute, and not a complete food for an infant.

Look for “donkey milk” on a pack or at a farm; it is a rare product. Raw milk from any farm animal falls under EU hygiene rules, so buy only from trusted farms that follow them and ask how it is kept: raw donkey milk belongs at 4 °C. Soaps and creams sold under the same name are cosmetics, not food. You will find the milk at specialist farms and farm shops; give it to a child with an allergy only on a doctor's advice.

Why it matters to you. Donkey milk is a rare and expensive product, so buy it only from trusted farms. In the EU, raw milk from any farm animal, including jennies, falls under common hygiene rules. Keep raw donkey milk at 4 °C: in one study its quality held for 6 days. Give it to a child with an allergy only on a doctor's advice.