Camel milk composition by breed, season, publication year, and country: A global systematic review, meta‐analysis, and meta‐regression

Abstract

Camel milk consists of an essential macro/micronutrient for human nutrition in the arid and urban regions. This review study aimed to use meta‐analysis statistical techniques for assessment and correction of publication bias, exploration of heterogeneity between studies, and detailed assessment of the effect of a comprehensive set of moderators including breed, season, country, year of publication, and the interaction between composition elements. This could provide a single synthesis of the camel milk composition to warrant strong generalizability of results, examine variability between available studies, and analyze differences in camel milk composition among different exposures. Such a finding will aid future researchers and health professionals in acquiring a more precise understanding of camel milk composition and drawing more clinical implications. Six searching databases and bibliographic were used including PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, Springer, EBSCOhost, Scopus, and Web of Science from January 1980 to December 2021. The DerSimonian–Laird estimator was used to create the current random‐effects meta‐analysis. This systematic review and meta‐analysis included a total of 7298 camel milk samples from 23 countries. This review comprises 79 studies published in the English language on or after 1980, including a subgroup of 117 analyses consisting of seasons, sub‐breeds, and countries. The contents of macro/micronutrients in camel milk were identified as follows: protein, 3.17%; fat, 3.47%; lactose, 4.28%; ash, 0.78%; and total solids, 11.31%; calcium, 112.93 mg/100 g; iron, 0.45 mg/100 g; potassium, 116.13 mg/100 g; magnesium, 9.65 mg/100 g; sodium, 53.10 mg/100 g; zinc, 1.68 mg/100 g; vitamin C, 5.38 mg/100 g; vitamin A, 0.36 mg/100 g; vitamin B1,0.05 mg/100 g; vitamin B2, 0.13 mg/100 g; vitamin B3, 0.51 mg/100 g; vitamin B6, 0.09 mg/100 g; and vitamin B12, 0.0039 mg/100 g. Our meta‐regression analysis found that fat and total solids were statistically significant moderators of protein; moreover, total solids content is a statistically significant moderator of fat. Discrepancies observed in camel milk profiles are dependent upon several factors, including number of included studies, number of samples, different analytical techniques, feeding patterns, camel's breeds, geographical locations, and seasonal variations.

Prospective Role of Bioactive Molecules and Exosomes in the Therapeutic Potential of Camel Milk against Human Diseases: An Updated Perspective

“…These elements play important roles in various biological processes, serving either as catalytic or structural components or having specific functions, all indispensable for cellular function [38,50], thereby imparting additional value to CM. In particular, the concentrations of heavy metals in CM are in the harmless range [38,50]. It is argued that most of these bioactive components, including the beneficial protein components (LF, LZ, Igs, PGRP, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase), minerals, and vitamins, are present naturally in the raw CM; other components, such as bioactive peptides, are produced from their intact protein counterparts following digestive action by digestive enzymes or through the action of microbial enzymes during fermentation [24,52,53].…”

“…Among micronutrients, both water and fat-soluble vitamins, i.e., A, D, E, K, B complex, and C, are present in CM [ 39 , 49 , 50 ]. CM is also rich in minerals, which are present in the following order of abundance: K > Cl > Ca > P > Na > Mg, Cu, Fe, Zn, etc.…”

“…CM is also rich in minerals, which are present in the following order of abundance: K > Cl > Ca > P > Na > Mg, Cu, Fe, Zn, etc. [ 24 , 32 , 38 , 50 , 51 ]. It has been reported that the Fe content of CM is approximately 10-fold that in BM and that the K and Cu contents are also higher [ 38 , 50 ].…”

“…[ 24 , 32 , 38 , 50 , 51 ]. It has been reported that the Fe content of CM is approximately 10-fold that in BM and that the K and Cu contents are also higher [ 38 , 50 ]. These elements play important roles in various biological processes, serving either as catalytic or structural components or having specific functions, all indispensable for cellular function [ 38 , 50 ], thereby imparting additional value to CM.…”

“…These elements play important roles in various biological processes, serving either as catalytic or structural components or having specific functions, all indispensable for cellular function [ 38 , 50 ], thereby imparting additional value to CM. In particular, the concentrations of heavy metals in CM are in the harmless range [ 38 , 50 ].…”